Tom Green County Sheriff
SHARE By Andrew Atterbury Area school districts are turning to the Tom Green County Sheriffs Office to bolster their security measures. Deputies certified in Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events, a course developed by Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center out of Texas State University in San Marcos, have offered their services to outlying schools, Sheriff David Jones said. Faculty, staff and substitutes even bus drivers at Christoval Independent School District most recently underwent the training Oct. 2. This fall the Sheriffs Office trained Wall ISD, and Veribest ISD is next on the list, Jones said. CISD in January 2013 permitted authorized staff and faculty members to carry firearms on campus to aid the district in case of an emergency. Veribest ISD made the same move about a year ago, and Wall ISD this fall followed suit, also electing to allow firearms on campus to combat longer response times at rural schools. CRASE training provides defensive and offensive tactics to deploy in an active shooter event to protect students and faculty, Deputy Tommy Williams said. Training sessions last about two hours, and a test follows the exercises, Williams said. I give them some physical training, desensitize them to what happens and give them a plan they can go to that will protect their kids, Williams said. Further, the training gets teachers and administrations in sync with what law enforcement is doing so that if there is an emergency, schools and the Sheriffs Office will be on the same page, Williams said. Teachers are all for the training, Williams said. Often they ask him to stay afterward and scope out their classrooms, where he shows them different access points and additional ways to protect students, he said. David Walker, superintendent at CISD, said he was grateful for the Sheriffs Office placing such a high priority on school safety. We have a very forward thinking sheriff and Sheriffs Department, Walker said. Middle school matters Education researchers hit the Robert E. Lee Middle School campus Oct. 13 to give faculty tips to improve reading, writing and math instruction. Lee Middle School was selected as one of three schools to receive tutelage from nationally recognized educational researchers during the 2014-15 school year for the Middle School Matters program, created by the George W. Bush Institute at the George W. Bush Presidential Center to increase the number of students who are prepared for high school and postsecondary success. Professors and researchers from the University of Texas, the University of Florida and Arcadia University near Philadelphia met with Lee instructors on their staff development day, then followed up with classroom observations Oct. 14. The researchers spoke on using math manipulatives and hands-on concepts to help students in algebra; improving academic vocabulary, which effects many content areas; reading comprehension; and strategies to improve writing, said Farrah Gomez, principal at Lee. They brought the research directly to practice and provided staff members with findings for effective classroom instruction, Gomez said. Training was tailored to what educators at Lee wanted to improve on, Gomez said. After the observations the researchers sat back down with teachers to talk about what is and isnt working, she said. Staff at Lee continue working with researchers on conference calls throughout the school year, Gomez said. A second site visit is planned next semester, she said. More than anything the MSM program has provided Lee with an abundance of resources to improve education for students, Gomez said. We arent close-minded; we constantly reflect, Gomez said. This provided an opportunity so we could reflect on our practices and see what we could do immediately to make an impact on student learning. Protect our Kids Commission has first meeting The inaugural meeting between the Protect Our Kids Commission featured presentations by several state agencies working directly with children in crisis, said Carmen Dusek, a local attorney and partner at Symes Dusek LLP. Dusek, one of the San Angelo lawyers who coordinated legal representation for the more than 400 children displaced from the Yearning for Zion Ranch in April 2008, was appointed to the post by Gov. Rick Perry in July. The 14 commission members are tasked with providing recommendations to the state Legislature regarding best practices and evidence-based strategies. The group that met Friday was set to hear from the Department of Family and Protective Services, the Department of State Health Services and the Child Fatality Review Team. The meeting was to provide the commission with information to help them see a broad perspective of the task at hand, Dusek sad. From here, well roll up our sleeves and go to work, Dusek said. Andrew Atterbury reports on education for the Standard-Times. Associated Press The Malta flagged cargo ship named Baroque, a post-Panamax vessel, navigates the Agua Clara locks during a test of the newly expanded Panama Canal in Agua Clara, Panama, Friday, June 24, 2016. The canal's expansion project will be officially inaugurated on Sunday. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) SHARE By Mimi Whitefield, Miami Herald (TNS) PANAMA CITY More than 100 years ago when the SS Ancon sailed into the history books as the first ship to transit the Panama Canal, the waterway was a display of American ingenuity and the Panama Canal Zone was firmly in U.S. hands. But the ship making the first official trip through the newly expanded canal Sunday will be a Chinese megaship. The United States completely withdrew from the canal on Dec. 31, 1999, and there was barely any U.S. participation in the $5.5 billion canal project, which will allow the worlds bigger ships to transit Panamas highway of the sea. The United States remains the most important user of the canal and canal officials say it will be for the foreseeable future, but world trade patterns have shifted in the past century and China has become the worlds largest trading nation. Between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. on Sunday, China COSCO Shippings recently renamed 984-foot-long Panama will approach the new Agua Clara locks on the Atlantic side of the 50-mile-long canal to begin the first official voyage through the expanded canal. It won the honor in a drawing among the canals top customers. Although the new locks tall as an 11-story building are an engineering marvel and the expansion is expected to double the canals capacity, its been a long slog. The project is being delivered nearly two years behind schedule and various claims by the Grupo Unidos por El Canal (Group United for the Canal), the international consortium that built the expansion, could push the price for the project even higher. The Panama Canal Authority also has its own counter-claims. Arbitration on the first unresolved claim gets underway in Miami in July. But now 110 million man hours, 292,000 tons of structural steel, 1.6 million tons of cement and 5 million cubic meters of concrete later the project is finished. Panamanian voters approved it in a 2006 referendum. This is a great project from an engineering and logistical point of view, said Giuseppe Quarta, chief executive of the consortium. The project, which got underway in 2007, included deepening and widening the entrances to the canal, widening and deepening the navigational channel through Gatun Lake, deepening the channel at Culebra Cut, raising the level of the lake, building a new 3.8-mile Pacific access channel, and construction of larger Atlantic and Pacific locks that are as long as three Empire State Buildings laid end to end. The original canal, built at great human and financial cost, is simply too small to handle the bigger ships now plying the worlds trade routes. Smaller ships, however, will continue to use the original locks, and the old and new locks share much of the original canal route. With the expansion able to handle longer, wider and heavier post-Panamax ships, the canal authority hopes to win back shipping lines that switched to the Suez Canal or used U.S. West Coast ports because their ships couldnt fit through the original locks inaugurated on Aug. 15, 1914. As the COSCO Shipping Panama set sail from Greece en route to its date with history, Panama Canal Administrator Jorge Quijano noted that over a hundred years ago, the SS Ancon made history as the first vessel to transit the Panama Canal and now Panama is on the verge of a new era that will change the face of global shipping and international commerce. Panamas President Juan Carlos Varela will preside over a ceremony at the Agua Clara locks celebrating those who worked on the project. Then the Chinese ship will proceed to the 3 p.m. main event on the Pacific side of the canal. At least 10 heads of state as well as port directors and shipping executives from around the world are expected at the Cocoli locks to mark the inaugural passage. The next day, the new locks will open for regular commercial traffic. Already, shipping lines have made more than 120 reservations for the new locks. As he watches the Chinese ship finally enter the locks, Manuel E. Benitez, deputy administrator of the canal authority, said, Ill be a happy man. The timing for delivery of the project hasnt been great. Not only have low water levels brought on by an El Nino-induced drought in the Panama Canal Watershed hampered shipping operations through the canal this year, but the economic slowdown in China and too many ships chasing too little cargo on many shipping routes worldwide also have taken a toll. This has probably been one of the worst years for the container industry, said Benitez. Eventually we see the shipping industry coming out of this. But Benitez said the hope is that the canal will not only be able to capture traffic that shifted to the Suez Canal but also pick up about 10 percent of the cargo that now goes directly from Asia to U.S. West Coast ports. Cargo arriving at Long Beach and Los Angeles the two busiest ports in the United States is shipped by rail or trucked to the Midwest and East Coast. The West Coast route is faster, but its cheaper to ship cargo through the canal to East Coast ports. Meanwhile, the delays in completion of the expansion have given U.S. East Coast ports and other ports around the Americas more time to complete dredging and other improvements so that the big ships transiting the canal can enter their shipping channels fully laden. Although a number of ports are at various stages of dredging projects, only Norfolk, Va., Baltimore and PortMiami are big-ship ready on the East Coast. With its shipping channels now dredged to a depth of 50 to 52 feet, massive super post-Panamax cranes in place, and a new port access tunnel and rail bridge completed, PortMiami hopes to become a first port of call for post-Panamax ships. Miami-Dade Countys commitment to deepen the port has put us in a position on the eve of the opening of the canal expansion that we can say we are a player, a significant player in this business, said PortMiami Director Juan Kuryla. The deep water is a game changer for us. Now container ships sometimes steam right past Miami and unload cargoes destined for Florida at ports like Savannah, Ga., that have sophisticated distribution centers. Then the goods are trucked back down the Florida Peninsula to be sold in the Sunshine State. At a minimum, Kuryla would like to get some of that Florida-bound cargo back and enhance Miamis position as a trans-shipment point for cargo destined for smaller ports in the Caribbean and perhaps even attract some of the cargo that currently heads to West Coast ports. Fifty-five percent of the products consumed in Florida dont come in through Florida ports, he said. We need to get that Florida cargo. Kuryla will be on hand in Panama for the inaugural transit. Its the event of a lifetime for a port director, he said. But PortMiami will be having a celebration of its own on July 9 when the first post-Panamax ship that has traveled through the new locks arrives in Miami. By years end, Kuryla hopes big ships will be regularly calling in Miami. In Panama, the canal is not only the economic lifeblood of the country that sits between two oceans, but the expansion project has become a huge source of pride for Panamanians. The canal is the advantage that Panama has over everyone and it always will, said Philip Nichols, professor of legal studies and business ethics at the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School. They know they have an income, no matter what. Its like having a good, solid lead tenant when youre building a development. But fees from ships transiting through the canal arent Panamas only source of canal-derived income. Panama has become a thriving trans-shipment point for Latin America-bound cargoes, it is developing a new port on the Atlantic side of the canal and it is in the process of bidding out construction for a new port at Corozal on the Pacific side. Panama is a natural trans-shipment hub, said Benitez. In recent years, cargo handled by the Port of Balboa on the Pacific has grown from about 250,000 containers a year to 3.5 million, he said. Although the paint is barely dry on the new locks, the Panama Canal Authority is already studying the possibility of another larger set of locks because ships too big to fit through the new locks are already being built. Panamanians who have worked on the canal feel a sense of accomplishment now that the project is complete. During the peak of construction, there were 30,000 workers laboring around the clock. In the last few weeks, about 2,000 workers have rushed to complete roads, landscape, paint, work on the blue-roofed buildings and finish other last-minute details. The international consortium responsible for the design and construction of the project completed the locks on May 31, and in recent weeks, tests have been run including putting a rented container ship through its paces at the new Atlantic locks. The consortium includes Spains Sacyr Vallhermoso; Italys Salini Impregilo, which specializes in water projects; Jan de Nul Group, a Belgium-based dredging company; and CUSA, a Panamanian construction company. On a recent day, Junior Moreno, 30, stood atop a 3,200-ton gate at the new Pacific locks with a walkie-talkie in hand as it began to move. It was his job to ensure safety as the rolling gate glided seamlessly along a track. I feel quite proud to be a part of this, he said. Hes regularly taken pictures of the expansions progress and explains what is going on to his 11-year-old son, Junior Javier. Plus, he said, working on the project is one of the best construction jobs in Panama right now. He said his $1,500 monthly pay is about double what he might earn at another job site. Because of all the training by the consortium, many of the workers have picked up new skills. But there also have been some other dividends for Panama during the expansion project. The excavation has been like a huge archaeological dig. Under a contract with the canal authority, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute collected and catalogued 8,862 items. Pre-Columbian arrowheads, colonial artifacts and machinery used during the French era at the canal were unearthed, and fossil and archaeological discoveries including 21 million-year-old fossilized monkey teeth have led to a new understanding of the time before the Isthmus of Panama connected North and South America. The theories of the origin of the isthmus have been revised, Benitez said. Graphic Illustration SHARE Reaction from conservative talk radio hosts to Donald Trump's rhetorical blows against Hillary Clinton on Wednesday was instantaneous. Even before the speech concluded, Rush Limbaugh said his email inbox was swamped with overwhelmingly positive responses. "This is what we have been waiting for," he said, characterized the overall theme. These conservatives are tired of split the difference, go along to get along, reach out to the "other side," kumbayah rhetoric that accomplishes little and that they believe Democrats never do. They want to win not just the next election, but the argument. They are not intimidated by the "first woman" to be nominated by a major party. Trump's claim that Clinton is a "liar" and "corrupt" and a "failure" at every position she has held resonates with much of the conservative base. Trump's speech, which he read from a Teleprompter, was measured and lacking the off-the-cuff bombast and repetition that has characterized most of his speeches. In short, it was what many of his supporters and critics have been asking for. It seemed "presidential." Trump's charge that the political and economic system is "rigged" will resonate with a lot of voters who are unemployed, or underemployed, possibly including some Bernie Sanders voters to whom Trump openly appealed for support. Trump made it clear that not only Clinton's record will be a target during the general election campaign, but also what he regards as her integrity and character deficit. He called her "a world-class liar," something presidential candidates usually couch in much nicer language, such as "my opponent has a minimum high regard for the truth." There was also a dash of an ingredient we have heretofore not seen in Trump: humility. I know, if you fake humility you can fake anything, but consider this line: "I love what I do, and I am grateful beyond words to the nation that has allowed me to do it." That is almost, dare I say, Reaganesque? Expect to hear this one again during the campaign: "Her campaign slogan is 'I'm with her.' You know what my response to that is? I'm with you: the American people." Trump issued a laundry list of what he said proves Clinton's corruption, including gifts to the Clinton Foundation from regimes that execute gays. This time he didn't mention his frequent promise to build a wall across the U.S.-Mexico border. Instead, he pivoted and put the open border problem in a way that might catch the attention of a broader section of the electorate: "For the amount of money Hillary Clinton would like to spend on refugees, we could rebuild every inner city in America." That is not a pledge most Republican voters are used to hearing since Republicans usually write off the inner cities and minority voters as unobtainable. This was Trump's best speech so far and if it filters down to what Limbaugh calls "low information voters" and strikes a chord it might lower his currently high negatives (Clinton's already high negatives, which are lower than Trump's, might be driven up by this line of attack). He included more substance in this speech than any other he has made. There is much more needed and some of the sources he quotes may not stand up to fact-check scrutiny, but if Trump's campaign turns around, this speech will be seen as the starting point. Cal Thomas is a syndicated columnist and member of the USA TODAY Board of Contributors. Follow him on Twitter: @CalThomas SHARE In addition to his consistent blurring of the bright line between people of the Muslim faith and terrorists who cloak their destructive actions in terms of Islamist extremism, Donald Trump recently suggested that Muslims aren't doing their part to prevent tragedies such as the nightclub massacre in Orlando. "We have to form a partnership with our Muslim communities," Trump said during a speech at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire. "We have Muslim communities in this country that are great (but) ... they have to work with us, they have to cooperate with law enforcement and turn in the people who they know are bad. And they know it. And they have to do it and they have to do it forthwith." Blechhhh. This is just lazy thinking. And it's not even new thinking in the years since illegal-immigration hysteria has been on the rise, Hispanics have been cornered by people angry about illegal immigration with accusations that they, personally, have failed to address the problem. I have been asked: "Isn't it in your own best interest to report illegals in your community to the feds? Why don't you do it?" Um, what, do I have a special immigration-status detector? I'm supposed to just definitively know which of the brown-skinned, Spanish-speaking people in my community are here visiting on tourist visas, which of them have overstayed those visas, which ones were smuggled in across the Mexican border, which are permanent legal residents and which are naturalized citizens? Of course not. But the idea that I should know other Hispanics' personal business in this case, their legal status stems from the assumptions made by people who believe the country is overrun by "illegals." Mainly that most Hispanics are residing in the country illegally, that we all know everyone else and their status. And, therefore, I should be a good citizen and go to the immigration police to get the unlawfully present ne'er-do-wells removed. By this ridiculous logic, should Muslims deputize themselves? Make it their business to single out the quiet, weird, shy or nervous-seeming people who worship in their mosques, live in their neighborhoods or frequent their local halal grocery stores and go to the police with ... what, exactly? Misgivings? Suspicions? Heebie-jeebies? In a March episode of the Latino political podcast "In the Thick," independent journalist Wajahat Ali addressed this issue of others' expectations of Muslims. "It's troubling that (to politicians calling on Muslims to 'cooperate') the only utility and worth of the American Muslim community is to 'quote-unquote' provide information. It's the securitization of 4 million people," said Ali. "That's what I always joke about. ... You always expect me to fight ISIS, like what do you want my mom to do? Like, make really spicy chicken tandoori, poison it and send a batch to ISIS? The entire utility and worth of American Muslims who have been in this country for 500 years (shouldn't be) 'What are you doing to help law enforcement and national security and fight ISIS?' And I'm like, 'Dude, I don't know. I don't have specialized knowledge of law enforcement and I don't know how to fight ISIS, I don't know these people.'" Ali continued, "That's the troubling aspect of it, the fact that there is the 'good' Muslim and the 'bad' Muslim. The good Muslim is he who is appointed the moderate, safe Muslim who's helping law enforcement and anyone who's seen as suspect is automatically a bad Muslim. ... It's so reductive and it handicaps the full breadth and diversity and utility and worth and narratives of American Muslims and American Islam that, I think, is ultimately very damaging to how this country views its 4 million American Muslim citizens." If you don't understand why Hispanics or Muslims or any other group would feel insulted by insinuations that we should police our own communities, think of it this way: Why don't politicians hold the families and church or school communities of white perpetrators of mass violence accountable for not having brought them to the attention of law enforcement before their acts? When white Americans do something horrible injure or kill their own children, rape or murder fellow community members why isn't there a knee-jerk reaction against those people's friends, families and neighbors as somehow complicit in the crime? Simple: Because it's wrong. Casting blame on those who surround a perpetrator might feel good but it's ineffective, wrongheaded and plainly un-American. Esther Cepeda is a Washington Post columnist. Contact her at estherjcepeda@washpost.com. SHARE McCulloch County rancher Dave Edmiston, who has received the Golden Spur Award from leading ranching and livestock organizations. Longtime House of Faith director Rachel Beaver, who will be honored at a retirement reception on Sunday. Andy and Sue Daniel and Aubrey and J. Ann Lange, who recently celebrated 50th wedding anniversaries. Angelo State University alumnus Trevor Hance, an elementary school teacher in Round Rock, who has received a 2016 Texas Environmental Excellence Award from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. How Terrorists' Use of Social Media Points to the Future (TNS) -- Los Angeles County transportation officials said Thursday they will seek voter approval in November for a half-cent sales tax increase to fund a major expansion of Southern Californias rail and highway network.The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board of directors voted 11-2 to place a tax increase proposal on the November ballot that would generate at least $860 million per year for street repairs, highway improvements and new rail construction, including lines in the Sepulveda Pass and Van Nuys and extensions to Claremont and West Hollywood.Metros proposal, one of the most ambitious in modern U.S. history, could transform a traffic-choked region that began building a modern rail system decades after other major cities. The expenditure plan calls for several north-south links in a rail network that runs largely east to west.The tax, which has no end date, would increase the countys base sales tax rate to 9.5% and push the rate to 10% in some cities, including Santa Monica and Commerce. If the tax were approved, two cents for every dollar spent in the county would fund transportation improvements. It would require a two-thirds vote to pass.Critics have said the so-called Los Angeles County Traffic Improvement Plan could spark financial woes for Metro, which sometimes struggles to manage the budget it has now. The widening of the 405 Freeway was completed years behind schedule, and the budget for a new rail connection through downtown Los Angeles has increased by $130 million, or 9% The measures tax revenue also would fully or partially fund 10 new highway projects, including an extension of State Route 71 and a new carpool-lane interchange between the 405 and 110 freeways.Metros plan would return 17% of tax revenue to cities for transportation investments, including road repairs. It also would fund Metrolink, bus and rail operations and repairs, and pedestrian and bicycle improvements.Board members Diane DuBois, a Lakewood city councilwoman, and Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe voted against the measure.Theres a strong belief that the county is tilted, and we need to fix that tilt, DuBois said, adding that the geographic distribution of projects was not equal.Knabe said the plan prioritizes new projects over rail lines promised to voters through Measure R, the half-cent sales tax increase that voters approved in 2008.During nearly three hours of public testimony, dozens of elected officials and taxpayers asked Metro for last-minute changes to the plan, primarily accelerating the ribbon-cuttings for projects that would be funded with the new tax.Others urged Metro to improve service for bus riders. At one point, members of the Fight for the Soul of the Cities advocacy group began to chant, Free buses, not freeways.Knabe said that dozens of projects currently listed in the proposal could be moved back or removed in the future with a two-thirds vote of the Metro board.When youre handed an open checkbook, it becomes a real accountability factor, Knabe said, asking the board for stricter controls on projects and budgets. This is a forever tax. I mean, forever. The accountability needs to be there.Metro Chief Executive Phil Washington said the ordinance would allow the board only to speed up construction on some projects, and not at the expense of funding for other projects.Other speakers asked the board to postpone the measure for two years to allow for further changes. To cheers and laughter, one elderly woman told the board: Like sex, we want it, but we dont want it quick we want it right.Representatives from southeast cities urged Metro to further accelerate the schedule for the West Santa Ana Branch, a 19-mile light-rail line that would connect Union Station with Artesia. The line would pass through a group of poor, transit-dependent cities, including Downey, Bellflower and Huntington Park.After pressure from local representatives, including state Sen. Anthony Mendoza (D-Artesia) and Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), Metro changed its expenditure plan to bump up the lines ribbon-cutting from 2047 to 2041, and noted the project could open as early as 2037 with funding from the private sector.But the same project had received seed funding and a tentative opening date of 2027 under Measure R.Its important to keep the promise to voters, said Karina Macias, a councilwoman from Huntington Park. No bait and switch. We want you to do the right thing.On Thursday morning, Mendoza said he would reintroduce a state bill that would add 10 members to the Metro board , which he said would ensure [Metro] more fairly and equitably represents all of Los Angeles Countys 10 million residents. A previous attempt to pass the legislation failed earlier this month.Others urged the Metro board to accelerate the timeline for a proposed northern extension of the Crenshaw Line, currently slated to begin service in 2047. The line could connect with the Purple Line along Wilshire Boulevard and the Red Line in Hollywood and could curve into nightlife-rich West Hollywood, which traditionally has had some of the highest voter support of any city for Metro tax measures.Metro also heard criticism from advocates in South Los Angeles, who have sought funding for a tunnel along a one-mile section of the Crenshaw Line that is designed to run at street level in Park Mesa Heights.We dont have a name for this measure yet, but how about Measure N for never going to pass, or never going to happen? said Damien Goodmon, the head of the Crenshaw Subway Coalition. Without funding for the tunnel, he said, he would urge South L.A. residents to vote against the tax measure.A motion introduced by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti that passed unanimously will include funding for a bus-rapid transit line in the north San Fernando Valley that would connect to Cal State Northridge and open in 2023.Under Measure R, the San Fernando Valley was largely left out of the equation, and was not treated fairly and was not treated equitably, said Los Angeles City Councilman and director Paul Krekorian. June 25, 1950 Forces of Communist North Korea launched a series of attacks into the American-sponsored South Korea Republic today and the Northern Pyongyang radio said that war had been declared formally, effective at 11 a.m. (8 p.m. EST, Saturday). The Moscow-supported North Korean forces attacked in heavy rain after mortar and artillery bombardments which started at 4 a.m. There was no immediate indication of the purpose or extent of the attacks, though reports received here said they were general in the frontier areas. The frontier line is the 38th parallel of latitude. Republicans are trying to make local Democrats act like a real political party, and the Democratic Town Committee chairman is having none of it. He is much more comfortable with his party remaining the hugely inept local presence it is. At issue is First Selectman Peter Teseis proposal to study expanding the school board from eight members to 10, and awarding more seats to whichever party wins the election. It is hardly a radical idea, and in practice would not change the political composition of the school board. The Greenwich Democratic Party has a long history of nominating candidates who are only too eager to go along with Republicans on every substantive issue, and jettisoning those members who dare offer real alternatives to Republican leadership, such as it is. Democratic Town Committee Chairman Jeffrey Ramer of Riverside calls Teseis move a raw power grab. But Ramer has to know that Greenwich, at least in local elections, is a one-party town. There is no need for a Republican power grab; they have all the political power already, including control by surrogate of the local Democratic organization. Too many town Democrats are of the mindset that if they push back too hard against often inane Republican ideas and incompetent town administration, they will be ostracized by their own party. Ramer claims Teseis plan would politicize the school board. But that board is political by design and intent, just like every other elected body in town. Robust political debate is how democracies flesh out various perspectives to build consensus and move forward (or backward). We should encourage more discussion and transparency. And the Democrats would meet with more success if the party focused on identifying locally important issues and offering strong alternatives to the dominant Republican narrative. Consider three recent events on which the Democrats could have staked out positions that offered town voters clearly different perspectives from the Republicans: approval of $35 million to build an oversized new elementary school; discovery of highly contaminated soil on school playing fields; and the school board repeatedly holding illegal secret meetings. Republican and Democratic members of the school board agree that New Lebanon elementary school is too small by one or two classrooms. Four other elementary schools in town have empty classrooms: North Street, Hamilton Avenue, Cos Cob and Parkway. It is also possible that Riverside School will be under-capacity next year. So the real issue is not a shortage of classrooms, it is that the classrooms are at the wrong schools. Was there any discussion about redefining the school districts? No. Instead, the school board decides to demolish New Lebanon and replace it with a much bigger school with nine more classrooms. The price tag for this new school is $35 million. Modern pre-fabricated building technology could bring that number down to $10-$11 million, but the Building Committee would have none of it. So we are building a huge school and wasting about $25 million, and the Democrats remain silent. Turning from school buildings to school grounds, about two months ago an unauthorized soil test revealed dangerous levels of lead and arsenic in the Western Middle School playground. The Republicans, led by Tesei, refused to confirm the test results and instead questioned the motives and methodology behind the testing. And what did the Democratic Party do? Did it show common sense and call for the immediate closing of the fields and testing to confirm or disprove the results? No. Instead, the Democratic chairman of the school board urged caution and patience. School kids playing on toxic fields should not be met with caution and patience. And then there is the school boards penchant for secrecy. We recently learned that School Superintendent William McKersie insisted on his right to hire a new deputy superintendent even though he was leaving the district at the end of this school year. He refused to give the school board any substantive say in hiring this important position. And because the school board held five secret meetings in which it dithered over how to control the departing superintendent, the public had no idea and, therefore, no forum to express its views. So the Democratic Party has no shortage of issues with which to take on the Republicans; it just has a shortage of people willing to do it. Perhaps it could start by proposing a different plan for reforming the school board. Increase board membership to 12, one from each of the RTM districts. Have people run by district, not town wide. And have them run without any party affiliation. It wont remove the politics, and thats a good thing. And it would provide equal representation for all parts of town on the school board, and thats a better thing, Ramer and his fellow DTC members have to stop worrying about earning the respect of the local Republican powers that be and worry more about earning the respect of the voters. Bob Horton can be reached at bobhorton@yahoo.com. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate GREENWICH - In his denim overalls and Simms fly fishing cap, Ed Stilwagen is where he can be found most days, checking in on his clamming boats and checking out the state of the water in Long Island Sound. I always say the way to find clams is you go out there and you tell a clam joke. Then you hear em laughing, you go in and you get em, Stilwagen said. Stilwagen is like a lot of people in Greenwich. He has two boats, a shiny black Cadillac and a lot of property. His boats, though, are for work and his property is mostly under water. The 4,000 acres he leases stretch about a mile into Long Island Sound. He is the largest clam harvester in Greenwich waters. Since we been started here (in 2000), I calculate well over 300 million clams weve produced, he said. Stilwagens crews are out on his pontoon-like clam boats sometimes seven days a week, stowing their lunches on the boat engine to keep warm. They extract their catch with a long, extending vacuum that sucks clams, rocks, garbage and muck from the floor of the sound onto the boat. Clams are put in a box to be sorted by size, the garbage in a box to be hauled to shore and thrown away properly. Everything else they throw back. Greenwich is a wonderful clam-producing place, Stilwagen said. The food and the salinity and all here is absolutely perfect for their environment. Thats why were quite successful. Probing the depths The buoyant clamming culture in Greenwich is the focus of an ongoing study led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that is trying to determine the overall benefit, particularly economic, that clams and clamming have on the Greenwich community. This includes advantages from commercial fishing revenue to the quality of life provided by recreational clamming to the cleansing effect clams have on the Greenwich portion of Long Island Sound. Greenwich Shellfish Commission Chairman Roger Bowgen, who has teamed with NOAA scientists and an economist at Stony Brook University on the study, said it is the first of its kind, and a chance for Greenwich to become a model for other towns in Connecticut. Millions of clams are harvested out of Greenwich waters by commercial and recreational clammers every year, he said. We were aware that Greenwich, especially the Shellfish Commission, has worked very hard to make the most of their shellfish resources, said NOAA scientist Julie Rose. We thought to study the economic benefits it would be best to go to a place where it is done very well, and that is what brought us to Greenwich. A healthy shellfish resource is a sign of a healthy ecosystem in near-shore waters, she said. If we can describe how that is done in Greenwich were hoping it can be done to help other communities up their game a little bit, Rose said. Two phases The first phase of the project is reaching completion. With the help of the Shellfish Commission, scientists have taken monthly trips out on a boat to collect water samples at stations all over the Greenwich shoreline. Those samples have been put into a model predicting shellfish growth and filtration, and their corresponding positive effects, such as nitrogen removal. Clams are filter feeders. As they eat they siphon dirty water through their system and eject cleaner water back into the sound. In particular, they remove excess nitrogen, which can cause aquatic plants and algae to overgrow, blocking light and depleting the water of oxygen. With the field work almost done, the focus of the study will shift to Stony Brook University, where economist Anthony Dvarskas will try to determine bivalves effect on the communitys bottom line. Hell be looking at the more obvious economic benefits, such as those from Stilwagens operation and the sale of recreational permits, but also less tangible gains derived from quality of life and environmental impacts. The state of Connecticut doesnt actually know how much money is made from the clam industry each year, said State Bureau of Aquaculture Director David Carey. It has always been voluntary for clam fisherman to report their catch to the state, and up until about 20 years ago they did, Carey said. In 1997 a proposal to tax clam and oyster catches by the bushel was floated at the state level, and the data went dark. Everyone stopped reporting then, Carey said. We typically say clams and oysters combined are like thirty million, but thats just a projection from the last numbers in 97. New federal regulations passed last month by the FDA require the shellfishing catch in Connecticut to be monitored, Carey said. Perception and plastics That increased monitoring wont adversely effect Stilwagens business. He worries more about factors beyond his control, like the spike in the blue crab population in 2011. The hard-clawed crustaceans broke through clam shells and virtually destroyed the clam population, until the crabs disappeared, he said. There is also public perception, which can empty out clam bars in a flash. One person gets sick on a clam the whole world falls apart. Ten people get sick on chicken and no one hears about it, Stilwagen said. If youd sold 300 million chickens, a bunch of people would have got sick. The possibility of getting sick on a shellfish is far more remote. Most of all, he worries about the continuous onslaught of pollution in Long Island Sound. The sound is affected by runoff from the mainland, but also garbage and litter that settles at the bottom, decomposing into an anaerobic muck. Stilwagens crew calls that muck black mayonnaise, because its so black and greasy you have to use soap and water to get it off your hands. Plastics are the big harm, because they smother and cover, Stilwagen said. Plastics are going to kill this world. The NOAA study hopes to foster better understanding of the resource just off local shores, and therefore better care of it as well. The study began a year and a half ago, and the team plans to conclude by the end of the year. They have agreed to give a presentation of their data to the Greenwich community when they are done, and will take part in Sundays Experience the Sound event at Greenwich Point from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. But biologist Gary Wikfors, the projects supervisor, said team members hope, eventually, to reach a much wider audience than the town they have studied. Going to a place where the shellfish management has been done well and recognizing the community, we hope will present an example, and help other shoreline communities to realize opportunities they are not realizing yet. he said. pfrissell@hearstmediact.com; @PeregrineFriss Timeline for One UI 5 rollout revealed: Galaxy S and Z models to get it by the end of the year As part of T-Mobile's Un-Carrier #GetThanked, magenta customers are being given free stuff on Tuesdays just for being a T-Mobile customer as the carrier's token of appreciation. This also included one free share of T-Mobile stock per customer and 1 hour of free in-flight Gogo Wireless on domestic flights. In spirit of the summer, T-Mobile is also extending this free hour of in-flight Wi-Fi for AT&T and Verizon customers. T-Mobile is doing this so that "long-abused" AT&T and Verizon customers can also feel what it's like to #GetThanked by the carrier. This weekend only, from June 24th to June 26, Verizon and AT&T customers can also claim a free hour of in-flight Wi-Fi for domestic flights within the US. T-Mobile customers can get free Wi-Fi for the entire duration of the flight. CEO of T-Mobile John Legere says We want to show everybody what it feels like to #GetThanked and travel like a T-Mobile customer! T-Mobile is really sticking it to the other carriers in hopes that non-magenta customers will feel like they are appreciated by another carrier that could turn to potential switchers. Also T-Mobile customers flying to Europe this summer will gain access to unlimited high speed data while roaming for no extra charge in the same spirit of the summer as an estimated two-and-half million Americans travel to Europe. I've never been so impressed by a US carrier before. Thank you T-Mobile, from a loyal and content T-Mobile customer, for driving innovation and competition in the US market and really taking care of customers. Source | Via Haiti - FLASH : Several companies including the Marriott riddled with bullets In the night from Thursday 23 to Friday, June 24, 2016 heavily armed individuals, hitherto unidentified, have riddled with bullets the facade of several major private companies, in a clearly planned and coordinated operation. According to the first information we have received, the following companies have been the target of shooting of this armed commando: Digicel (6 bullet holes), the Marriot Hotel (5 impacts), the Natcom (13 impacts) but also the companies : Behrman Motors, Automeca and Sogebank (Delmas 30)... No injuries were reported and the perpetrators and the reasons for these attacks are at present unknown. Moreover several thefts and acts of vandalism have also been reported, without that we know if they were committed by the same individuals. An emergency meeting was held between Michel-Ange Gedeon, the Director General a.i. of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) and officials of police stations of West on these attacks. Following the attack against his business, Maarten Boute, CEO of Digicel declared "We are symbols of foreign investment in Haiti. I think these people do not realize the effect it will have on the country. It's a negative message sent to other potential foreign investors. We condemn such violent acts of destabilization aimed at creating a climate of insecurity. This reminds me of the attacks against gas stations. I think there is a certain segment of the population that is trying to send a clear message of destabilization." Other information to come on HaitiLibre.com SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Economy : Sri Lanka will establish in Haiti Wednesday, at a reception organized by the National Society of Industrial Parks (SONAPI), Sharda Amalean, Vice President of the "Mas Holdings", a Sri Lankan conglomerate specializing in manufacturing of clothing and lingerie (1.2 billion turnovers, in 15 countries) announced the soon implantation of plants in Caracol Industrial Park (PIC). Philippe Debrosse, Director General of the SONAPI and Nonce Zephyr, President of the Chamber of Commerce North,have welcomed this investment announcement in Haiti. A start date of the activities of the "Mas Holding" will be announced after the completion of some usual formalities in Haiti. After investments and installation at PIC of South Korean world leader in textile SAE-A Trading Co there are almost 5 years (over 9,000 employees) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-2302-haiti-economy-the-korean-project-of-the-industrial-park-of-north.html "Mas Holdings" would be the second largest investor in Caracol. See also : https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-6619-haiti-news-some-news-here-and-there.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-6437-haiti-social-sae-a-trading-co-ltd-also-a-social-actor-in-haiti.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-3735-haiti-economy-training-of-20-young-haitian-professionals-in-the-textile-industry.html SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Politic : Ceant denounces the manipulation of the electoral process by Privert In a note, Me Jean-Henry Ceant, Presidential candidate under the banner "Renmen Ayiti" https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-17814-haiti-elections-27-candidates-running-for-the-presidency-list.html explain that "The statement of the Presidency https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-17827-haiti-politic-may-the-best-win-dixit-the-presidency.html comes to confirm the determination of the former provisional president Jocelerme Privert of bring discredit to the presidential institution, the organization of elections and beyond on the entire Haitian Nation. Having exhausted without success, his mandate of 120 days, today he is, clinging to power, surprised in the pose of a de facto President, distributing to indiscriminately his congratulations, compliments and thanks both to candidates who agreed to participate in the upcoming elections than those who abstained to do it [...]" Ceant stresses, contrary to what Privert said, that in "no case, the confirmation of candidacy of these twenty-seven political figures can not be assimilated to an acceptance of a situation of illegality, unconstitutionality and imposture [...]" adding that Jocelerme Privert, "De facto president, mime the statesman, capable of imposing respect for the rules of the democratic game and ethics, so that during the mandate granted to him, he has posed only of supporters, arbitrary and of clan [...] In a word, Privert has opted to manipulate the electoral process." HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Electoral Zapping... Me Andre Michel unhappy The letter sent by 7 senators, to the Head of Protocol of the Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, informing him that Jocerlemet Privert was no longer provisional President of Haiti since Feb. 14 and he could not be invited to the inauguration of the Panama Canal as President of Haiti https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-17833-haiti-flash-7-senators-attempt-to-cancel-a-visit-of-privert-in-panama.html did react strongly Andre Michel (Jistis). Me Michel believes that this correspondence unpatriotic, anti-nationalist and demeaning for the republican institutions and the Senate of the Republic in particular stating "It's not possible! The political battle has its limits. We do not ask a foreign government to humiliate a compatriot whatever the degree of political disagreement [...]" Too many candidates Despite the reduced number of presidential candidates 27 instead of 54 in the presidential election of 25 October 2015, the Senator Andris Riche believes that it is a shame to see so many candidates, most of which are unknown of the population and persist in error when they know very well that the electorate turned its back on them in the first round canceled... Continuing "[...] when you are engaged in a presidential election to collect around 1,000 votes one should abandon instead of confirming its candidacy [...]" Cholzer Chancy dreams of colleagues at the height Cholzer Chancy, the President of the Lower House concerning the session in National Assembly on Tuesday, June 28, said he hoped his colleagues show at the height of the task to hold a meeting in serenity. The Ministry of Tourism discusses of its next budget The executives of the Governing Board of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Industries (MTIC) had exchanges this week around the 2016-2017 Finance Bill. This important meeting was chaired by the Minister Guy Didier Hyppolite with members of his cabinet and Maryse Noel the Director General of the Ministry. The various units, Sirectorates and Services of the Ministry through their officials took the opportunity to discuss their action plans and their share in the budget that will be allocated to tourism for the coming fiscal year. Inauguration of a computer lab Wednesday, Jean Marie Altema, the Director General of the National Council of Telecommunications (CONATEL), inaugurated a Computer Lab at the Faculty of Law and Economics (FDSE) of Port-au-Prince. Tourism, important meeting in New York Some executives of the Ministry of Tourism, whose Samuel Dameus, the Director of Communication, Georges Simeon, Coordinator of Promotion and Public Relations, and Johanne Barthelemy Clebert, Assistant Coordinator of Promotion, met past weekend several keys investors, leaders and influential journalists in New York to talk about tourism,achievements of sector and the involvement of the Haitian diaspora in the tourism development process in Haiti. HL/ HaitiLibre Login or sign up to follow actresses, movies & dramas and get specific updates and news Login Sign Up New Ad-free Subscriber Login Email Password Password Username Your E-mail will only be used to retrieve a lost password. Stay logged in Help Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Airplane tickets to Australia and New Zealand were paid for out of charity income to the suicide bereavement organisation Console, an unpublished HSE audit has found. The HSE is seeking a full response from Console on funds totalling around 500,000. They were used for a range of items, including the flights and other expenses which appear not to be directly relevant to the charity's work. The charity, which received 855,227 from the health service in 2014, will continue to be funded and keep on with its bereavement-counselling work pending the outcome of a probe into its finances by the HSE and gardai. Founder Paul Kelly resigned as chief executive on Thursday night. Two directors - his wife Patricia and sister Joan McKenna - also resigned. An RTE Investigates programme revealed a range of irregularities, including payments of 215,000 to its directors from 2010-2012. As a tax-exempted charity, directors are not entitled to payments. Mr Kelly, who was paid around 90,000 in consultancy fees, denies any wrongdoing. An external review of the charity by accountant Tom Murray, and David Hall, of the Irish Mortgage Holders Association, began yesterday at the request of the board. The charities regulator, John Farrell, said yesterday: "Where a member of the public has a concern about non-compliance with the Charities Act. We actively encourage them to pass this information on to us. "If we believe that any charitable organisation is in breach of legislation, it is our policy to require a meeting with their trustees to seek assurances that they are in compliance with the law." However, Ivan Cooper, of the The Wheel, a national organisation representing 1,350 Irish charities, warned that the regulator, whose office was set up to oversee the industry in 2014, is still without key investigative powers. Information The regulator still cannot take action against a charity based on information brought by a third party, he said. "Over 50,000 people act as trustees or voluntary directors of charities in Ireland, and together these individuals control over 7bn of spending on services delivered by over 11,000 organisations," Mr Cooper said. "It is the responsibility of trustees to ensure that any and all statements, claims and funding applications they make to support their work are true and accurate," he added. The HSE said that a copy of its internal audit had been sent to its mental health division. "The national director for mental health has considered the findings and recommendations, and has engaged with Console and asked it for any comments it may have. Once this engagement process is complete a decision will be taken regarding future arrangements with Console." The HSE audit alleged that Console also named people as board members who had no association with the charity and were unaware they were being listed. These included former senator Jillian van Turnhout. It claimed Console breached Revenue Commissioners' rules which state there should be a minimum of three officers, trustees or directors who are not related. It also claimed it produced a number of different accounts in the one year. A Dublin man has lost a claim for victimisation against a nightclub that refused him entry after he had, on a previous occasion, "danced erratically" while preparing for TV3's X-Factor auditions. Barrister Dorothy Collins said that, in February 2015, staff members at Buck Whaleys, of Lower Leeson Street, Dublin, had asked Vytautas Jurksa to calm down after customers had complained about his dancing. Ms Collins, counsel for the club, told the Circuit Court that Mr Jurksa had left the club "in a huff" before returning with two gardai as he alleged he had been discriminated against. Flashed Ms Collins said Mr Jurksa, who the court heard had been dancing like Mick Jagger or Elvis, flashing his legs and arms, had also claimed the club's action had interfered with his preparation for the X-Factor auditions. Circuit Court president Mr Justice Raymond Groarke heard that Mr Jurksa last year lost a discrimination claim in the District Court against Stonehead Ltd, which trades as Buck Whaleys, and legal costs had been awarded against him. He had not appealed that decision. Judge Groarke was told that Mr Jurksa later brought another District Court claim against the club after being refused entry last January, because of his previous behaviour. He had claimed he had not been allowed into the club because of his first court case and, therefore, had been victimised. The District Court had refused to hear his application because he had not paid the legal costs from his previous claim. The court had adjourned the case generally with liberty to re-enter, on the condition that he discharged the owed sum of 750 plus Vat. Mr Jurksa had then appealed that decision to the Circuit Court. Following an application by Mr Jurksa, who represented himself, to hear the claim in its entirety, Judge Groarke found that he had not been victimised. Judge Groarke told Ms Collins that he was satisfied after hearing the evidence of the club staff that Mr Jurksa - a Polish national, of St Martin's House, Waterloo Road, Dublin - had been refused entry because of his previous behaviour. Giving his judgment, which was interrupted several times by Mr Jurksa, Judge Groarke said the fact that the club had not responded to correspondence or that a security officer had refused to give his licence number could not constitute victimisation. The judge struck out Mr Jurksa's claim. More than 300 families across the country will host 150 children from Chernobyl over the next month and become their Irish "mums and dads". Adi Roche's charity Chernobyl Children International (CCI) has organised the trip of a lifetime for the youngsters affected by the nuclear disaster in the city. A host of activates including swimming, barbecues, horse riding and a big day out with broadcaster Joe Duffy have been lined up for the children, some of whom have never been outside the walls of medical institutions. Deadly Ms Roche told the Herald that families had opened their homes and their hearts for the children on the 30th anniversary of the disaster. "Even if they have to go back to the institution, they will always know that they have an Irish 'mammy and daddy'. "We say they are like little ambassadors, they have come from the heart of Chernobyl to the heart of the Irish people," she said. The Chernobyl disaster began in the early hours of April 26, 1986, when a botched test at the nuclear plant in then-Soviet Ukraine triggered a meltdown. Deadly clouds of radioactive material were spewed into the atmosphere, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes and doing untold long-term health damage. Ms Roche said she began the Rest and Recuperation Programme after receiving a fax from Belarus, which was then in western Ukraine. "We got a fax from the doctors saying 'for God's sake get the Rest and Recuperation Programme children out'. "They need clean water, clean air, and clean food. Children were the most vulnerable," she said. The programme was established to provide a health-boosting reprieve from the toxic environment and high levels of radiation to which they are exposed. The dangerous environment has been maintained due to the ongoing recontamination by forest fires in the affected regions. Shannon Airport was yesterday full of cheer as the children arrived and met their host families. "It warms everyones' heart here today to see the excitement on the children's faces as they arrive safe and happy into Shannon. "Our wonderful volunteers have opened their hearts and their homes to these children every summer, children who so desperately need our help. "While the Chernobyl accident happened 30 years ago, the consequences last forever," Ms Roche said. "My heartfelt gratitude goes to the volunteers who offer hope to the children who the world has largely forgotten," she added. Recent studies have shed light on the benefits of rest and recuperation to the children who live in some of the world's most radioactive contaminated lands. It is expected that radiation levels in the children will drop by nearly 50pc on the trip - adding up to two years to their life expectancy. Dr Ian Fairlie, a nuclear biologist, said in a recent report on the effects of Chernobyl "beyond a reasonable doubt" children's health improves greatly when they are removed form toxic environs. Progress Since 1991, 25,000 children from Belarus and western Russia have come to Ireland with CCI on this Rest and Recuperation programme. Among the children who arrived yesterday was 13-year-old Maryna, who was abandoned to a medical institution. She suffers from Cerebral Palsy but has been making great progress thanks to the care of CCI carers and volunteers Maryna will stay with her 'adopted' mother Trina Gilchriest and her family in Dublin. Nastya (16) was abandoned at an institution in Belarus as a baby. She has cerebral palsy and had never been outside the walls of the institution because she didn't have a wheelchair. Taoiseach Enda Kenny addresses the public about Brexit and how the Government plans to deal with the fallout The storm caused by the shock Brexit vote has forced the Government to implement its plan B, with maintaining the open border with the North a top priority. As shell-shocked capitals around Europe scrambled to react, Taoiseach Enda Kenny moved to reassure the public that Britain is not leaving the European Union immediately and there is "breathing space" of at least two years to implement contingency plans. Among the key points are: Negotiating to preserve the Common Travel Area between Ireland and the UK; A review of the Summer Financial Statement, which promised 1bn for tax cuts and spending increases; Identifying the potential for new foreign direct investment; Assistance to Irish businesses to diversify their international markets; A diplomatic blitz across the US to ensure there's no doubt over Ireland's continued EU membership; The promotion of Ireland's tourism offering in the British market to advise potential visitors that there continues to be no barriers to coming here. As concerns continued about the possibility of a "hard border" with the North, Mr Kenny stressed that for now nothing has changed. "There will be no immediate change to the free flow of people, goods and services between our islands," he said. But while Mr Kenny called for reflection and debate on the challenges ahead, Sinn Fein called for a vote on Irish reunification. Its leader Gerry Adams, speaking outside Stormont, said the people in the North voted to remain in the EU and argued that the British government now has no mandate to represent them in Europe. "There is now a democratic imperative for a border poll. The Irish Government should support this," he said. He was joined in this call at Leinster House by deputy leader and Dublin Central TD Mary Lou McDonald, who called the referendum result "a game changer" and said the case for a vote on Irish unity is "unanswerable". The Taoiseach dismissed the call. He said under the Good Friday Agreement a border poll can take place if the British Northern Secretary believed a majority want to join the Republic. "There is no such evidence," Mr Kenny said, adding: "There are much more serious issues to deal with in the immediate term and that's where our focus is." Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said his party's view was that Irish unity was the best way forward into the future. However, he said "the Sinn Fein call is a distraction given that we have such instability and uncertainty". He said the focus should be on ensuring Ireland gets the best possible deal in the EU Brexit negotiations. The Northern Secretary Theresa Villiers - who had campaigned for Leave - ruled out holding a unification poll. She said no opinion surveys indicate that a majority in the North support a United Ireland. Ms Villiers said that "with common sense" the two jurisdictions can ensure an open border is maintained. British Prime Minister David Cameron - who has said he will step down by October to allow his successor to enter negotiations on the UK leaving the EU - phoned Mr Kenny to thank him for supporting the Remain campaign. Issues A spokesperson for the Taoiseach said they touched on "the closeness of the result". Mr Kenny said he "understood the rationale for the PM's stated preference for initiating negotiations with the EU after a new leader of the Conservative party has been selected". The two leaders agreed that there would be immediate bilateral contact between senior officials to discuss issues including the common travel area. The exchange was described as "warm" and Mr Kenny wished Mr Cameron and his family the best for the future. The Dail will be recalled on Monday to debate the UK referendum result and the Taoiseach is to travel to Brussels next week to meet fellow leaders for a crunch EU Council meeting. Hancock-area couple sentenced in huge animal cruelty case A Hancock-area couple was sentenced Wednesday in an animal cruelty case that led to massive animal rescue operation in Western Maryland in June 2021. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. 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/ The committee advising on a new education policy offers a frank diagnosis and comes up with a big wish list. But it pays little attention to the humanities and social sciences and reinforces the anti-intellectualism of this government With 65 per cent of its population under the age of 35 and 290 million students (in schools and universities), no issue is arguably more critical for Indias future than education. The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) established a committee in October to come up with ideas for a new education policy which the NDA intends to announce. The committee was led by former cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian, three other retired civil servants Shailaja Chandra, Seva Ram Sharma, Sudhir Mankad, and physics professor and educationist JS Rajput. The committee submitted its report last month; Subramanian has asked the MHRD to make it public but minister Smriti Irani has said that that would only happen after state governments provide their feedback. The report is circulating nonetheless and the contents point to the political battles on education that we are likely to see if its recommendations translate into policy. Needed candour To begin with, the committee does get several things right. It is brutally honest in its diagnosis of the problem. To summarise: There are serious concerns about the quality of education in India at all levels. The system of higher education is in crisis. There is a sore lack of competent teachers in government schools. There is widespread corruption relating to teacher appointments. Political interference is endemic in the sector; most vice-chancellors are political appointees. Large segments of the education sectorface a serious crisis of credibility in terms of the quality of education which they provide, as well as the worth of the degrees which they confer on students. (It is no wonder then that the Indian elite has largely given up on India as a place to educate their children. Around 300,000 Indian students head abroad every year to study, spending $10 billion.) Read: Universities deserved more from the new education policy To address this, the committee has come with an expansive wish list, featuring big spending plans and ideas to entirely rework the way education is governed (see box). It sees IT as a big part of the solution, it wants every student and teacher (in schools and universities) to have a unique identity with real time monitoring of their progress and their institutions. With an impressive grasp of the institutional architecture, there is scarcely an area in the sector the committee has not offered policy advice on: From transparency in teacher recruitment to establishing preschool facilities in government schools to examination reform. It wants a dedicated civil service for education, a new think tank for MHRD and a new higher education act to sort out regulatory thickets. As it stands the report, however, poses problems for the government and one can see why the MHRD is reluctant to publicise it. For one, to release it is to officially acknowledge that India experiencing a profound crisis in education, contrary to the positive spin the government puts out. Two, it is not easy dealing with reports that have breathless wish lists since governments do not have enough money to allocate to all the envisaged projects. Three, the institutional overhaul and the legal changes that the report has in mind will set off a set of political battles that will involve debates about the expanding role of the State, Centre-State relations, privacy and so on. There will also be discussions on the reports emphasis on value orientation in education when it is applied as policy by the BJP. Limiting Thought What is more worrying from the futures standpoint is that the report barely mentions let alone emphasises the importance of the humanities and the social sciences for developing critical thought. (The phrase social sciences occurs thrice in the 217-page document, and humanities once, but not in prescriptive terms.) The committee states that education should foster, peace, tolerance, secularism and national integration but how it should be done is not clarified. It is worth restating that literature, the arts and subjects like history, sociology, psychology, economics and anthropology are literally disciplines that help students to think more rigorously about their own experience and the lives of others. As philosopher Martha Nussbaum notes, the humanities enable the ability to think well about a wide range of cultures, groups and nations. They help develop empathy, to imagine the experience of another and come to terms with an interdependent, diverse world. And so if one is serious about fostering values that are vital for citizenship there needs to be an explicit push for engagement with the humanities and social sciences. These streams are also imperative for understanding ones own country better and for the cultural recovery the BJP is keen on. Read: Education policy: Panel wants RTE Act amended, area-specific guidelines As noted, the committee is mindful of teacher training and learning outcomes for students but offers no plan for cultivating independent thought. It instead expresses a preference to block avenues that develop critical thinking by taking a dim view of student politics at universities. In a section titled need to restrict political and other distractions in university and college campuses it points to agitations, disturbancesand movements in higher education institutions. While recognising freedom of association, it refers disapprovingly to political parties that have chapters on campuses, caste and community-based groupings, and unions of students and teachers. The report suggests that students must have self-imposed restrictions on political activity to ensure the primary work of the university should be conducted without hindrance. One immediately deduces that an ideal student from the committees vantage is perhaps a science student who imbibes values from teachers and mechanistically picks up job-related skills in a university without disturbing anyone or asking tough questions about society. There are unfortunately several problems with the way the committee understands student politics. First, the scale of disturbances in universities across the country is not quantified by the committee, which merely says that one frequently hears of agitations. Second, by discouraging political activity it wants students not to intensely engage with ideas at university, not to develop moral commitments, stand up for the weak and marginalised and speak out against injustice. In representing student politics this way, the report devalues the role that universities play in producing informed citizens, who are aware of the mechanics of power, privilege and inequality. Universities where students are discouraged from developing moral commitments will become conservative spaces that limit individual thought and national possibilities. The committee appears to have assimilated the BJPs concerns about JNU and has underplayed the importance of the humanities and social sciences in education. It is a line of thinking that endorses the anti-intellectualism of this government and will leave India poorer if enforced. As the MHRD considers a new education policy it must recognise that the degree of conformity it expects of students is unlikely to produce the creative, original thinkers that India needs to be a great power. It should also know that critical thought will not automatically ensue when rural students and teachers get access to broadband. It is a disposition that has to be consciously nurtured. And liberals, by the way both historically and now play a very important part in that national project. Read more: An exclusive interview with TSR Subramanian, the man behind the controversial report SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON India made a bid for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group this past week and failed. There has been a chorus of complaints as to why the Narendra Modi government decided to pour so much of its diplomatic energies, even to the point of tossing in the Prime Ministers own reputation into the fray, into an effort whose outcome was so uncertain. The answer, in a nutshell, is because the time has come for India to learn to take calculated risks to further its interests. It was not as if New Delhi did not know that trying to secure membership in this restrictive technology club would be tricky. After all, this was a club whose very origins were anti-Indian, created after the countrys 1974 nuclear tests to punish India and prevent other countries from going down the same path. The diplomats from many of the NSG governments who handle nuclear issues were hostile, believing India got off lightly after the 1998 tests and didnt deserve the sanctions waiver rammed through the NSG by the George W Bush administration. Indian officials involved in the NSG gave themselves a 60-40 chance of success. Yet they went ahead and tried. Indian diplomacy has generally been about playing it safe. Only do stuff that is more or less guaranteed to succeed. This means your strategic horizon shrinks to the area in front of your feet. Your successes are so small, that only Doordarshan will tout them. After six decades of independence, India can claim to have co-founded an anachronistic multilateral organisation of rapidly diminishing utility, the Non-Aligned Movement. After that, the countrys mark on the international system is hard to discern. In the past, this caution made sense. Indias economy was worth $50 billion when the British left in 1947 and mostly known in foreign magazines as a place to get photographs of famine victims. The years India was not struggling with a balance of payments crisis were the exception. And the countrys international interests were limited to securing foreign aid, imports of subsidised PL480 grain and moralising speeches ignored by all and sundry. The times have changed. With a two-trillion-dollar economy, globalised industries like pharmaceuticals and software, the perimeters Indias national interests are now smudge marks that blend with those of the rest of the world. Our security interests cover international terrorism, Indian Ocean lanes of communication and servers in central China. There is a new 21st century Indian diaspora built on technology. India has been forced out of its shell by its own successes.Not that such confidence is universally evident in the Modi governments policies. Its trade policy, for example, is as timorous and fearful as it was 40 years ago. The country must seek to influence the making of the rules that govern the world, or find its economy and security potentially compromised. Which is why it makes sense to try and get a seat at the high table of organisations like the NSG rather than being satisfied only with being passively accepted by their existing membership. There is always a difference between being allowed to use a restricted parking lot and being on the committee that decided who gets the parking stickers. In world affairs, multiply the impact by about a zillion. The more complicated the diplomatic goal and the higher the target, the greater the chances of failure. Or to put it another way, when making decisions, the degree of risk is almost always a consequence of the degree of understanding. And nothing is hairier than international relations because of the multiplicity of players, numerous motives and overall opacity. Risk is inevitable because thats the nature of the beast. Diplomacy minus risk is not diplomacy, it is guided tours and duty-free shopping. What India has learnt in the past several years is that uncertainty is insufficient a reason for trying, so long as the prize is important enough. Thus, India joined the Group of Four nations seeking permanent seats at the United Nations Security Council. The G-4 is moribund today, but just the experience led India to realise that among the four it had the strongest candidature. That New Delhi is now so far down an admittedly long and winding road to a permanent seat is, in large part, because it took a plunge into the deep end. The India-US nuclear deal, for which political obituaries were written every few months, was the most striking example of New Delhi deciding to punch well beyond its weight. It was helped by an unusually supportive US administration. The point is that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh decided it was worth a gamble, and contrary to everyones expectations, the dice fell in Indias direction. The greatest benefit of that deal, arguably, was the self-confidence it gave the Indian system. India changed a deeply entrenched international regime in its favour. It taught New Delhi that with sufficient application, it can change global ground realities. This hardly means a country should go around gate-crashing regimes, making arbitrary demands of governments or generally tossing itself into any conflict or conference that it feels it can get some advantage. Hence terms like calculated risk and cost-benefit analysis. If one wants to get technical and use the terminology of decision theory, risks are probable outcomes that can be calculated, uncertainties are ones that one cannot. If the latter are overwhelming, it makes more sense to stay in an armchair and contemplate the ceiling. Arguably, Jawaharlal Nehrus decisions on handling China in 1962 were based on a huge degree of ignorance of what Beijing was thinking, a huge mass of uncertainty. Indira Gandhi played a much more sensible game in 1971, working to isolate Pakistan and tilting the landscape in New Delhis favour until military intervention in Bangladesh was almost guaranteed victory. As it is written in the Arthashastra, Before you carry out an action, ask yourself three questions: Why am I doing it? What might be the results? Will I be successful? Only when you have thought deeply and found satisfactory answers to these questions, should you go ahead. This advice still remains sound, thousands of years later. The work also warns against fretting about the future and focusing on what needs to be done in the present. An all-encompassing fear of failure will translate into a fear of doing anything remotely innovative or forward thinking the mindset that afflicts bureaucrats and clerks everywhere. Modi, buoyed by his remarkable domestic political strength, seems prepared to take calculated risks in diplomacy without concern that this may cost him a few points in the opinion polls. This is a trait he seems to share with Indira Gandhi. More to the point, it is a trait that, once institutionalised, is almost a definition of what a great power is all about. Time for the India of today to dare to be different from the India of yesterday. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON As dust settled down over the row between makers of Bollywood film Udta Punjab and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), an LGBT activist has locked horns with the Maharashtra Censor Board of Theatres (MCBT) over his Marathi play Fredy. MCBT chairman and veteran actor Arun Nalawade, however, said the play, which has been certified for A alongwith some cuts, will be re-examined. Bindumadhav Khire, founder of Samapathik Trust which works for the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, has opposed 14 cuts suggested by the board to his play Fredy. I submitted the script 11 months back and recently the board replied with suggestion of 14 cuts and gave it an A (adults only) certificate, he claimed. I agree that there are some cuss-words in the play, but the character is abusive and arrogant and certain language is a must for such a character, said Khire. Read: Censor trouble for Gujarati films on Patel stir The play is a black comedy dealing with homosexuality and masculinity as portrayed in Bollywood with an actor from the film industry as its central character, he said. While writing on homosexuality, one cannot omit the sexual content, he said, adding, The board should understand the LGBT cause, then only it can look beyond suggesting cut and understand the subject. Read: Why censor Udta Punjab? Everyone will end up watching it anyway Further giving A certificate and suggesting cuts at the same time was ridiculous, Khire said. If the board has given me A certificate, it should allow me to go ahead with the original script as the play will then only be for the adult audience, he said. Khire has had trouble with the censor earlier too. My two plays -- Purushottam and Jaswand -- faced scissors, he said. I think there is a need for immediate reforms in the guidelines followed by the board. Nalawade said, The play did not come to me, but I will check who examined the script and suggested the cuts. I will refer the script to another member. Generally, two board members review a script and if they find anything controversial it is referred to a third member, he said. I am sure the issue of cuts would be resolved through discussion. I am also open to discussion with the playwrights on the guidelines, he said. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more The Darkroom Project is an experimental retelling of five dark stories using elements of shadow theatre, photography, and techniques from the Theatre of Cruelty. Once you enter Andheri Base, you are blindfolded and led to your seat. Along the way, you smell a distinct aroma of something cooking. Walk a bit ahead and you are handed a lollipop. If that isnt bizarre enough, once the blindfold is removed, you notice that the room is swathed in red light and there are photographs hanging off wires. You have effectively entered a photographic darkroom. A scene from Khol Do (Rangaai Theatre) What follows is the staging of five acclaimed plays that highlight issues pertaining to womens subjugation. Premchands short story Kafan revolves around two insensitive men who ignore the screams of a family member in labour, while Saadat Hasan Mantos short story Khol Do highlights the trauma of Partition as a father searches for his missing daughter. The satirical play Lihaaf by Ismat Chugtai is about an eight-year-olds discovery of the lesbian relationship between her aunt and her masseuse, while The Little Match-Girl by Hans Christian Andersen is about a dying girls last aspirations. The fifth tale Durga Poojo is based on a true story of surviving incest. This is the gist of The Darkroom Project, an experimental production by the city-based Rangaai Theatre Company. Conceptualised by Tushar Dalvi, who is also directing the production, and Kiran Pavaskar, this is Rangaais first production. A scene from Durga Poojo (Rangaai Theatre) The project is inspired by the minimal theatrical productions I have viewed as a member of the Newcastle Youth Theatre in Scotland. Some of the performances were held in spaces like parking lots with few props, recalls director Tushar Dalvi. While it ensures that such plays can be staged even in limited spaces, it also makes the experience more intimate. People can connect with whats happening on stage, observe the casts expressions their imagination comes to play, says Dalvi. Read: Mumbais eateries, pubs and libraries turn into performance spaces With this production, Dalvi is also trying to revive Antonin Artauds Theatre of Cruelty. Artaud was a French playwright who believed in shocking the audience to help them experience subconscious emotions. Theatre of Cruelty features content that is high on sexual aggression and bloodshed, and incites emotions like disgust that are not usually seen on stage. All the stories are bold, dark, and for an adult audience, adds Dalvi. Apart from that, Dalvi has explored elements of shadow theatre (Lihaaf features a play on light and shadow) and puppetry (The Little Match-Girl features a life-sized puppet made using PVC pipes and a mop brush). The shadow act of Lihaaf (Rangaai Theatre) The Darkroom Project takes its title from the once-ubiquitous photography laboratories where negatives were developed into photographs. I spotted similarities between the process of printing photos and storytelling, and have tapped into them, he says, adding, For instance dodging refers to the selective blocking of light to a certain area on the photo paper. That translates on stage during Kafan, when there is no movement on stage except for the narrator and the characters are nowhere to be seen. Burning is the opposite of dodging and involves extra lights to add brightness to a section of the image. Similarly, certain stories are presented by using extra gimmicks such as a life-sized puppet instead of a real child actor in The Little Match-Girl or the use of shadows in Lihaaf. Dalvi admits that with the onset of digital photography, the darkroom is slowly becoming obsolete. So, at the beginning of the play, he is distributing handouts with a basic description of the darkroom and its processes. The Darkroom Project will be staged on June 26, 6.30pm At: Whistling Woods Andheri Base, Sharyans-Audeus, Hard Rock Cafe, Link Road, Andheri (W) Call: 3091 6003 Tickets: Rs 300 SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Reading Eric Arthur Blair has never made more sense for Indians as it does today. Blair, who, you ask? The British author of socio-political commentaries Animal Farm, Shooting an Elephant and 1984, and popularly known by his pen name George Orwell. As the world celebrates the polemical writers 113th birth anniversary, one cannot help wondering how 1984, one of his most celebrated works published 67 years ago, is a fine mirror reflecting the many issues that torment modern India and its populace. Listed below are four reasons why Orwells critique of a fictional province set in 1984 reminds you of India in 2016. Attack on dissent 1984 was chosen as one of the 100 best English novels from 1923 to 2005 by TIME magazine in 2005. The novel is set in Airstrip One, a province under the absolute control of a government that keeps tab on every move, every heartbeat of its citizens. Everything is under surveillance and thinking is a punishable crime. Dissent of any kind in thought or deed is rewarded with nothing short of a painful death. Read: 15 books you should have read by now Read: Rare papers of George Orwell, Virginia Woolf now online While India is a democracy, the recent events the rise in the number of deaths of journalists and activists, JNU row, the intolerance debate, the noise over censorship, the appointment of ruling partys members in most major institutions are just many ways to drown the voice of the people who dare to speak. Feminism in practice Orwells books often discuss the horrors of totalitarianism and social injustice. (Facebook/George Orwell) The books female protagonist Julia is a rebel and not without a cause. In spite of being a citizen under a totalitarian government that imposes strict diktats on its women, she dares to exercise freedoms and choices that she does not have. Unafraid and pragmatic, she devises her own means of living her life the way she wants in a world that is continuously falling apart, piece by piece. Does it sound very different from where Indian women are today? A new vocabulary One of the most remarkable things about 1984 is the set of new words that Orwell coined while writing it to be able to effortlessly explain the hopelessness of living in a dystopian society. Words and phrases such as doublethink, thoughtcrime, newspeak, Room 101, memory hole, blackwhite, duckspeak and Big Brother is watching you effectively translate the horror and handicap of a populace reduced to puppets at the hands of the state. 1984 deals with issues such as nationalism, censorship and surveillance. Our present-day parallels are pretty much as powerful and perform the same function as Orwells words do they cause national unrest, protests, revolutions, make heroes and take lives. To mention a few: nationalism, Hindutva, beef ban, sedition. You are only too aware of the rest. The widening economic gulf One of the guiding principles of Ingsoc (the governments political system in the novel) is to make sure that the poor remain poor as the rich get richer. As many as 116 farmers had committed suicide in India till April this year whereas according to Forbes, 100 Indians have net worth of over $100 billion. Can the contrast be any more pronounced? Orwells birthday today gives us a great opportunity to ponder if we are walking towards 1984 from 2016. The writer tweets at @sneha_bengani Follow @htlifeandstyle for more. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Five of Indias bestselling authors chronicle small battles they lost, which paved their road to success Just look ahead Why is it that nobody looks at failure as something to be shared? - Shobhaa De Take the seven-letter word first Failure. Say it out loud. Say it to yourself. How does it sound? Does it scare you? Do you identify with it? Or do you shrug and think, It has nothing to do with me. Failure is what happens to other people. Excuse me. Thats a cop out. To be human is to fail. Not just once. But several times. Often, for the same stupid reasons. Nobody is spared. Nobody. So bloody what? Now what is very important. Never underestimate the power of those two words. Now is when your time begins. Again I look at my own multiple failures and shrug. Yes, some of them hurt. And hurt bad. But... not THAT bad, that I felt annihilated. Temporarily paralysed, of course. Decimated for a few weeks... even months. But not entirely obliterated. Looking back, I guess the fact that I didnt allow myself to fall into a bottomless pit from which never to emerge is what has given me the courage to go on. To allow me to write this piece... and share failure with you. Thats the thing about failure. Nobody looks at it as something to be shared. Everybody wants to be a part of a success story even one that belongs squarely to someone else. But failure? Oh no. You fly solo. I think its a huge mistake. When you fail is when you need someone the most. It is the period that is your darkest. When you feel most wretched. Most alone. Failure isolates you... sometimes from yourself. You wonder, Is that loser really me? You try and create a distance from that part of your life and pretend it never happened. Or that it happened through no fault of yours. Failure always seeks alibis. I would have won... had that person lost. Failure feeds insecurity like nothing else. Failure often begins at birth. You are female. Thats enough. You are not wanted. You have failed your family. Oops! Wrong gender. Now what? Aha. That Now what is very important. Never underestimate the power of those two words. Now is when your time begins. Again. Now is when you pick yourself up and like the Johnnie Walker ad advises keep walking. Now is when you dont surrender. Dont give up. Now is the time to say: Next! I have tried hard to focus on Next each time I have tripped and gone for a toss. Like when I passed with a third division (Senior Cambridge), unable to conquer the twin demons of physics and higher mathematics. Or when my first marriage didnt work out. But hey... I am here. I am writing these lines. I guess I am okay. I just shouted Failure at the ceiling and didnt feel scared. Shobhaa De is a columnist, author and opinion maker * Dont let the public idea of success define you Later, as years would pass, I would fail at more important things, I would fail lovers and ideas I believed in, I would fail at caring for someone in hospital Failing algebra as an adolescent made the author rethink the notion of triumph - Siddhant Dhanvant Shanghvi The school official rang my father late at evening. Id flunked algebra in the 9th grade. However, it was by a mark or two; did it make sense to hold me back a full year for so trivial a deficiency? My father, retreating to a gallery adjoining his room, appeared profoundly disturbed by the question. I am not one to sentimentalise education. I nurse no romantic notion of my tutors as heroic they were as bored to teach us as wed been to learn from them, our boredoms were often competing. One teacher routinely made jokes on how fat some girls were, or joked about their pimply teenage complexion. An English teacher called us blessed donkeys. But on the night it was made known Id flunked algebra the atmosphere at home was fraught. My father could not get himself to say what I felt that he was humiliated by my academic inadequacy. My mother tried to blow off some steam by assuring my sisters I was a creative type and therefore not very good at sums. My meek internal voice was clamouring to shout: big effing deal. You fail, you fail. You scrape your knees. You pick yourself up, you go on. But, boy, was I mad! Perhaps I was raging against the convenient construction of intelligence as a subject, in this case, algebra. And if it could be so easily codified and arranged, well, then youre welcome to that sort of mind. Perhaps I did not want the school official to feel as if she was in the lofty position to rescue me I could smell her dirty power number a mile off. Mostly, I knew I was not about to be defined by my failure at what I was expected by the world to succeed at. In my adolescent mind was lurking the idea that the true success was to know and own a personal definition of success, and also to be free from public notions of failure. Later, as years would pass, I would fail at more important things, I would fail lovers and ideas I believed in, I would fail at caring for someone in hospital. These failures would teach me the best apology was reformed conduct. For I would, as we all are, become a reliquary of triumph as much as its polar brother. The same school rep, who had passed me on algebra as if a charity case, rang me a few years later. She wanted my photograph for a school catalog to list me among august alumni. My biography had me down as internationally bestselling writer. In my own notes, I added: And hes also totally amazing at busting your ass. I did not send this comment onwards, but as you can see, its never too late. Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi is a bestselling writer, photographer and co-founder of Sensorium Festival * What if the grapes were really sour? Aesops fable fools us into thinking that every missed opportunity is cause for regret - Devdutt Pattanaik At school, we were taught that Aesops fox was a loser. He had tried hard to get to those delicious-looking grapes dangling seductively from a vine curled tenaciously around the topmost branch of a ridiculously tall tree. On failing to do so, he walked away describing them as sour. Loser! But I have my doubts. By declaring it sour, the fox moved on to a happy life. Would we rather he spends the rest of his life in regret? Feeling anger. Feeling shame. Feeling cheated. Going on and on about how those privileged monkeys can always get access to those delicious-looking grapes that dangle seductively from vines that curl tenaciously around the topmost branches of ridiculously tall trees. Must he transform his pain into poetry, and become a courtier of the literary circuit? Must he transform his longing into art, or the essence of his future identity? Or must he just reframe the situation, see himself as natures lucky one, who escaped eating horribly sour grapes? Maybe even poisonous ones? Who decides if grapes are actually sweet or sour? The ones who eat it, or the ones who dont. Who is this Aesop who judges the fox who is determined to unleash his imagination to be happy? Why do we let other people determine the parameters of what is success and what is not? Isnt that the greatest failure: the wilful letting go of our ability to write our biography on our terms, believing that every decision taken is a march towards success? It all depends on what we make of our life today. If we are miserable, then yes, all those admissions we did not get, those boyfriends we did not meet, those jobs we did not find, are the sweet grapes that went to the lucky others. But if we are happy with what we have today, then we can heave a sigh of relief that we did not get those admissions/boyfriends/jobs. Who knows what sour taste they would have left in our mouth? Humans have the gift of imagination. We use it to imagine the parameters of success, and hence failures. Imagination also enables us to reject these parameters and create those that make us deliriously happy. There are no real parameters out there. There is no Aesop. There is only the fox and those grapes dangling seductively from vines that curl tenaciously around the topmost branches of ridiculously tall trees. Devdutt Pattanaik writes and lectures on mythology * Theres a reason youre stuck When I felt weak, I would go back and copy-paste them [the good sentences] into the file, swim around in them like Scrooge McDuck in his vault For one writer, getting rid of perfectionist tendencies opened up a new way of doing things - Karan Mahajan The thing about a failure is that it is possible to deny it forever. By 2013, at the age of 29, I was failing. I had left two good jobs in succession to complete a novel Id been tooling around with since 2009, had enrolled in a graduate programme in Texas, as far away from home as possible, to finish it and yet: what did I have to show for it after five years of work? Hundreds of disconnected pages about terrorism in Delhi, well written, but lacking any kind of story or coherence. Yet, when people asked how the book was going, I was cheerful and optimistic. Itll probably take another six months, I said. I believed this lie. I had written another novel why wouldnt I finish this one? Yet every time a real or imagined deadline approached, I would panic. I would jam together the many fragments and files (1,400 in total), try to sew them up with new seams of prose, and then panic again and tell my agent or publisher I wasnt ready. I was a mess. When I had worked on my first book, I had readily shown bits and pieces to everyone for encouragement, to force myself to write. With this one, Id thought: I wont share it till its perfect. But my standards were impossible I wanted each sentence to glitter majestically. This meant hoarding all the good sentences Id ever written, like gold. When I felt weak, I would go back and copy-paste them into the file, swim around in them like Scrooge McDuck in his vault. It was obvious what needed to happen. But it was only when I reached a low point when I actually had a panic attack, my heart pumping uncontrollably that I sought help. After years of dithering, I showed the fragments to my agent. She looked at them carefully in her New York office and told me what I had suspected: they did not add up to a book. There were good ideas about terrorism in there, but I was focusing too much on the ideas and the sentences, not on the story. That one conversation was tonic. I threw away everything and began writing from scratch. My fear now was: will it take another five years? Will I be one of those authors who comes out from under his book completely aged and ruined? Here another conversation, with a non-literary friend, was helpful. When I told her the book would take at least two more years, she said, That long? Thats how long books take. Why not two months? That response shook me. I realised how much literary nonsense I had imbibed and I began working on the book, with an outline, every day, with the goal of finishing it within months. I would handwrite in the mornings in my cottage in Austin, type up the work in the afternoons, handwrite again when the post-lunch coffee had surged through my system and then get back to work first thing in the morning. In the five months I wrote the final draft of The Association of Small Bombs, I never fell out of the book. The world was real to me: plausible and powerful. And I never went back to the old sentences never allowed myself to look. The turn to handwriting, which doesnt allow facile tinkering, was part of getting rid of my perfectionist tendencies. At the end of it at the end of six troubled years I had a novel. The novel had the tautness and speed of something written with urgency but the depth of the five years of thinking that had preceded it. Like every novel, it taught me a new way of doing things and I am grateful for it. I just wish I hadnt had to suffer so much in the process. Karan Mahajan is an award-winning novelist currently based in Brooklyn * Perfection comes from revision It was a kick in the teeth; but later, much later, it felt good In writing as in life, failure is the thread that you can depend on to tie it all together - Aatish Taseer I had been waiting for his email since September. One cold January afternoon, after I had given up on being a writer, and was working as a reporter (read, fact checker) at Time magazine, it arrived in my inbox. One line: Free for a drink? S. S was Sonny Mehta. I had been his intern two summers before at Knopf, where he was the publisher. Since then back at Amherst I had been at work on my first complete novel, The Oracle at Watts. I finished it in that summer between college and life. Then I was not sure what to do, so I sent it to Sonnys assistant, who was a friend. When shed read it, she took me for a walk. We stood near the bleachers in Central Park. It was late afternoon. Long September light striped the flanks of buildings. She told me I had talent, real talent. She read several books a week; some by published writers; she knew: I was the real thing. I didnt care. I just wanted her to say one thing, then she did: I want to give it to Sonny. And since then I had been waiting. Summer changed to fall to winter. I was half-crazy with anticipation. I knew he had read it; she told me; he had read it that first weekend in October. Why the fuck was he taking so long to be in touch? My excitement had curdled into something corrosive when at last his email arrived. We went somewhere where he could smoke. I had a whisky; he had a glass of red wine. He said I had a gift. I must keep writing, whether for publication or not. The book was not for him; it had an element of melodrama, which was not to his taste. He handed me a piece of paper. A report on the book from an impartial reader. My first review, as such; and it was bad. But I must keep writing; I had a gift. What I needed, he said, was an agent. He had two in mind. I should call him next week, and he would put me in touch. That was something! I tried him Tuesday, then Wednesday, then Thursday; a different older assistant answered; I left a message each time. On Friday I realised he would never call me back. It was a kick in the teeth; but later, much later, it felt good. Failure is the one thread you can depend on to tie together a writing life. And the failures we suffer at the hands of others are nothing compared to those we experience everyday, in complete solitude, at our desks. But there is no revision without failure, and there is no writing without revision. Aatish Taseer is a journalist who has written four novels * From HT Brunch, June 26, 2016 Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch The slowdown of the Chinese economy and fluctuations in its stock market are among the external challenges facing the Indian economy, finance minister, Arun Jaitley has said, adding that New Delhi will focus on domestic demand to ensure growth. He said India was equipped to tackle external challenges like the possible rise of oil prices, political threats in the Middle East, fluctuation of Chinas financial markets and the slowdown of the Chinese economy. The growth of China, the second largest economy in the world, has slowed down to less than 7 percent in several years. And last year, sudden volatility in its stock market wiped out billions of dollars. In a globally integrated market, it had an impact on many countries including India. But such challenges could be tackled in three ways by India, Jaitley said. First, India must cement its firewall to deal with challenges by ensuring a steady macroeconomic environment and properly managing its financial situation; secondly, due to the sluggish external market, India must rely on its domestic demand and Indian market to prevent the slowdown of economic growth; finally, India must continue its economic reform, launch reform policies so as to enhance peoples living standard, the Indian finance minister wrote for the influential business and political magazine, Caixin. Speaking to Indian reporters on Friday, Jaitley had said it might seem optically that Chinas growth has slowed down but effectively for an economy of this size, 6 percent to 7 percent is still a very significant growth. Jaitley is on five-day China tour, where also addressed the ongoing first annual session of the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) on Saturday, besides meeting Chinese companies and potential investors. The China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) could meet Indias need for about $2 to $3 billion to fund the countrys urbanisation drive, he said. India has a huge unmet demand for investment in infrastructure and is preparing basket of projects worth US$ 2-3 billion for AIIB funding in the areas of Urban Development (including Smart Cities), Energy, Urban Transport, Railways, Inland Waterways and Water Supply, Jaitley said, in his address to the first annual general meeting of the bank. Outlining Indias development paradigm, the FM stated that India has undertaken reforms in FDI and initiated large investments in rural infrastructure, national highway, inland waterways, shipping, power sector and smart cities etc, an Indian embassy statement quoted him as saying. Jaitley offered Indias support in establishment of a regional office of AIIB in New Delhi to effectively cater to this potentially large portfolio and speed up the process of project development, monitoring and implementation. In a separate interview to national broadcaster, China Central Television, Jaitley said Indias growth rate of 7.6 percent in 2015 was not only sustainable but with a good monsoon this year, could be improved upon. Asked whether India can sustain the high growth rate, the finance minister said it was possible because of the massive economic activities that could go into building infrastructure in India. It (the growth) is sustainable for the reason that India still has a lot of distance in terms of economic growth to cover; the potential for investing in infrastructure, the potential for urbanisation, in housing, in power, in electricity, in water, in the social sectorFor us even today the sky is the limitthats the kind of investments we require, Jaitley said. He then linked it to the potential for economic activity. And therefore a lot of economic activities have to go into it. Currently, public finance is taking the leading in doing so. But I am sure in due course, as the economy picks up, the private sector will also boost this, he said. Secondly, we have grown in the last two years despite the fact that we had a less than normal monsoon, and monsoon plays an important role in Indias economic growth, he said. This year hopefully, the monsoon seems to be broadly alright. And, if we have a good monsoon this year, that itself boosts the rural economy, rural purchasing power, and therefore, it adds to the economy, he said. We grew by 7.6 percent last year will certainly maintain that and with a good monsoon, hopefully improved upon that, Jaitley said. Im not an economist or an administrator so my opinion of whether Raghuram Rajan should have continued as governor of the Reserve Bank carries little weight. Of course, I have one but I wont inflict it upon you. However, I do believe that he has been treated very shabbily. Thats the point I want to make today. Dr Rajan is an intelligent, articulate, convincing and personable man. What strikes you when you confront him as an interviewee is the clarity of his expression. His views are easy to understand, his thinking simple to follow. There is no jargon. He speaks in easy flowing sentences, unlike many academics who are needlessly convoluted. When you meet him at dinner parties his gentle wit and easy smile make him an attractive person to chat to. If I recall correctly, his eyes seem to smile as well. Read: I am still here, dont write obituaries, says Rajan Now, intelligent people who speak well will be asked their opinion and it will matter when they speak out. Dr Rajan knew this and he wasnt scared or shy to answer questions even if, at times, they were awkward or required careful handling. So, not surprisingly, he spoke about the rising tide of intolerance or the unrealistic euphoria surrounding Indias economic exceptionalism. This may have been unusual. His predecessors might have been more reticent, but can you really say these are issues outside his remit as governor? Does the mood in the country not affect investment? Do exaggerated opinions of Indias performance not breed complacency? And if the answer is yes, should the governor not forewarn? After all, Mark Carney, the Canadian governor of the Bank of England, has spoken against Brexit and though it wasnt liked by many, no one questioned his right to do so even though at the time the future of Britain balanced precariously on the outcome. Read: RBI chief Raghuram Rajan felt undermined in weeks before quitting: Report Unfortunately, were not as mature and accommodating nor as restrained and discreet as the British. So Subramanian Swamy launched a tirade against Dr Rajan. He accused him of willfully and deliberately wrecking the economy. He claimed that because Dr Rajan was a US green card holder he was mentally not fully Indian. When Dr Rajan, in an interview in Washington, said I think we have still to get to a place where we feel satisfied. We have this saying in the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king we are a little bit that way, Nirmala Sitharaman ticked him off and said he should have chosen better words. Yet what Dr Rajan had said was unexceptional and, idiomatically, delightfully desi. Alas, no one rose to Dr Rajans defence. The Prime Minister was silent whilst the Finance Minister spoke elliptically. They did not add to the attack but they did not speak in defence either. In contrast how different was Mr Jaitleys response when Dr Swamy targeted the chief economic advisor. Read: Jaitley snubs Swamy, backs top economic adviser In these circumstances are you surprised Dr Rajan chose not to make himself available for a second term? Perhaps he wanted to but valued his self-respect more? And proof he made the right decision comes from Subramanian Swamys gloating comment Dr Rajan was leaving because the government did not give him a second chance. There is a simple lesson here. We wont bring back the best and brightest if we treat them like this. There are many good Indians living abroad, whose services we need, but we wont lure them home if they fear theyll be treated the way Dr Rajan was. The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A day after a case was registered against AAP MLA from Sangam Vihar, Dinesh Mohaniya, for allegedly manhandling and abusing a woman, another case was registered against him on Friday, this time for allegedly slapping a senior citizen in Southeast Delhis Tughlaqabad Extension area. According to the police, Mohaniya was on a visit to gali number 18 of Govindpuri, to see the areas condition when a senior citizen, Rakesh Kumar, approached him and started complaining about the lack of amenities. The complainant alleged that after a brief correspondence, Mohaniya slapped him and left the place. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Mohaniya said, I am at a complete loss. I have not misbehaved with anyone. I dont understand why tense allegations are being made. Earlier also, an FIR was lodged against me based on a fake video. Following the incident, Kumar approached the police and a case was registered. Based on Kumars complaint, we registered a case of voluntarily causing hurt against Mohaniya. We are investigating the matter. The man alleged that Mohaniya slapped and pushed him to the ground. We are recording statements of the eyewitnesses to ascertain the exact sequence of the incident, a senior police officer said. On Wednesday, a case under sections of 323 (voluntary causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code, was registered by the Delhi Police against Mohaniya. Delhi Police in the face of severe criticism by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for its eagerness to arrest party MLA Dinesh Mohaniya said the AAP legislator had failed to respond to two summon notices. The police said they were forced to take such an action as Mohaniya had refused to join the probe. Joint commissioner of police, southeast, RP Upadhyay claimed that if a person ignored summons to join the probe in cases of serious offence, the police were empowered to take such an action. Mohaniya was picked up while he was addressing a press conference at his office in Khanpur in south Delhi. According to the AAP, he was scheduled to go to the police station after addressing the media at noon. We had served a notice to Dinesh Mohaniya based on a complaint that was filed by a group of women on Wednesday night, who alleged that the MLA had abused and manhandled them when they approached him with a complaint on water crisis in their locality. We immediately registered a case in the matter and asked him to join the investigation on Thursday, which he ignored. We again summoned him on Friday and sent notices, but he again chose not to respond, Upadhyay said. He added: As the law enforcement agency, we are bound to arrest a person who is not cooperating with us. Read more: AAP MLA booked for misbehaving with women, says its a conspiracy Mohaniya was taken to Neb Sarai police station where he was questioned for over three hours. We arrested him after questioning him on the sequence of events of that day. We also accessed some video recordings that have been sent for examination. He has been sent to two days judicial custody, a senior police officer said. Mohaniya, who is also the vice-chairman of Delhi Jal Board, was booked on June 23 after locals of Sangam Vihar alleged that the MLA and his supporters had roughed them up and misbehaved with women in his office when they went to complain about irregular water supply. Another case was registered against Mohaniya on Friday for allegedly slapping a 60-year-old man in Tughlaqabad area. Upadhyay said that since the allegations against Mohaniya were grave, police had to take strict action. The women alleged that Mohaniya assaulted and abused them physically, following which a case was registered under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354 A (sexual harassment), 354 B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe) and 354 C (voyeurism). A case with such serious sections needs to be death with strictly. Hence, we decided to arrest him, he said. The Delhi Police on Friday arrested an employee of an export firm based in New Friends Colony for allegedly staging a robbery of `30 lakh and making away with the cash. The incident was reported at Tilak Marg police station in New Delhi. Amit Sharma told his employers that he was robbed of `30 lakh near Sagar Apartments by masked men, who came in a Swift car. He concocted the entire story of the robbery. He told the police that he had collected the money from his employer, Pradeep Modi, from Sagar apartments and had kept it in his bag. He said that the moment he took a U-turn from Bhagwan Das Road crossing and reached near Patiala House Court, a Maruti Swift car which was already waiting there waylaid him, DCP, New Delhi, Jatin Narwal said. One person got down from the car and forcibly snatched his bag, Narwal said. During investigation Sharma was questioned and his call records analysed. The footage from CCTV cameras installed in the area was also accessed. Since Sharma was changing his statement and the CCTV footage accessed from the area captured no such incident, we were convinced that he was making up the story of a robbery. He was subjected to long sessions of interrogation and was confronted with evidence, following which he broke down and confessed, Narwal said. He added, On his instance the cash was recovered. During questioning he said he wanted to earn quick money, a senior police officer said. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of imposing emergency in Delhi after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Dinesh Mohaniya was arrested by police on Saturday. Mohaniya, the Sangam Vihar legislator, was arrested based on a complaint filed at Neb Sarai police station on June 23 by a group of women who alleged that he had abused them when they approached him with a complaint on a water crisis in their locality. Mohaniya has been arrested under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354 A (sexual harassment), 354 B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe) and 354 C (voyeurism), joint commissioner of police (South East) RP Upadhyay said. Modi declares emergency in Delhi. Arresting, raiding, terrorizing, filing false cases against all those whom Delhi elected Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 25, 2016 Read | AAP MLA booked for misbehaving with women, says its a conspiracy Mohaniya, who is also vice chairman of the Delhi Jal Board, was picked up by a police team while he was addressing a press conference at his office in Khanpur in South Delhi. Dinesh mohaniya arrested from his press conference in front of all TV cameras. What msg does [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi want to give to everyone? chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted in Mohaniyas defence. Mohaniyas supporters gathered outside Neb Sarai police station to protest against his arrest. The complainants, who are residents of Sangam Vihar, alleged that Mohaniya and his accomplices manhandled and threatened them when they sought his help. Mohania, however, dismissed the charges against him as baseless. I am ready to cooperate with the police investigation but the allegations against me are baseless, he said. Mohaniya found himself in trouble on Friday as well when another case was registered against him at Govindpuri police station for allegedly slapping a 60-year-old man in Tughlakabad area. In a statement, the legislator said, All the allegations against me are not only false, but also part of a larger conspiracy. He questioned how a TV news channel knew about the FIR against him at 2 pm when the police claimed the complaint was filed at 7:30 pm. Also, he said women party workers had filed a complaint against the 60-year-old man, but no police action was taken in this regard. Claiming a larger conspiracy behind his late-night detention for a bailable offence, he said he was being framed in a false case because the AAP was questioning lieutenant governor Najeeb Jungs role in the murder of New Delhi Municipal Council official MM Khan. With inputs from agencies Read | AAP MLA Mohaniya in trouble again, this time for slapping senior citizen Cyber crime, in simple words, involves, among other things, hacking of sensitive information morphing photographs, hacking of email-ID, obscene calls and stealing debit/credit card passwords. As per the findings of an ASSOCHAM-Mahindra SSG study in 2015, every month nearly 12,456 cases of such crimes are registered in India. The only people who can save you from such criminals are the cyber crime fighters. A cyber crime fighters basic job is to analyse computer system crimes, recover destroyed data, and offer victims legally by gathering evidence for presenting in the court. Focus, dedication, good researching skills, good knowledge of computers, networking and technology are some of the basic skills required to be a cyber crime fighters. Every cyber crime requires different techniques of investigation and is time consuming. From registering a case to suing the criminal we have to coordinate with various departments thus complicating the process of investigation, says a senior Delhi Police officer. Read more: How big data is giving big profits to companies The most challenging job for a cyber crime fighter is to handle cases relating to debit/credit cards as these are quite time consuming and involve a lot of investigation. Cases related to social media are mostly registered with the cyber crime cell these days as these crimes are increasing day by day with the evolution of social networking sites and the increase in the number of users of these websites. So, where can cyber crime experts work? As Mukesh Choudhary, a cyber crime expert at Cyber Crime Cell, Rajasthan says, Cyber crime experts can assist law enforcement agencies in cyber crime cases. They can deliver training programmes to law enforcement officials and provide information security advisories at any place where a communication device is used. Cyber crime fighters also can work at financial institutes, police training academies, law enforcement training academies, government IT departments, law & chartered accountancy firms etc. Cyber crime investigators are also required by police, audit firms, banks, and enforcement and military agencies. I think curiosity is the key to be expert in cyber crime investigation. One must invest more and more time on computer systems and start framing questions like Why? How? What if? Seeking answers to this will sharpen all skills required by an expert. The angle of investigation is kept wide thus to think from the criminals point of view, says Choudhary. Read more: Tech students are saving banks and monitoring drunk drivers Every aspiring cyber crime must have a bachelors degree in computer science or engineering with focus on cyber security, digital forensics or a related field. Looks like the fashionistas in Japan have found a unique way to empower women, which may be frowned upon by feminists across the world they want the ladies to wear high heels, insisting the nations historic kimono culture has given them poor posture. The Japan High Heel Association (JHA) is calling on women across the country to trade sensible shoes for a pair of stilettos, insisting that standing tall will give them confidence and improve their gait. Read: Its true! Your high heels could cripple you Japanese women walk like ducks, JHA managing director Madame Yumiko said in an interview at her plush Tokyo salon. They waddle along, pigeon-toed, with their bottoms sticking out as if theyre bursting to use the toilet. It looks ghastly, she added. In an apparent bid to improve this situation, the all-female organisation charges thousands of dollars for etiquette lessons, including special classes where women are taught to walk correctly, and particularly in high heels. This call to heels in Japan comes at a time when the West is experiencing a feminist fightback against diktats on how women should dress. (Shutterstock) Critics have branded the idea sexist and laughable, particularly as women are still battling against a deeply ingrained patriarchal culture that once expected them to pace three steps behind men. Yet the walking etiquette classes are proving hugely popular: At JHA students pay 400,000 yen ($3,700) for a six-month course and so far 4,000 have taken part, while similar lessons and schools are popping up nationwide. The 48-year-old former ballerina blames the countries sartorial heritage for the posture problem. Read: Triumph for UK woman who refused to wear high heels at work Chinese or Korean ladies dont have these problems, she said. Its a result of Japans kimono culture and shuffling about in straw sandals. Its ingrained in the way Japanese walk. But very few Japanese wear a kimono all day anymore. We should know about Western culture and how to wear heels correctly, Yumiko added. Barefoot protest The shift away from traditional Japanese clothes happened gradually from around the late 19th century but it is only been since the 1980s that stilettos have become a fashion staple. This call to heels comes at a time when the West is experiencing a feminist fightback against diktats on how women should dress. Read: The rebellion against high heels is apace Hollywood star Julia Roberts went barefoot on the red carpet during the Cannes Film Festival in May an act of rebellion after organisers caused uproar by ejecting women for wearing flat shoes at the previous years event. Last month more than 100,000 British people petitioned parliament in the UK, calling for a change to an outdated dress code law that allowed employers to require women to wear high heels in the work place. The campaign, now backed by several politicians, was launched by a receptionist who was sent home by a firm for wearing flat shoes. Critics have branded the idea sexist and laughable, particularly as women are still battling against a deeply ingrained patriarchal culture that once expected them to pace three steps behind men. (Shutterstock) But Yumiko argues wearing heels will help Japanese women become more confident. She explains: Many women are too shy to express themselves. In Japanese culture, women are not expected to stand out or put themselves first. Her solution is for women suffocated by such strict protocols to simply throw on a pair of heels, arguing the freedom it brings can unlock the mind. Read: Delhi celebs take the no heels challenge Prominent Japanese social commentator Mitsuko Shimomura dismissed the idea as nonsense that most would laugh at. She said: Theres no relationship between wearing high heels and womens power. It sounds crazy. Men need heels too Heels have been in and out of vogue for men and women for centuries, with murals on ancient Egyptian tombs dating them back to around 4,000 BC. But they still have a key role to play in modern courtship, according to JHA director Tomoko Kubota. If women look sexier, it will help Japanese men buck up their ideas, the 45-year-old said. Read: To heel or not to heel: Women, your heels reveal how ambitious you are A 2014 study by scientists from Frances Universite de Bretagne-Sud supports this view. The group conducted social experiments that showed men behave more positively toward high-heeled women. In one test, they found if a woman dropped her glove on the street, men were 50 percent more likely to stop and return it to her if she was wearing heels rather than flats, while female behaviour remained unchanged regardless of shoe worn, according to results published in the journal, Archives of Sexual Behaviour. Students from across Japan sitting JHA exams for a certificate that allows them to become high heel instructors sing from the same hymn sheet. Heels have been in and out of vogue for men and women for centuries. (Shutterstock) We learn how to move in a kimono and how to bow correctly, but not how to walk (in heels), said hypnotherapist Takako Watanabe, 46 after a walking lesson. It might help us catch a hunky guy, she adds. Fellow JHA alumni Ayako Miyata agrees it is an important skill that few Japanese women have mastered. It makes you look more lady-like, said the 44-year-old, who has spent thousands amassing a stilleto collection. Theyre an essential item for a modern woman to feel pride and confidence in herself. Read: Lecherous men, heels that hurt: A models life at Auto Expo Yumiko, whose parlour is a veritable shrine to Frances King Louis XIV, lined with frilly curtains embroidered with the image of the dandy, heel-wearing monarch, gives short shrift to accusations of sexism she wants men to change their footwear too. She explains: As in the Renaissance period, men want to look taller and more stylish. Men should wear heels, so they can preen majestically like Louis XIV. Im sure it will happen. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more. Trying to make being nice fashionable in a world of online bullying and trolling, Amazon is encouraging people to be less judgmental of others style choices and to celebrate individuality through its new campaign, #SaySomethingNice. Read: Seeking contentment in life? Love your body, say experts The initiative comprises a series of films that see fashion influencers such as Susie Bubble, Hana Tajima, Freddie Harrel, Camille Charriere and Clementine Desseaux discuss their own experiences of receiving negative comments online or judging others on their appearance. The bloggers will be using the hashtag #SaySomethingNice to offer compliments on social media. Sharing OOTD (outfit of the day) posts has become increasingly popular on social media over the last few years. But Siobhan Mallen, Content Director, Amazon Fashion Europe, explains: Sadly, criticizing and ridiculing people for what they wear, known as outfit shaming, is also becoming more common with 55% of women feel they have been judged before on social media about their fashion choices. Read: Body-shaming to thighbrow: Viral beauty trends in real life She continues: Our #SaySomethingNice campaign aims to inspire all of us to challenge this behavior and to proactively champion everyones right to wear whatever makes them happy without fear of ridicule or negativity. The #SaySomethingNice campaign videos can be viewed on Amazon Fashions European YouTube, Facebook and Instagram channels. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more. Members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community on Saturday took out a candlelight march in protest against the mass shooting in Orlando. Omar Mateen, an Afghan-born gunman, killed at least 49 people at a gay nightclub in the American city on June 12. Expressing their disapproval about the oppression that LGBT people face everywhere in the world, as many as 200 supporters gathered at the first-ever Gurgaon pride parade. They sought freedom from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation to ensure social justice and an inclusive environment and demanded the repeal of Section 377 of the IPC. The event was backed by organisers of the Delhi Queer Pride. People gathered around 6 pm at the Leisure Valley ground in Sector 29 carrying rainbow flags and candles. After the music and open session, a candlelight vigil started to show solidarity with Orlando and Mexico massacre victims and the murdered Bangladeshi queer activists. This is the first time that a pride parade was organised in Gurgaon, there will be a sense of belonging among the citys LBGT community, said Rahul Kumar Thapa, a resident of the city. Another participant, Sai Tejo, said, This kind of protest provides visibility to people who are of a different orientation. This is a struggle -- we are fighting for our identity. Demanding protection and affirmative action for vulnerable queer groups, the supporters said the government should enforce anti-discrimination laws and implement provision of the Supreme Court judgement in NALSA vs Union of India on the rights of trans people. Also they urged the government to take action against violence and to repeal Section 377. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Eight CRPF jawans were killed and 20 others injured on Saturday in a militant ambush on a convoy in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama district, the highest single-incident casualty in three years in the militancy-hit state. Two militants were also killed in retaliatory firing by security personnel, police said giving details of the second major attack on a security convoy this month in the Kashmir valley. The Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement to a local news agency, LeT spokesperson Abdullah Ghaznavi said that two members of its fidayeen (suicide) squad carried out the attack. I salute the courage of the CRPF personnel martyred today in J&K. They served the nation with utmost dedication. Pained by their demise. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 25, 2016 Kashmir police chief Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gilani attributed the rise in attacks on security forces to high infiltration of militants through the Line on Control (LoC). Read | 3 militants killed in encounter in Kashmirs Kupwara district Eight CRPF personnel were killed when militants attacked the bus on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama district. (Waseem Andrabi/HT Photo) An official said the militants attacked the Srinagar-bound three-vehicle CRPF convoy near Frestbal in Pampore town at around 5.50 pm, choosing a sharp bend on the Jammu-Srinagar highway to ambush the convoy. Security agencies suspect a reconnaissance might have preceded the assault. The militants fired intensely at one bus, leading to the high number of causalities. Eight of our men have been martyred including a sub-inspector, CRPF DIG KK Sharma said. The condition of five out of 20 injured security personnel, being treated at the Armys 92 base hospital, is said to be critical. Read | Kashmir: Gunfight between cops, militants after LeT commanders arrest According some accounts, two more militants were involved in the attack but there was no official confirmation. The area was sealed and an alert issued about the possibility of two terrorists having fled the spot in a car towards Srinagar. Traffic on the busy highway came to halt after the attack, while tension gripped nearby Pampore town. Asked whether the slain terrorists were from across the border, Jammu and Kashmir director general of police K Rajendra said: In all probability, they seem to be from Pakistan. Read | Four policemen wounded in suspected militant attack in south Kashmir Home minister Rajnath Singh tweeted after the attack, My heart goes out to the families of the CRPF men who lost their lives in Pampore. I also pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. On June 3, three Border Security Force personnel were killed and five others were injured after militants ambushed their convoy on the same highway in Anantnag district. Major militant attacks in J-K since 2013 June 3, 2016: Three Border Security Force personnel were killed and five more wounded after militants ambushed their convoy on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in Bijbehara in south Kashmirs Anantnag district, around 45km from Srinagar. February 20, 2016: Militants attacked a convoy of CRPF on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in Pampore and entered a government building nearby. The gunfight continued for more than 48 hours and ended with the death of three armymen, two CRPF men and one civilian besides three militants. August 5, 2015: Two Lashkar-e-Taiba militants attacked a BSF convoy in the Udhampur district, killing two BSF jawans. One militant was killed while another Pakistani militant was captured alive by villagers. December 5, 2014: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis election rally in Kashmir, six militants stormed an Indian Army camp in north Kashmirs Uri. In the ensuing gun battle, eight army soldiers, including a Lieutenant-Colonel, three Jammu and Kashmir policemen and all six militants were killed. June 24, 2013: Militants carried out a brazen attack on an army convoy, killing eight jawans and injuring 11 others near Hyderpora area on the outskirts of the Srinagar city. With inputs from agencies The protected birthplace of celebrated British writer George Orwell in Bihars Motihari has been allegedly encroached upon by the government itself. And it came to light on Saturday, the birth anniversary of the author who penned the classic allegorical novel Animal Farm. An organisation which celebrates his life and work in India said that the urban development department has started construction work within a 2.5-acre land declared as a protected site by the state government. It is named Orwell Park. Orwell, whose real name is Eric Arthur Blair, was born on June 25, 1903 in what is now known as the Gyanbabu Chowk locality in Motihari. Motihari, around 150 km from capital Patna, was then in the British Bengal Province where his father worked in the opium department. He spent only a year at this Bihar town before he was taken to England by his mother. He never returned to India though he was posted for a brief period in Burma, now Myanmar, as an officer of the Indian Imperial Police. He died in 1950 aged 47. Deopriye Mukherjee, the chairman of the George Orwell commemorative committee said ticket counters and a water tank for Satyagrah Park, coming up beside the protected site, have been constructed on a 12,000 square feet area of the Orwell Park. He said they had no idea of the construction till they gathered at the place on Saturday morning to observe his birth anniversary. A boundary wall is also being constructed on the encroached land, he added. In 2010, the state government declared half of the 5-acre compound of Orwells birthplace as protected site and handed it over to the art and culture department to develop a park named after the writer, Mukherjee said. A decision on the remaining 2.5 acre land was then kept pending. Despite repeated protests, the remaining 2.5 acre was later allotted to the urban development department for constructing a Satyagrah Park at the cost of Rs 2 crore, he said. Additional collector Arshad Ali said the East Champaran district administration has received complaints of encroachment and the matter was being inquired into. The BJP said on Saturday that attack on the convoy of two Union ministers at Bargarh in Odisha took place in the presence and active collaboration of the police and local administration. The party urged governor SC Jamir to direct the state government to conduct an independent probe and bring the culprits to book. The police was in the know as BJD had given prior notice and even issued a press release as to their intentions. The plot was hatched by the ruling BJD before the proposed visit of a declared state guest, a memorandum submitted to governor by BJP said. An 11-member delegation of state BJP met the governor a day after the convoy of Union ministers Santosh Gangwar, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and former Jharkhand chief minister Arjun Mundas was attacked by BJD supporters. Terming the incident as a heinous attack, BJP said this was a case of extreme intolerance and a complete breakdown of law and order in Odisha. Stating that this is a gross violation of the federal system of India which believes that states and the Centre should work in tandem, BJP said the incident took place when the Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been working for development of the state. BJP in its memorandum alleged that the local MP and MLAs including minister Snehangini Chhuria planned this event and incited violence by BJD workers by giving provocative speeches like We will not allow BJP ministers to enter the district. Though the police arrested the hooligans and local MLAs, they were later released without any action. This proves that it was a premeditated incident stage-managed by the police and local administration. This would not have been possible without political clearance and active directions from the BJD supremo, it said. Noting that BJP, Odisha unit has lost faith on the state government and the police, they urged the governor, as the representative of Union government, to take cognisance of the incident and direct the state government to conduct an independent probe and bring the culprits to book. If beef is not banned in Telangana, both the TRS government and the beef-eaters in the state will cease to exist, Telangana BJP legislator T Raja Singh Lodh warned on Friday. Addressing a press conference organised by the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti in Panaji, he also threatened to torch slaughter houses, where, he alleged, cows were being illegally slaughtered in his state. Whether its Akbaruddin Owaisi or Owaisuddin Owaisi or MIM (Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen)and TRS government, I am asking them to stop eating beef and shut down slaughter houses or in the times to come, both the government as well as beef-eaters will cease to exist, Lodh said. On the one hand our chief minister (K Chandrasekhara Rao) worships cows and his son, who is also a minister, inaugurates slaughter houses. I request out chief minister to stop all illegal slaughter houses and illegal butchering of cows in government slaughter houses. If it is not stopped we will set fire to all these slaughter houses, Lodh said. He also said that BJP national president Amit Shah is committed to banning cow slaughter in all states ruled by the BJP, but expressed disappointment that despite there being a BJP government in Goa, cow slaughter was not banned and called it a shame. However, cow slaughter is legally banned in Goa and only slaughter of old and economically unviable oxen and buffaloes is permitted. Bihar board topper Rubi Rai, who had triggered a controversy by telling a television channel political science pertained to cooking, was arrested on Saturday after appearing before the Bihar School Examination Board for a re-test. All 14 toppers of the board, except Rai, had earlier appeared for re-assessment before a panel of experts and the anti-corruption wing of the BSEB which tried to find out if they used impersonation, bribery or other fraudulent means to pass the exam. Rai had failed to appear in the re-test twice on June 3 and June 17. She informed the board she was not well. Bihar board topper Ruby Rai takes a re-test before an expert panel on Saturday. (Santosh kumar/ Hindustan Times) Ruby Rai was arrested by a special investigation team after the re-test. (PTI) Saurabh Shreshtha, a Science topper, had said in the sting: Most reactive element in the periodic table is Aluminium. Rai had scored 444 out of 500 marks in the arts stream and Shreshtha 485 out of 500 in Science stream. Both studied at the VR College in Vaishali district. According to police officials, the Patna civil court has issued a non-bailable warrant of arrest against four toppers including Rai. The VR college director-cum-principal Bachcha Rai was arrested early this month and was lodged in Beur jail in Patna. So far, nearly 20 people have been arrested by a special investigation team.. The results of Rai and others were put on hold following the TV sting which suggested that education in Bihar continues to be a dubious affair with the possibility that cheating and fraud continue at a large scale. The BSEB claimed this year that Class 12 exams were conducted free of cheating, citing a drastic fall in the pass percentage as the proof. Till last year, mass cheating in board exams was reported. Former BSEB chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh and his wife Usha Sinha were recently arrested in connection with the issue. In a fresh twist to the pen controversy in Haryana Rajya Sabha polls, it has come to light that the Congress itself had sought rejection of all votes marked with an unauthorised pen, a couple of hours before its 12 MLAs cast their ballot. While AICC communications department in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Kiran Choudhary had cast their votes in the morning of June 11 itself, the 12 MLAs whose votes were finally declared invalid by the election commission had voted between 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm. But a couple of hours before that, Surjewala had written to the Returning Officer, saying some members had used unauthorised instrument to vote. Same is impermissible and has been done to identify the vote separately. Please take action to reject any such ballot which is not marked in/with an authorized instrument and discloses identity in any manner. The letter was also signed by polling agents of Indian National Lok Dal (Rampal Majra) and Haryana Janhit Congress (Shanti Swaroop). Interestingly, the Congress MLAs were not warned about the switching of pens before they went to vote. The election commission had declared as invalid the votes of 12 Congress MLAs for marking their ballot with an unauthorised pen. As a result, BJP-backed media baron Subhash Chandra defeated senior lawyer RK Anand who was reportedly assured of support by the Congress and the INLD. Releasing the letter, independent legislator Bhai Jai Prakash or JP, as he is called by his supporters, alleged that facts and documentary evidence prove that conspiracy to defeat Anand was hatched by the Congress itself. Why are they making a hue and cry now? They knew what is going to happen? As his partys election agent, Surjewala should have checked the votes of Congress MLAs, Prakash said, adding, they clearly didnt want Anand to win. However, Surjewala denied the charge but admitted that he had written the letter. Between 9.30 am and 10 am, an unauthorized instrument was alleged to have been found in the box meant for marking the ballot. So, the election agents of Congress, INLD and HJC gave a representation to the RO to forewarn him, he told HT. The switching and re-switching of pens took place between 1 pm and 3 pm. Hence, the letter has no connection with the conspiracy hatched by the BJP to fudge minority into majority by getting 12 Congress votes rejected, he added. Meanwhile, winning independent candidate Subhash Chandra alleged that it was the cancellation of votes of 12 Congress MLAs at the behest of Congress MLA Randeep Surjewala that resulted in his win. Surjewala, however, rubbished Chandras allegation and said that it was a pot calling a kettle black. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Congress on Saturday took out a rally protesting against price rise and alleged that the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre was ignorant to the burden on the common man. The party also questioned the ruling TMCs silence on the issue. The rally, which started at Ramlila Maidan and ended at the Gandhi statue on Mayo Road, was led by state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury and Leader of Opposition Abdul Mannan and was participated by CPI-M MLA Tanmoy Bhattacharya. Congress had invited CPI(M) state secretary Surya Kanta Mishra to join the rally. But after CPI(M)s Bengal brigade faced flak from the partys central leadership last week over the alliance flouting the official party line, the partys state leadership and legislative party had yesterday decided not to join the rally. Since BJP came to power at the Centre, prices of essentials have been going up with every passing day. It has completely failed to check the price rise of essentials. Why is TMC maintaining complete silence on this matter? Chowdhury said. The prices of petroleum products, particularly diesel are being raised at alarming frequency. With this the misery of the rural people would increase,Congress leaders said, adding that the government is bolstering its revenues by imposing greater burdens on the people. With an unassailable lead of over 12,000 votes, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti won the Anantnag bypoll and returned to the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly for a fourth term. Mehbooba secured 17,701 votes against her nearest rival and Congress candidate Hilal Ahmad Shahs 5,616 votes. National Conference candidate Iftikhar Misger was a distant third, polling 2,811 votes only, District Election officials said while declaring the results. The 57-year-old was among eight candidates in the by-election for the assembly seat which fell vacant after the death of her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the incumbent MLA and then chief minister. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Mehbooba for the phenomenal victory on Twitter while Union home minister Rajnath Singh spoke to her to extend his wishes. Mehbooba was sworn in as the chief minister of the PDP-BJP coalition government on April 4, following the Muftis death on January 7 this year. It is mandatory for a chief minister or any other minister in the state to become a member of either house of the states bicameral legislature within six months of being sworn in. At present, Mehbooba Mufti represents the south Kashmir Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency in parliament. Mehbooba was first elected to the Assembly in 1996 on a Congress ticket from Bijbehara constituency. She won in 2002 from Pahalgam and again in 2008 from Wachi seat in Shopian district. Congress alleges malpractice, disrupts counting Earlier on Saturday, counting was temporarily suspended when Congress Hilal Ahmad Shah alleged that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) had been tampered with. The party demanded a deferment of counting in the constituency, as the EVMs were found without seal. Accusing the state and the central governments of managing a lead in favour of Mehbooba Mufti, the party spokesman said, The party strongly urges upon the Election Commission of India to depute observers in the counting hall to ascertain the factual position. With the returning officer refusing to entertain the protest, counting resumed amidf a ruckus inside the counting hall of Government Degree College in Anantnag. Congress activists eventually walked out of the counting hall, but continued their protest on the college lawns. (With inputs from agencies) Accepting moral responsibility for the Congresss defeat in the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, state unit chief EVKS Elangovan resigned from the post on Saturday. He reportedly sent his resignation letter to party chief Sonia Gandhi. The faction-ridden Congress party in the state had been witnessing steady revolt against Elangovan, against whom several complaints were made to the party leadership. The main allegations were that he had ignored the followers of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram during ticket distribution, as also in the affairs of the state government. Elangovan was unavailable for comment. It was under his leadership that the Congress fought the assembly elections in the state in alliance with the DMK. Despite DMKs good show, however, the Congress could not give a good account of itself at the hustings. It could win only eight out of the 41 seats it contested. Several senior leaders of the Congress, including three of its past state unit presidents, had petitioned Sonia Gandhi against Elangovan, that he was ignoring state leaders and was unable to win the support of the people because of his behaviour. The Congress high command had, at the time, preferred to continue with Elangovan, who was appointed in 2014 and was vary of changing the leader just before the assembly elections. The partys poor showing in the polls has come in handy for his detractors to mount pressure against him. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Goa beaches will soon have CCTV cameras installed in shacks to keep an eye on shoreline activities. State Tourism minister Dilip Parulekar held a meeting on Friday with the MLAs from the coastal belt and beach shack operators, to discuss the new three-year shack policy, which will be in place starting this tourist season (October-2016). Installation of CCTV cameras on shacks will be mandatory for shack operators from this season onwards. The step is taken to ensure that there is a complete check on the happenings on the beaches, Parulekar said. He said the government is prepared to ensure proper disposal of garbage, install toilets and CCTV surveillance of beach stretches for the upcoming season. Shack operators urged the government to check and take action against those violating terms and conditions of the shack policy, especially with regards to sub-letting of shacks after the allotment process, he said. It was agreed that a special committee will be constituted comprising government officials and shack operators and strict action be taken against violators, the minister added. Modalities of having a single window system for the shack operators was also discussed in the meeting. The tourism department is in the process of formulating Shack Policy 2016-19, a three-year regulatory framework. Parulekar said that the views and suggestions of stakeholders would be considered of paramount importance while deciding the policy. NDA ministers will attend rallies across the country on Sunday to highlight alleged excesses during the Emergency clamped by Indira Gandhi in 1975, stepping up efforts to run down Congress plans to celebrate the former Prime Ministers birth centenary next year. Government sources said around 50 out of 63 ministers have been assigned different towns and cities in separate states where they will hold meetings and rallies on the theme Save Democracy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued directions to this effect at a Cabinet meeting this week. The Modi government often cites the 21-month period as one of the lowest points in Congress rule and has dubbed it as the biggest blow to democracy when fundamental rights were suspended, opposition leaders jailed and freedom of media curbed between June 25, 1975 and March 1977.. Among the Cabinet ministers, home minister Rajnath Singh will be in Ranchi, defence minister Manohar Parikkar in Cuttack, parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu in Bengaluru and railway minister Suresh Prabhu in Chandigarh. Women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi will not take part in the programme, coordinated by Naidu. Sources said that BJP president Amit Shah will attend a function in Delhi. The government campaign is an apparent counter to the Congress Save Democracy march last month to protest the governments alleged attempt to muzzle the opposition. It also comes in the backdrop of a partisan debate on what the Congress dubbed the BJP governments attempt to appropriate its icons including Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri. Read | I am used to the noise of democracy, Modi says in Afghanistan On Thursday, the Congress formed two committees to plan and implement the birth centenary celebrations of Gandhi, the only woman Prime Minister of India till date. During the 21-month Emergency under the rule of Indira Gandhi between June 25, 1975 and March 197, many fundamental rights were suspended, opposition leaders jailed and freedom of media were curbed. (HT file photo) A senior BJP leader said the campaign was aimed at connecting with the people and telling them about the events leading to the imposition of Emergency on June 25 and what followed in its aftermath. A whole generation has come up since then, who has taken democracy for given. People ought to be told that the democracy they are enjoying is hard-earned and they need to zealously guard it. Labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya, who will attend a meeting at Vijayawada, told HT that he along with thousands of others were jailed under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act during the Emergency. It was the blackest chapter in our democracy, he said. However, this is not the first time the NDA government is organising an event to mark Emergency. During a commemorative function to mark the 113th birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan in October, Narendra Modi had felicitated several people jailed during the Emergency. The kind of crisis that hit the country during that period had tempered the Indian democracy which came out stronger...Emergency should be remembered not to brood over what had happened then, but to strenghten our resolve to fortify the democratic values and framework in our country, Modi had said. Also read | How Narendra Modi resembles Indira Gandhi SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Indian Forest Service officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi will have to pack his bags soon. The Narendra Modi government has rejected demands to send the Magsaysay Award winner on deputation to serve in the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government, a decision that will take Chaturvedi to Uttarakhand. Chaturvedis central deputation ends next week. In its order, the centre refused to relax the rules that require All India Service officers to serve in their allocated state after a stint outside after the Uttarakhand government refused to give its approval for another stint in Delhi. The forest service officer who had earlier blown the whistle on irregularities in recruitment of teachers in Haryana had come to the centre on deputation. At his request, his cadre was changed last year from Haryana to Uttarakhand. The Uttarakhand government initially gave its clearance for Chaturvedis second stint in Delhi but later backed out. Chaturvedi, who was controversially removed by the centre as the chief vigilance officer, was also denied a no-objection clearance, which is required for vigilance posts. The Uttarakhand government said it could not give the certificate because Chaturvedi had never served in the state. The decision on Chaturvedis deputation comes after the officer got orders from the central administrative tribunal to take a call. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The defence ministry paved the way on Saturday for purchase of 145 M777 Ultra Lightweight Howitzer artillery guns, worth about $750 million, from the US and also approved bulk production of 18 Dhanush artillery guns, the first acquisition of such a weapon systems by the Indian Army in three decades since the Bofors scandal. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired defence minister Manohar Parrikar, took up 18 proposals including new schemes worth Rs 28,000 crore for discussion. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to upgrade the countrys military hardware by replenishing its range of artillery weapons after years of delays in ordering new equipment. But Modi wants deals with foreign companies to include the setting up of factories and plants in India to boost the local industry. Another key project that got an Acceptance of Necessity (AON), which will now allow the Indian Navy to issue tenders, was the proposal to build six next generation missile vessels under Buy Indian category for Rs 13,600 crore. DAC has approved progressing of ongoing case of procurement of 145 ultralight howitzers through the foreign military sales (FMS) route from US. DAC directed independent progressing of offset. The delivery of these guns will be in India which will help in substantial saving of transportation cost, a senior defence ministry official said. The DAC has also shortened the supply period of the guns, with a strike range of 25km, sources said though the exact period could not be known. Explaining the process, the officer said that India had sent a letter of request to the US government showing interest in buying the guns which will be deployed in high altitude areas in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh, bordering China. The US had responded with a letter of acceptance and the DAC looked into the terms and conditions and approved it. This letter will now be sent back to the US and the process for the payment of first instalment will begin. The offsets, under which BAE Systems, manufacturer of the gun, will invest about $200 million, will be pursued independently. While 25 guns will come to India in a fly away condition, the rest will be assembled at the proposed Assembly Integration and Test facility for the weapon system in India in partnership with Mahindra. The DAC also noted the satisfactory progress in manufacture of indigenous Dhanush guns, also known as Desi Bofors. While three guns would be delivered for user exploitation by June 30, three more will be handed over by September end. DAC also cleared bulk production of 18 guns to enable better exploitation and setting up of indigenous production, the officer said. The gun, a towed howitzer with a strike range of 38-km, has been developed by Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), Kolkata, after going through the design and voluminous documents running into more than 12,000 pages which were delivered to India under the first phase of Transfer of Technology as part of the Bofors gun deal in late 80s. Jamaat-ud-Daawah (JuD) chief and Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed has said he will wage a war against India to get Pakistani rivers freed. We are going to wage jihad (war) against India to get our rivers freed, Saeed said while addressing a gathering of JuD workers in Sialokot district of Punjab Province on Friday. Saeed, on whose head the US has put a bounty of 10 million dollar, claimed freedom movement of the Kashmiris is gaining momentum day by day. Saeed said Dukhtraan-e-Milats head Asiya Andrabi told him that situation in Kashmir has changed now. Asiya Bibi told me by telephone that those who were talking about independent Kashmir are no more on the scene while young leadership has come forward and it will give a fresh impetus to the freedom campaign, Saeed, who founded the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), said. Saeed said Pakistan should take serious notice of the United States warnings which have raised the curtain from its evil designs against it. Time is ripe now for Pakistan to change its foreign policy with the US, Iran and India, he said. Saeed also vowed to foil every conspiracy aimed at damaging the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. Three senior students of a nursing college in Kalaburgi were arrested on Saturday in connection with the alleged ragging of a first year Dalit girl student from Kerala who is now being treated at a hospital in her home state for severe damage to her internal organs. Kalaburugi superintendent of police N Shashikumar told PTI that those arrested were identified as Lakshmi, Athera and Vishnupriya. All of them have been sent to judicial custody, he said. Nineteen-year-old Aswathi was allegedly force-fed toilet cleaner by her seniors at the hostel of Al Qamal College of Nursing in Kalaburigi on May 9, seriously damaging her internal organs. She is now battling for life at Kozhikode Medical College hospital, where she was admitted on June 2. Based on her statement, police in Kozhikode had registered an FIR on June 22 against five of her seniors. National Human Rights Commission took cognizance of media reports of the incident and asked the state government and Kozhikode district authorities to file a report on it and action taken. It issued notices to the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, Karnataka, as well as the District Collector and Superintendent of Police of Kozhikode, calling for reports on action taken in the matter within four weeks. It observed that ragging has been banned in educational institutions and guidelines on recommendations of the Raghavan Committee to curb ragging have been issued in this regard. NHRC said the Apex Court has also referred to ragging as an ugly scar, which needs to be obliterated from educational institutions. The college authorities were legally bound and responsible to ensure protection of students from the menace of ragging, the Commission stated. A Karnataka police team probing the incident is now in Kozhikode and will visit her tomorrow to record her statement. Kerala Womens Commission also wrote to its counterpart in Karnataka, urging it to intervene in the matter. As few sections in the political spectrum strongly reacted to separatist leaders claiming they had received invitations to the annual Iftar party hosted by the Pakistan High Commission, moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, said he was astonished over the hue and cry. To blow out of proportion this simple invitation for a social event and present it out of its context speaks about the mental bankruptcy of such elements, he said while delivering his customary address after the Friday prayers. On Saturday, the Janata Dal (United) dubbed the invitation a diplomatic failure and attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for extending a hand of friendship to Pakistan. This is a diplomatic failure. We attend their birthday parties and eat cake. And they are involving the separatists. It is very clear what their intensions are. They made tall claims during the election campaigns on dealing with these issue, party spokesperson Ajay Alok told ANI. Alok was referring to Modis unannounced detour to Lahore in December last year while on his way back from Afghanistan to wish Pakistans prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, on his birthday. Sharif was at the airport to receive Modi when he landed. Separatist leaders from Jammu and Kashmir, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, were invited by the High Commission for the annual Iftar party in New Delhi on June 25. Most of the top and middle-rung separatist leaders from both factions of Hurriyat Conference as well as the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front are also on the guest list. The annual party has been a constant cause for consternation as the Pakistan High Commission regularly invites separatists leaders for the event. Last year however, the party was cancelled to ensure that the meeting between Modi and Sharif on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Russias Ufa took place without a hitch. However, a meeting between the Hurriyat leaders and the Pakistani envoy in August last year led to India calling off proposed foreign secretary-level talks between the two nations. BJP has an ostrich syndrome Farooq further accused the BJP of ignoring the obvious and asked the Central government to accept historical realities and initiate a meaningful dialogue with the state and Pakistan. Farooq referred to Union minister Nirmala Sitharamans statement in Jammu recently that people of the state had no role to play in the resolution of Kashmir issue and said it showed her ignorance. Kashmir is not an administrative, electoral or a law and order issue but an internationally accepted political issue involving the political future of the people of the state, he said. The BJP leadership should come out of its self illusions about Kashmir and understanding the fundamental political as well as historical realities about Kashmir, it should adopt realistic policy and initiate a meaningful dialogue with the people of Kashmir and Pakistan for the resolution of Kashmir issue, he added. He also condemned the continued restrictions on the movement of separatist leaders and said such tactics can neither cow down the resistance (separatist) leadership nor suppress the peaceful struggle of the people. A day after the Congress attacked the Narendra Modi-led government for the embarrassment in Seoul over the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership bid, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to further criticise the Modi. NSG: How to lose a negotiation by Narendra Modi, Gandhi posted early on Saturday morning, with the hashtag failed Modi diplomacy. NSG: How to lose a negotiation by Narendra Modi #FailedModiDiplomacy Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) June 24, 2016 India, which had been lobbying for months to join the nuclear group, was left disappointed on Friday when China successfully managed to block the bid. Arguing on technicality, China led the opposition, rallying others among the 48-nation group. The NSG which works on consensus and thus requires all members to agree to a new entrant is significant as it gives countries access to nuclear technology and facilitates trade. Read | Seoul plenary ends: No decision on Indias NSG entry as China remains adamant As member nations debated on Indias bid and left the matter undecided during the NSGs plenary session in Seoul, the main opposition here at home used the opportunity to attack Modi. We do not know why India showed its desperation and allowed the country to be equated with Pakistan on the issue of NSG membership, Congress senior spokesman Anand Sharma said on Friday. Its high time that Prime Minister Narendra Modi realises that diplomacy requires gravitas, depth and seriousness. PM Modi needs to realise diplomacy needs depth not public tamasha, he said. The world saw the PM make a spectacle of himself and India. Now India faces embarrassment unnecessarily. Read | Modi govt showed unnecessary desperation for NSG membership: Cong The issue adds to the Congress ammunition as parties gear up for assembly elections next year, especially in the politically significant Uttar Pradesh. In the latest round of assembly elections this April-May, the BJP had a good show, forming the state government in Assam, a hitherto Congress bastion. In Kerala, the grand old party faced drubbing from the left while BJP managed to open its account a first time. At this point, Modi and the BJP have already put in motion their campaign plans for Uttar Pradesh while the Congress is still scrambling to put together a formidable plan. Adil Zaidi, 41, partner at Ernst & Young, dons the hat of a volunteer during the month of Ramzan. For the past four years, Delhi-based Zaidi, one of the 2,000-plus global members of a Facebook campaign, Who is Hussain?, has been organising meals for people during Ramzan. Last Saturday, around 250 volunteers from the campaign in 18 Indian cities arranged meals for one lakh people. Our UK headquarters gives us details of events we are supposed to conduct. Accordingly, we reach out to volunteers through WhatsApp. Depending on their availability, volunteers contribute their time and money, says Zaidi. In some cities, group members arranged cooked meals. In others, they distributed packets containing wheat, rice, sugar and edible oil, he adds. The month of Ramzan is as much about fasting as it is about charity. Zaidis is one of the many online groups which work as bridges between needy people and those who wish to help the needy but dont know how to. In addition to regular charity, many Muslims prefer paying Zakat during Ramzan. Zakat requires Muslims to offer 2.5 per cent of their wealth to the poor. Numerous groups have devised online campaigns in time for charity. Volunteers at the June 18 event of Give campaign in Bangalore. (Photo credit: Who is Hussain? campaign) The number of Ramzan-specific charity campaigns on crowd-funded platforms has been increasing every passing year. In the past one week, we have seen about Rs 1.5 lakh raised on the platform and campaigns being started every second day. Its amazing to see how the age-old tradition is taking a new form through crowd-funding and is increasing the impact that each person can make, says Ishita Anand, founder, Bitgiving.com, a crowd- funding platform which enables people to share their stories, raise funds online and also provide payment gateways. In addition to regular charity, many Muslims prefer paying Zakat during Ramzan. Zakat requires Muslims to offer 2.5 per cent of their wealth to the poor. (Photo credit: Who is Hussain? campaign) As compared to personalised campaigns which depend on face value and have limited reach, online platforms have a multiplier effect. Even if someone doesnt know you but is impressed with your work, the person will donate online, says Danish Aziz, 38, development professional who has been running the online campaign Feed a Family This Ramzan for the past five years. This year, the campaigns aim is to raise Rs 2 lakh for poor families in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. Rs 1.30 lakh has already been raised. One also has the advantage of using crowdfunding platforms such as Ketto.com and Bitgiving.com, added Aziz, who hosts his campaign on Bitgiving.com. Read: The feast after the fast: An iftar trail in Old Delhi Another factor where online campaigns score over word of mouth is by ensuring that the focus remains on the cause and not on the individual. The money received by the organisation is a stamp of approval on its credibility, says Shafiqur Rehman, who runs an online campaign Free a Trafficking Victim This Ramzan said, Through online campaigns, the focus is on the cause and not on the person. The money received by the organisation is a stamp of approval on its credibility. In most of the cases, the receiver of the money is himself working for a cause or he knows organisations which are. For example, Danish Aziz said that from his experience in the development sector, he knows various grassroots organisations across the country. He gives the money to them and they ensure that it reaches the people who genuinely need it. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Tulsidas ji, pranam this is all Bihar board topper Ruby Rai wrote when asked to pen down an essay on the poet-saint during a re-test on Saturday, an official said, nearly a month after she told a television channel political science pertained to cooking. The Class 12 student was arrested for interrogation after the re-test at the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) office following a non-bailable warrant against her and three other toppers. Rai told the panel she had forgotten what she had studied for the examination that was held three months back. She claimed to have studied for the examination for two years but could not remember anything, the expert present during the re-test said on condition of anonymity. The panel that examined her (Rai) found her unworthy of the marks she had obtained to top the examination. Following the report, we have cancelled her results, BSEB chairman Anand Kishor said on Saturday. Her answer shocked the entire panel and everyone was left wondering how this girl had topped, an official present at the venue of the re-test said. A total of 14 students were called for a re-test by the board after a news channel broadcast a report in which Rai said: Prodikal (read political) science is about cooking. Saurabh Shreshtha, who topped the Science stream, had said: Most reactive element in the periodic table is aluminium. Rai had scored 444 out of 500 marks, while Shreshtha secured 485 out of 500 in Science stream. On Saturday, the Class 12 student appeared confident when she arrived for the re-test and refused to cover her face after being arrested, a police constable said. Her confidence struck us the most. She used a scarf after police officials insisted she do so. Ruby Rai was arrested after the re-test. (PTI Photo) According to police officials, a Patna court has issued a non-bailable warrant against four toppers including Rai. The former BSEB chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad and his wife -- a former Janata Dal-United (JD-U) MLA -- are among 20 people who have been arrested by a special investigation team. The results of the state boards Class 10 and Class 12 exams had showed a sharp dip in the pass percentage which the education department promptly attributed to a clampdown on use of unfair means. But the TV channels questions to Rai and Shreshtha put the spotlight back on the states exam system, notorious for mass cheating backed by a section in the education department. Photographs of hundreds of people scaling walls of a Bihar school building to help students cheat in the Class 10 board exams last year had left the nation gaping in disbelief and raised questions over the education system in the state. A US Senator praised the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) for not granting India membership, hours after the elite groups plenary meeting ended in Seoul with no decision on the matter following Chinas strong opposition. Today, the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) reaffirmed its strong support for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by refraining from admitting India, Junior Democratic senator from Massachusetts Edward Markey said in a statement. Read | Seoul plenary ends: No decision on Indias NSG entry as China remains adamant The NSG was founded in response to Indias 1974 nuclear test and it has worked for decades to prevent the sharing of technology that could contribute to the further spread of nuclear weapons, he added. If India joined the Nuclear Supplier Group, it would be the only participating government in the organisation that was not a party to the NPT, weakening the NSGs commitment to the treaty. By refraining from admitting India, the NSG strengthened both the treaty and the broader global non-proliferation regime, Markey, a known India-basher, said. As a member of the US House of Representative, Markey had earlier unsuccessfully led efforts to block passage of the civil nuclear deal between India and the US. That India was not a co-signatory of the NPT was the main technicality on which China opposed the bid and rallied other member countries against agreeing to admit India. Read | Brazil, others oppose NSG entry of non-NPT nations like India: Reports Incidentally, the US was one of Indias main backers for the membership bid. Indian officials said 38 of the 48 member nations had supported the application. Read | Most nations back India, China last hurdle in NSG Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, on Saturday lashed out at Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy for undermining waiters, saying the latters derogatory remark was deplorable and classist. So is there no dignity in being a Waiter ?! Vadra wrote on Facebook. The attention seeking BJP MP Swamys comment Ministers who wear a coat and tie look like waiters and must be instructed to wear Indian clothes. Undermining waiters who work hard for a living; making condescending and derogatory remarks about them is deplorable and classist (sic). Vadras reaction came after Swamy said the saffron party should direct ministers to wear traditional and modernised Indian clothes while abroad and added that in coat and tie they look like waiters. In an apparent swipe at Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, whose photographs of meeting with the Bank of China chairman Tian Guoli in Beijing in a lounge suit appeared in newspapers, Swamy asked the BJP to advise ministers to wear traditional and modernised Indian cloths when abroad. Swamy has been critical of the finance ministry over the past couple of days and has been mounting attacks on its officials via Twitter. The Fundamentals of Caring Director - Rob Burnett Cast - Paull Rudd, Craig Robers, Selena Gomez, Bobby Cannavale, Jennifer Ehle Rating - 3/5 You never told me what you did before you got into the wiping ass business, asks Trevor, a 20-year-old with a mouth dirtier than a forgotten dumpster. I was a writer, comes the reply from Ben, the butt wiper to whom the question was addressed. Ben is Trevors caregiver, a qualification he has just acquired after completing a six week course. Trevor has muscular dystrophy, a disease that Ben learns, after conducting proper research, affects 1 in 3,500 males. It also probably means Trevor has little chance of surviving beyond 30. The Fundamentals of Caring is Netflixs first truly good original movie since their first, the masterpiece Beasts of no Nation. And coming off of two especially horrible (even by his standards) late-period Adam Sandler films and the worst thing Ricky Gervais has ever done, its a welcome relief. Read: Netflixs Special Correspondents review: Is Ricky Gervais Adam Sandler now? Trevor, like every movie character with a terminal illness, is blessed with a spirit stronger than an ox, and a sense of humour that would probably get him in trouble if he wasnt you know ill. His dream is to road trip across America to the most un-subtle metaphor ever: The Worlds Deepest Pit. And we all know movie road trips never happen with one broken character, they require at least two. Luckily for Trevor, Ben is as broken as they come. His stalled writing career aside, his wife is forcing him into a divorce after the death of their baby boy, and, at 45, he finds himself wiping the butts of smartass kids. As is often the case with movies like this think of it like a John Green adaptation directed by James Ponsoldt and scored by Arcade Fire its filled to the brim with cliches (to the extent that theres a shot of Trevor doing the swirly hand wave thing out of the window like hes in a Bon Iver video or something). But unlike most films, it uses the cliches to its advantage. Like the best road trip movies, the characters should make you want to hop in a car with them. (Netflix) Ben and Trevor sleep in dingy motels, eat at greasy diners. They run into quirky characters along the way. And when they pick up a hitchhiking Selena Gomez, they even find love, just like in the movies. As the motley crew journeys on, searching as they must for their true purpose in life, the film piles on the emo drama as if the Germans are taking over the world tomorrow and bringing with it their own, uniquely emotionless rules of existence. The Fundamentals of Caring isnt quite as good as last years Paper Towns, or even the French smash hit The Intouchables, but its still, in its own charming way, quietly enjoyable. Paull Rudd is the anchor of the film, bringing warm humour and gravitas when needed. (Netflix) Much of it is because of the terrific cast, led by the eerily likeable Paul Rudd in a performance that reminded me of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and I Love You Man two other great Paul Rudd movies. If youve seen Richard Ayoades Submarine, youll probably remember Craig Roberts, who, as Trevor here, delivers his best performance since that breakthrough role. But, somewhat surprisingly, it was Selena Gomez who left the biggest impact as a character so tragically lost, she gave the impression that shed been studying Penny Lane from Almost Famous for weeks. Selena Gomez is the hitchhiker with the heart of gold. (Netflix) Cliches exist for a reason. And The Fundamentals of Caring plays like a feature-length argument for cliches. That doesnt sound like high praise, I know. But lets pretend that it is. Follow @htshowbiz for more The author tweets @NaaharRohan ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop The Bombay high court (HC) on Friday continued the stay on the trial in the murder of communist leader Govind Pansare, on grounds that the police would be in a better position to explain the charges levelled against the accused, Sameer Gaikwad, if they are allowed to obtain a forensic report. Pansare was shot dead on February 16, 2015, near his residence in Kolhapur, when he was out on a morning walk. The police recovered five empty cartidges from the spot and a bullet from Pansares body. Similar material found from the spot where other rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar was murdered was handed over to the Karnataka police, investigating the murder of Kannada author MM Kalburgi. Read: Dabholkar, Pansare murders: High court raps CBI, SIT for shoddy probe CBI may probe Pansare murder, no objection from CM Fadnavis Acting on a petition filed by the state, Justice Sadhana Jadhav had on June 9 stayed the trial. The government had approached the high court, after a trial court in Kolhapur rejected their plea to defer framing of charges against Gaikwad to give the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) time to send the cartridges and bullet to the forensic laboratory of New Scotland Yard for analysis. The trial court had held that it was not necessary to defer the framing of charges for want of forensic report. In its petition, the state said the confusing reports necessitated sending the items to England for forensic examination. The Bangalore forensic science laboratory said similar country-made pistols of 7.65-mm caliber were used to fire bullets at Dabholkar and Pansare, contradicting the reports of the forensic laboratory in Mumbai. The CBI team, investigating the Dabholkar case, has sent the items to the laboratory, the petition said. Heavy showers and routine congestion slowed flight movement at the Mumbai airport on Saturday. An airport spokesperson confirmed the delays but said no flights were diverted or cancelled. Airport records showed that arrivals and departures were running late by up to 25 minutes. Runway visibility was above 800 metres - within range for safe operations - officials manning air traffic said that small bouts of heavy spells triggered the delay. Sometimes pilots are unable to see the runway for a few seconds when its pouring. Such instances disrupt the traffic flow pattern causing a cascading effect on the schedule, a senior air traffic control (ATC) officer said. India Meteorological Departments Regional Meteorological Centre in Mumbai predicted intermittent rain with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few place in the city and its suburbs for the next 24 to 48 hours. Some airlines warned fliers about the delays and asked them to enquire about flight status. Jet Airways tweeted that there was a delay of up to 30 minutes on its flights in and out of Mumbai. Budget carrier SpiceJet asked its passengers to check flight status before leaving for the airport. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The body of the teenager from Kallar Bhaini village, 10-km from Patiala, was recovered from the Bhakra canal near Khanauri town in Sangrur district, on Friday. Ravi Kumar (15) had gone missing from June 20. However, alleging foul play, the family members of the deceased, along with other villagers and relatives, staged a protest near Thikriwala chowk, saying that the police were conducting biased investigations in the case to defend the culprits with whom Ravi had a scuffle four days ago. He had a war of words with some people at a hair cutting saloon in the village and after that, he was called by them to teach him a lesson, said the family members. Alleging murder, the family said the police did not register any case, even as their child was missing since June 20. Madan Sharma, the father of the victim, said they were visiting the police officials at Dakala police post and Passiana police station for the registration of case since Monday. The police at Dakala asked us to complain the case at Sanjh Kendra in Patiala by saying that Ravi was only missing from his house, said Sharma. The protestors blocked the road for almost two hours and after the assurance from the police officials of appropriate action against the culprits, the family members took the dead body from the road to Rajindra Hospital for postmortem. Meanwhile, the police registered a case under Section 365 (kidnapping) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) on Thursday at Passiana police station of the district. Investigating officer (IO) said the postmortem was conducted on Friday and they were waiting for the report for the addition in the FIR. Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh on Saturday condemned Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Bhagwant Mann and Gurpreet Ghuggi for allegedly insulting teachers on the social media. Demanding an unconditional apology from AAP leaders, Amarinder asked Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to clarify his stand on the issue. This is not just insensitive, but totally insane. Even the inebriated condition, usually associated with one of them, can be no defence for anyone to insult teachers, he said. We cannot blame our teachers for the rot in the system, Amarinder said. He said the irresponsible behaviour of the two comedian-turned-politicians has only reinforced the public belief about them that they were not fit to be leaders. PROPAGANDA TO TARNISH OUR IMAGE Mann and Ghuggi clarified that some videos being circulated on the social networking sites having adverse reference to teachers were a part of propaganda of opposition parties to tarnish their image. It could be a scene out of a gangster film. The city has witnessed numerous killings in the last four months, putting cops in a dilemma over the increasing violence. Gang rivalry or gang wars, call them what you want, but police has failed to take up the challenge posed by notorious city-based gangsters. RAVI KHWAJKES MURDER Gangster Davinder Bambiha alias Davinder Shooter, along with his mates, pumped at least 14 bullets into Rajwinder Singh alias Ravi Khwajke on February 20 at a marriage function on Malerkotla Road. Police had interrogated two of the accused, Davinder Gugni and Karamveer, who have been lodged in Ludhiana Central Jail charged with several criminal cases. There is not much police could do in the case. Davinder Shooter has full access to internet, and regularly updates his Facebook, even threatening Khwajkes supporters. Police have failed to arrest him. Read: Sarpanch gunned down at marriage function in Ludhiana AUTO-RICKSHAW DRIVERS DEATH The infamous killing of Vikrant Kumar alias Vicky, an auto-rickshaw driver, was splashed all over in April. Gaurav Sharma alias Goru Bachcha gunned Vikrant down in broad daylight in Himmat Singh Nagar, following a spat over parking on April 7. Police booked Goru Bachcha for murder, along with his accomplices Vipan, Gurmeet Singh, Arjun, Micky and three other unidentified persons. Vikrants family took to the streets to demand the arrest of the accused, and even delayed his last rites for eight days. While he is still on the run, he does not shy away from flaunting his Akali connections. The gangster was once again in the news for shooting at a friend Johny near Manjit Nagar. Suspecting him of passing information to cops, Goru Bachcha, pumped six bullets into him before escaping the spot. Read: Three-wheeler driver shot dead over parking by history-sheeter KIDNAPPING AND SHOOTOUT On intervening night of April 11 and 12, a gang kidnapped Patiala-based Robin Mittal and demanded Rs 2 lakh as ransom. When police rushed to Mittals rescue, the gang members opened fire leaving a head constable injured. Police nabbed one of the accused and rescued the victim. But, four of the accused including kingpin Gurparvesh Uppal alias Bhesha, managed to escape. However, police got two of the accused on production warrant. Read: Kidnapped Patiala event manager rescued in Ludhiana shootout COMMISSION AGENTS MURDER Gangster Inderjit Singh, on June 7, gunned down a 23-year-old commission agent and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) worker Kamalpreet Singh. The accused shot at the man four times before he fled the spot. The police arrested two of the accused, while the rest including Inderjit Singh and Somnath Fauji escaped arrest, thanks to their political ties. It was later revealed that Somnath Fauji and the victims brother Roobal were at loggerheads over the post of president of commission agent association. Read: Group rivalry claims life of SAD worker in Ludhiana; 2 held, 11 still at large ATTACK ON SUKHA BAREWAL Sanjiv Sharma, son of late sub-inspector Surjit Chand Sharma, along with three others opened fire on gangster Sukha Barewal at his rented accommodation in Star Colony. Sanjiv nursed a grudge against Sukha after the latter had slapped one of his close aides in a tiff. So he conspired to kill Sukha. The accused barged into Sukhas house and put four bullets into his body, before fleeing the spot. Read: Gangster Sukha shot at: Foe-turned-friend Sunny attacked him to avenge slap, say police SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON As part of the observance of 300th martyrdom day of the Sikh General, Banda Singh Bahadur, a laser show at his memorial in Chappar Chiri is going to be held on Saturday (June 25). About 700 technicians have been working over the past week to bring alive the life and philosophy of the Sikh warrior through the laser show in which, around 2,000 people are expected. The teams have arrived from Delhi and Mumbai to ensure the smooth functioning of the program. Banda Singh Bahadur was the first one to establish Khalsa Raj in 1710. The technicians will show the Fateh Minar in 3D and the Sikh general would come alive to deliver his message. Read: 300th martydom day: Laser show at Chappar Chiri memorial on Saturday Suspicion that his friend Johny Lamba was trying to get him arrested prompted gangster Gaurav Sharma, alias Goru Bachcha, to plan his murder. And Goru nearly succeeded in what he intended on Thursday had the luck not been on Johnys side, who survived despite shot six times. Johny, a resident of Railway quarters, is undergoing treatment and is stated to be stable. Read: Gangster Goru Bachcha, aides open fire at rival in Ludhiana Goru is also accused of killing three-wheeler driver Vikrant Kumar alias Vicky (25) of Himmat Singh Nagar on April 7. After Vickys murder, Goru was on the run and the police had been raiding his hideouts. Goru suspected that Johny was passing the information about his movements to the police and decided to eliminate him. Goru reportedly came to Ludhiana a few days back and was spotted outside the railway station here in a Maruti Swift car, which he also used on Thursday when Johny was attacked. Sources said one of the cops investigating Vickys murder was in touch with Johny to get information about Gorus whereabouts. On Thursday, Goru first hugged Johny at a fixed location in Manjit Nagar and then pumped in six bullets into his body. Division 5 SHO inspector Beant Juneja said a case of attempt to murder has been registered against Goru Bachcha and his unidentified accomplices. He said Johnys condition was stable after removal of four bullets from his body. He said one bullet had hit Johnys mobile phone kept in the shirts pocket, thus saving his life. Johny is also facing trial in several cases. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In the absence of an adequate export duty drawback facility and obsolete technology, the sewing machine industry in Ludhiana losing its business to its Chinese and Taiwanese counterparts. As sewing machines equipped with better technology and cheaper rates are available in China, the export prospects of domestic sewing machine industry have suffered badly. Ludhiana Sewing Machine Dealers and Assemblers Association former president Virender Rakheja said, The production levels of sewing machine industry in Ludhiana have remained stagnant at around 15 lakh machines for the last five years annually while the export figure has hit its lowest ebb in decades. Of the total production volume of domestic sewing machines (around 15 lakh annually) as much as 25% was exhausted by exports to Middle East, Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan five years ago while rest of it was circulated in the Indian market, today that export figure of domestic sewing machines has come down to 5%. Rakheja added, Except umbrella sewing machine (TA-1) which is the only auto-lubricating machine and serves domestic as well as industrial purposes is manufactured in domestic market while rest all industrial machinery is imported from China and Taiwan. The annual turnover of domestic machine was Rs 5,000 crore in 2011 which has come down to Rs 2,500 crore now. While of the total export turnover figures for domestic machine was at Rs 1,250 crore (as mentioned above 25% of total volume) has hit its steepest low in decades to Rs 250-300 crore (5% of total turnover) now. The downward trend can directly be attributed to the governments obsolete policy formulations with regard to sewing machine industry in India which had been outpaced by China with heavy spending on technology and relaxations in terms of subsidies and tax levies,said Rakheja. The sewing machine industry in Punjab alone accounts for a hefty 80% contribution to the total business generated in country. Currently there are more than 1,500 small and large units operating in Punjab, around 1,000 of them are stationed in Ludhiana. The price for the domestic machine begins from Rs 2,000 and the expensive most machine in this segment can be bought for Rs 6,000 while that of industrial sewing machine cost around Rs 15,000 to Rs 5 lakh. Sewing machine industry in Ludhiana is mostly sprawling in areas like Chaura Bazaar, Focal Point and Miller Ganj among others. Ludhiana Sewing Machine Association chairman Dalbeer S Dhiman said, The cheap import from China and Taiwan has infested fatal wounds to the domestic sewing machine industry. Although not on par with Japanese technology in sewing machine industry, China as aptly adapted to global market trends to cater to a large share of international market today. Besides investing hugely on technology, China has kept the pricing of sewing machine in control, taking its toll on Indian market, as a result our export figures went down. Rise in steel prices has put additional burden on domestic sewing machine industry. Volatility of raw material prices had also been affecting the sewing machine industry here. Arjun Auluck, general manager, Ludhiana-based CRA Pvt Ltd, said, Owing to lack of proper incentives and meager 5% export duty drawback, the vast potential for white sewing machine in the industrial machine segment remain unexploited. It lies with the government that if they want to thrust the growth of sewing machine industry they need to treat it on par with other corporate sectors while transferring tax benefits, subsidies and incentives. Our neighbour China has an edge when it comes to export as their government in order to bolster export dispenses a hefty 15% export duty drawback besides investing in technology upgradation. To cater to a potential market base in Middle East countries, we are planning to embark on white machine manufacturing in India soon. Manufacturing industrial machine with sizeable market potential both in Indian as well as overseas market is undoubtedly a lucrative proposition but without any relaxations from governments end, we are apprehensive whether the decision would bear its fruit. Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Charanjit Singh Channi said in Pathankot on Friday that many more Hoshiarpur-type scams could come to light if an independent agency starts probing all the deals in the state. Channi, accompanied by vice-chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes Raj Kumar Verka, Hans Raj Hans and Youth Congress chief Raja Amrinder Singh Warring, was addressing party workers at Sujanpur town near Pathankot. He said during the SAD-BJP regime, the rank and file of the ruling parties only aimed at looting the state. One could see all major businesses from cable TV to transport are in their hands, which they have monopolized, he added. The youths are dying and many have adopted the crime path after turning as drug addicts during this regime, for which the people of the state would not forgive them. Our aim would be to bring Punjabi youths back to their glory for which they were famous for, he said. Over the infighting within the Congress, he said once tickets for elections were announced, there would not be any race for them and all would stand united. He said that the party might may declare candidates nearly four months ahead of the elections. Verka said sufficient representation to youths and SC/ST candidates would be given in the elections. Women would also be taken care of in the same way, he added. Raja Warring called on youths to join hands to oust the SAD-BJP government, which was at blame for the sad state of youths of Punjab. Days after the city police arrested a parking contractor for putting up advertisements on barricades at the entry points of parking lots, the Chandigarh municipal corporation on Friday issued a notice to the police to remove advertisements from barricades and beat boxes. The parking contractor, Lalit Joshi, was booked on June 21. In a notice issued to the Chandigarh senior superintendent of police (SSP), the MC joint commissioner, Varinder Chaudhary, has asked the former to remove all advertisements displayed on barricades and beats boxes without getting the required approval under the Chandigarh Advertisement Control Order, 2008. The notice says that as per the act, the UT finance secretary is chief administrator and the competent authority to permit display of advertisements. These powers have been delegated to the MC commissioner, it says. MC joint commissioner Varinder Chaudhary said, We are also calculating the amount for the advertisements already displayed. The money will be recovered from the police department. Deputy inspector general (DIG) AS Cheema said, We have not received any notice so far. We will look into the matter once we receive the letter. ACCUSED CONTRACTOR PRODUCED IN COURT The paid parking contractor, Lalit Joshi, who was booked and arrested on June 21 for defrauding a woman manager of a private firm and later threatening and abusing her on the pretext of getting paid advertisements for her firm, was sent to judicial custody. He was produced in a local court after police remand of three days. The complainant had alleged that Joshi took `20,000 from her to put up advertisements of her firm on barricades on various roads. As per the Chandigarh Advertisement Control Order, 1954, which was amended in 2008, the advertisements cannot be displayed without the MCs permission. In this case, the contractor was illegally charging money for displaying advertisements on the barricades. An initiative taken by the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) to start science subjects in Punjabi from this academic session seems to have been lost in its launching year as none of the schools is aware of the initiative, as a result of which students have missed out on the opportunity to read science subjects in Punjabi this year. The initiative was taken keeping in view lakhs of students in Punjab, who found it difficult to pursue science in English medium. The PSEB had last year announced that it would start these subjects in their native language, Punjabi, as an option from the next academic session. Also the books have not arrived yet in the schools despite the translation work of books was completed in April. Students of Classes 11 and 12 at government and private schools, affiliated to the PSEB, will have an option to study physics, chemistry and biology in their mother tongue. The education department has also translated books of physics, chemistry and biology in Punjabi. The translation of science textbooks from English to Punjabi was done in Jalandhar. As many as seven teachers here had been assigned the task of translating the books. Principal of a school said she did not know about the initiative as she was not a science teacher. She added that she would definitely let the students know about the initiative, the moment books will arrive. Surprisingly, education officials are also not interested to encourage teaching of science subjects in Punjabi. One of the officials said, There is no use to teach science in Punjabi because, ultimately, students will have to give entrance exams in English and that will create problems for them. One of the science teachers said, It is funny when people say that studying science in Punjabi will not be helpful when giving entrance test. I just want to say that studying science does not always mean that a student will become a doctor; one must study science to make thinking rational. He added, Studying science is a blessing; one develops practical and rational approach towards life and restricts one from falling prey to superstitions. PSEB chairman Tajinder Kaur Dhaliwal said, We have already advertised it so much; even the matter was discussed in the Vidhan Sabha session, but if the schools are not aware about it, we will issue them a reminder about the step that has been taken. The books will be given to the schools within 10 days, she said. The economic and statistical department employees, who are on contract, polished shoes as part of their protest against the state government outside finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsas resident in Sangrur, on Friday. Many employees of the department were on indefinite protest against the state government at Sangrur. The protest entered the third day on Saturday. The employees were on contract and were removed from their job after their contract got over. They had been demanding the government to increase the tenure of their contract or regularise their jobs before the last date of the contract, which was May 31. Meanwhile, to protest against the government, the protesters polished shoes of the commuters and even collected donations to send them further to the chief ministers office. Union leader Karamjit Singh said on one had the state government was announcing to give jobs to over 1 lakh youths and on the other they were dismissing the already working employees. He said this was injustice and would not be tolerated. He said if the government did not renew their contract then they would intensify their stir. If any employee takes any extreme step then the Punjab government will be responsible for that, they said. The strike by the garbage lifters has put the city under the shadow of a serious health disease in view of upcoming Monsoon season. The city has already witnessed pre monsoon showers. The workers of Jindal Infrastructure Transportation and Fabrication (JITF), which is in agreement with five municipal councils in the district to collect and transport the garbage to the waste management plant in Bathinda, have been demanding their salaries from the company. Due to the non-payment of the salaries for the last few months, the workers have been on strike district-wide for the past more than 10 days. JITF manager Rakesh Upadhayay said, We have not received the payment from the local bodies and that is why the employees have gone on strike in Bhikhi, Mansa, Budhalada, Sardulgarh and Bareta. Though there was delay in payment, we have started clearing dues of our employees and very soon the issue will be resolved. The municipal council also have their own sanitation workers, but they have also extended their support to the striking workers. LOCAL TRADERS ALSO PROTEST As the garbage lay open at almost every street, the local traders blocked one of the main streets entering into the market and put up posters ridiculing the state government for failing to develop Punjab on terms with California as promised by deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal. The main entry to the market was blocked today in order to remind the government how it failed to run a municipal council. We will close our shops if the garbage is not removed from the market, said one of the traders. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Shiromani Akali Dal leader Satbir Singh Khatra formally took the charge as SADs halqa in-charge of Patiala rural assembly constituency on Friday. Speaking on the occasion, SAD district coordinator Charanjit Singh Brar said it was Harmel Singh Tohra who himself has asked party president Sukhbir Singh Badal to relieve him of the charge from the Patiala (rural) seat and therefore the party took the decision accordingly. He said the party would adjust the Tohra family members in the party hierarchy and the government. Shiromani Akali Dal leaders from Patiala, including cabinet minister Surjit Singh Rakhra, were present on the occasion. Addressing the gathering, Khatra said that he would live up to expectation of the party president in the upcoming elections. Khatra, who as independent candidate in 2012 polls, had garnered above 21,000 votes, said, I am a grass-root worker and by giving me a chance, the SAD president has again proved that he takes care of every grass-root workers. Pertinently, from the past 10 years Satbir has been holding several social activities, including medical camps, giving free ration to needy, providing basic services of ration card, voter card, by holding camps of district administration, apart from planting large number of samplings. Khatra added that fair representation to youth would definitely help the party in getting the support of the people. When asked about the Tohra family, Satbir tried to dodge the question by saying, I am ready to convince each and every voter in the constituency by visiting every household. The clouds parted to reveal an island of green tranquility set amidst the mighty Himalayan ranges. The Paro valley came into view. The valley and the rest of Bhutan were preparing for the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rimpoche, who is revered in Bhutan as the second Buddha. I was in Bhutan by invitation to capture the event and I looked forward to make the most of the opportunity. June 15, 2016, had a unique configuration. Once in 60 years, the Gurus anniversary falls on the tenth day of the Monkey Month, in the Fire Male Monkey Year, believed to be the same configuration as the time when the Guru was born in the eighth century. Watch: The birth anniversary of Guru Rinpoche Paro valley has a special place in the Gurus biography. His travels spanned the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush and beyond. It is believed that he came here to Paro on the back of a tigress and meditated in a cave for three years, three months, three weeks, three days and three hours. That cave came to be known as Tigers Nest, housed in the Taktsang Monastery that is perched on a precarious cliff and is now one of the most popular places of tourism in Bhutan. Monks assist in unfurling a thangka depicting Guru Padmasambhava at the birth anniversary celebrations. (Gurinder Osan/HT PHOTO) At a drop from Tigers Nest is the Paro Rinpung Dzong, that was all abuzz on the morning of June 15. The old and the young from all across the valley arrived in a disciplined single file dressed immaculately in traditional clothes to witness the unveiling of a 110-feet thangka depicting Guru Padmasambhava. It was a time of deep prayers and reverence. Locals watch a traditional mask dance performed by monks in front of a 110-foot scroll depicting Guru Padmasambhava. (Gurinder Osan/HT Photo) This special day of the Buddhist calendar was also an occasion to understand the Gurus life and beliefs and witness his physical manifestation through performances by masked dancers. Organised by the Center for Escalation of Peace and Center for Bhutan Studies, the event was another attempt to reinforce the close religious and cultural connect between the South Asian countries that Guru Padmasambhava travelled through leaving a lasting imprint of peace in the region. Read: Bhutan king chops onion for school lunch Dressed in traditional Bhutanese attire, a young girl participates in the festivities. (Gurinder Osan/HT PHOTO) n Bhutan, where the Guru first set foot 1,270 years ago, his teachings especially on Vajrayana Buddhism, have guided the people of this Hidden Holy Land to live with compassion for all beings and in harmony with the environment. That is evident as you walk through the streets of the towns and villages here. The feeling of serenity and the smooth pace of life relaxes ones jangled urban nerves. A young woman checks her mobile phone after paying obeisance at the Taksang Monastery (or Tigers Nest), where Guru Padmasambhava meditated. (Gurinder Osan/HT PHOTO) There is respect and emphasis for personal as well as public space here. The balanced development defined by the nine domains of Gross National Happiness index has made the rest of the world revisit the whole development debate. Bhutan simply exudes this sense of peace. It is one of the last few places in the world that give a glimpse of Shangri La, at least for now, and gives us all hope for the future. Monsoon blesses Bhutans agrarian economy, that has maintained its traditional organic farming techniques, as a farmer heads out to tend a paddy field in Paro. (Gurinder Osan/HT PHOTO) Some of the younger people one met, however, seemed to be wondering what next? Yes, there is peace and overall security as it should be, but is there more to life? Education in international universities, exposure through the Internet on the latest smartphones, and television programmes have started to bring in the influences of a different world. And that seems to be challenging the present state of harmony. Education in international universities, exposure through the Internet on the latest smartphones, and television programmes have exposed young Bhutanese to a different world. (Gurinder Osan/HT PHOTO) Govindas visit to the sets of Kapil Sharmas show on Wednesday has reportedly left his nephew Krushna Abhishek fuming. Krushna and Kapil are both hosts to comedy shows on rival channels. While Kapil hosts The Kapil Sharma Show, Krushank hosts Comedy Nights Live. Krushna was upset that his uncle had chosen to feature in Kapils show instead of his, an Indian Express report said. Govinda was accompanied by his wife Sunita and daughter Tina on the show. Read: I am not competing with Kapil nor am I scared, says Krushna When Govinda is around, you cant not do a Kisi Disco Mein Jayein. EVER. So, Kapil Sharma made the actor shake a leg when he visited the sets of his The Kapil Sharma Show. (SONY TV) Krushna and Kapil have been touted as arch-rivals ever since Kapil Sharma was made to quit his hit show Comedy Nights with Kapil and Krushna bagged the same prime time slot with COLORS for his Comedy Nights Live. Kapil, moved on to Sony TV with most of his team and started The Kapil Sharma Show. Read: Kapil-Krushna rivalry behind the end of Comedy Nights I cracked a joke saying Maine Govinda ko apna mama rakha hai (I have kept Govinda as my uncle) on my show, which did not go down well with him (Who is he referring to?). I tried to reason with him as it wasnt in bad taste. In fact, it only raises my status by calling him my mama. It wasnt derogatory at all. I have no qualms on being addressed as Govindas nephew; it is like my second identity. A star is free to go on other shows, but being family, I expected him to come to my show first. He is behaving like a superstar now and not my Chi Chi mama, the report quoted Krushna as saying. Govinda isnt a happy man either; he was apparently annoyed with the comedian for his comments. Krushna has been making money by insulting others on television. I was extremely upset with the Mama rakha hai remark and summoned him home. I told him that he should refrain from making such statements in the garb of gags as they could be humiliating. But Sunita told me to let him work and I relented as thats how he is making money. I am used to reading good, bad and ugly things about myself, but its annoying to have a family member making a personal interaction public. Thats unacceptable. I cant trust him anymore, the Indian Express quoted the actor as saying. Govinda with actor and stand-up comedian Kapil Sharma on the sets of The Kapil Sharma show in Mumbai on June 22. (IANS) Govinda also said that Krushna hankered after people who were doing well. I have seen the way Krushna roasts the Khans Salman and Shah Rukh. He is very respectful. He respects the good time of a person and not the artiste. Govinda also told the English daily that he would go on Krushnas show when his time is good and is not willing to change his nature for a show. I understand thats his professional hazard, but I cant be a part of it, he said. As for Kapil, he couldnt have been more thrilled to host the Kill Dill star. You are like my guru. I have learnt a lot from you and I love you, he said to Govinda. The Kapil Sharma show featuring Govinda airs this Sunday night. Follow @htshowbiz for more TV actor Divyanka Tripathi, who is all set to marry co-star Vivek Dahiya in Bhopal next month, is riding the emotional roller coaster every bride-to-be does. Fans got a glimpse of the mayhem when a video crew tagged along with Divyanka on her shopping spree. Visibly excited, the Yeh Hai Mohabbatein star was looking for a dress for the grand event on July 8. Read: Marriage wont affect my career, says Divyanka Divyanka Tripathi weighs her options at the store The actor, who plays Ishita in the popular sitcom, met designer Nilesh at the store and told him what she was looking for. When presented with her options, Divyanka was quite spoiled for choice and went through an endless trial session before settling on one outfit. About to try the red number? Read: Divyanka is in a hurry to get married I was excited but was also nervous whether I will get something that suits my taste, but I am so happy. I have come to the bridal section and everything is so beautiful, she said. Sources in the store said Divyanka decided to keep her final selections as a surprise for her fans. Watch Divyanka on her wedding shopping Recently, Vivek and Divyankas wedding card was leaked online. According to the details, a sangeet ceremony will held on July 7. Divyanka tries on an orange lehenga at the store. Groom Vivek though was miffed about the card being shared publicly. I am not too pleased about it. It has all the details, the venue and family details. It was an unnecessary action which was not called for. We would have shared the information ourselves, and without prior permission it is like a breach of someones privacy, he told Times of India. Vivek and Divyanka met and fell in love on the sets of their current show Yeh Hai Mohobbatein. Asked what is it about him which she likes the most, the actor said, He completes me as a person. I met him in a phase of my life when I was very negative, but he was not like that. Every time I would worry about not getting work in future, he would says, Even if you dont work, I will work and everything will be fine. Follow @htshowbiz for more Europe angrily demanded a quick divorce as sparks flew Saturday over Britains seismic vote to abandon the EU, toppling Prime Minister David Cameron, pounding world markets and fracturing the island nation. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker called for rushing Britain out of the door as the bloc grappled with the impending loss of one of the worlds top economies, the first defection in its 60-year history. Cameron announced Friday he would resign by October and let his successor lead the exit negotiations under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which sets out a two-year time-frame to leave. Read: Didnt think it would count: Many Leave supporters regret Brexit vote I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination, the outgoing prime minister said as sterling, global stocks and oil prices plummeted. Britons, many worried about immigration and financial insecurity, cast aside the prime ministers warnings of isolation and an economic disaster, voting 52%-48% in favour of Brexit in Thursdays referendum. Moodys cut Britains credit rating outlook to negative, warning of the economic threat to the country. I do not understand why the British government needs until October to decide whether to send the divorce letter to Brussels, Juncker told German broadcaster ARD on Friday evening. (Left to Right) Italy's foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni, Belgium's foreign minister Didier Reynders, Germany's foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, France's foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, Netherlands' foreign minister Bert Koenders and Luxembourg's foreign minister Jean Asselborn pose for a group photo at the villa Borsig prior to post-Brexit talks in Berlin. (AFP Photo) Id like it immediately, he added. It is not an amicable divorce but it was also not an intimate love affair, he said. Emergency meeting Foreign ministers of the six original EU members -- Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg -- gathered in Berlin for the first in a series of emergency meetings over the next week triggered by Britains decision. Read: How Britain leaving the EU may change the face of travel forever We cant allow ourselves to slip into depression and inaction after this referendum, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said as he entered the meeting at a lakeside villa. The Franco-German axis at the heart of the bloc, which was born out of a determination to forge lasting peace after two world wars, will propose concrete solutions to make the EU more effective, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told AFP. EU leaders will open a two-day Brussels summit on the crisis on Tuesday. A person holds European country flags in one hand and a United Kingdom flag in another. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said Britain's planned departure from the European Union was "not an amicable divorce" but called for it to be quick. (AFP Photo) Britain faced a historic break-up threat, too, as Scotland refused to be willingly dragged out of the 28-nation European Union when more than 60 percent of its people voted to stay in. Scotlands parliament held an emergency meeting Saturday. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon declared ahead of the gathering that a second Scottish independence vote was now highly likely after a 2014 referendum backed staying in the UK. Surprise, regret The vote, the culmination of an often poisonous campaign, exposed deep divides across British society, including between what The Independent newspaper called those doing well from globalisation and those left behind and not seeing the benefits in jobs or wages. Young people, graduates, and big cities tended to favour Remain. Elder, less educated people and rural populations were more likely to back Brexit. Read: All you need to know about Britains referendum on leaving the EU I am worried, really sick for my childrens prospects, said Lindsey Brett, a 57-year-old secretarial worker in central London. I am worried about all aspects: what it is going to do with our relations with the rest of Europe, with the rest of the world, she added. I was expecting a Remain vote. I did not think we would come out. Many others struggled to accept the outcome, too. More than 800,000 people have signed a parliamentary petition calling for a second referendum. The referendum result caused the pound to fall to a 31-year low of $1.3229 at one point but it recovered some ground after the Bank of England said it stood ready to pump 250 billion ($370 billion, 326 billion euros) into the financial system to avert a crisis. Take a bow European stock markets dropped around eight percent at opening before recovering later, while British bank shares lost a quarter of their value in morning trade. Londons FTSE 100 index recovered to close down 3.2 percent. US stocks dived, with both the Dow and S&P 500 closing down more than three percent. Britains rejection of the EU is being seen as a victory for the anti-establishment rhetoric of the Brexit campaign, a feature of growing populism across Europe. Take a bow, Britain!, eurosceptic newspaper the Daily Mail wrote across its front page on Saturday. It was the day the quiet people of Britain rose up against an arrogant, out-of-touch political class and a contemptuous Brussels elite, it added. The British vote will stoke fears of a domino-effect of exit votes in eurosceptic member states that could imperil the integrity of the bloc. Dutch far-right MP Geert Wilders and French National Front leader Marine Le Pen immediately called for referendums on EU membership in their own countries. Britain was under pressure on Saturday to set out a quick timetable for a divorce from the European Union after the countrys historic vote to leave the bloc sent shockwaves around the world. Global stock markets plunged on Friday, and sterling saw its biggest one day drop in history after Britons voted by 52-48 percent to exit the EU, which it joined more than 40 years ago. Ratings agency Moodys downgraded its outlook for Britain, saying its creditworthiness was now at greater risk as the country would face substantial challenges to successfully negotiating its exit from the bloc. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he wanted to begin negotiating Britains departure immediately. Britons decided yesterday that they want to leave the European Union, so it doesnt make any sense to wait until October to try to negotiate the terms of their departure, Juncker told Germanys ARD television station. It is not an amicable divorce but it was also not an intimate love affair, he said. It is not a good day for Britain and the European Union but we must go on. Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Friday he would resign after leading the failed campaign to stay in the bloc, and said someone else should take the lead in negotiating the unprecedented and complicated extrication. He suggested his replacement would be in place by October. That person could be his Conservative Party rival Boris Johnson, the former London mayor who became the most recognisable face of the Leave camp and who is now favourite to succeed him. Britains decision to leave the EU is the biggest blow since World War Two to the European project of forging greater unity. The United Kingdom itself could also now break apart, with the nationalist leader of Scotland, where nearly two-thirds of voters wanted to stay in the EU, saying a new referendum on independence from the rest of Britain was highly likely. Scottish government ministers were meeting on Saturday to decide their next move. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet French, German and Italian leaders in Berlin on Monday to discuss future steps, and the foreign ministers of Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, will meet on Saturday morning. Read: What next? European leaders to discuss EU future after Brexit shock Full coverage: Britain EU referendum Less than 24 hours after Britain voted to leave the European Union (EU) on Friday, the enormity of the situation has started to hit those who chose to part with the now 27-nation bloc that the UK joined about four decades ago. The vote, after a bitter campaign, went down to the wire before ending in a 52-48% win for Brexit, prompting celebrations by Leave campaigners and their supporters for a move they said would make Britain stronger. But some have been rattled by the final outcome. Im shocked and worried. I voted Leave but didnt think my vote would count I never thought it would actually happen, a man who claimed to have voted Leave, told the BBC in an interview. Mandy Suthi, another pro-Brexit voter, told the Evening Standard that if she had the opportunity to vote again, she would make a different choice. I was very disappointed about the result, even though I voted to leave, this morning I woke up and the reality did actually hit me, Suthi said. If I had the opportunity to vote again, it would be to stay. A Leave voter tells @5_News that she regrets her choice: "This morning the reality is actually hitting in."https://t.co/1WusOhxtPg BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) June 24, 2016 Many others who claimed to have voted for the Leave option tweeted their disappointment at the final results and the repercussions that followed. I voted leave to help our economy. However the has plummeted and I immediately regret my decision . Plus Farage is a lying tosser! Ryan Richardson (@RyanRich_) June 24, 2016 @verityharding @SusanCarland One of my relatives was a leaver and regretted it by 8am. Vote would be very different this afternoon. Taryn Harding (@TWTaryn) June 24, 2016 I personally voted leave believing these lies and I regret it more than anything, I feel genuinely robbed of my vote khembe (@rambogiblet) June 24, 2016 Google reported on Friday that one of the top questions asked by users in the United Kingdom since the Brexit referendum results were released is What is the EU? Search interest in the British pound is at its highest level ever. Scores of Britons also searched the terms getting an Irish passport and move to Gibraltar, the British territory on the south coast of Spain. Too late? The regret has started to kick in after the world bore the brunt of the biggest blow since World War Two to the European project of forging greater unity. Prime Minister David Cameron, who led the Remain campaign, announced he would step down by October so fresh leadership could steer the country. It would be for the new prime minister to carry out negotiations with the EU and invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty that will give the UK two years to negotiate its withdrawal, he said. The global financial markets plunged after Britains shock vote, and wiped $2.1 trillion as traders panicked in the face of a new threat to the global economy. The pound crashed 10% to a 31-year low at one point, before rebounding slightly for a 9.1% loss against the greenback in late trade. The euro slid 3%. British travellers abroad got a rude reality check as the sharp drop in the British currency affected their finances. It was a good thing I paid for my hotel yesterday morning, said Greg Rowland, whose region voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU. With Londons claim as the worlds leading finance centre on the line now, banks were heavily sold on Friday. Many global banks say they expect to relocate staff to elsewhere in the EU in anticipation of the breakup. The UK itself could now break apart. Angry Remain supporters lashed out at Leave voters by saying that the excuses given were depressing and claimed that they have not understood the basics of democracy. Are you actually joking, man on @BBCNews?! 'I voted to Leave, didn't think my vote would matter'. LITERALLY UNBELIEVABLE Louisa Yates (@louisayates) June 24, 2016 To the man on @BBCNews in Manchester who voted leave but is now "shocked" that his vote mattered and is now "worried", well done sir. Moron. Suzie Wright (@suziewright94) June 24, 2016 @JacksonT0ny Totally depressing - and very frustrating. A lesson in protest voting Laura Topham (@LauraTopham) June 24, 2016 @LauraTopham @johngapper clearly have not understood the basics of democracy! Christopher May (@chrismayLU) June 24, 2016 @nonswearyphil @LauraTopham Possibly some expected a Remain result, but wanted to maximise the Leave % to encourage internal EU reform...? tom_may (@tom_may) June 24, 2016 I'm now hearing non-voters say they wanted to Remain but didnt bother voting as they were so sure we'd vote that way #regrexit Laura Topham (@LauraTopham) June 24, 2016 Who voted for Brexit? A look at The Guardians data analysis of the Brexit voters reveals the following: 1. A large section of people who voted Leave had no formal qualifications. 2. A very large section of people who voted Leave didnt opt for higher education. In other words, all the places where the percentage of people with higher education exceeded 35%, voted for Remain. 3. Most of the residents who voted Leave had a median annual income of 25,000 pounds or less. 4. A large section residents who voted Leave were aged 40 or above. 5. A large section of residents, who voted Leave, was born in the UK. In other words, most of the immigrants and second generation immigrants voted to Remain. (With inputs from agencies) Citing previously reported allegations, presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trumps campaign on Friday sought to link his Democratic rival Hillary Clintons vote, as Senator in 2008, for the India-US nuclear deal to donations to the Clinton Foundation by Samajwadi Party politician Amar Singh. These donations, from $1 million to $5 million, and the potential for appearances of conflict were first reported by The New York Times in 2008 shortly after the deal was approved by the US Congress. A framework for the India-US civil nuclear agreement was signed by then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President George W Bush in 2005, but the deal was concluded in 2008 after ratification by the Senate. Clinton, who as Senator had co-founded the Senate India caucus, backed the deal, which passed by a 86-13 vote. In a 35-page note of Top 50 Facts About Hillary Clinton released on Friday, the Trump campaign reproduced portions of the NYT report to link Clintons nuclear deal vote to the donations: The potential for appearances of conflict was illustrated by Amar Singh, a politician in India who gave $1 million to $5 million. Mr. Singh visited the United States in September to lobby for a deal allowing India to obtain civilian nuclear technology even though it never signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty. He met with Mrs. Clinton, who he said assured him that Democrats would not block the deal. Congress approved it weeks later. These allegations were recycled along with others in a book published in April 2015 titled Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Help Make Bill and Hillary Rich . The Clinton campaign had then said, Clinton Cash is attempting to rewrite history to fit a pre-determined partisan narrative. It only takes a quick look at Hillarys actual voting record and statements to see that this conspiracy theory doesnt even come close to passing the smell test. Singh told Economic Times that was not his money: That is not my donation, I have not given that money to the Clinton Foundation. If any friend has done that on my behalf I am grateful to them, but its not mine. The Trump campaign has once again brought up the allegations. It also cited a USA Today report to say the Confederation of Indian Industry, a trade body, paid the Clinton Foundation $500,000 to $1 million, but did not link it to the nuclear deal. The note went on to cite another news report about former President Bill Clinton telling Amar Singh in a handwritten letter about his foundation giving a family in Haiti an efficient charcoal stove and briquettes manufactured from 100 per cent recycled waste. Some news reports about the Trump campaign note also cited Clinton, as secretary of state, appointing a Chicago businessman and donor Raj Fernando to a sensitive body, misidentifying him as Indian-American. He is of Sri Lankan descent. More than a million people have signed a petition calling for a second referendum, after Leave voters won a shock victory to pull Britain out of the European Union, an official website showed Saturday. The website of the parliamentary petition at one point crashed due to the surge of people adding their names to the call for another nationwide poll following Thursdays historic vote. Read: Didnt think it would count: Many Leave supporters regret Brexit vote We the undersigned call upon HM Government to implement a rule that if the remain or leave vote is less than 60% based (on) a turnout less than 75% there should be another referendum, says the petition. Turnout for Thursdays referendum was 72.2%. By 1000 GMT on Saturday some 1,040,000 people had signed the petition on the official government and parliament website -- more than 10 times the 100,000 signatures required for a proposal to be discussed in the House of Commons, the lower house of parliament. The parliaments Petitions Committee, which considers whether such submissions should be raised in the House, is to hold its next meeting on Tuesday. Read: Brexit: How Britain leaving the EU may change the face of travel forever On Friday, a House of Commons spokesperson said the website had been taken out of action temporarily because of exceptionally high volumes of simultaneous users on a single petition, significantly higher than on any previous occasion. The government responds to all petitions that garner more than 10,000 signatures, according to the official website, which said there had so far not been a response. The Leave camp won the support of 51.9% of voters, against 48.1% in favour of remaining in the 60-year-old European bloc. Read: 30 #Brexit tweets: Collection of best memes, jokes, cartoons, gifs on Twitter The result revealed stark divisions between young and old, north and south, cities and rural areas, and university-educated people and those with fewer qualifications. A map of the petition signatures showed that most came from Englands major cities, topped by London where there is a separate petition calling on Mayor Sadiq Khan to declare the capital independent from the United Kingdom, and apply to join the EU. There was more regret and despondency than joy as Britain struggled to make sense of Fridays vote to leave the European Union, sparking a series of developments in London, Brussels and Edinburgh, including moves to hold another referendum in Scotland. A petition on a parliament website calling for another EU referendum was quickly signed by more than 1 million people, making it eligible for a debate. Another sought a referendum on independence for London, which overwhelmingly voted to remain in the EU. Scotland moved closer to holding another referendum on its independence from Britain after a cabinet meeting on Saturday in Edinburgh, while EU leaders in Berlin and Brussels took a tough line, asking Britain to expedite the process of leaving the 28-member union. Credit rating agency Moodys downgraded Britain to a negative rating. Read | Over one million people sign UK petition for second EU referendum Even the Brexiters do not realise the momentous nature of the vote. What have they got us into? No one quite knows how it will all pan out and how this country will look like in six months, one year or five years, Remain supporter and researcher Roger Salter told HT. Some polls suggested that students and most people below the age of 30 voted to remain, prompting anger at the Leave vote. Late on Friday, Google said questions such as what is the EU and what happens if we leave the EU? were the top searches from the United Kingdom, suggesting that some may have not known the consequence of their choice when they voted. Read | Brexit: How Britain leaving the EU may change the face of travel forever However, most Leave supporters insisted that the vote enabled Britons to take back the country from Brussels, which is seen by many as a super state taking over ever more powers from Britain and other member-states. But some regretted voting Leave and said if another referendum were held, they would vote to Remain. Life continued as normal in Southall and Hounslow, which have large communities of Indian origin. The EU vote did not figure much in conversations - construction worker Satinder Pal remarked: Sannu kee? (how does it concern me?). The Sikh Council UK said the community was disappointed at the Leave vote and expressed concern about Sikhs experiencing religious discrimination. Gurinder Singh Josan, head of political engagement for Sikh Council UK, said: Whilst the exercise in democracy is to be applauded, we are concerned at the tone of the debate particularly in relation to some of the hateful rhetoric towards immigrants and immigration. As a visibly identifiable minority community in the UK, Sikhs often suffer the brunt of racism and racist attacks. Any rhetoric that exacerbates this or enables these views to become mainstream political commentary is to be condemned. Read | 30 #Brexit tweets: Collection of best memes, jokes, cartoons, gifs on Twitter Angry Europe demands quick divorce as sparks fly over Brexit vote SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Russian and regime air strikes killed 47 people, most of them civilians, and wounded dozens more on Saturday in a jihadist-held town in eastern Syria, a monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the raids hit the town of Al-Quriyah, controlled by the Islamic State group in Syrias oil-rich Deir Ezzor province. Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said 31 civilians were identified among those killed, but that it was not immediately clear whether the 16 others were civilians or IS fighters. IS fighters have now set up a security perimeter around the residential area, where the towns mosque is located, said Abdel Rahman. The Britain-based monitor -- which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information -- says it determines what planes carried out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved. Russian warplanes have been carrying out an air war in support of President Bashar al-Assad since September 2015. More than 280,000 people have been killed since Syrias conflict erupted in March 2011, after a widespread protest movement evolved into a complex, multi-front war that has drawn in global powers. Somalias al Shabaab Islamist group launched a suicide bomb attack on a hotel in the centre of Mogadishu on Saturday before fighters stormed inside, police and the militant group said. Police said at least 15 people had died, including guards at the site, civilians and militants. Others were wounded. Gunfire had echoed round the seaside capital after the blast and ambulances raced to the scene. Police later said fighting had ended but they were searching the site for militants. We attacked the hotel which was frequented by the apostate government members, al Shabaab military operations spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab told Reuters. He said at least 20 guards and civilians were killed. Somali government soldiers run to take their positions during near the hotel. (Reuters) Al Shabaab, which frequently carries out attacks in the capital in its bid to topple the Western-backed government, often gives casualty numbers that are higher than figures announced by officials. Police said the initial blast was caused by a suicide bomber before fighters stormed into the Nasahablood hotel, leading to a heavy exchange of gunfire. Officers said some people had managed to escape through the rear of the building. The operation has now ended but we are still combing the building for any possible militants who are hiding, Major Ali Mohamed, a police officer, told Reuters. The United States and other Western countries have been among the biggest donors to the government in Mogadishu as it slowly rebuilds after years of conflict and prepares for parliamentary and presidential elections later this year. We strongly condemn this attack, a U.S. State Department official said in a statement. We remain committed to Somalias security and stability, and are proud to stand side-by-side with Somalia in the fight against terrorism. The vote planned for August will be by limited franchise rather than one-person-one-vote, which officials and diplomats say would be too difficult while still fighting an insurgency. Muslims in Somalia and around the world are observing Ramadan. In previous years, al Shabaab has often intensified attacks during the fasting month, frequently picking targets where people gather just before or after breaking the fast. Founding European Union members are to hold a crisis meeting Saturday on the future of the bloc after Britains seismic vote to leave the union and the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron. As the Brexit vote sent global financial markets into freefall, Moodys cut Britains credit rating outlook to negative, saying the vote to pull out of the European Union could hurt its economic prospects. After the shock result German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande led calls for the EU to reform in order to survive a traumatic divorce with Britain. European leaders are anxious to ensure the transition is as painless as possible, with the foreign ministers of the six EU founding members gathering in Berlin on Saturday in the first of a series of crisis meetings over the coming week. Read | If democracy has to survive, the elites have to regain their credibility German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will host his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault, the Netherlands Bert Koenders, Italys Paolo Gentiloni, Belgiums Didier Reynders and Luxemburgs Jean Asselborn for the six-way talks on current European political issues, the German foreign ministry said in a statement. Steinmeier regretted Britains decision, saying it was a sad day for Europe and the United Kingdom. Paris and Berlin will present their partners with concrete solutions to make the EU more effective, Ayrault told AFP. Blow to Europe German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who called the result a blow to Europe, said she would would host the leaders of France and Italy along with EU President Donald Tusk in Berlin on Monday to try to chart a reform plan. We take note of the British peoples decision with regret. There is no doubt that this is a blow to Europe and to the European unification process, Merkel told reporters in Berlin. Full coverage: Britain EU referendum With global markets in turmoil, she said it was important to not draw quick and simple conclusions from the referendum in Great Britain, which would only further divide Europe. EU chiefs have urged Britain to leave as soon as possible, however painful that process may be. In this January 15, 1973, file photo, a general view of the ceremony for the First Ministerial Meeting after the enlargement of the Common Market at the Palais D'Egmont in Brussels, Belgium. (AP Photo) European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said he was very sad that Britain had voted to leave, but repeated that there would be no renegotiation of Britains membership. Leaders of the EU, born out of a determination to forge lasting peace after two world wars, will open a two-day summit on Tuesday to grapple with Britains decision. The shock outcome of Thursdays historic referendum could have a knock-on effect on other EU members battling hostility to Brussels and possibly lead to the break-up of the United Kingdom after Scotland raised the prospect of another independence vote. Britons, many worried by immigration and what they saw as interference in the running of their country by bureaucrats in Brussels, voted by 52 to 48% to abandon the bloc after 43 years of often troubled membership. In an emotional statement outside Downing Street, Cameron said he would resign to make way for a new leader by early October after the failure of his Remain campaign. I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination, he said as sterling, global stocks and oil prices plummeted. Take a bow The result caused the pound to fall to a 31-year low of $1.3229 at one point but it recovered some ground after the Bank of England said it stood ready to pump 250 billion ($370 billion, 326 billion euros) into the financial system to avert a crisis. A statue of Winston Churchill is silhouetted against the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday morning, June 24, 2016. (AP Photo) European stock markets dropped around 8% at opening before recovering later, while British bank shares lost a quarter of their value in morning trade. Londons FTSE 100 index recovered to close down 3.2%. US stocks dived, with both the Dow and S&P 500 closing down more than 3%. Read: Carnage from Tokyo to New York: Global markets lose $2.1 trillion in Brexit rout Britain will be the first country to leave the EU, in a move seen a victory for the anti-establishment rhetoric of the Brexit campaign that highlights growing populism across Europe. Take a bow, Britain!, eurosceptic newspaper the Daily Mail wrote across its front page on Saturday. It was the day the quiet people of Britain rose up against an arrogant, out-of-touch political class and a contemptuous Brussels elite, it added. The vote, the culmination of an often poisonous campaign, exposed deep divides across British society, including between what The Independent newspaper called those doing well from globalisation and those left behind and not seeing the benefits in jobs or wages. It may be some time before Britain takes the concrete steps needed to extricate itself from what will become a 27-member alliance. Cameron said it should be his successor who leads the complex negotiations under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which sets out a two-year time-frame to leave. Domino effect The Leave victory threatens to shatter the unity of the United Kingdom, with Scotland and Northern Ireland voting to remain in while England -- barring big cities like London -- and Wales supported out. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said a second independence vote was now highly likely after a 2014 referendum backed staying in the UK, and the Scottish parliament was due to meet for an emergency session early Saturday. In Northern Ireland, the nationalist Sinn Fein party seized on the result to call for a vote on reunification with the Irish Republic. The British vote will stoke fears of a domino-effect of exit votes in eurosceptic member states that could imperil the integrity of the bloc. Dutch far-right MP Geert Wilders and French National Front leader Marine Le Pen immediately called for referendums on EU membership in their own countries. Germany took a more measured approach, its foreign office tweeting that we are off now to an Irish pub to get decently drunk. And from tomorrow on we will again work for a better Europe! On July 4, 1798, the citizens of the capital city of Philadelphia turned out in large numbers to celebrate the nations independence day. While militia companies marched through the streets, church bells rang, and artillery units fired salutes, members of the United States Senate were trying to conduct a debate on a critical bill. One senator noted the military parade so attracted the attention of the majority that much the greater part of them stood with their bodies out of the windows and could not be kept to order. Once they resumed their deliberations, however, the Federalist majority succeeded in gaining passage of an implausible bill, one quickly approved by the House of Representatives and signed on July 14 by President John Adams. Ironically, as senators celebrated the freedom they had won from Britain, they approved a sedition bill that made it illegal to publish or utter any statements about the government that were false, scandalous and malicious with the intent to defame or to bring Congress or the president into contempt or disrepute. This bill, seemingly a violation of the Constitutions First Amendment free speech protections, had a chilling effect on members of the Republican Party and its leader, Thomas Jefferson, who admitted that he feared to write what I think. Support for this restrictive legislation had grown out of Federalist belief that the young nation was facing its gravest crisis yet, in the possibility of war with France and the spread of anti-immigrant feeling. The new law violated the beliefs of many Republicans, who regarded Federalists as reactionary defenders of privilege intent on bringing back the monarchy. Federalists saw their Republican opposites as irresponsible radicals eager to incite a social revolution as democratic as the one that had torn through France. Nothing divided Federalist from Republican more than their response to the French Revolution. Republicans applauded the revolutionaries destruction of aristocratic privileges, the overthrow of the monarchy, and the implementation of constitutional government. Yet, Federalists saw the same dramatic changes as the degeneration of legitimate government into mob rule, particularly during the bloody Reign of Terror when counterrevolutionaries lost their lives on the guillotine. Federalist fears deepened as they watched the new French republican government encourage wars of liberation and conquest in Belgium, Switzerland, Holland, and the Italian peninsula. Rumors were rampant in 1798 about a possible French invasion of America, one that allegedly would be supported by American traitors and a population of French emigres that had grown to more than 20,000. The nations rapidly growing immigrant population deeply troubled Federalists. One Pennsylvania newspaper argued that none but the most vile and worthless were inundating the country. William Shaw, the presidents nephew, arguing that all our present difficulties may be traced to the hordes of Foreigners in the land, contended America should no longer be an asylum to all nations. Federalists worried about the 60,000 Irish immigrants in the new nation, some of whom had been exiled for plotting against British rule. These malcontents, they argued, along with French immigrants, and a sprinkling of British radicals like the liberal theologian and scientist Joseph Priestley, presented a grave challenge to the nation. The Federalists feared that the extremist ideas of the dissenters would corrupt and mobilize the destitute. The British government, even more terrified than the Americans that ideas from the radical French regime might spread, had been at war with France for five years, trying to contain it. Both nations had seized neutral American ships headed to their enemys ports. President Adams initiated a two-pronged plan to stop the French from seizing any further ships. He sent three emissaries to negotiate with the French government, and he worked to push bills through Congress to increase the size of the navy and army. Federalist revulsion at anything associated with France reached a peak in spring 1798 when word arrived in Philadelphia that three French agents, identified only as X, Y, and Z, had demanded a bribe from the American diplomats before they would begin negotiations. Insulted by the French government, convinced that war was inevitable, and anxious over a dangerous alien population in their midst, Federalists in Philadelphia were ready to believe any rumor. They saw no reason to doubt the warning in a letter found outside the presidents residence in late April. It supposedly contained information about a plot by a group of Frenchmen to sit [sic] fire to the City in various parts, and to Massacre the inhabitants. Hundreds of militiamen patrolled the city streets as a precaution, and a special guard was assigned to the presidents home. John Adams ordered chests of arms from the war-office, as he was determined to defend my house at the expense of my life. In such a crisis atmosphere, Federalists took action to prevent domestic subversion. They supported four laws passed in June and July 1798 to control the threats they believed foreigners posed to the security of the nation and to punish the opposition party for its seditious libel. Two of these laws represented the Federalist effort to address perceived threats from the nations immigrant groups. The Alien Enemies Act permitted the deportation of aliens who hailed from a nation with which the United States was at war, while the Alien Friends Act empowered the president, during peacetime, to deport any alien whom he considered dangerous. Although some historians acknowledge that there were legitimate national security concerns involved in the passage of the two alien acts, others conclude that the two additional pieces of legislation were blatant efforts to destroy the Republican Party, which had gained many immigrant supporters. The Naturalization Act extended the residency requirement for citizenship from five to 14 years. For a few politicians, such as Congressmen Robert Goodloe Harper and Harrison Gray Otis, even this act was insufficient. They believed that citizenship should be limited to those born in the United States. Apart from its limitations on speech, the Sedition Act, the last of the four laws, made it illegal to unlawfully combine or conspire together, with intent to oppose any measure or measures of the government. While the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution established that Congress couldnt pass laws abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, there had been little discussion about the amendments precise meaning since its adoption seven years earlier. In 1798 many Federalists drew upon Commentaries on the Laws of England written by Sir William Blackstonethe man considered by the framers of the Constitution to be the oracle of the common lawfor their definition of liberty of the press. Blackstone wrote, liberty of the press . . . consists in laying no previous restraints upon publications. However, if a person publishes what is improper, mischievous, or illegal, he must take the consequences of his own temerity. In other words, if a person spoke or wrote remarks that could be construed as seditious libel, they werent entitled to free speech protection. According to the Federalists, if seditious libel meant any effort to malign or weaken the government, then the Republican press was repeatedly guilty. Republican papers, claimed the Federalists, such as the Philadelphia Aurora, the New York Argus, the Richmond Examiner, and Bostons Independent Chronicle printed the most scurrilous statements, lies, and misrepresentations about President Adams and the Federalist Party. The presidents wife, Abigail, complained bitterly about journalistic abuse, deception and falsehood. Particularly galling to her were the characterizations of her husband in editor Benjamin Baches Aurora. In April 1798 Bache called the president old, querulous, Bald, blind, crippled, Toothless Adams. Bache, she argued, was a lying wretch given to the most insolent and abusive language. He wrote with the malice of Satan. The First Lady repeatedly demanded that something be done to stop this wicked and base, violent and calumniating abuse being leveled against the Government. She argued that if journalists like Bache werent stopped, the nation would be plunged into a civil war. At the same time, Federalists were hardly models of decorum when describing Republicans. Their opponents were, one Federalist wrote, democrats, mobocrats and all other kinds of rats. Federalist Noah Webster characterized Republicans as the refuse, the sweepings of the most depraved part of mankind from the most corrupt nations on earth. Although President Adams neither framed the Sedition Act nor encouraged its introduction, he certainly supported it. He issued many public statements about the evils of the opposition press. Adams believed that journalists who deliberately distorted the news to mislead the people could cause great harm to a representative democracy. Letters and remarks of John and Abigail Adams made passage of a sedition bill easier, but the task of pushing it through Congress fell to Senator James Lloyd of Maryland and Congressmen Robert Goodloe Harper and Harrison Gray Otis. Although it passed by a wide margin in the Senate, the bill barely gained approval in the House of Representatives, where the vote was 44 to 41. To win even that small majority, Harper and Otis had to change the original bill in significant ways. Prosecutors would have to prove malicious intent, and truth would be permitted as a defense. Juries, not judges, would determine whether a statement was libelous. To underscore its political purpose, the act was to expire on March 3, 1801, the last day of President Adams term of office. Prosecutions began quickly. On June 26, even before the Sedition Act was passed, Supreme Court Justice Richard Peters issued a warrant for the arrest of Benjamin Bache. Bache, the most powerful of all the Republican newspaper editors, was charged with libeling the President and the Executive Government in a manner tending to excite sedition and opposition to the laws. Less than two weeks later, federal marshals arrested John Daly Burk, editor of the New York newspaper Time Piece, for makingseditious and libelous statements against the president. Neither faced trial, however. Bache died in Philadelphia during the yellow fever epidemic of September 1798, and Burk, who wasnt a citizen, agreed to deportation if charges were dropped. He then fled to Virginia to live under an assumed name. During the next two years 17 people were indicted under the Sedition Act, and 10 were convicted. Most were journalists. Included among them were William Duane, who had succeeded Benjamin Bache as editor of the Aurora; Thomas Cooper, a British radical who edited a small Pennsylvania newspaper; Charles Holt, editor of a New London, Connecticut, newspaper; and James Callender, who had worked on the Aurora before moving to Virginias Richmond Examiner. Like Benjamin Bache, Callender delighted in condemning the president. The Federalists didnt target only journalists. They went after other individuals, including David Brown of Dedham, Massachusetts, who spouted anti-government rhetoric wherever a crowd gathered. Brown was arrested in April 1799, charged with uttering seditious pieces and helping to erect a liberty pole with a placard that read A Speedy Retirement to the President. No Sedition bill, No Alien bill, Downfall to the Tyrants of America. Incredibly, even an inebriated Republican, Luther Baldwin of Newark, New Jersey, became a victim. Following the adjournment of Congress in July 1798, President Adams and his wife were traveling through Newark on their way to their home in Quincy, Massachusetts. Residents lined the streets as church bells rang, and ceremonial cannon fire greeted the party. As the procession made its way past a local tavern owned by John Burnet, one of the patrons remarked, There goes the President and they are firing at his a__. According to the Newark Centinel of Freedom, Baldwin added that, he did not care if they fired thro his a__. Burnet overheard the exchange and exclaimed, That is seditious. Baldwin was arrested and later convicted of speakingseditious words tending to defame the President and Government of the United States. He was fined $150, assessed court costs and expenses, and sent to jail until he paid the fine and fees. The most outrageous case, however, involved Congressman Matthew Lyon, a Republican from Vermont. This fiery Irishman was one of the sharpest critics of President Adams and the Federalists. He had even engaged in a brawl on the House floor with Federalist Roger Griswold. Convinced that the Federalists intended to use the Sedition Act to silence their congressional opposition, Lyon confided to a colleague that it most probably would be brought to bear upon himself first victim of all. While not the initial victim, Lyon quickly felt the wrath of the majority party. In the summer of 1798, he wrote an article criticizing President Adams continual grasp for power and his unbounded thirst for ridiculous pomp, foolish adulation, and selfish avarice. During his fall re-election campaign, Lyon also quoted from a letter that suggested Congress should dispatch the president to a mad house for his handling of the French crisis. In October, a federal grand jury indicted Lyon for stirring up sedition and bringing the President and government of the United States into contempt. United States Supreme Court justices, sitting as circuit court judges, presided in the sedition trials. These judges, all Federalists, rejected the efforts of defendants and their counsel to challenge the laws constitutionality. Samuel Chase, who sat in three of the cases, clearly was on a mission. There is nothing we should more dread, he argued, than the licentiousness of the press. Chase and the other judges handed down tough sentences. While none imposed the statutes maximum penalties of a $2,000 fine or a jail sentence of two years, they often sent the guilty to jail. Most of the convicted endured three- or four-month sentences. James Callender, however, served nine months, and David Brown twice as long. The average fines were about $300, although Luther Baldwins fine was $150 and Matthew Lyons was $1,000. As the trials progressed, two Republican Party leaders, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, tried to overturn the Sedition Act. Concluding that the Bill of Rights couldnt prevent abuses of power by the federal government, the two men collaborated on a set of protest resolutions asserting that the government was a compact created by the states and that citizens, speaking through their state legislatures, had the right to judge the constitutionality of actions taken by the government. In this instance, they called upon the states to join them in declaring the Alien and Sedition Acts to be void, and of no force. While only Kentucky and Virginia endorsed the resolutions, the efforts of Jefferson and Madison encouraged Republicans to make the Alien and Sedition Acts major issues in the campaign of 1800. Voter anger over these bills, along with higher taxes and the escalating federal debt resulting from increased defense spending, gave Republicans a majority in the House of Representatives. The Federalists lost almost 40 seats, leaving the new Congress with 66 Republicans and only 40 Federalists. There were other unexpected results from the passage of the Sedition Act. Clearly, Federalists had hoped to stifle the influence of the fewer than 20 Republican newspapers published in 1798. Some, like John Daly Burks Time Piece, did cease publication; others suspended operation while their editors were in jail. However, circulation increased for the majority of the periodicals. Most discouraging to the Federalists, particularly as the campaigns for the 1800 election got under way, was the fact that more than 30 new Republican newspapers began operation following passage of the Sedition Act. Not even prison stopped Republican Congressman Matthew Lyon. The most visible target of the Federalists, Lyon conducted his re-election campaign from his jail cell in Vergennes, Vermont. Considered a martyr by his supporters, Lyon regularly contributed to this image through letters and newspaper articles. It is quite a new kind of jargon to call a Representative of the People an Opposer of the Government because he does not, as a legislator, advocate and acquiesce in every proposition that comes from the Executive, he wrote. In a December run-off election, Lyon won easily. By 1802, in the wake of the Federalist election defeat, the Alien Friends Act, the Sedition Act, and the Naturalization Act had expired or been repealed. The Alien Enemies Act remained in effect, but no one had been prosecuted under its provisions because the United States hadnt declared war on France, a necessary condition for the laws implementation. After winning the presidency in the 1800 election, Thomas Jefferson pardoned all those convicted of violating the Sedition Act who remained in prison. By virtually every measure, the Federalist effort to impose a one-party press and a one-party government on the fledgling nation had failed. Ironically, the Sedition Act prompted the opposition to expand its view of free speech and freedom of the press. In a series of essays, tracts, and books, Republicans began to argue that the First Amendment protected citizens from any federal restraint on the press or speech. Notable among them was a pamphlet entitled An Essay on the Liberty of the Press, published in 1799 by George Hay, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Hay argued that if the words freedom of the press have any meaning at all they mean a total exemption from any law making any publication whatever criminal. In his 1801 inaugural address, Thomas Jefferson echoed Hays sentiments, stressing the necessity of preserving the right of citizens to think freely and to speak and to write what they think. For most, the arguments of Hay and Jefferson have prevailed, although even the Republicans were willing to acknowledge that states could and should impose speech restrictions under certain conditions. Moreover, there have been occasions, most notably during World War I, when the federal government declared that free expression was secondary to military necessity. In an effort to suppress dissent and anti-war activity in 1917, Congress passed the Espionage Act, a law that made it a felony to try to cause insubordination in the armed forces or to convey false statements with intent to interfere with military operations. It was followed by the Sedition Act of 1918, which banned treasonable or seditious material from the mail. Under this provision the mailing of many publications, including the New York Times as well as radical and dissident newspapers, was temporarily halted. In the 200 years since the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts, each generation of Americans has struggled to determine the limits of free speech and freedom of the press. In large part, it has been a dilemma of reconciling freedom and security with liberty and order. For the Federalist Party in 1798, however, the answer was simple; order and security had to prevail. This article was written by Larry Gragg and originally published in the October 1998 issue of American History Magazine. For more great articles, subscribe to American History magazine today! Banners to the Breeze: The Kentucky Campaign, Corinth and Stones River, by Earl J. Hess, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2000, $32. The year 1862 proved critical for Confederate fortunes in the Western theater. It began with a series of disasters, as Union forces penetrated the Confederacys defensive network by capturing the river strongholds of Fort Henry, Fort Donelson and Island Number 10, and seized Nashville, Tenn., the first capital city in the South to fall. These victories were followed closely by the bloody Battle of Shilohanother Union victoryand the forced evacuation of Corinth, Miss., a vital Southern railroad nexus. By early summer the Confederate forces in the Western theater were reeling from the combined effects of these disasters. But all was not lost. The Federals were forced to disperse their victorious armies to consolidate their gains. In the lull that followed the Union onslaught, the Confederates were able to regroup and mount a counteroffensive. The Southerners launched three offensive campaigns east of the Appalachians during the late summer and fall of 1862. The outcome of these operations established the tone for the war in the West and arguably doomed the western Confederacy. The three campaigns, Perryville, Corinth and Stones River, though initiated by the South, ended with solidified Union control of Tennessee and Kentucky, the Confederate heartland. Earl J. Hess has synthesized these campaigns in Banners to the Breeze: The Kentucky Campaign, Corinth and Stones River (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2000, $32). The volume is relatively short (288 pages), considering that it describes three important, complicated operations. Yet it does not lack punch, and one comes away with a basic understanding of what happened during these campaigns without feeling cheated by a lack of details. Banners to the Breeze is a very capable introduction to the complexities of these frequently ignored Western theater campaigns. Hess presents the three autumn offensives in the context of the war as a whole, never losing sight of the importance of events elsewhere. The reader is thus presented with a greater understanding of the scope of the conflict in the West and the many tactical and strategic factors that predicated the moves and thinking of the commanding generals. By keeping the reader aware of the outside factors shaping strategy, Hess provides a valuable insight into the complicated nature of command. The author concentrates on the geographical and political factors that determined the military conduct of the three campaigns. The rugged, forbidding terrain of Kentucky and middle Tennessee influenced the thinking of Generals Don Carlos Buell, Braxton Bragg and William S. Rosecrans. Buell, in particular, suffered from the political side effects of attempting to campaign through the treacherous mountains of eastern Tennessee while trying to maintain a supply line. Unable to keep pace with the expectations of his political superiors, Buells military conduct came under close scrutiny and was ultimately found wanting. Somewhat surprisingly, Braxton Bragg is dealt a fair hand in Banners. Hess describes Braggs many difficulties in dealing with rival General Edmund Kirby Smith, lackluster Kentucky support for the Confederacy and the turmoil within his own command system. Yet Bragg was able to maintain a presence in Kentucky, draw the Federals out of Tennessee and, according to Hess, lost nothing by not holding Kentucky. The seeds of discontent that would grow like a cancer in the Army of Tennessee were planted at Perryville, however, and Bragg spent the rest of his tenure locked in bitter feuding with his subordinates. Never again would he strike out so boldly or be in command of an army that respected him. Rosecrans, the victor at Corinth and Stones River, is also given fair play. Inheriting the Army of the Cumberland from Buell, Rosecrans also inherited the pressures stemming from Washingtons impatience. Rosecrans infused the army with his vitality and offered hope there would be aggressive action. Under his direct supervision, furious Confederate attacks at Corinth and Stones River were repulsed. The Corinth campaign, occurring simultaneously with the invasion of Kentucky, was geared toward recapturing that vital Mississippi railroad junction. Confederate Generals Earl Van Dorn and Sterling Price failed to coordinate their movements to support Bragg, however, and instead turned their full attention upon Corinth. Hess ably describes the important fighting at Iuka, Corinth and Davis Bridge. The aftermath of the Confederate defeat dealt a severe blow to Confederate morale and greatly diminished the reputations of both Van Dorn and Price. The Murfreesboro campaign sealed the fate of middle Tennessee. That battle was especially important for the Union, as political opposition to the war effort was growing in the North. A Federal disaster, especially the loss of Tennessee, would greatly enhance the Copperhead sentiment that was thriving in parts of the North. The subsequent Battle of Stones River was perhaps the bloodiest fight of the war for the size of the forces engaged. Braggs early-morning assault shattered the Union right flank, and his men came within yards of cutting off Rosecrans lines of communication. Only stubborn resistance in nearly impenetrable terrain enabled the Federals to stop the Confederate attack. Braggs attacks bogged down, and ultimately his poor tactics came up short. After the battle, the recriminations against him in the upper command echelons of his army were louder than ever. Rosecrans received Abraham Lincolns gratitude for the victory, but both armies were so worn out by the battle that they would not fight again for half a year. Banners to the Breeze serves as a fine primer for anyone interested in the critical 1862 campaigners in the Western theater. Robert Girardi Captain Dewitt James could hardly believe what he saw his superior doing that day in Washington Street Prison. I made rounds with Captain Pettit, said James, commander of the Union prison. Sergeant [Hiram] Belknap had a man tied up with hands behind his back. Captain Pettit criticized the sergeant for not pulling the chain tight enough. Pettit himself pulled the mans wrists higher behind him and said, Now, are you going to own up to what regiment you belong to? The man replied, So help me God, Captain, I do not belong to any regiment. Pettit then kicked the man in the face and blood spilled on the floor. From the gray hair, the prisoner seemed to be quite an old man. Rufus D. Pettit, the superintendent of Union prisons in Alexandria, Virginia, was convinced the old man had deserted from the Union army, and he refused to ease up until he forced a confession. It may not have been the first time Pettit used violence on prisoners, and it apparently was not the last. Eventually, he was court-martialed for his cruelty, and by November 1865, his future lay in the hands of the military judges. Before this time in Pettits life, there was no hint of the tyrant who came to light in the Alexandria prisons. Early in the war, he was a field officer, known as firm but fair, respected and loved by his men. In those days, he wrote tender love letters to his Dear wife, Elvira. Then, suddenly, after his appointment as prison superintendent in July 1864, his personality turned dark. Sudden as that change was, it may not have been surprising, considering his traumatic beginnings. Both of his parents died when he was only three years old. The responsibility for raising him fell to an aunt and uncle, who probably lived at the Pettit farm in Cold Springs, New York. There, he would have worked the farm with them at least until age 18, when he became an apprentice to architect Elijah Hayden, an ardent abolitionist. In 1846, when Pettit was 22, the United States went to war with Mexico. Serving with Company A of the 1st New York Volunteers, he found he had a talent for soldiering. He showed skill and composure while fighting in eight battles, including those at Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo, and Mexico City, where it was reported that his marksmanship knocked a Mexican flag from its pole. He was never wounded, but did return home with chronic diarrhea, a condition that would trouble him for the rest of his life. For the next 13 years, he worked on the family farm in Cold Springs. Then the Civil War broke out, and he decided to sign up for another stint in the army. Taking advantage of his military experience and the credibility it lent him, he recruited an army unit from among his friends and neighbors. It was originally called the Cold Springs Rifles before becoming Company B of the 1st New York Light Artillery, with Pettit as its captain. The units first action was with Major General George B. McClellan and his Army of the Potomac on the Virginia Peninsula in mid-1862. During McClellans Peninsula Campaign, the battery fought at, among other places, Yorktown, Fair Oaks, Gaines Mill, and Malvern Hill. At the campaigns end the Army of the Potomac found itself at Harrisons Landing, waiting idly as Abraham Lincoln repeatedly tried to prod McClellan into action. While there, Pettit suffered fatigue, exposure and chronic diarrhea. These ailments would cut short his career as a field officer, but not before he fought at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville in May 1863. From the former, he wrote home that civilian men fired their shotguns at retreating Union soldiers, while women and children pelted their blue coats with stones. He remarked that the entire city should have been burned to the ground and the streets plowed up. At Chancellorsville, Colonel Edward C. Cross of the 5th New Hampshire Infantry noted, Sunday morningPetits iron battery of ten-pound Parrotts, all firing rapidly. In a few moments the enemy got a splendid rifle battery into position, which fired with wonderful accuracy. So heavy was the fire that Captain Petit was compelled for the first time during the war to limber up and leavebut was instantly ordered back. After the Battle of Chancellorsville, Pettit resigned from the service for medical reasons and returned home. He remained there for about a year before rejoining the army in March 1864. This time he was with the U.S. Veteran Reserve Corps, a branch of the service for veterans not fit for active field duty. He was assigned to Company F of the 12th Regiment. On July 20, four months into his service with the Veteran Corps, Pettit was made superintendent and inspector of Union military prisons in Alexandria, Virginia. Sometime after that, his troubles began, and a year later, he was arrested and charged with conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline, a blanket charge that essentially covered three separate, major alleged incidents. It seems that Pettit was on a self-directed mission to expose deserters from the Union armynot an easy task considering that prisoners frequently were sent to military prisons without any record of their offenses. Pettit was so obsessed with his mission, his accusers said, that he tortured confessions out of men. He of course denied the allegations against him and pled not guilty. After four months of legal delays that followed his arrest, he finally came to trial November 14, 1865, before a court-martial board chaired by Brevet Major General George S. Greene. The trial opened with Dewitt James taking the witness stand to describe the first alleged incident: Pettit kicking the old man in the face at Washington Street Prison. The vivid description was damning, but Pettit had an explanation: James was lying. In cross-examining James, Pettit said the commandant had a vendetta against him because he had fired him from his post and court-martialed several of his men. James replied that his only animosity toward Pettit was based on his confining men in the Alexandria Slave Pen, the crude prison where slaves were kept before sale. Pettit accused James of complaining about him to Lafayette Baker, chief of the Federal Secret Service, and others. James retorted that these men had approached him to solicit his opinion, because under Pettits supervision, the Alexandria prisons had grown notorious for their scandals. After Jamess testimony was finished, the prosecution called Sergeant Hiram Belknap of Jamess regiment. Belknap confirmed Jamess story of the bloodied old man, adding that as Pettit tightened the chain that pulled the mans wrists toward the ceiling, he yelled, That is the way I want you to tie up men! Belknap continued with a description of the scene that suggested this was not the only time Pettit had tortured prisoners. The old mans toes barely touched the floor, Belknap said, but when Captain Pettit was gone, wed give the prisoners a bucket to stand on. I saw the blood run from the mans nose and mouth. The second alleged indicent occurred at Princess Street Prison, where Pettit was accused of stringing up one Caleb Smith, alias Caleb Sweet, much as he had done to the old man at Washington Street Prisonbut for up to 12 hours at a time. Pettit allegedly did this about half a dozen times before Smith finally gave in and confessed to being a deserter. It is unclear whether Smith had ever really been in the army or whether he was simply trying to avoid further pain. The prosecution called a string of witnesses to support its charge. The first was Sergeant Michael Murray, who was at Princess Street Prison from June 1864 to May 1865. Sometimes he [Smith] could hardly speak, Murray testified, and he lost the use of his limbs. Another witness, Joseph Bannister, was originally disqualified from testifying because of a prior conviction for deserting from the 106th Pennsylvania Infantry. After some legal maneuvering, however, he was allowed to tell his tory. I was six months in the Princess Street Prison, he testified. I well recall Caleb Smith, alias Sweet. He was tied up eight or ten times, for as long as 16 hours each time. Captain Pettit said, I will make him own up or put him in his coffin. I saw Sweet tied up in pouring rain and in the hot sun, with blood oozing from his ears and flies picking his eyes. On cross-examination, Pettit accused Bannister of asking for money from him in exchange for keeping his mouth shut about the incident. Bannister admitted that he had asked Pettit for money, but he said he was referring to $19 Pettit had stolen from him at the prison. The prosecution called several other witnesses before submitting 15 sworn affidavits to the court. One of those written statements came from Dr. H.L. Pauli, who operated a drugstore at the corner of Prince and Fairfax streets in Alexandria. He described prisoners strung up so their toes barely touched the ground and mentioned that guards had orders to shoot prisoners who looked out windows. William Metzger, who ran a bakery at 83 Prince Street, also turned in an affidavit. I saw Captain Pettit knock down a sick man, and I saw a guard shoot a man who looked out the window, read the document. M.R. Blodgett saw Pettit put a ring through a mans nose. The Captain pulled him around, asking him to confess, Blodgett wrote. Dempster Hodge stated that he had written a letter of complaint to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton about Pettit. Stanton forwarded the letter to Colonel Henry H. Wells, provost marshal general of Union defenses south of the Potomac. Wells replied that Pettit was all right and that Hodge was a liar. John Long of the 2d Pennsylvania Reserve Corps wrote that he was in jail when a guard shot and killed an entirely quiet and inoffensive man, Samuel Thomas of the 88th Pennsylvania. When we asked Captain Pettit for a blanket to wrap the corpse, he told us to use our own blankets, knowing full well that we had no blankets. When Mrs. Thomas came seeking her husband, Captain Pettit joked, Your husband has been releasedin his coffin. William S. King of Boston, Massachusetts, described Pettit as worthy of the Spanish Inquisition in its palmiest days, and a murderous villain, as bad as [Henry] Wirz, commandant of the Confederacys Andersonville Prison. The 82d Pennsylvania Infantrys John Miller, who had been a clerk in provost marshal Wellss office, wrote that more than $3,000 [about a hundred thousand 1998 dollars] had been stolen from the prisoners during Pettits tenure as superintendent. John Landers of James Independent Company of Pennsylvania Infantry (named for and commanded by Dewitt James), who worked at the Washington Street Military Prison for a time, recalled, Ive seen over 100 men strung up 12 hours in a row, often in freezing weather. Most would confess to anything after one night of this treatment. William Harmon, also from James Independent Company, stated that he saw Pettit knock a man down when he denied being a deserter, and threw him out of a window. The men who were strung up were in agony, arms and hands swollen, begging for release. I have seen the Captain going along the street, shooting his revolver at prisoners looking out the window. Another member of the Pennsylvania unit, Sergeant Stacy Cogswell, wrote, Captain Pettit constantly ordered men strung up. Their arms were swollen and their faces were purple, with bloodshot eyes and noses dripping blood, begging for relief. It made my heart sick to see such cruelty. He added that the men received no food during these ordeals. The six other affidavits told the same stories. Several witnesses. Several sworn, written statements. All the same story. Things already did not look good for Pettit, and there was still one more witness to one more incident. That last witness was Thomas Cumber of 71 St. Azaphs Street, the victim in the last alleged incident. Cumber had never served in the army. When asked if he knew Pettit, Cumber replied, Yes, sir, I know him very well, at least I do not know anything good about him. In September 1864, he arrested me at gun-point on my own pavement in front of my piazza, where I have kept a restaurant for the past six years. Captain Pettit said I was a deserter and when I denied it he hit me a dozen times in the face and then he broke my nose with his revolver. When I regained consciousness, I was in the Alexandria County Jail at the corner of Prince and St. Azaphs. The jail is on one corner and my house and restaurant is on the other. The case against Pettit was closed, and it was time for the defense. Pettit had his work cut out for him. He would need a miracle to refute the strong case the host of prosecution witnesses had laid at his feet with their vivid descriptions of him brutally beating people on at least three different occasions. Pettit opened his defense by calling as his first witness Lieutenant Colonel J.H. Taylor, who knew him when he commanded Company B of the 1st New York Light Artillery. Pettit got Taylor to say that he had been an an efficient and gallant officer. Major H.B. Burnham, the judge advocate of the court, interrupted, looking at Pettit, You are not charged with inefficiency or want of gallantry, but with certain named offenses and nothing else! Pettit retorted that he was charged with cruelty, that it was well known that cowards were cruel, and that because he was not a coward, he could not be cruel. Burnham ignored him. The next defense witness, Brevet Brigadier General Samuel D. Oliphant, gave a very brief testimony. The gist of what survives in the court documents is, I have no personal knowledge of Captain Pettits character. Captain Edward C. Kittle of the 61st New York, who knew Pettit from the Virginia Peninsula in mid-1862, did quite a bit better. All the men of his battery thought a great deal of him, Kittle said. He was a strict disciplinarian, but no man spoke against him. Next up was Colonel Wells, Pettits key witness. Wells said Pettit was in every respect a superior officer. It was very rare to ever hear of a case of mistreatment [in the Alexandria prisons] and I investigated every case. I never found any actual mistreatment. Puzzled, Burnham asked about a case involving a Samuel Meek. He pointed out to Wells that the War Department investigation found him unjustly detained, illegally arrested, and badly mistreated, all by Captain Pettit. Wells said he did not recall the case. Wells went on to explain that the men Pettit targeted might have deserved what they got. More than in any collection of men I ever saw in my life, these men needed discipline, he testified. There were hundreds of professional thieves, pickpockets, robbers and murderers. They constantly assaulted each other. One group attempted to burn the Washington Street Prison while it contained 1,400 men. Wells still was not done giving hope to Pettits defense. To complicate the matter of overseeing the Alexandria prisons, Wells pointed out, there was no way to verify the identity of many of the prisoners. It was a problem that would have vexed any prison administrator. Prisoners were sent from as far away as Tennessee and Kentucky with no identification cards, photographs, serial numbers, or fingerprint files. The personal-description card that was supposed to accompany each man rarely did. A prisoner could pretend to be virtually anyone. Next to speak on Pettits behalf was First Lieutenant Robert Roberts, who served under Pettit in the 12th U.S. Veteran Reserve Corps and commanded the Prince Street Prison for a year. Roberts swore that no man was ever tied up for refusing to confess to desertion; nor was any man tied up for more than an hour. After Pettit finished with his handful of witnesses and presented some testimonials written on his behalf, he submitted a written closing statement to the court. For the most part, he reiterated his previous denials. The court was not impressed. The time has not come and I trust it never will, when any conduct however good, when the discharge of any duty however sacred, when the sacrifice of any interest however dear, can justify or excuse the commission of crime in this country, wrote Burnham, and the good of the service and the safety of human rights demand that this selection of flagrant cases for your consideration should meet with a just, and yet a striking, reproof at your hands! No words are necessary to express the utter abhorrence with which such crimes are held by high-minded and honorable soldiers and the universal public! The facts are shamefully eloquent of the ignominy which blackens and obliterates every possible apology which might otherwise have been drawn from his further services. Guilty was the verdict, dismissal from the army the sentence. The two weeks of hearings and deliberations had ended with Pettit in shame. He returned to New York State, decided to give up farming, bought a house in Baldwinsville, and began practicing law. Pettits postwar years remain mostly a mystery, but an incident with his son during that period suggests that the harsh behavior that turned up in the Alexandria prisons did not disappear. His son, Rufus H. Pettit, graduated from Cornell with a degree in entomology, taught at Michigan Agricultural College, and went on to invent a device called the flit gun, a bug-spray device that would be known to every American who lived between that time and the propagation of aerosol sprayers after World War II. The former prison commandant reacted by denouncing his son as a butterfly chaser and eventually disowning him. As Pettit entered his 60s, he applied for a military pension for his service in the Mexican War. Listing his occupation as gentleman, he was awarded $8 a month. The next year, 1881, he applied for a Civil War pension, based upon a doctors affidavit that he suffered from chronic diarrhea, spinal paralysis and cystitis. The application was denied, probably because of the court-martial ruling. A few months later, Rufus D. Pettit, former gallant battlefield commander and brutal prison-keeper, was dead at age 67. Perhaps many of the men of the 1st New York Light Artillerys Company missed the firm but fair captain who had led them into battle on the Virginia Peninsula in 1862. But no doubt few of the Union prisoners stuck in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1864 felt the same way. This article was written by Thomas P. Lowry and originally published in the October 2001 issue of Civil War Times Magazine. For more great articles, be sure to subscribe to Civil War Times magazine today! Smith-Taylor Disagreement The Trans-Mississippi West was hardly a picture of soldierly bliss and harmony, either. There were too many idle generals full of fire and ambition, and not enough combat duties to go around. As a result, they spent their time bickering and intriguing among themselves. Because he had almost dictatorial powers in the department after he assumed command on March 7, 1863, Edmund Kirby Smith was the sun around which his corps and district commanders revolved. During the latter part of the war, the Trans-Mississippi Department, cut off and isolated from the rest of the Confederacy, was known as Kirby Smiths Confederacy, and he was not adverse to the implications thereof. Smith simply did not get along with his senior officersJohn G. Walker, John Bankhead Magruder, Dick Taylor and Sterling Priceand, at one time or another, he tried to get rid of all of them. The problem was not totally of Smiths making. He had the misfortune of serving at the end of the line where every misfit, malcontent and incompetent in the Confederate Army was sent. When Smith took over, he found Dick Taylor, son of the famous Mexican War general and former president, already commanding the Louisiana district. The two men immediately clashed over matters of appropriate strategy and military protocol, and the feud spilled over into the newspapers, which gleefully reported every disagreement. After 12 months of this, Taylor was asking to be relieved from duty under Smith, but Richmond would not even consider his request. By July 1864, the feud in the far-off Trans-Mississippi had become grist for the numerous rumor mills of Richmond. On July 26, Mary Boykin Chestnut wrote in her diary: Dick Taylor and Kirby Smith have quarreled. One would think we had a big enough quarrel on hand for one while. The feuding pair were still a hot topic of conversation a month later, judging by another entry in Mrs. Chestnuts diary: At Mrs. Isards, met there a clever Mrs. Calhoun. She is a violent partisan of Dick Taylor; says Dick Taylor does all the work and Kirby Smith gets the credit for it. Fortunately for all concerned, the situation was relieved by the timely death of Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk during the Atlanta campaign, thus opening the way for a transfer and promotion for Taylor on the other side of the Mississippi River. Taylor was appointed lieutenant general on July 18, 1864, and officially took over Polks former department of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana. R.S.[ Top | Cover Page ] It had been a long campaignas far back as October 1862, Grant had begun his attempt to reduce the stronghold. His first plan envisaged an advance along the Mississippi Central Railroad combined with a water movement against Chickasaw Bluffs by Major General William T. Sherman. The overland campaign was stopped by 3,500 Confederate cavalrymen under Major General Earl Van Dorn, who captured Grants advanced base at Holly Springs, Mississippi, December 20-25, while Nathan B. Forrests cavalry destroyed 60 miles of railroad north of Jackson, Tenn. Sherman failed, also, at Chickasaw Bluffs. George F. Daniel, 53d Regiment Illinois Volunteers, described the affair at Holly Springs: Our regiment was left here to guard the railroad and 10,000 Secesh came in and took them prisoners and paroled them and burnt a part of the town and destroyed a large supply of provisions and clothing and left. Undaunted by these failures Grant attempted other stratagems. Four expeditions through the Bayous (February to April 1863) were unsuccessful. On March 29, 1863, he began the campaign that was to end in success, moving his army to the south of Vicksburg. Admiral D. D. Porters fleet ran the Vicksburg batteries with little damage. Grant advanced rapidly, cutting loose from his base and placing his army between the two Confederate forces opposing him. So successful was he that by May 19 he had Vicksburg surrounded. A general assault on that day failed. Another attempt on May 22 was beaten back. Orderly Sergeant W. W. Gardner of Company C, 1st Battalion 13th U. S. Infantry, in a letter written on May 25, 1863, to Dr. Levi Fuller of West Union, Iowa, tells of the attack: The order was given to charge. In an instant our brave boys moved over the hill at the double quick through a most deadly cross fire of grape, canister shot, and shell but we heeded it not. As we were crossing a deep ravine we received a most terrible cross fire, the balls coming like a dense hail storm. It was here that Captain Washington fell mortally wounded while cheering on his men. Here, too, fell our brave Color Sergeant, Sergeant James E. Brown of Howard County; he fell dead pierced by a ball through the head. No sooner had he fallen than the colors were hoisted by another who met with the same fate, until five different men were either killed or wounded with the colors. The fire at this moment being so terrible our men almost began to falter, but thank God they did not fall back an inch, but pressed forward to within 50 yards of the fort; here they had to take shelter behind fallen trees and stumps, to keep from being annihilated. We were now under fire from our own batteries, and infantry in our rear. But ten of our men got to the fort in safety, and I was one of that number; our ten men could do nothing in such a place as this. While lying in the ditch that surrounds the fort, I expected every minute would be our last. The fire from our own men behind us was so terrible, that we dared not move for fear of being shot by them. Here we lay with our bayonets fixed and our guns at a ready expecting that the rebels would discover our retreat and raise up over their breastworks to shoot us. But fortunately for us they did not see us. We remained here until sundown when we made good our exit from our almost living grave. Had we remained there until dark we would have been taken prisoners. We now returned to our regiment, which was lying on the side of the hill and at dark made our way off the battle field as best we could. Mrs. W. W. Lord, who was a resident of Vicksburg, saw this repulse in a different light: Towards evening the glorious news was brought in that in three tremendous charges by the enemy they had been repulsed with terrific slaughter. Then began the reincarnation of our army-men who had been gloomy and desponding men once more stood erect and hurled defiance at the foe. The pinch of the siege soon began to be felt. On May 28 another lady of Vicksburg (of Union sympathy) wrote in her diary: I am so tired of corn-bread, which I never liked, that I eat it with tears in my eyes. I send five dollars to market each morning and it buys a small piece of mule-meat. Rice and milk is my main food; I cant eat the mule meat. The siege was carried on with increasing intensity until surrender of the doomed fortress on July 4. Jubilantly, Seth J. Wells, Company K, 17th Illinois Regiment, wrote: Hail Columbia, Happy Land! Vicksburg is ours! General rejoicing along the line. Gen. Grant and his cavalry are to go in, and capitulation commences. Thus ends one of the most brilliant campaigns the world has known since the days of Austerlitz. No one but Napoleon has equalled it. It has resulted in the complete destruction of the Rebel army at Vicksburg. They have lost without doubt about forty thousand men. The boys are beginning to think Grant is a Napoleon. We passed a number of Confeds. They are as good a looking set of Reb. Troops as we have seen. Most of them are glad they have surrendered. Only a few look sober and sullen. Mrs. Lord, naturally, had different reactions: About _ past 8 oclock, before I was dressed, Mr. Lord came into the cave, pale as death and with such a look of agony on his face, as I would wish never o see again, and said Maggie, take the children home directly; the town is surrendered, and the Yankee army will enter at 10 oclock. Judge my feelings, even now, after two years of trial and disappointed hopes, the tears will come and my heart sinks within me with sorrow. I was speechless with grief, no one spoke, even the poor children were silent. As I started up the hillthe tears began to flow and all the weary way home, I wept incessantly meeting first one group of soldiers and then another many of them with tears streaming down their faces. You can imagine our feelings when the U. S. army entered, their banners flying and their hateful tunes sounding in our ears. Every house was closed and every house filled with weeping inmates and mourning hearts. You may be sure none of us raised our eyes to see the flag of the enemy in the place where our own had so proudly and so defiantly waved so long. Chauncey H. Cooke, 24th Wisconsin Infantry, wrote in a letter to his brother: The late battles won by the Army of the Potomac, along with the victory over Pemberton here at Vicksburg somehow makes us boys feel that the end of the war is near. Pemberton had nearly 30 thousand. All surrendered to Grant on the 4th of this month. And they were glad to be prisoners and paroled to go to their homes. They cursed the war. One Vicksburg lady, although Unionist in sentiment had compassion for the Confederates as she penned: What a contrast to the suffering creatures we had seen so long were these stalwart, well-fed men, so splendidly set up and accoutered. Sleek horses, polished arms, bright plumesthis was the pride and panopoly of war. Civilization, discipline, and order seemed to enter with the measured tramp of those marching columns; and the heart turned with throbs of added pity to the worn men in gray, who were being blindly dashed against this embodiment of modern power. But Mrs. Lord confided sorrowfully: How sad those two weeks were to see our brave soldiers without arms, paroled and passing sadly out of the place they had so long and so bravely defended. To feel for ourselves that the time had come when honor and duty required that we should leave the happy home and kind friends of 12 years and go out, saddened and homeless with our five children. Together with Gettysburg, Vicksburg sounded the death knell of the Confederacy. When Port Hudson surrendered on July 9 the South was cut in half and the Mississippi River was opened to commerce. Grants army thus was freed for further operations. This article originally appeared in the July 1962 issue of Civil War Times Illustrated. For more great articles, be sure to subscribe to Civil War Times magazine today! Half Moon Bay, CA (94019) Today Partly cloudy skies. Low around 45F. N winds at 10 to 15 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low around 45F. N winds at 10 to 15 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Charlie Sheen confessed in a recent interview that he did not reveal his HIV status to his sexual partners, as he feared that he may be blackmailed by them. "The only couple of times I didn't tell somebody was because the last 25 times I'd told somebody, they used it against me, and they used my medical condition for their own folly and financial gain," Sheen said in an interview. However, he was categorical that he did not infect any of his partners with HIV. Reports have revealed that this coming Saturday, a "bombshell" National Enquirer Reveals documentary will disclose that "The Two-and-a-half Men" actor is being screamed at by a former partner for not having told her of his HIV status. The documentary shows Sheen undergoing unprotected sex with women while keeping his HIV secret. The woman screams: "Why did you tell me you were not infected?" Sheen screams back: "Because it's none of your f****** business... OK?" She shouts: "But if I wanted to have sex without a condom... it's my right to know." His answer: "You shouldn't want to." Many of his partners are thinking of filing some legal action against the star for exposing them to the risk. Five women, including Natalie Kenly and Amanda Bruce, have rejected his claim of undergoing unprotected sex only twice. Another woman added that she is "aware of many women he had unprotected sex with during the period he covered up his HIV." Even a lawyer in Los Angeles said that he had been contacted by two women who accused him of having slept with them without revealing his condition. Bree Olson and Brett Rossi, two of his former partners, had also claimed that he had not come out with the truth. In a TODAY show, he did express remorse for a number of things: "I regret not using a condom the one or two times when this whole thing happened. I regret ruining 'Two and a Half Men.' I regret not being more involved in my children's lives growing up, which I am now. That's about it," the contrite star said. "We can only move forward from today. They wouldn't call it the past if it wasn't." @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Ocean scientists have discovered something baffling yet interesting in the Caribbean Sea. One region in the ocean behaves like a whistle in the middle of the oceanic noise. It is a powerful whistle that can be heard and captured in space like oscillations of the earth's gravity field, though it cannot be heard by humans. Ocean scientists from the University of Liverpool, Chris Hughes and colleagues, heard the whistling when they were examining ocean dynamics in the Caribbean Sea. In their analysis, they pinpointed a peculiar trait in the pressure oscillations. The size of the sea made the sound emerge from the seafloor. The note was that of A-flat, even though there were many octaves that were much lower than a piano and could not even be heard. "We were looking at ocean pressure through models for quite different reasons, and this region just didn't work. It felt like a sore thumb," Hughes told Gizmodo. Scientists discovered that the mystery pressure oscillations tend to happen in life, without just showing up in the models. Due to the low noise that was produced, it was described as a whistle. This "Rossby Whistle" can be heard with the large Rossby waves that push to the west and interact with the seafloor, which generates the whistling sound. "We can compare the ocean activity in the Caribbean Sea to that of a whistle," says Hughes. "When you blow into a whistle, the jet of air becomes unstable and excites the resonant sound wave which fits into the whistle cavity. Because the whistle is open, the sound radiates out so you can hear it." Researchers say that the waves appear again on the eastern side of the basin 120 days after they vanish in the west. Thus, the water sloshes in and out of the basin and interacts with the seafloor. "The porous boundary of the Caribbean Sea results in this mode, exciting a mass exchange with the wider ocean, leading to a dominant mode of bottom pressure variability," the study reports. As it is a huge exchange, it is strong and brings about changes in the gravitational field around the earth. Satellites can measure the gravitational waves. "An ocean current flowing through the Caribbean Sea becomes unstable and excites a resonance of a rather strange kind of ocean wave called a 'Rossby wave.' Because the Caribbean Sea is partly open, this causes an exchange of water with the rest of the ocean which allows us to 'hear' the resonance using gravity measurements," Hughes said The study was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Climate change threatens New York with overheating and about 3,331 deaths every year by 2080. It is estimated that if enough measures are not taken, the number of hot days by 2080 will go up three times, leading to death due to "respiratory conditions, heart problems, dehydration and heat exhaustion." Elisaveta Petkova, a lead author, feels that as the temperatures will remain above 32 degrees Celsius, New York would be reeling in the heat, especially under the extreme heat events due to climate change, writes Reuters. As it is likely to affect the elderly and the young, heat strokes will probably lead to the decimation of a number of people. Petkova said that a heat wave in Europe in 2003 killed thousands of lives, while the National Center for Health Statistics said that between 2000 and 2006, New York underwent 600 heat-related deaths every year. Heat waves have become quite common in the US even in recent times, according to the 2014 National Climate Assessment. The New York's Panel on Climate Change projections explained that New York's mean annual temperatures will rise by 2.9 to 4.9 degrees Celsius by the 2080s. The various heat-related disease symptoms include "nausea, vomiting, and of course, intense sweating." Director of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health at the Mailman School of Public Health, Frederica Perera said: "We now know a great deal about the harm from the emissions from fossil fuels. We know a great deal about how to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels." The study also examined gas emissions, cooling measures such as air conditioning and population increases. The study was conducted by researchers from Columbia University, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Cornell University. Petkova adds that the new study "just highlighted how important it is to take proactive measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions." The study was published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate DALLAS - The arrests this month of two men on charges of groping young girls on planes has raised questions about the safety of minors who fly alone. Experts say that before putting children on planes alone, parents should teach them to immediately get help if another person makes them uncomfortable. Parents should also understand that flight attendants aren't baby sitters. There are no federal regulations, so the airlines set their own rules for minors flying alone. Most limit the youngest kids to nonstop flights to avoid the added confusion and risk of connecting to another plane. Some limit the number of solo children on any one flight. Most U.S. airlines offer to take unaccompanied children as young as 5 for an extra fee of up to $300 per round trip. The carriers promise to help kids get on and off the plane. Flight attendants know when there is an unaccompanied minor on board, but airlines don't add an extra attendant to watch children. Flight attendants still have to attend to other passengers and serve drinks and snacks during flights. Parents put children on planes by themselves for many reasons, including traveling to visit a divorced parent, to see grandparents or to attend a summer camp. More Information The rules Parents should tell the airline when making a reservation that a child will be flying alone. There are usually extra forms to fill out. More restrictions apply to international flights and some airlines prohibit unaccompanied minors on international trips or if the child's itinerary includes another airline. Here are highlights from policies for some of the leading U.S. airlines for children flying without an adult on domestic flights: American Airlines: Children from 5 to 7 can travel only on nonstop or direct flights (a direct flight is one that stops, but the same plane goes on to the passenger's final destination). Children from 8 to 14 can also fly on connecting flights if they go through one of the airline's nine larger hub operations such as Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, as was the girl who was allegedly sexually abused on a flight this month. The fee is $150 each way on top of the ticket price. Delta Air Lines: Ages 5 to 7 can only fly on nonstop or direct flights; those 8 to 14 can make connecting flights on Delta. The airline says it scans the passenger's bar coded wristbands during the trip and will eventually let parents track their child's location online. The fee is $150 each way. United Airlines: Ages 5 to 15 can travel only on nonstop flights. Fee: $150 each way. Southwest Airlines: Ages 5 to 11 may fly only on nonstop or direct flights, and Southwest won't take them on flights that could be diverted or canceled because of weather or other "abnormalities." The fee is $50 each way. See More Collapse "They don't realize how little is done for unaccompanied minors for that $300," says Summer Hull, who writes about family travel on her Mommy Points blog. "It's not like they have a nanny on board." Recently, 26-year-old Chad Cameron Camp of Gresham, Ore., was arrested and charged with abusive sexual contact after an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Portland, Ore. According to an FBI agent's statement, Camp sat in a middle seat next to a 13-year-old girl even though there were empty seats nearby including the aisle seat in the same row. He declined a flight attendant's offer to move. In a statement, American said it is committed to providing a safe experience for young travelers and was cooperating with law enforcement officials who are investigating the incident. Last week, Jesse Salas, 23, of Redondo Beach, Calif., was charged with misdemeanor assault in Seattle after allegedly groping and kissing a 16-year-old girl who had fallen asleep shortly after the Alaska Airlines plane took off from Portland. The girl was flying alone but not as a special unaccompanied-minor traveler, according to the airline. Reports of children and teens being molested or lost when traveling alone aren't common but get lots of news coverage. Neither the government nor the airline industry track the number of unaccompanied minors, so figures are hard to find. A proposal to require the government to collect and make public the number of sexual assaults on airplanes died in Congress. Experts offer tips for parents who book children for solo travel. Hull, who is contemplating a solo flight this summer for her 6-year-old daughter to visit her grandmother, suggests that children take an aisle seat near the front of the plane to be more visible to flight attendants. Travel writer Amy Graff says parents need to talk to their kids about what to do when somebody touches them or does anything that makes them uncomfortable. "You have the right to scream," says the mother of three, whose two oldest, now 13 and 11, have flown by themselves. Other suggestions: Even with older children who are allowed to take connecting flights, book a nonstop if available. Pick flights early in the day. Delays tend to build during the day, so flying in the morning will reduce the risk of the child being stranded overnight. When you take your child to the gate, ask who will accompany them on and off the plane and whether another passenger will sit next to them. Don't leave the airport until the plane takes off. Try this for a globalization story: An Indian automaker and farm equipment company builds a headquarters and assembly center in Houston and contracts an Arkansas company to manufacture a new line of utility vehicles for export. Jobs were not moved overseas. They were created for Americans. A small-town factory didn't close. It expanded, and Houston became home to another major global corporation. Mahindra & Mahindra's multimillion-dollar investment in the United States and employment of 8,000 Americans is not the kind of free trade story that generally makes headlines. It doesn't serve the politicians and labor groups who like to generate outrage about outsourced jobs. Foreign direct investment, though, was responsible for 6.1 million American jobs in 2014, or about 5.6 percent of the workforce, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Bureauof Economic Analysis. Indirectly, those foreign companies support an additional 18.2 million jobs along supply chains and related businesses, such as the four out of five Mahindra distribution centers operated by locally owned small businesses. These are well-paying jobs, too, with foreign companies paying 33 percent more on average than U.S. companies. Free trade agreements have made it easier for foreign companies to invest in this country, and the president and CEO of Mahindra USA, Mani Iyer, said he plans to double his American workforce over the next three years, including big plans for the all-terrain and utility vehicles made by Intimidator of Batesville, Ark. "We have taken that company places, and we have a strong plan to make it one of the top five utility vehicle companies in the U.S. and to export globally," he said. "We are not here to outsource jobs. We are here to be local, to cooperate with universities and community colleges, and to promote development." Mahindra, which has 104 businesses operating in 100 countries and $16 billion in revenue, first came to Houston in 1991. The company expanded its tractor and all-terrain vehicle business in 2011, building a 135,000 square-foot headquarters building in northwest Houston. About 1,500 foreign corporations employ 512,800 Texans, but indirectly, they support 2.3 million jobs in the state, according to the Organization for International Investment, a Washington-based trade group for foreign employers. The 173,000 manufacturing jobs in Texas pay $100,700 a year, compared with the state average of $58,100. Foreign employers pay better because they are hiring the most highly qualified workers for advanced manufacturing and research and development. "If you just look in manufacturing, where foreign investment is concentrated, it has helped stop the hemorrhaging in that part of the economy. U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies are driving growth in the manufacturing sector, and over the last year, there are an additional 65,000 Americans that work at manufacturing companies that are globally headquartered," said Nancy McLernon, president and CEO of Organization for International Investment. McLernon said Gov. Greg Abbott attended a meeting her group set up at the World Economic Development Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this year to attract more foreign investment. "He talked a lot about the reasons to come to Texas, was making deals while he was there, and Texas has actually done very well, better than the national average, in terms of jobs at foreign-owned companies," she said. Companies from the United Kingdom, Japan and France are the largest foreign employers in Texas, and free trade agreements have boosted foreign jobs in Texas by 15 percent over the last five years, compared with a 6 percent increase among local employers. Chinese companies have invested $7.4 billion in Texas over the last 15 years, much of it in Houston, according to the consulting firm Rhodium Group. A Chinese company rebooted the Mooney Aircraft company in Kerrville and will export private aircraft to China. The largest Chinese greenfield investment in Texas is a new aluminum tubing plant in Gregory. None of this investment could take place without trade agreements that smooth the movement of capital, goods and services. The Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership would encourage additional foreign investment by replacing old deals that read like laundry lists for special interests with a set of broad principles on trade, investment, labor and environmental rules. Ninety percent of current foreign investment comes from TPP and TTIP countries, McLernon said. "There is a strong connection between trade agreements and foreign investment," she said. "When a lot of people talk about the global economy, they talk about imports and exports, but the value of cross-border investment really almost rivals that." Iyer said his company could do more if these deals go through. "Down the line we are going to focus on Argentina, Brazil, Chile and all of Latin America," he said. "If we have a free-trade agreement with Latin America and across the Pacific nations, it will help Mahindra to do business in all of those countries, including to export products from the U.S." U.S. workers can compete with anyone anywhere in the world. All they need is a level playing field, not special privileges or protectionist laws. Good trade agreements make that possible. Foreign companies have faith in American workers to compete. So should we. If there's a better place to do oil business than Houston, Saudi Arabia hasn't found it yet, the kingdom's new energy minister told me in a recent interview. In a small conference room in Houston's Museum of Fine Arts, Khalid Al-Falih's soft and precise voice rose a little, and a smile and a chuckle broke through his academic demeanor after he gently interrupted my questions about faraway things like China's economy, and began talking about the U.S. energy capital. "Saudi Aramco has been in Houston for as long as I can remember," he said. A few minutes earlier, the man with the world's most powerful energy job had reached over the table between us and tapped a button on my phone to check the time. He had, as he probably always does, a busy schedule (and to be fair, he let the interview run later than originally planned). But you could tell he enjoyed talking about this city, and "the great talent that comes out of this market." The story you usually hear about Saudi Arabia is how it refused to lower oil production to support prices because its leaders wanted to bankrupt U.S. shale drillers. But that's not fair. Saudi Arabia had cut production during previous market crashes and found oil prices went back up for a little while. But as the Saudis supported the market, rival oil producers would simply step in and take up market share. So why should a producer that can pump oil comfortably at low prices step aside for high-cost producers (yes, including shale) that can't keep up? It was a lesson in free markets, courtesy of Saudi Arabia. "The producers of these high-cost barrels must find a way to lower their costs, borrow cash or liquidate," Ali Al-Naimi, Al-Falih's predecessor, had said at a Houston conference in February. Or, as Al-Falih put it: "No matter what we do, ultimately markets win." Saudi Arabia's close ties to Houston make sense. The United States is the world's biggest market for the petroleum that Saudi Arabia sells, and Saudi Aramco owns the nation's largest refinery, in Port Arthur east of Houston - a link between the world's biggest oil-producing nation and American gas guzzlers. Saudi Aramco's refinery and oil field services arm, he said, are "going to stay here and grow." "There are places in Saudi Arabia within Aramco that you would think you're in Houston, in terms of the population and in terms of the lifestyle and in terms of how our people live," said Al-Falih, who also happens to be an Aggie. "When we come here, we feel we are home because of these ties that go back generations." The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Dallas-based Breitling Energy Corp. and its CEO, "Frack Master" Chris Faulkner, of fraudulently spending tens of millions of dollars of investors' money on lavish meals, expensive cars, strippers and escorts. The SEC alleged that Faulkner masterminded an $80 million oil and gas fraud that included Breitling, three other affiliated energy companies - Crude Energy, Patriot Energy and Breitling Oil and Gas - and eight corporate executives, including Breitling Energy general counsel Jeremy Wagers. Wagers previously practiced law at Houston-based Vinson & Elkins and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in Houston. Faulkner, a frequent guest on CNBC, Fox Business News and CNN, disseminated false and misleading offering materials, misappropriated tens of millions of dollars of investor funds and attempted to manipulate Breitling Energy's stock, the SEC charged in a 63-page complaint filed Friday in federal court in Dallas. Faulkner was dubbed "frack master" by the media because of his advocacy of the industry, according to Breitling Energy's website. "Since at least 2011, Chris Faulkner has orchestrated a massive, multipronged, and fraudulent scheme that has defrauded hundreds of investors across the country out of approximately $80 million invested in oil-and-gas investments sold by companies he owns and controls," the SEC charged. "Faulkner has misappropriated at least $30 million in investor funds to maintain a lifestyle of decadence and debauchery." The SEC also charged Breitling Oil and Gas, and its co-owners Parker Hallam and Michael Miller, Wagers and Breitling Energy chief financial officer Rick Hoover with assisting Faulkner in the alleged fraud. The federal agency suspended trading in Breitling Energy securities for 10 business days. Larry Friedman, a Dallas lawyer representing Breitling and Faulkner, said his clients "emphatically" deny the charges. "This reads more like a Grisham novel and less like an SEC complaint," Friedman said. "It reads like a vendetta. Lots of personal attacks that are uncalled for." The company has received no complaints from investors, Friedman said, and any other complaints are coming from competitors in the oil and gas sector seeking the same investment money that Breitling has. Friedman also said that the SEC is unfairly targeting Wagers, who he describes as "a good person and a good lawyer." Crude Energy and Hallam are being defended by Karen Cook. Richard Roper is representing Michael Miller. They did not respond to requests for comment. SEC Regional Director Shamoil Shipchandler alleged in a statement that Faulkner started the scheme five years ago when he developed offering materials for potential investors in Breitling Oil and Gas that contained false statements and omissions about Faulkner's experience, false estimates for drilling costs and false statements about how investor funds would be used. The offering materials included reports by licensed geologist Joseph Simo that included baseless production projections and failed to disclose his affiliation with BOG, according to the SEC complaint. Simo, a Plano-based geologist and petroleum engineer, said in an interview late Friday that he did nothing wrong and he has been cooperating with the SEC. "I've worked hard to get my licenses and to keep my good name, and it's gone now," he said. The SEC alleges that Faulkner established Crude and Patriot to deceive investors through offerings similar to those conducted by Breitling Oil and Gas. The three companies raised more than $80 million from investors, the agency claimed. The SEC also alleged that Faulkner, Wagers and Hoover misrepresented Breitling's operations in public reports, including statements about the company's financial performance and its relationship to Crude and Patriot. The SEC acknowledged three former officials with Breitling are cooperating with the investigation. For a longer version of this article,please visit TexasLawbook.net. BIGFOOT - The worst oil bust since the 1980s is putting Texas and other oil-producing states on the hook for thousands of newly abandoned drilling sites at a time when they have little money to plug wells and seal off environmental hazards. As U.S. rig counts plunge to historic lows, and with at least 60 oil producers declaring bankruptcy since 2014, energy-producing states are confronting holes in their budgets and potentially leaking ones in the ground. In Texas alone, the $165 million price tag of plugging nearly 10,000 abandoned wells is double the entire budget of the agency that regulates the industry. The problem is forcing states to get creative. Texas regulators now want taxpayers to cover more of the cleanup, supplementing industry payments. Wyoming and Louisiana are riling drillers with steeper fees. Oklahoma is reshuffling money among agencies in the face of a $1.1 billion state budget shortfall, while regulators also grapple with earthquakes linked to oil and gas activities. "As downturns go, this one happened faster and accelerated. It moved downward faster than the big downturn we had in the '80s," said John Graves, a Houston oil consultant. "For some people in our industry, it's been more intense." Crude prices that peaked above $100 a barrel in 2014 plunged by 60 percent in just six months. But these responses are still years from meeting the growing backlog of untended wells. Texas officials predict the number of orphaned wells could soar to 12,000, which would be nearly 25 percent more than what regulators can't keep up with now. Landowners, meanwhile, are growing restless with abandoned pump jacks and damage while drillers warn that crackdowns would only put them out of business faster. "It's the magnitude because this bust is so deep. In Wyoming they had a single operator walk away, and instead of it being five, 10, 20 wells, it was 150," said Bruce Baizel, who monitors oil and gas regulators for the environmental group Earthworks. "It's not the small, marginal operators. You're starting to get into some medium-sized independents walking away from things." A 2011 report by the multi-state Ground Water Protection Council found at least 30 cases of groundwater contamination in Texas caused by orphan wells between 1993 and 2008. In the Bigfoot Field south of San Antonio, tall stalks of weedy thistle surround dormant wellheads, some stained with crude or leaking fluids. State regulators place a higher priority on bigger hazards. The problem is not new. Energy-rich states had thousands of orphaned wells on the books for decades, particularly in Texas, where the backlog exceeded 25,000 in the early 2000s before landowners pressured lawmakers to light a fire under state regulators. Landowners are getting antsy again, as the state's Republican comptroller, Glenn Hegar, has predicted that a third of oil producers in Texas will go bankrupt this summer. "These landowners are chained to a corpse," said Trey Scott, a managing partner of Trinity Mineral Management, which represents landowners who own thousands of acres in the Texas oil patch. With the state facing an average cost of $17,000 per well, Scott said, "If you have those wells, your chances of getting them plugged are slim to none." Such expenses are normally covered by fees paid by producers, a reliance that Texas regulators say is no longer sufficient as they appeal for more taxpayer funding. Texas hasn't raised the price of required bonds on drillers since 1991, which are as low as $25,000 for smaller operators. Last year, Texas collected $4 million from drillers who abandoned more than 1,500 wells - about a fifth of the cost of plugging all of them. Texas lawmakers won't decide whether to give regulators more money until 2017. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Not every fact about a person can fit neatly into a Broadway musical. Lin-Manuel Miranda was astonishingly faithful to Hamilton's biography, but sometimes expediency and dramatic tension are more important that complete literalness. Here are some facts that don't set the record straight but merely add to it. Early life: The musical accurately portrays Hamilton's miserable early life, but omits the fact that he had an older brother, James Jr., who stayed in the West Indies. Some speculated that his true father was Thomas Stevens, whom he was said to resemble and who helped him in his adolescence. Respect: As an illegitimate child, Hamilton couldn't go to schools run by the Church of England, so he went to a school run by a Jewish woman, which fostered a lifelong respect for Jewish people. He learned Hebrew and could recite the Ten Commandments in that language. Angelica: The musical makes much of Hamilton's friendship with Angelica Schuyler, the sister of his wife, Eliza. While it's true that they were friends and the sisters did joke about "sharing" him, Angelica eloped with an Englishman, John Church, in 1777 and lived in England from 1783 to 1797, when she returned to New York. Odd fact: The small town of Angelica, N.Y., in the southern tier of that state, was founded by Angelica Church's son Philip and named after her. So many kids: Eliza and Alexander Hamilton had a total of eight children. After their oldest son, Philip, was killed in a duel in 1801, as depicted in the musical, they had another son, also named Philip, in 1802. Dear Theodosia: The daughter of Aaron Burr, the man who killed Hamilton in a duel in 1804, is lovingly spoken of by her father in the musical. Theodosia, who was both well-educated and brilliant, married Joseph Alston. They had a son, Aaron Burr Alston, who died at 10 of malaria. Theodosia herself died a few months later, at 29, in a shipwreck. Thanks: While in the New York State legislature, Hamilton was instrumental in negotiating Vermont becoming the 14th state in 1790. Safe coasts: While at Treasury, Hamilton instituted a fleet of 10 "revenue cutter" boats to help find contraband off the coast. This small fleet became the U.S. Coast Guard. Legal tender: In addition to his present position on the $10 bill, Hamilton has been on the $2, the $5, the $20, the $50 and the $1,000 since the Civil War. Not bad for a "$10 Founding Father without a father." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate She crossed the Rio Grande as an undocumented, transgender woman, fleeing after a serial sexual assault left her in shame and fearing for her life. Now, 15 years later, Andrea Molina is director of the Organizacion Latina de Trans de Texas (Latin Organization of Texas Trans), which she founded after being expelled from the bathroom of a Latino organization in Houston. She and her co-founders, all trans women, decided that if they didn't take control of their destiny, no one was going to do it for them, she said. The organization is the only one in Texas dedicated to empower, educate and develop leadership for transgender Hispanics, among the most stigmatized individuals in the LGBT community. Being a transgender woman, a Latina and an undocumented immigrant is "like having a legion of stigmas against you," Molina said. "I remember when I was a boy," Molina said. "I loved to be alone in the bathroom playing with a towel on my head and feeling like I had long hair. My cousins mocked me when we were together, and I would cover myself, wrapping a towel around my chest - instead of from the waistline as they used to do." She vividly remembers the horror of being sexually assaulted by four male students she thought were her friends. It was during one of those Fridays that she used to go party after finishing a hectic week of engineering studies at the Technical University of Matamoros, Mexico. Molina had confided to them that she was going through her hormonal treatment to become the woman she felt she was since her childhood. They decided to teach her a lesson about what it means to be a woman. "'Ah, you think you are a woman? Then we have to teach you how to make sex like a woman,'" she remembers them saying. "Two of them forced me down on my knees. I resisted. I cried and said, 'No. ... You are my friends.' " They put a pistol to her head and demanded oral sex. "I thought it was going to be my last day," she said. She never returned to school. Instead, feeling ashamed, unworthy and guilty, without understanding why, she headed for the border a few months later. "The interception of being a Latina, a trans and an undocumented person is a combination that could be triple times more grave in terms of stigmatization," said Janet Quezada, spokesperson for a national gay and lesbian advocacy group that goes by the acronym GLAAD. While the stigmatization exists everywhere, Quezada said, it's "more prevalent in states like Texas because of their closeness to the border and their larger population of trans escaping from abuses they face in countries like Mexico and from Central America." Mexico, for example, has laws protecting LGBT people. Still, transgender people suffer atrocities and abuses, including by law enforcement officers, as documented by the Transgender Law Center and the Cornell University Law School LGBT Clinic in a study released this year. 'Beaten down' Several cases of slaying and dismembering of transgender women have been reported in Mexico, and the murder rate has increased since 2008. High-profile cases include the murder of a trans woman who headed the Special Unit for Attention to Members of the LGBT Community of the Attorney General Office in Mexico City. That's what drove Jessica Trolinger to Houston. She described the terror she felt after four of her transgender friends, who were roommates, suddenly disappeared without a trace after being threatened by men in their neighborhood in Reynosa, Tamaulipas. "Nobody knows still today what happened to them, not even their families," Trolinger said. "And families in Mexico are afraid to report cases because we are also abused by officers; I was once beaten down to the floor and mocked by an officer while others watched and laughed." Trolinger admits that she's worked as a prostitute. "But you have to be in my shoes to understand what it means to be a trans woman, trying to work a decent job to put food on the table, and being rejected by everyone," she said. "Employers don't like trans workers. And that is true in Mexico and here." The Rev. Michel Diaz, former director of Connections at Houston's Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church, agrees that being transgender and Latina is difficult. "Transgender women who are Latinas face a lot of challenges," said Diaz, who is finishing an MBA program. "They are probably the most vulnerable community among the vulnerables." Several studies report their challenges. Many Hispanic transgender people suffer severe poverty with five times higher likelihood of living with an income of $10,000 or less per year than the overall Latino average. As many as 47 percent of them have attempted suicide, as opposed to 1.6 percent of the U.S. population, reported the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task. More than half of Hispanic trans people who are employed in the U.S. report being harassed at work, and between 14 and 16 percent have reported sexual and physical assaults. 'We are human beings' For those who came as undocumented immigrants fleeing from their countries, they confront enormous obstacles in obtaining legal refuge in the U.S., said Frances Valdez, an immigration lawyer in Houston. Unable to legalize their immigrant status, and scared to return to the threat of death in their countries of origin, these immigrants get entangled with a detention system where they account for only 1 of every 500 detainees but represent 1 out of every 5 of the confirmed cases of sexual assaults that occur in detention, according to GLADD. After the mass shooting earlier this month at a gay dance club in Orlando, Fla., in which 49 people were killed, Diaz said, "There is an increased sense in the community of losing the already scarce places they have to feel safe and sheltered from being stigmatized and abused." And there are only a handful of groups like the Latin Organization of Texas Trans in the country targeting the challenges and needs in the intersection of transgender and Latino issues, Quezada said. Most days, the organization's offices are a blur of activity. They invite experts to talk about their health, legal, psychological and family issues. They organize workshops on leadership and self-esteem development. Every Wednesday, they watch and discuss films related to LGBT themes. One of the accomplishments of the organization, Quezada said, is that it is developing a model of self-sufficiency. "We struggle to finance our organization with our membership and fundraising," Molina said. "We welcome support for the society, but we are not waiting for others to educate and empower ourselves." All Molina is hoping for is acceptance. "We are human beings. We have value," she said. "We only ask from others to understand that we have the right to define ourselves and that they are privileged just by the fact that they don't have to face our struggles. "Do you really think that being a transgender person is something that we chose? No, nobody chose to be the most discriminated and misunderstood people that exist." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Sometimes doing the right thing can be a big pain in the butt. Houstonian David Baldwin is riding his bicycle across America to raise awareness - and $13.5 million - for The Center, the largest facility in Texas serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Baldwin is about a quarter of his way across the United States. Guess which part of his body hurts the most? "My butt hurts something awful," he said. "I'm putting all sort of creams and stuff on it, but the only thing that helps is sitting in an ice bath for 20 minutes every night. That's painful, too, but it gets me back on the bike the next morning." Baldwin is 53. "I'm a fat, slobby-looking old man. I am in no way, shape or form supposed to do a journey like this," he said. So whatever possessed this engineer-turned-investor to jump on a bicycle and pedal 3,500 miles from Oregon, over mountains, across prairies and through big cities, to Delaware? That's 25 MS150s back-to-back, never missing a day. "My wife Maire and I have been associated with The Center for about 25 years," Baldwin said. "We don't have children. When we made that decision, we knew we wanted to get involved in an organization that helps people. We picked The Center, which services people with cerebral palsy, autism and Down Syndrome. We've done everything from paint bathrooms, to board work to organize fundraisers. It's been the best experience of our lives." He wanted to do "something more substantial." About a year ago "I was lying in bed, stressing out because The Center was facing some serious funding problems. I went for a short bike ride and it became clear to me, 'This is it! I'll ride my bike across America to raise money." Maire Baldwin, an economist, is joining him for some of the ride. He already has raised $12 million toward his goal of $13.5 million. That will help The Center buy the land it sits on, erase its debt and stash a few million in the bank to keep it operating for many years. The Center services 500 people, with 300 living on its campus. The Center is legal guardian to 65 people. "I can't imagine - or allow it to happen - The Center not being there to help these people and their families who have trusted us," Baldwin said. Baldwin started his journey in Astoria, Oregon, on June 6. He plans to dip the front tire of his bike in the Atlantic Ocean in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Aug. 3. He is not riding alone. About 350 volunteers are supporting the ride, with 75 of them riding along with him on different stages. He usually has three or four people pedaling in front to break the wind. He has a decked-out motor home - bedroom, kitchen, video editing room and barbecue grill on the back - along for the ride. Country music stars would be envious. A mobile bike shop is trailing him in case of mechanical breakdown or flat tires. The mobile home is splashed with the logos of 45 corporate sponsors like a NASCAR racer. Bike Barn loaded up the trailer with tools, bicycle parts and emergency gear. Baldwin is riding a custom-designed Trek bike with front and back shock absorbers. He paid for the bike, so it wouldn't come out of money targeted for The Center. He's doing this ride on the cheap as much as possible. Trek Travels arranged his route, keeping Baldwin off major highways, and on roads with safety shoulders. "They didn't pay any regard to mountains and steep inclines, which disappointed this old guy," Baldwin laughed. Asked if he's encountered mountains yet, Baldwin said, "That's all we've encountered!" A few days ago, he endured the Teton Pass in Wyoming. Some of the hills were so steep, it was like riding straight up a wall. He will face the Continental Divide - twice. Then there's the Rocky Mountains. Baldwin is writing a blog about each day's ride, complete with videos and funny stories. Follow along at pursuitride.org. You can pedal along vicariously by visiting The Center at 3550 West Dallas near downtown. They have a room, called "Mission Control," with stationary bikes and large screens showing video of Baldwin's ride from the previous day. Baldwin will visit with organizations across the country that service disabled adults. "I want to bring back their best ideas, so we can implement them and do things better for our clients in Houston," he said. "That's one of the original purposes of this journey." So far, problems have been few: sore muscles, one flat tire and one idiot in an 18-wheeler who sideswiped Baldwin into a ditch. The team is using super-thick heavy tires to avoid flats. Baldwin and his support team are eating half their meals picnic-style outside the mobile home. They're stopping at small-town cafes and ice cream shops for lunch and snacks. "The best things we've eaten so far were a calzone in John Day, and some huckleberry ice cream in Swan Valley, Idaho," Baldwin said. The huckleberry is the state fruit of Idaho. Baldwin weighed 196 pounds in Oregon. He was down to 189 in Wyoming, "I'm burning between 5,500 and 6,500 calories a day. When the team goes to dinner, we order two of everything. One of the volunteers is a nutritionist. She's drilled into my head that I have to eat right for this to work. I'm learning," he said. There always has to be a spoil sport. Each day's ride begins with a group meeting and safety check. He's riding different distances, depending on inclines and weather. He's not riding at night. As his journey rolls on, Baldwin will pass through Yellowstone National Park, Minneapolis, Madison, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., where several events with organizations similar to The Center are planned. "I'm going to make it, and I know I'll be emotional when I reach the end," he said. "I can assure you that I'll have tears in my eyes. I may have to walk my bike up some of the mountains, but I'll finish. To think I would let The Center down, and not give my best - I couldn't do that." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Maybe Viktor Lim didn't suffer the tribulations of Job, but things certainly were bad enough. Twice the former Kazakhstani Baptist missionary wrecked his car. Then, working part time as an installer of kitchen cabinets, he tumbled from a ladder and hurt his back. Stress grew as Lim, his wife and children struggled to master English and strange, Western ways. In the background loomed the possibility that the family - ejected from the west Asian country for violating stringent laws governing religion - would be denied permission to remain in the United States. Then, as the family battled sliding into despair, a miracle - in the form of a letter from Uncle Sam - dropped into the mailbox. Earlier this month, after more than two years of waiting, Lim was granted asylum. In 12 months, he will be eligible to apply for citizenship. And for the first time since their arrival in Houston, Lim and his wife, Radmila, will be free to plan for the future. "When I got the notice," he said, "I cried. When I told my wife this good news, she cried. My daughter cried. My son, Max, cried. He's 9, and when he talked with his grandmother on the telephone in Uzbekistan, he was puzzled. 'Grandma,' he said, 'why aren't you crying?' " Now 40, Lim said he is poised to move forward with his spiritual and professional lives. "I wish to make something fruitful from my life," he said. "I want to help make disciples for Jesus. I want to continue my self-education. I'd like to be useful, to serve people." Already, Lim, with a self-taught working knowledge of English, has enmeshed himself in the life of his church, the Korean Presbyterian Church of Houston, where he works with small groups of Russian-language immigrants. Trained as a mechanical engineer, he works as an appliance- and television-repair technician. His wife manages the family home, where she oversees Max, his brother, Elijah, 10, and their sisters Grace, 15, and Yuna, 2. Lim's attorney, David Baay, a partner at Sutherland Asbill and Brennan, said the case has been the most rewarding of his legal career. "The commercial aspect of the legal profession is all about money," said Baay, who handled Lim's asylum application without charge. "It's about moving money from the right hand to the left hand, about satisfying the client. But this takes it all to a new level." Baay said the government offered no explanation for why granting asylum took so long. "I think they were determined to get this one right," he said, "but I don't know that it should have taken two years." Lim and his family were allowed to stay in the U.S. while their application was being processed. In discussing his first years in Houston, Lim said he focuses on the positive. "People here are so nice," he said. "They are so hospitable. People you don't know smile and say 'hello.' It was shocking." He even praised the thoughtfulness of Houston motorists, who, he opined, are more mannerly than those in the former Soviet states. Despite the agonizing wait, the Lim family's time in Houston was markedly better than its final years in Kazakhstan. Lim, Russian-speaking Uzbekistan native, arrived in Kazakhstan in 1993 to further his education. A chance encounter with a Christian relative brought him into the Baptist church. "Even when I was an atheist," he has said, "I felt there was a higher authority in this world. ... God's work gave me a blessing and power and brought me solutions." Soon, though, his work with the church brought him into conflict with Kazakhstan's stern restrictions on religion. When Lim failed to register his activities with the government, he was twice arrested, his telephone was tapped and his church raided. At last, he and his family were ordered to leave the country. Baay said Lim likely would have been incarcerated on a "trumped-up charge" had he been forced to return. Felix Corley, a London representative for Forum 18, a human rights watchdog group, said Kazakhstani oppression of religion has intensified since Lim and his family left the country. "Since December 2014, 32 people are known to have been given criminal convictions for exercising the right to freedom of religion or belief," he wrote in an Internet post. "Many, including prisoners of conscience ... have also had their bank accounts frozen and been forced to pay for prosecution 'expert witnesses' used to convict them." Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev was quick to blame religious dissidents for June violence in the northwestern city of Aktobe, ordering authorities to further tighten restrictions on religion. For Lim, an ethnic Korean, the forced departure from Kazakhstan was a replay of persecution faced by earlier generations of his family. In wartime hysteria of the 1930s, his grandparents, who had followed economic opportunity to Russia, were expelled to Uzbekistan, then a component of the Soviet Union. Lim and his family came to Houston - a magnet for immigrants and refugees - on tourist visas in 2014. While in Kazakhstan, Lim had met missionaries from Houston's Seoul Baptist Church. When his situation in the Asian nation became impossible, they invited him to Houston. At the time of the family's arrival, almost a fourth of the Houston metro area's population was foreign born. By some estimates, 30 of every 1,000 refugees resettled by the United Nations came to Houston. If Houston were a nation, it would be the world's fourth-biggest haven for UN-processed refugees. Lim said his family readily was embraced by the city's immigrant community. Lim's association with the Korean Baptist church led to the YMCA, which, in turn, brought his family's plight to Baay's attention. Still, the transition was marked by travail. "The first two years were a challenge," Lim said. "They were very stressful. Almost every day, I have faced some difficulties. I tried not to concentrate on them because I had to take care of my family. ... I was a man without a country, without citizenship, without anything." Steeped in religious belief, Lim said his family simply put its faith in God. "Our hope was that our lives were in God's hands," he said. "We shouldn't worry. We put our trust in Him. We might not always understand why things occurred, but someday we knew they would be clear." Lim and his wife believe their youngest child, born in Houston, was a divine answer to the stagnation that settled into their household as the government's response on the asylum application dragged on. Two months ago, the family joined the Presbyterian church, where they quickly found a purpose in ministering to other Russian-speaking immigrants. "It's a house ministry," he said of the small groups he meets for Bible study and worship. "The model is the New Testament. These people may be having a hard time in life, but step by step, we want to make them disciples. "The Bible has the answer for all questions." The United States is not a Christian country anymore. That's according to 59 percent of white evangelical Protestants recently surveyed by the Public Religion Research Institute in partnership with the Brookings Institution. And that number has jumped 11 points in just four years, from 48 percent in 2012. Evangelicals' growing conviction that the U.S. is losing its Christian identity, and that the country now is headed in the wrong direction, comes as politicians debate immigration and cultural change during the 2016 election season. In the new PRRI/Brookings immigration survey tackling those issues, Americans expressed concerns about foreign influences on the American way of life. They mostly agreed that the U.S. is on the wrong track but differed as to how to get on the right one. The survey, released Thursday, polled more than 2,600 adults between April 4 and May 2. "When we step back and look at the big picture, we do see heightened anxieties among Americans," PRRI CEO Robert P. Jones said in a Washington press conference announcing its findings. Though a strong majority of white evangelical Protestants agree that the U.S. has lost its Christian identity, Americans overall are split on the question - 41 percent say it was Christian and remains so, and 42 percent say it was in the past but is no longer. Relatively few (15 percent) say America never has been a Christian nation. The white evangelical Protestant community feels its cultural dominance in America has been lost, said Henry Olsen, senior fellow at the Ethics & Public Policy Center, who attended the press conference. "Over the last four years, a growing number are seeing that it's lost irretrievably," he said. "That has massive implications for our politics going down the road." Americans also are split on whether American culture and the country's way of life have mostly changed for the better (49 percent) or worse (50 percent) since the 1950s. And, the PRRI/Brookings report said, "no group of Americans is more nostalgic about the 1950s than white evangelical Protestants," with 70 percent saying the country has changed for the worse. Americans also split politically on the question: 68 percent of Republicans agree things have gotten worse while nearly the same share of Democrats (66 percent) say times are better. But Americans agree the country is moving in the wrong direction - a belief that crosses the political divide and has inched up from 65 percent in 2011 to 72 percent. And most (57 percent) believe they should fight for their values, even if they are at odds with the law and changing culture. Other key findings: Nearly 6 in 10 Americans (57 percent) say the values of Islam are at odds with American values and its way of life. Of all major religious groups, white evangelical Protestants (74 percent) expressed the most skepticism. A majority (55 percent) of Americans believe that the American way of life needs to be protected against foreign influence. Of all major religious groups, white Christians - including white evangelical Protestants (76 percent), white Catholics (68 percent) and white mainline Protestants (63 percent) - are most likely to say their way of life needs protection. Americans are split on whether discrimination against Christians has become as big a problem in America today as discrimination against other groups. Many Christians - including 77 percent of white evangelical Protestants, 54 percent of white mainline Protestants, 53 percent of white Catholics and black Protestants and 50 percent of Hispanic Catholics - feel anti-Christian discrimination is a problem. About 8 in 10 Americans who are religiously unaffiliated (78 percent) and members of other religions (77 percent) disagree. Though a strong majority of white evangelical Protestants agree that the U.S. has lost its Christian identity, Americans overall are split on the question This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A Fort Bend County woman shot her two adult daughters Friday - killing one of them at the scene - before she was fatally shot by a responding police officer. On Saturday, the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office identified the mother as Christy Sheats, 42, and her daughters as Taylor Sheats, 22, and Madison Sheats, 17. Later, Fulshear police Facebook page reported one daughter was taken by Lifeflight to the Texas Medical Center and also died. It was unclear Saturday afternoon, which of the victims died at the scene and which was airlifted to the hospital. The incident happened about 5 p.m. along the 6000 block of Remson Hollow in an unincorporated section near Fulshear. When officers arrived to investigate a 911 call of "shots fired," they found two women lying on the street in front of a home in a comfortable, middle class subdivision. A Fulshear police officer shot and killed a third woman at the scene who was holding a pistol. Authorities said it was the mother of the two women on the ground. One of the daughters of the suspected assailant was taken by LifeFlight to the Texas Medical Center where she was in critical condition, said Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls. The Fulshear Police confirmed that the second daughter later died, according to their Facebook page. The motive for the shooting remains under investigation. "It was a family argument that turned into a shooting," Nehls said. "But we're still trying to put the pieces together." As crowds of concerned neighbors began approaching, police quickly blocked off the street where the bodies were found. Austin Enke said he knew the women slightly and had a couple of classes with at least one of them when they attended Seven Lakes High School. "They were always cheerful and never depressed. You never heard anything bad about them," Enke said. Nehls said he did not know if the shooting actually happened inside the family's home or on the street where the bodies were found. Sheriff's records show that deputies had been sent to the family home in the past on more than one occasion. "But as to why we were called here, I don't know," Nehls said. Nehls added he did know if the mother pointed her weapon at the officer or whether she was still pointing it at her daughters when the officer arrived. The sheriff said the father was at home when the shooting occurred. He was not injured but was distraught and taken to be checked out at a local hospital. "He's going through a very difficult time," Nehls said. Although the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office is leading the investigation, other agencies such as the Fulshear police and the Texas Rangers are involved, Nehls said. A Fort Bend County justice of the peace will likely call for an autopsy. If so, the bodies will be taken to Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences or the Galveston County Medical Examiners Office, Nehls said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A Fort Bend County woman shot her two adult daughters Friday evening - killing one of them at the scene - before she was fatally shot by a responding police officer. On Saturday, the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office identified the mother as Christy Sheats, 42, and her daughters as Taylor Sheats, 22, and Madison Sheats, 17. Later, Fulshear police Facebook page reported one daughter was taken by Lifeflight to the Texas Medical Center and also died. It was unclear Saturday afternoon, which of the victims died at the scene and which was airlifted to the hospital. The incident happened about 5 p.m. along the 6000 block of Remson Hollow in an unincorporated section near Fulshear. When officers arrived to investigate a 911 call of "shots fired," they found two women lying on the street in front of a home in a comfortable, middle class subdivision. A Fulshear police officer shot and killed a third woman at the scene who was holding a pistol. Authorities said it was the mother of the two women on the ground. One of the daughters of the suspected assailant was taken by air ambulance to the Texas Medical Center where she initially was reported in critical condition. But police later reported she, too, had died. More for you Police: Family argument caused mother to shoot, kill daughters The motive remains under investigation. "It was a family argument that turned into a shooting," Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls said. "But we're still trying to put the pieces together." As crowds of concerned neighbors began approaching, police blocked off the street where the bodies were found. Austin Enke said he knew the women slightly and had a couple of classes with at least one of them when they attended Seven Lakes High School. "They were always cheerful and never depressed. You never heard anything bad about them," Enke said. Nehls said he did not know if the shooting happened inside the family's home or on the street. Sheriff's records show deputies had been sent to the home in the past on more than one occasion. "But as to why we were called here, I don't know," Nehls said. Nehls added he did know if the mother pointed her weapon at the officer or whether she was still pointing it at her daughters when the officer arrived. The sheriff said the father was at home when the shooting occurred. He was not injured but was distraught and taken to be checked out at a local hospital. Although the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office is leading the investigation, other agencies such as the Fulshear police and the Texas Rangers are involved, Nehls said. A Fort Bend County justice of the peace will likely call for an autopsy. If so, the bodies will be taken to Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences or the Galveston County Medical Examiners Office, Nehls said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A Patton Village police sergeant who was killed when his car was struck by another vehicle during a high-speed chase last weekend was remembered Friday as a dedicated, faithful and compassionate public servant. Family, friends and more than a hundred police officers and firefighters gathered at The Woodlands Church to attend a funeral service for Sgt. Stacey Baumgartner, 39, a four-year veteran of the small department in eastern Montgomery County. Colorful floral arrangements lined the stage behind the casket. Baumgartner was described as a family man with a strong faith in God and someone who loved his job as a police officer helping others. "You never found him in a foul mood," said Leon Verot, the police chief for Patton Village. "You always found him going above and beyond." Renditions of "Amazing Grace" and a country song dedicated to police officers, "If It Wasn't for the Badge" were among the selections played at the service. Photos of Baumgartner and his family were shown on a large screen. "He was a brilliant light," Patton Village Mayor Leah Tarrant said. "He loved his career and it was without a doubt his calling." She also praised Baumgartner, who had a 4-year-old daughter and a 20-year-old son, as "the absolute example of what a father should be to his children." Dwayne Bryant, the officer's older brother, said Baumgartner faced many challenges and hardships throughout his childhood but persevered. "He built the richest of lives for himself and his family," Bryant said. He described Baumgartner as a "big and goofy teddy bear" who had the most "tender of hearts." Bryant described watching his brother graduate from the police academy as one of the proudest days in his own life. "I've never truly known heartache until now," Bryant said. After the service, officers, firefighters and other public safety personnel gathered in line outside to the accompaniment of bagpipes. Then the funeral procession to the cemetery began, passing under a towering American flag hanging from a line that ran between two ladder firetrucks. The series of events that led to Baumgartner's death began at about 7:30 p.m. on June 19, Father's Day. Baumgartner responded to a 911 call about a man urinating and exposing himself at a Valero service station at U.S. 59 and Texas 242. Authorities said Baumgartner called out to the suspect and tried to detain him, but the suspect tried to ram his vehicle and fled. Baumgartner gave chase west along Texas 242 until a 1998 Chevy Suburban carrying a family of seven collided with his cruiser in the intersection with FM 1485; the posted speed limit on both roads ranges from 50 to 60 mph. The crash sent Baumgartner's police cruiser into a pole, and he was pronounced dead while being transported to the hospital. A child in the SUV, Adan Hilario Jr., died at the scene. A moment of silence was held for him at the beginning of Friday's service. Several members of Adan's family were injured, including 9-year-old Andrea Hilario. She was flown to an area hospital Sunday night but released later in the week. The suspect, 29-year-old Garrett William Nee of Kingwood, returned to the scene, where he was arrested. Jail records show he was charged with murder, intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault with a vehicle causing bodily injury. He was being held in the Montgomery County jail on $1.3 million bond. The Patton Village Police Department covers a small city just off U.S. 59 and about 35 miles northwest of Houston. In addition to his children, Baumgartner is survived by his wife, Donna, a dispatcher with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. "It's time for you to rest and we will take it from here," Verot said. Hours before Sunday's crash, Baumgartner had gone on Facebook and posted a message. "Thank you Lord for being our very own heavenly father, and for the gift of our earthly fathers," it read. "For those fathers that have gone on to be with you, we ask that you comfort the children they left behind." A Houston doctor was sentenced Thursday to 3 years in federal prison for fraudulently billing Medicare and Medicaid for hundreds of thousands of dollars in treatment and tests that patients didn't need or receive. The sheer quantity of tests, prescriptions and bills generated by Enyibuaku Rita Uzoaga "exceeded that of any physician I've ever heard of, any of us has ever heard of," U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein Jr. said, before handing down the sentence. Uzoaga's office submitted $653,970 in claims to Medicare and Medicaid between 2006 and 2010 for vestibular tests, which are used to diagnose vertigo or dizziness. About half the claims were paid. Several other doctors in other practices were also charged in the scheme, which ultimately bilked Medicare and Medicaid out of about $3 million. Uzoaga, 44, was convicted by a jury in November on six counts of health care fraud and one count of conspiracy. Her medical license was suspended March 8 by the Texas Medical Board. A co-defendant, Charles Harris, 55, also known as Celestine Nwajfor, had no medical training but masterminded the vestibular test scheme, in which he enlisted four Houston doctors, all from the same Nigerian community. Harris, pleaded guilty on all four doctors' indictments and got a reduced sentence of just under three years. Harris was doing business in Houston as Cevine Health Care and Rehabilitation Center and Patstel Healthcare and Rehabilitation Services. Harris received more than $100,000 in payments from Uzoaga, according to court documents. Uzoaga's attorney, Donald J. DeGabrielle, made a case Thursday for probation, explaining that no one at trial said Uzoaga knew what was going on, or that she "was willfully blind to it." He said sending her to prison would be a disservice to her thousands of patients. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Bradley, however, said given the scope of the fraud, she deserved prison time. "This case was never about patient care, your honor. It was about money and it was about greed," she said. Some patients were billed for hundreds of tests, though many were performed by unlicensed personnel or were not performed at all. Others were medically unnecessary. One patient, a paranoid schizophrenic, was billed for dizziness medication even though it could have endangered his health because of potential interactions with his other medications. The doctor testified at trial she was unaware of the fraud and had simply been inattentive to the billing. Vestibular testing accounted for 23 percent of Uzoaga's income from Medicare and Medicaid, officials said. Uzoaga, who has five children ages 12 to 21, remains free on her own recognizance. She agreed to voluntarily surrender to U.S. officials when summoned. The three other physicians, from separate practices, and three other employees have pleaded guilty to involvement in their offices' schemes. They are: Dr. Emmanuel Nwora, 38, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and fraudulent billing. He completed two years in prison and is on supervised release. Dr. Augustine Egbunike, 61, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. He is set to be sentenced in May. Dr. Rachel Kientcha Tita, 46, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and billing fraud. She will be sentenced in May. Stella Akwarandu, 46, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months. Loretta Mbadugha,58, pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in May. Vitus Ofoma pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year and a day. Millions of immigrants in the country illegally should remain protected from deportation under a directive President Barack Obama issued in 2014, even though the U.S. Supreme Court has blocked his ambitious plan to give them work permits, advocacy groups said on Friday. The shorthanded court split 4-4 on an initiative that would have applied largely to the parents of Americans and permanent residents who have been here illegally since at least 2010 without committing major crimes. One of the most sweeping actions on immigration in decades, it would have allowed about 4 million people to temporarily stay and apply for work permits. Obama said he resorted to it after congressional inaction over what to do with the 11 million immigrants here illegally. The deadlock upholds a Brownsville federal judge's injunction against the program, known as DAPA, and sends the case back to South Texas for a full hearing on the legality of the president's action. Coming just five months before a bitter presidential election in which immigration has been particularly polarizing, it is unlikely, however, that the administration will have time to implement it even if it prevails. The gridlock leaves millions of immigrants in legal limbo once more. Experts emphasized Friday that those who would have been eligible for the program are likely also shielded by the president's 2014 memo prioritizing whom the government should deport. The document instructs immigration agents to focus on terrorists, felony criminals, gang-related offenders and recent arrivals,. Congress allocates enough funding to deport about 400,000 immigrants a year. "There's a lot of hysteria out there it's not justified at this moment under current circumstances," said James Ziglar, former commissioner of the immigration agency under President George W. Bush and a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, a national think tank. "These immigrants' circumstances are not going to change between now and whenever the next administration tries to deal with this problem." The president reiterated his memo after the court announced its tie Thursday, suggesting those who would have qualified for his program shouldn't worry about being deported. "We prioritize criminals. We prioritize gangbangers. We prioritize folks who have just come in," Obama said at a news briefing. "What we don't do is to prioritize people who've been here a long time, who are otherwise law-abiding, who have roots and connections in their communities. And so those enforcement priorities will continue." Immigrants who shouldn't be targeted for enforcement and are picked up by immigration agents must contact the media and advocacy groups, said William Stock, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. "What's most importantis that groups continue to monitor the implementation" of the memo's guidelines, he said. He suggested the administration could also make wider use of deferred action, a decades-old legal policy allowing the government to temporarily delay the deportations of certain immigrants and grant them provisional work permits. Obama's contested immigration plan was based on this concept. Other Republican presidents have also granted large groups of immigrants such a status, but it's never been given to so many at once. Texas and 25 mostly Republican states challenged Obama's program by arguing it bypasses Congress in giving a quasi-legal status to immigrants and ignoring administrative procedures for changing rules. But the lower court's injunction doesn't mean the administration can't still make use of this tool on a smaller scale. "The (president's) program really is just a broad stating of what the enforcement agency should have been doing all along," Stock said. "They can grant deferred action on a case-by-case basis they may grant it for shorter periods of time (than Obama's plan) but that continues to be a form of relief that is available." Sheridan Aguirre, a spokesman for United We Dream, the largest immigrant youth organization in the nation, said his organization set up a toll-free line for people to call in at 1-844-363-1423 if they suspect they are wrongly targeted by immigration agents. And in Houston, Cesar Espinosa, executive director of the advocacy group FIEL Houston, said they are lobbying city hall leaders to issue municipal identification cards for immigrants here illegally. That would prevent them from being arrested for not carrying valid identification and transferred to the custody of immigration agents. "Technically they shouldn't be a priority but unfortunately we have heard of cases where folks have been picked up for (this,)" he said. Advocacy groups continued to call for the Department of Justice to ask the high court to rehear Obama's case once it has a full bench in its session starting in October. A DOJ spokesman declined to comment on the agency's next steps in the case. The "patients" were rounded up at McDonald's near the downtown bus station, lured by the promise of $50 or $100 and a free ride to a Houston clinic if they reported neck, back or hip pain, or other vague complaints. The clinic physician noted the symptoms and ordered costly diagnostic tests - renal ultrasounds, electrocardiograms, anal sphincter exams - at Medicare's expense. Some tests were completed; others were not. But none was medically necessary, though Medicare footed the bill for $3.1 million, according to federal investigators. It was a scam, one of thousands of con operations across the nation that steal billions of dollars in Medicare funds intended for elderly or disabled patients, investigators said. Just last week, more than 300 people were charged with stealing $900 million in a nationwide sweep billed as the "largest national Medicare fraud takedown in history." Nearly two dozen business owners and medical professionals in the Houston region were charged with stealing $136 million. "This is an important battle," said U.S. Attorney Ken Magidson in Houston. "The people who commit these crimes are not just defrauding the government of hundreds of millions of dollars. They are attacking our entire health care system." Greed and easy money drive the schemes, and the Houston area has plenty of both, according to prosecutors. The Southern District of Texas, which includes Houston, is one of nine hubs for a nationwide Medicare Fraud Strike Force - and among the most prolific for health care fraud prosecutions. More Information Cracking down on fraud The Medicare Fraud Strike Force operates out of nine hubs across the nation, including one in Houston. Since its inception in 2007: *2,900 people indicted on health care fraud charges *198 charged in the Houston region *500 people charged and awaiting prosecution in April *$255 million in fraud uncovered in just two cases in the Houston area *About a dozen doctors convicted in Houston area Latest 'takedown' *301 people charged last week after a massive sweep *29 physicians, 11 nurses of physicians assistants among those indicted *22 people in 11 cases in the Houston region charged *$900 million allegedly stolen through fraudulent medical billing *$136 million alleged stolen locally See More Collapse Some of the largest frauds in the nation have been unearthed in the Houston area - including a $158 million psychiatric scam at Riverside General Hospital - by a team of Houston-based investigators from the FBI, the IRS, the U.S. Department of Justice, the local U.S. Attorney's Office, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General and the Texas Attorney General's Office. Doctors and other medical professionals hold the key to the scams, unlocking billions of dollars through the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs, according to prosecutors. "We are specifically targeting doctors and other medical professionals because they are the gatekeepers for Medicare spending," said Peter Carr, a justice department spokesman in Washington, D.C. "Without their participation, many of the fraudulent schemes could not have happened." $9 billion nationwide The fraudulent bills roll in for hundreds of random ailments - vertigo, allergy disorders, sleep problems, incontinence. All they need is a doctor's signature to pay for a host of medical tests, ambulance rides, home health care, wheelchairs and other medical equipment that aren't needed and might never be provided. In the Houston region, nearly 200 people have been indicted on health care fraud charges since 2009, and 136 have been convicted of fraudulently billing for nearly $650 million. Nationwide, more than 2,900 have been indicted on suspicion of falsely billing Medicare almost $9 billion since the strike force formed in 2007. Holding physicians accountable is key to stopping abuse, though doctors account for fewer than 10 percent of those indicted in national strike force investigations, Carr said. A physician must obtain a Medicare provider number, open a bank account and file a claim requesting reimbursement for itemized expenses. Patients must have legitimate Medicare cards. A scam can't function without those elements in place. Recruiters are often used, shopping for patients at nursing homes, bus stops, homeless shelters, group homes and the occasional fast-food gathering spot. "They prey on the weakest members of society, who are mentally ill, handicapped and need medical care," said Mark Donnelly, deputy criminal chief and program fraud supervisor in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Houston. Defense attorneys, though, say doctors often are unwitting participants, generating cash for clinic owners but not for themselves. "The problem is, the doctors get sucked in," said defense attorney Tom Berg, with clients in five local health care fraud indictments. The clinics usually look legitimate - with waiting rooms, exam rooms and potted plants - and doctors believe they have checked them out adequately before interviewing for jobs there. "Would you call the FBI to check on an employer?" Berg asked. Scam from the start The Houston clinics were designed to be scams from the start. The owners, who lived in Glendale, Calif., came to Houston with a plan to set up diagnostic clinics specifically to defraud Medicare. Zaven "Mike" Pogosyan, 38, and Edvard "George" Shakhbazyan, 40, brought office staffers from California, rented space for three clinics in local strip malls, bought professional office furnishings and installed some medical equipment. They then turned to Craigslist to hire three doctors to run the show: Giam Nguyen, 46, a Houston internist; Benjamin Seth Martinez, 35, a Dallas anesthesiologist; and Donovan Simmons, 43, an Austin family care doctor. And they were profitable: The clinic owners carted off bags of cash from Houston to launder the clinics' illegal proceeds, one participant told jurors. Pogosyan and Shakhbazyan, considered the masterminds of the scheme, pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy and 42 federal charges of health care fraud. They admitted setting up the clinics to defraud the government. Two other participants also reached plea bargains and testified at trial: Seryan "Sam" Mirzakhanyan, 32, of Glendale, Calif., who helped set up a clinic, and Frank "Bones" Montgomery, 66, a recruiter from Houston. They are all set for sentencing later this year. The three physicians and a medical technician are fighting the charges in a trial that began earlier this month before U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes. Testimony concluded last week, and a jury began deliberating before breaking for the weekend. Jurors must decide if the defendants knowingly and willingly participated in the fraud. The doctors maintain they had no idea the clinics were a sham, their lawyers said. "He may be naive, unsophisticated, ignorant, a nerd or just dumb, but he's not a thief," said attorney Casie Gotro of her client, Nguyen. She said Nguyen was a perfect "patsy," hired on the spot after a brief interview and earning $187,000 over the next year and a half without asking questions. Nguyen took the witness stand, quietly defending the work he did seeing patients and diagnosing their problems. Family members and co-workers also took the stand to vouch for the doctors' integrity, including Simmons' mother, a registered nurse, who told jurors she regretted pointing out the Craigslist ad to her son. David Adler, who represents Simmons, told jurors the clinic owners took advantage of the doctor. "It's the equivalent of a kid using a parent's credit card to buy beer," he said during closing arguments last week in the trial. "It's a billing fraud case, and no one in this room had anything to do with the billing." Assistant U.S. Attorneys Al Balboni and Rodolfo Ramirez, however, said the doctors knew they would be held responsible for their medical decisions and signed Medicare forms acknowledging they could face penalties for falsifying reimbursement requests. The doctors ordered unnecessary exams - including three different exams for fecal incontinence, lower leg dopplers and ultrasounds for thyroid and carotid arteries. Nguyen's signature was on 1,229 files, according to witnesses. "Sometimes good people do bad things," Balboni told jurors. Doctors sent to prison Among the largest cases in the Houston area was the conviction of Earnest Gibson III, president at Riverside General Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Houston. Gibson and several others were convicted in 2014 of cheating Medicare out of $158 million, ostensibly for hospitalization and treatment of mentally ill patients. Prosecutors said the treatment was a "sham" and that some patients were never hospitalized at all. Another 2014 case led to convictions for the owners and several employees of Spectrum Care P.A., a Houston mental health care company that claimed to provide intensive outpatient treatment for patients with severe mental illness. The "treatment," instead, was far less than intense and included having patients watch television, color and play games - none of which is covered by Medicare. Altogether, about a dozen local physicians have gone to prison on billing scams that range from unnecessary pain treatments to falsified incontinence tests. Those convicted came from vastly different specialties and backgrounds, though they used similar methods. Husband-and-wife physicians Arun and Kiran Sharma were sentenced to prison in 2011 after admitting to a decade-long billing scam for bogus injections at their allergy, asthma, arthritis and pain clinics in Baytown and Webster. They were ordered to pay $37.6 million in restitution. Two years later, Dr. Donald Gibson II, of Sugar Land, was sentenced to four years in federal prison after he admitted to billing Medicare for $19.4 million for unnecessary tests for allergies, incontinence and pulmonary function over a five-year period. Earlier this year, Dr. Leonard Kibert was convicted of fraudulently billing for $2.9 million of unnecessary tests at his allergy and sleep clinic near downtown, and laundering the proceeds. Also this year, four physicians were convicted in related cases of billing the government nearly $6 million for thousands of unnecessary vestibular exams, used to diagnose vertigo, or dizziness. Before sentencing one of the physicians, Enyibuaku Rita Uzoaga, U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein Jr. noted that the number of vestibular tests ordered "exceeded that of any physician I've ever heard of, any of us has ever heard of." Yet another doctor, Mkrtich "Mike" Yepremian, of Houston, pleaded guilty to paying kickbacks to patients who came to his clinics in Houston and Conroe and billing the government for $13 million in unnecessary blood work. Two other doctors indicted, Ahmed Faiz and Harding Dudley Ross, are awaiting trial. Doctors who provide referrals for home health care or order wheelchairs and other medical equipment also have been convicted in recent scams, as was the owner of a medical transport company who billed for expensive ambulance services but transported patients in cars and vans. 'Used as dupes' The recent nationwide sting - the largest ever - led to charges against 301 people, including 61 doctors, nurses and others. They are accused of falsifying a variety of medical services, including home health care and acute outpatient care. Some are accused of paying kickbacks to recruiters. The cases were filed in 36 separate federal districts, including 11 cases in the Houston region. The cases mirror the schemes uncovered by the strike force in Houston. They also reflect how quickly medical fraud can shift from one specialty to another, according to Special Agent in Charge C.J. Porter, who heads the Office of Inspector General's health care fraud investigations in Texas and Louisiana. "As soon as you make an impact in one area, the people intent on committing fraud will move on to another area that's not getting as much attention," she said. Magidson said the fraud makes health care services more costly for everyone. "How would you like to go to a doctor and all you see is dollar signs when you walk in the door?" he asked. "People are, a lot of the time, being used as dupes. They really need the care, but they are not getting the treatment they deserve. "It stops being for the patients' best interest. It's the fraudsters' best interest." In the latest expansion of medical education in the crowded Houston region, Texas A&M University and Houston Methodist hospital officials announced a partnership Friday to train medical engineering students to become inventors and entrepreneurs. Students in the new Houston-based engineering and medicine program will take medical school courses and they'll see patients to learn how to be doctors. In addition, the 50 physician engineers in training also will be expected to invent something "transformational" by the time they graduate with medical and advanced engineering degrees. "A lot of it is so futuristic, it's hard to imagine it happening in our lifetime," A&M Chancellor John Sharp said Friday during a ceremony announcing the collaboration between A&M and Methodist hospital. Already the University of Texas and Baylor College of Medicine have full medical schools in Houston. UT also trains doctors in Galveston and A&M has started to do so here through a partnership with Methodist. Leaders from A&M and Methodist talked optimistically about the new medical school track that will enroll engineering undergraduates and place a heavy emphasis on entrepreneurship. They spoke about the kinds of inventions they want to see from medical engineering students in the program: Regenerating limbs and organs, robots to help with surgery, sensors that can send information from patients in rural south Texas to doctors in the Texas Medical Center. "This is a program where we have a goal and certainly an expectation of the students to change the world, to change healthcare through technology," A&M Engineering Dean Katherine Banks said. "This program is much more than just an academic program. This is a program to truly transform healthcare as we know it and develop the healthcare tools of the future." A&M's new program isn't the first to merge engineering and medicine, but officials said its emphasis on commercialization will set it apart. When A&M poached President Michael Young from the University of Washington last year, A&M Chancellor John Sharp touted Young's reputation for making sure that research done at Washington found its way to the commercial marketplace. This program is an example of him trying to do just that at A&M. Sharp laid out the plan Friday. Students in the program will go to class and learn. Then they'll go down the hall and see patients and make the rounds. Then they'll go into a room with 3-D printers and other technology where they can create. Then they can go to the commercialization office and get a patent. "That will exist no place else," Sharp said. "This is going to be the only place on Earth that does these things that I'm talking about." The program may still need some approval from accrediting bodies before it is fully formed, but A&M officials said they will start enrolling students for the fall 2017 semester. It will be an expansion of an existing partnership between A&M and Methodist. To the typical medical school training, it will add laboratories for experimentation and offices with commercialization experts who can help students get patents for their inventions. A&M will hire 25 new faculty and use 75,000 square feet of instructional and research space in the Texas Medical Center. A&M's medical education expansion comes at a time when several other universities in Texas are seeking to start medical schools of their own. University of Houston leaders have said for months that they would like to launch a medical school in Houston. They joined a queue that included the University of North Texas and Sam Houston State University. The University of Texas, meanwhile, is opening two medical schools this year in Austin and in Edinburg in South Texas. PYONGYANG, North Korea - The top North Korean official for U.S. relations said Friday that his country is now a nuclear threat to be reckoned with, and Washington can expect more tests and missile launches like the ones earlier this week as long as it attempts to force his government's collapse through a policy of pressure and punishment. "It's the United States that caused this issue," Han Song Ryol, director-general of the department of U.S. affairs at North Korea's Foreign Ministry, said in his first interview with an American news organization since assuming the post three years ago. "They have to stop their military threats, sanctions and economic pressure. Without doing so, it's like they are telling us to reconcile while they are putting a gun to our forehead." Han defended the North's test-launching on Wednesday of two medium-range ballistic missiles. Foreign military experts believe that, once perfected, such missiles could deliver nuclear warheads to U.S. bases in Japan and possibly to major U.S. military installations as far away as the Pacific island of Guam. The tests indicated technological advances in the North's missile capabilities. They were quickly condemned by Washington, Tokyo and Seoul as a "provocation" and a violation of United Nations resolutions. State Department spokesman John Kirby said U.S. policy calling for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula hasn't changed. "The capabilities that the DPRK continues to pursue are doing nothing obviously to get us to that goal," he said. "We urge the North to take the necessary steps to prove that they're willing to return to the six-party talk process, so that we can get to that goal." Han dismissed the criticism, saying North Korea has no choice but to build up its military deterrent as long as the world's largest superpower - and the country that first developed nuclear weapons - remains an enemy. He noted that the U.S. recently deployed nuclear-powered submarines and strategic bombers capable of dropping nuclear weapons on North Korea to the region, and earlier this year conducted training for precision airstrikes on North Korea's leadership, along with simulations of an advance into the capital, Pyongyang, with the South Korean military during joint annual exercises. "This launch was a significant and novel step that my country must take to produce a powerful nuclear deterrent," Han said. "The real provocation is coming from the United States. How can my country stand by and do nothing?" Han said North Korea has never recognized a longstanding United Nations Security Council ban on its testing of nuclear weapons or long-range missiles, though the world body has ratified the resolutions and imposed heavy sanctions on North Korea for continuing them - including a round of new sanctions imposed after its latest nuclear test in January. North Korea says that test was its first of an H-bomb. "The United States must see correctly the trend of the times and the strategic position of (North Korea) and must withdraw its hostile policy," he said in the hour-long interview at the Foreign Ministry in Pyongyang. "In the past, my country has been threatened by the United States with its nuclear weapons, but I can now say proudly that the United States is being threatened by my country's nuclear weapons." He held out the possibility of dialogue with the United States, but only if Washington agrees to "drop its hostile policies," replace the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War with a lasting peace treaty, and withdraw its troops based in South Korea. WASHINGTON - The Pentagon next month will announce the repeal of a policy banning transgender people from serving openly in the military, Defense Department officials said Friday, moving to end what has been seen as one of the last barriers to service. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has called the regulation outdated and harmful to the military. A year ago, he directed officials from all the military branches to determine what changes would be needed to lift the ban, in a tacit recognition that thousands of transgender people were in uniform. Under the Pentagon's plan, first reported by USA Today, each branch will put in place new policies covering recruiting, housing and uniforms for transgender troops. Military officials have been "making great progress, holding multiple meetings and working hard to come up with a policy that balances the needs of soldiers with mission readiness," said Eric Pahon, a Defense Department spokesman. "They're trying to come up with something that fits the needs of all of the different services." Ashley Broadway-Mack, president of the American Military Partner Association, a support network for partners and spouses of LGBT troops and veterans, said in a statement that "our transgender service members and their families are breathing a huge sigh of relief." Estimates of the number of transgender people in the 1.2 million-member military range from 2,000 to more than 15,000. As with the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that applied to gay men, lesbians and bisexuals until it was lifted in 2011, current rules have done little to keep transgender people out of the military. Instead, they have forced many to lie about their status. Since taking the defense secretary post in February 2015, Carter has set about dismantling discriminatory rules in the services, including opening all combat positions to women. A study commissioned by Carter and completed in March found that letting transgender members openly serve would cost little and would have no significant impact on unit readiness. The study, by the RAND Corporation, estimated that 2,450 active-duty members of the military were transgender, and that every year about 65 service members would seek to make a gender transition. The study said that if the Pentagon did not cover medical procedures like hormone therapy and surgery, service members would most likely not seek medical care and have higher rates of substance abuse and suicide. The procedures would cost the Pentagon $2.9 million to $4.2 million a year, the report said. [Up] We'd officially like to welcome the city of Houston into the 21st century. In a town where the official song is the backup warning of a bulldozer, council members voted to save 210 trees along Yale Street in the Heights. They've created what Chronicle reporter Rebecca Elliott describes as the first green corridor in town. [Up] Naloxone, a drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, is now available over the counter at Walgreens. In a rare move - showing compassion to addicts - the Texas Legislature last session authorized doctors to write a standing order to allow anyone to sell the drug. This will save lives. Next step? Our elected leaders in Austin ought to figure out a way to stop jailing and start treating low-level drug offenders. No one is immune from drug abuse and addition. [Up] In a state where "lock 'em up and throw away the key" translates into votes, along comes a compassionate jurist, U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison. He signed an order this week demanding the Texas Department of Criminal Justice provide clean drinking water to inmates at the Pack Unit. He also wrote the unairconditioned prison near Navasota "violates contemporary standards of decency." With the money Texas is spending to defend the case, it could already have fixed the water problems and come up with a plan to retrofit our dungeons with cool air. Those in Austin who set prison policy might recall the words of Nelson Mandela: "It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones." [Up] HPD's Bicycle Relay Team has raised $5.7 million to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by riding almost 74,000 miles in 35 years. The group left this week from City Hall on a 2,500-mile ride to San Francisco. [Up] One thing we all can agree on is that Vietnam vets and their families deserve our thanks for sacrifices over the last half-century. Houston's Office of Veteran Affairs is hosting a 50th anniversary commemoration of the war. Take a long lunch Wednesday and join the festivities at the Multi-Service Center, 1475 W. Gray. [Down] We've said it before. We'll say it again. Someone - the city, a mental health agency, Hermann Park Conservancy, anyone - needs to clean up the rat-infested, trash-strewn, open-air Kush market in a children's playground that is the corner of Cambridge and Fannin in Hermann Park. Instead, our elected officials and interim safety heads seem content to let Houston taxpayers shell out for regular EMS trips that transport drug users to detox. Sixteen homeless users were sent to area hospitals Thursday. And that raises the question: Why do we allow smoke shops to sell synthetic drugs that create human zombies while we outlaw the stuff that doesn't seem to be hospitalizing people en masse in Colorado and Oregon? [Down] One of the goals for downtown should be attracting visitors, not Chasing (capital "C" intended) them away. High rents. Expensive parking. Construction snarling traffic. Your Thumbs staff has always tried to overlook the bad stuff in order to embrace the buzz, the arts, the sports, the restaurants. And there was always the observation deck on the 60th floor of the JPMorgan Chase Tower to seek a serene moment and an inspiring view of the city. But, forget it. The Hines property management firm pulled the plug on the free attraction, issuing this warm statement: "Our primary focus is to provide a quality experience for our tenants and their employees who were often inconvenienced by the extra non-business-related traffic in the building." WASHINGTON - How do you write a platform for a party whose candidate's positions span the unfortunate gamut from nonexistent to offensive to flatly at odds with those of the party? Such is the thankless task consigned this year to Sen. John Barrasso. The Wyoming Republican is a Yale-trained orthopedist with a voracious appetite for history (he's currently immersed in a Ulysses S. Grant biography) and a political junkie's love of game and country (Barrasso hasn't missed an inauguration since his father, a Pennsylvania cement finisher, took him to John F. Kennedy's). Barrasso exhibits a wonk's inclination for policy specifics (he just hosted surgeon and writer Atul Gawande to speak to fellow senators on health care) that puts him more in the "sweat the details" spirit of Hillary Clinton than the details-shmetails approach of Donald Trump. Barrasso is, in short, the anti-Trump. Not in the sense of being opposed to the nominee - he isn't, although, like most of his GOP Senate colleagues, he scarcely exudes enthusiasm for Trump. But where Trump has dispensed campaign cash to both parties, veers from stance to stance, and displays a hummingbird's attention to specifics, Barrasso is resolutely conservative and serious about the enterprise. And in a conversation with The Washington Post editorial board the other day, Barrasso presented the platform-writing exercise - it will take place in Cleveland the week before next month's convention - as a mechanism both for defining a party reeling from the Trump phenomenon and for educating its nominee. So, I asked, does the platform matter in the age of Trump? "It does to me. It does to the party," he replied. "It really is who we are, what we believe in, what our values are. That's why I think it matters now more than ever." Specifically, Barrasso continued, "it matters in terms of being instructive to our nominee for president. I've talked to him and asked him to embrace it and I believe that he will." How interesting to understand the platform as an instructional document ... for the top of the ticket. One illustration of that needed instruction came as we pressed Barrasso on the question of whether, as he sees it, Trump - and his calls for a wall on the Mexican border, deporting illegal immigrants, and barring and profiling Muslims - represents Republican values. "To me, tone matters," Barrasso said. "I'm from Wyoming. We tend to be respectful, positive, inclusive, and that's what I would like to see in the platform." Yes, but. When speaking with Republican politicians and elected officials, it is always, yes, but. They talk tone and respect, yet they have to deal with the reality of a nominee of unparalleled vulgarity and offensiveness. "I have concerns with a number of things our nominee has said," Barrasso allowed. "It's not the way I would say them." On one level, this is an infuriatingly mild rebuke to Trump's provocations. On another, I confess some sympathy for Barrasso et al. It's easy for folks like me to demand that they renounce Trump. It's much harder when you've got an election coming - not just for president - and a party to hold together. And so, the platform, an exercise that features quadrennial hurdles. On the Republican side, these include language on abortion and gay rights, the latter particularly interesting because this will be the first platform written since the Supreme Court's ruling on same-sex marriage. But the Trump phenomenon heightens the challenge for the 112 delegates chosen to assemble the document. First, whether and how to incorporate - respectfully, no less - Trump's trademark positions. Will the platform mention the wall? Call for mass deportations? Envision an immigration ban, however temporary? Second, even assuming those issues can be elided through artful drafting, how to reconcile Trumpian stances - against free trade, against entitlement reform - with long-standing, and conflicting, GOP doctrine? The 2012 platform lauded free trade agreements for having "facilitated the creation of nearly 10 million jobs" and lamented the Obama administration's "deplorable ... slowness" in completing pacts - including the Trans-Pacific Partnership that Trump now denounces. It emphasized the need to "restructure" entitlements, including raising the Medicare eligibility age. Trump has vowed to "save Social Security and Medicare without cuts." How to harmonize these positions? The platform, Barrasso said, quoting his Wyoming colleague, Sen. Mike Enzi, an accountant, should be seen as "a sales brochure, not an audit." Even without having to meet generally accepted accounting principles, that is one hard job in this year of Trump. Marcus' email address is ruthmarcus@washpost.com. I still remember your funeral. I still remember the white casket, small with only two handles on each side. I still remember the red teddy bear someone had placed near your head. I still remember then-Florida state lawmaker Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall weeping over your coffin, then-Congressman Kendrick Meek standing there in speechless anguish, and then-Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio deploring the violence that took you away at just nine years of age. "In our very midst," he said, "we sit on a crisis of epic proportions" that we fail to recognize. At your graveside, they released a white dove and it zoomed away, skimming through the trees. You write different columns for different reasons. Some you write to argue a point, some to vent anger. One reason I write this one, Sherdavia Jenkins, is because this week makes 10 years since you died and I feel the need to call your name. Not that it will resonate for many people. They won't know it in Seattle, Austin or Denver. But they'll never forget it in Miami. I've never been quite clear on why that is. After all, it's not as if it's unknown for children to be shot to death - in South Florida or elsewhere. So I've always wondered why you're the one Miami named a park for, the one that is remembered. Maybe it's because you were a child of uncommon promise. At your funeral, they passed out a booklet of certificates you'd received, documenting excellence in reading, science, math and Spanish. You had your school's top scores on the state math test and were named "best all-around student." So maybe we're stung by the fact of a sparkling future, foreclosed. Or maybe it's just the way you died, in a crossfire between two punk gangsters, while playing outside your own front door. What kind of country is it when a child is not safe on her own doorstep? But again, your story is not unique. In the decade since you fell, thousands of other children have died by gunfire. They all had names, too. Joseph Spencer, age 12, died nine years ago in Jackson, Miss. Michael Alvin Muha, age 12, died eight years ago in Redstone Township, Pa. Roberto Lopez, age four, died seven years ago in Los Angeles. Rosay J. Butler Jr., age three, died six years ago in Selma, Ala. Gabriel Martinez Jr., age five, died five years ago in Oakland. Delric Miller, age nine months, died four years ago in Detroit. Antonio Santiago, age 13 months, died three years ago in Brunswick, Ga. Davia Garth, age 12, died two years ago in Cleveland. Ja'Quail Mansaw, age seven months, died last year in Kansas City, Kan. King Carter, age six, died in February near Miami. Chicago is awash in the blood of its children. South Florida is routinely heartbroken. And I haven't even mentioned the weekly massacres of children and adults in places like Newtown, Aurora and Orlando. Sherdavia, I'd love to be able to say we've taken decisive action to fix this, but we haven't. A nation where the right to free speech is regulated and the right to freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures was just narrowed again somehow considers the right to have a gun to be sacrosanct. Lawmakers refuse to consider measures favored by the vast majority of us to keep guns away from those who should not have them. Yet we keep returning these paragons of moral idiocy to office. That includes Sen. Marco Rubio, who spoke at your funeral. As I said, Sherdavia, you write columns for various reasons. I've given you one reason I'm writing this one. The other is simply that I felt the need to say the obvious: We've failed you in life and in death and I'm sorry. You deserved better. They all did. Pitts is a columnist for the Miami Herald. Readers may write to him via email at lpitts@miamiherald.com. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 1 of 2 Felipe Dana/STF Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Mario Tama/Staff Show More Show Less As a pediatrician undergoing my training in Houston, I encountered a situation I had never even heard of in medical school, and one I fear will become all too common in hospitals across the country this summer. A premature infant was about to be born to a mother who had visited Brazil and had become ill early on in her pregnancy with symptoms consistent with Zika. While not confirmed in the mother's testing initially nor in subsequent testing of the premature infant, the threat the Zika virus poses to the United States, and to Houston in particular, is real, and it's only likely to get worse this summer. With the heat and extensive rainfall Texas has experienced this past month, the conditions are ideal for the mosquito population that carries Zika, which, in turn, increases the risk for exposure and transmission. The same mosquitoes that spread the virus in Central and South America live in abundance here in Texas. The Zika virus also can be transmitted from a pregnant mother to her developing baby or from sexual intercourse from male to female adults. Listening to some of the heated rhetoric about free trade in this election year, I'm reminded of the many benefits trade brings to both this state and the greater Houston area, including the community in which I live, The Woodlands. In some of what is said, you'd think free trade is this country's No. 1 Enemy. The facts show that's just not so. More than 95 percent of the world's population and 80 percent of its purchasing power lies outside of the United States. The world's economy long ago became interconnected, and that's simply not going to change. That interconnection is vividly clear in The Woodlands, where so many of the companies attracted to our community operate globally, and our ability to attract and support these companies is vital to our local economy. Our state's economic growth and jobs increasingly depend on expanding U.S. trade and investment opportunities in the global marketplace. For instance: International trade, including exports and imports, supports 3.1 million Texas jobs - nearly one in five jobs in our state - and trade-related jobs grew 1.5 times faster than total employment from 2004 to 2014. Exports in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area totaled $119 billion in 2014, trailed by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington at $28.7 billion and San Antonio-New Braunfels at $25.8 billion. Just in The Woodlands alone, foreign companies account for more than 1200 direct jobs. Customers in 225 countries and territories buy Texas-made goods and services, including billions of dollars in annual exports to top markets such as Mexico, Canada and Brazil, and Exports of Texas goods have grown more than 60 percent faster than the state's GDP since 2004. Foreign-owned companies invest and build facilities, and now employ more than 500,000 workers in Texas. So what gives rise to the anti-free trade rhetoric? There sometimes seems be an attitude that free trade is one-sided, that if the other country wins we lose - an aversion to competition. Since when did Americans become incapable of competing? Competition brings out the best in all of us. We prosper and they prosper. In neither the Great Depression nor the Great Recession was there a global winner-loser situation. We all suffered together and, as recovery slowly occurred, we all prospered together. President Obama's recent trip to Asia and the G-7 Summit in Japan reminded me of how inter-connected the world has become. The president noted "the need for us to continue to boost global growth and to move ahead with the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The alliance between the United States and Japan is a critical foundation for the security of both of our countries." A meeting in The Woodlands earlier this year, in which Japan's consul general outlined the importance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to the Texas economy, emphasized the strong affinity Japan has for the United States and its many ties to Texas. More than 45,000 Texas workers are employed by companies based in Japan. Only United Kingdom-based companies employ more Texans. The proposed TPP agreement would virtually eliminate all foreign import taxes on industrial and consumer goods, benefiting Texas's top export sectors: information and communication technologies, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, and high-tech instruments. Right now, the maximum tariffs in these sectors range from 25 percent to 59 percent. If TPP is approved, nearly 100 percent of U.S. goods exported in those sectors will immediately be duty-free. That would be a major boost for the economy of Texas, and lead to further expansion of our state's role in the global economy. Texas has long been economically connected with the rest of the world, and we would disconnect at our economic peril. Robb is the founding pastor of The Woodlands United Methodist Church and chairman of The Woodlands Township board of directors. Bids will be opened Friday, July 29, for a major renovation and expansion of the Texas County Library branch at Cabool. The project which includes about 1,600 square feet of additional space was approved Friday by the Texas County Library Foundation. Integrity Engineering of Rolla is the architect. Plans call for a major exterior makeover that will include brick and stone on the front of the building and interior changes that result in additional space for patrons. Financing of the project comes from a $250,000 Community Development Block Grant, private monetary donations and funds from the foundation and the Texas County Library system. Additionally, the project was approved for more than $97,400 under the Neighborhood Assistance Project, which gives donors 70 cents in state tax credit for every $1 donated. The contribution can also be deducted from federal tax returns. To learn more at the tax credits, contact Molly Shelton, library director, at 417-967-2258. A sound wall also is included to block noise from a nearby railroad track. Work is expected to take about seven months. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. The five things you need to know on Saturday June 25, 2016 1) CRAPSHOOT In the gambling game 'craps', you roll two dice and only win if you get seven or 11. Its risky and a crude way of deciding a winner just like the direct democracy of an EU referendum that has led to David Camerons political demise and the shock of Brexit. Advertisement And this morning we find out just why the PM decided to quit suddenly, having got the wrong result in the referendum. Why should I do all the hard shit for someone else, just to hand it over to them on a plate? he told colleagues. He was referring to the lengthy and extremely difficult task of extricating the UK from the EU, and rebuilding every single trade deal from scratch. Its the Sun that splashes on the words and thats fitting as the paper reveals a poll by the Democracy Institute that shows 30% of Leave voters were influenced by its BeLeave campaign. Cameron is resigned to leaving, but has still not quite resigned as Prime Minister. He will finally walk out of No10 in October and his three-month lame-duck tenure looks like it will be very painful indeed. His main task on Monday is to stabilise the markets after the turmoil of Black Friday and this weekend will be spent trying to prep as professionally as possible for the coming heavy week. In his tearful departure speech, Cameron didnt quite say Youll miss me when Im gone, but thats the undercurrent flowing here. Many, many Tory MPs and even some Leave voters were stunned to see the PM announce he was going. Like him, they hadnt grasped the full reality of what would happen next. In the Mail, Max Hastings (no fan of Boris) says Cameron has been humbled by his arrogance. He treated government as a "tactical game" and he "now pays the price for years of unfulfilled pledges and for running a rotten Remain campaign. Thats all true, of course, but the most shocking reality of all is that Cameron was democratically elected by the people in a general election just a year ago. An angry Philip Collins put it in the Times thus: Before you lecture the rest of us on taking back control and getting our country back you might like to regard the democratic settlement of May 2015 as something more than an inconvenience to be swept away. Yet it was Cameron himself who effectively staged the coup against himself. Advertisement The people locked out of politics for so long, the left behind working classes who turned out in big numbers on Thursday, ruined the great game approach to politics of Cameron and Osborne. The worry now must be that Boris and Gove are similarly involved in a great game. Brexit is in many ways a gamble played with other peoples money, and futures. It is a Johnsonian Telegraph column made flesh, a think tankers wet dream, an Oxford PPE-ists game theory turned real. Yet this is also a thought-experiment whose guinea pigs will be the very folks with most to lose. If Project Fear turns into Project Fact, and the economy takes a downturn, the self-harm Cameron talked of may become more than a soundbite. And if Boris and Gove cant deliver quickly on their promises of curbed migration, the White Van Man vote that drives our election results will feel its been lied to yet again. 2) EURO 2016, KNOCKOUT ROUND The famously chillaxed PM will ironically be the busiest hes ever been, not least because on Tuesday he has the ignominious task of attending the special meeting of the EU European Council of fellow leaders in Brussels. Often his least favourite place on the planet, the Justus Lipsius building will be the venue as Cameron talks to colleagues about the UKs momentous decision. But on Wednesday, he will literally be out of the room as the rest of the EU uses the summit to work out its next steps. Of course, Cameron said he wouldnt quit as PM if he lost the Brexit vote. That turned out to be yet another tactical device rather than a promise, like so many that have led to his undoing. He had also warned he would straight away start the Article 50 process that formally extracts the UK from the EU. But the legal process will now be handed to the new PM once they are elected in October at party conference. Boris and the Leavers, who frankly looked as shocked as everyone else yesterday, want to take their time working out the process. But other European leaders, furious that Camerons gamble ended in the failure they warned him against, are not so sanguine. Remember that Cameron told them at a summit in December: I am a winner. I can win this. Advertisement Around Europe, theres a mixture of anger and incredulity that Cameron has led his country into the doldrums, the Prime Minister who lost his countrys EU membership and its shared further with Scotland - almost by accident. Jean-Claude Juncker, the man Cameron publicly abused, is serving up a dish called revenge, and doesnt want it to get too cold. He said effect should be given to the referendum result as soon as possible, however painful that process may be. German newspaper Handelsblatt has got a leaked internal German finance ministry document that shows how much is at stake. It says Berlin has drawn up secret plans for a new EU relationship with Britain of the kind already in place with Albania, Serbia and Turkey. The UK should be offered an association agreement for close co-operation but no concessions that would tempt other states to quit the EU. It should not offer too much leeway to Great Britain in gaining access to the European Unions internal market. And it named other countries that might want to leave the EU: Austria, Finland, the Netherlands, Hungary and France. Yes, France. If that happens, the EU really is over. 3) CORBYN. OR CORB-OUT? Hes out. Of Glasto, that is. Yes the mud-loving music festival announced that Jeremy Corbyn was no longer doing his Left Field (geddit?) event on Sunday because the Labour leader was focusing on the issues thrown up by the momentous EU referendum result. But will Corbyn follow Cameron in being toppled by his party? Yesterday saw the most coordinated attempt yet to start the process of ousting him as leader. Shell-shocked Labour MPs have had enough, and many are as furious with Corbyn as with Cameron for not taking the risk of Brexit seriously. Theres a pincer movement. The first is the motion of no confidence tabled by Margaret Hodge and Ann Coffey for Mondays PLP meeting. It needs PLP chair John Cryer to approve it for a ballot that day or more likely the Tuesday. If he wants to stall it, it could take place the following Monday. The key to the ballot is that it is a secret ballot no constituency association Momentum group or activist will be able to target individual MPs. There could be a no confidence vote of upto 80% of the PLP. Advertisement But the real point of the no confidence motion letter was to warn Corbyn that he should ponder his future this weekend and announce on Monday he was quitting. The spectacle of a Labour leader going into a possible snap general election with 80% of his MPs having voted against him was seen as something Corbyn would find difficult. Yet last night on Channel 4, he made clear he would not be resigning. So, the real business is actually the separate formal process of submitting 51 signed letters to general secretary Iain McNicol, nominating an alternative leadership candidate. Im told this will start tomorrow and continue through the week. The plotters say they have the numbers. What's fascinating is how a chunk of the PLP is trying to force their colleagues to finally awake from their slumbers. They want a 'forced choice' that is as forced as the binary In-Out referendum itself, not a third-way 'give him another year' option. More names will go public over the weekend. Today, we have Caroline Flint blogging for us on how 'small town Britain roared' and why Corbyn can't win a general election. The big issue is just how much of this Corbyn will want to put up with. He may survive the first assassination attempt, but will he want to put up with repeated attempts? Theres a perception among some MPs, on the left and the moderate wings alike, that at some point he will say to John McDonnell that he should take up the cause instead. What is powering this is that anger over Brexit. Dont underestimate just how devastated many Labour MPs are feeling. I have been told that many in the Labour In campaign felt that Team Corbyn not only didn't pull their weight, they actively sabotaged the Remain campaign. There are several documents flying around, some of which have landed into my possession, that lay bare the chaos and in-fighting (see HuffPost later). Advertisement The near-death experience many felt with UKIP coming second in so many of their seats in 2015 is also very potent. (One curio in a snap election would be it would be fought on current boundaries something that will please Tory MPs as much as Labour MPs worried about reselection). And yet the big problem for any plot remains the expanded party membership who feel loyal to Corbyn. Its difficult to see how they can be turned so quickly against him. And here's the rub. It is 'direct democracy' that has led to Corbyn's leadership, just as it has led to Brexit. Many MPs blame Ed Miliband almost as much as Corbyn for the current state of affairs, saying his overreaction to Falkirk unleashed a Pandora's box of pain. Others think Miliband's 2015 election failure to provide a credible alternative to Cameron was the real reason the EU referendum wasn't strangled before birth. Corbyn has a speech today setting out his views on the EU. He may give further clues to next steps there. But he wont be announcing his resignation. BECAUSE YOUVE READ THIS FAR Watch this little girl in Sri Lanka use Jedi mind powers to force an elephant to stop and turn around. 4) SUBMARINE TORPEDOED What about George Osborne? His brief statement yesterday hinted that despite his humiliation he wants to stay on longer than Cameron. Some Tory MPs loathe him as a political careerist worse than Cameron but even a chunk of those want him to stay a bit longer purely to settle the markets. Advertisement Others are convinced that the man known as The Submarine (for his habit of going quiet for long periods) should be sunk. This is the guy who called us economically illiterate, who was responsible for the tax credits cock-up, the forced academies blunder, daft devolution. Hes toast, one Eurosceptic Tory told me. Even writing that word Eurosceptic seems such an anachronism suddenly. Its not that we are all Eurosceptics now. Its just that the Europe issue has been settled, for good. Osborne has no hope of the Tory leadership. But will Camerons revenge against Boris be a last ditch move to turn Theresa May into the anti-Boris candidate? The move is on to ensure Boris doesnt get enough MPs to get him into the top-two of the MPs ballot. I would find it all but impossible to have him as my leader, one senior figure tells The Times. I dont know if he can be prevented from making it to No 10 but many of us are willing to try. One other tricky issue is Heathrow. A decision had been due within weeks of a Remain vote but now may well be put back until a new leader is elected. With Boris so opposed to a third runway, it seems politically impossible for the PM and Osborne to go ahead. Still, theres one conspiracy theory that Boris could be let off the hook personally if No10 does go ahead, and he can blame them rather than have to approve it himself in the autumn. Graham Brady, the 1922 Committee chairman, has a difficult task when it meets on Monday. Its upto the 22, not the PM, to decide when Tory leadership elections are held. Liam Fox wants a Michael Howard-style six months, not three months, to elect a new leader with the party conference used to allow members to see up close the candidates. But that was when the party was in Opposition. And Cameron ultimately has the right to decide when to quit, not the 22. He is unlikely to want to face even further humiliation by amending his tearful statement of Friday. Meanwhile, The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers which marks Beard Week next week, has said that it would back Stephen Crabb for the leadership. It points out that Crabb could be the first hirsute Prime Minister since another Tory Lord Salisbury stepped down in 1902. Advertisement 5) NOVA SCOTIA Donald Trump yesterday made a classic blunder in tweeting: Just arrived in Scotland. Place is going wild over the vote. They took their country back, just like we will take America back. No games! Of course, Scots had voted Remain, not Leave. And they werent going wild at the result. But the SNP do want to take their country back in another sense, and Nicola Sturgeon wasnt slow yesterday in announcing a second independence referendum was now highly likely. If the Queen was purring at Scotland voting to stay in the UK, she may not be purring now. Imagine being the courtier who explains to Her Maj that voting for Brexit, something shes alleged to have supported, now means the break up of her kingdom? Its far from clear that Scots will automatically back independence. Sturgeon has admitted they would have to join the euro, and ditch the pound, not exactly a vote winner. But the sight of Boris and Gove running England may be enough to force previously dubious Scots into the Yes camp. If Scotland does break away, one irony would be that Project Fear can be used in reverse. As Alex Salmond told me recently, the SNP can argue that jobs will shift north from England under a Brexit UK and independent Scotland. Big British firms who want access to the single market may shift their HQs to Edinburgh not France or Germany. Lets see. Advertisement COMMONS PEOPLE Our sleep-deprived Commons People podcast is out HERE. Graeme Demianyk and I chew the fat about what the shock of Brexit and whats next. If youre reading this on the web, sign-up HERE to get the WaughZone delivered to your inbox. Rob Stothard via Getty Images Britain is to Leave the European Union and every MP, of all parties, has to make the best of this new path. The Prime Minister has taken responsibility, as he should, for calling the referendum and for the public rejecting his advice to Remain. Cameron posed as a Euro-sceptic to win the Tory leadership, spent years appeasing his Euro-sceptic right wing, and ended with the reckless gamble of the referendum, becoming a newly converted Europhile for the last three months. Advertisement The result is his demise, the UK's departure from Europe's coalition of nations and a risk to the future unity of the UK. This will be Cameron's disastrous legacy. But Labour needs to be honest about what has happened as well. Feelings triumphed over facts. The public rejected warnings about Britain being worse off, because they had strong feelings about the impact of immigration. The benefits of immigration to the UK, the need for migrant workers to fill important jobs in the UK, was lost in this debate. Voters were protesting against a change in their communities they didn't like. We needed a response that showed understanding; a counter to the politics of hate promoted by too many on the Leave campaign. Their immigration scare stories were, frankly, shameful. Advertisement But anyone who suggests the Leave voters did not have this concern upper most, bolstered by an anti-politics mood - is sidestepping the truth. This was as much a slap in the face for Labour as for the Government. Labour needs a frank debate about that failure; the break between Labour's united view that the UK should Remain; and the feelings of large numbers of our voters. Traditional working class Labour voters need to see that Jeremy Corbyn understands their concerns over immigration and will do something about them. I campaigned with Jeremy in Doncaster, put his message on our newsletters, organised a business Q&A with Alan Johnson, gave my support to national campaign days and door-knocked regularly since January. This campaign reminded me that message is everything. Leave had a simple message: "take back control"; however, dishonest. Jeremy chose to argue a different message from Cameron, the SNP or Plaid Cymru. His message that the EU needs lots of reform and we need to fight from the inside to achieve it, was too subtle and too complicated, when the heart of this question was always: 'is the EU we have today good or bad for Britain?' Advertisement Voters were not deciding the merits of a new, improved EU of the future. They were judging the here and now. Many felt the UK had no control over immigration and wanted to make clear their anger and rejection of that. A few months ago, Labour expected that it would persuade 70-80% of Labour voters to back Remain. Sadly, we failed to get that message over early enough. Just a few weeks before the vote, half of our voters did not know that Labour was saying 'Vote Remain'. The Leave campaign's added to the confusion with their red bus, red posters, and NHS message. In the end our supporters have split down the middle. I want to hear Jeremy and the Shadow Cabinet, give an honest assessment of why Labour failed to persuade them. This campaign proved it is not enough to win support in London and the big cities - the heart of Jeremy's support. On Thursday, small town Britain roared. The voices of towns in former industrial, coastal and rural areas across England and Wales, who feel left behind, was heard loud and clear. And large swathes of Labour voters among them. This vote opened a chasm between our voters and the Labour Party in too many parts of our heartlands. We will need to repair it. The uncomfortable truth must be faced, or Labour will not rebuild our relationship with many of our longstanding voters. Advertisement There can be no glossing over this failure. I don't want spin or nonsense about "people kicking the Government" and "austerity". Austerity was hardly mentioned. Immigration was raised more than any other issue. During the post-mortem, Labour MPs, MEPs, councillors and members will have to decide whether Jeremy can reassure and re-unite our supporters beyond London and the major cities. And do so, before a possible autumn general election against a new Tory leader. This referendum was the most important campaign Jeremy has undertaken since he became Leader. He must share responsibility for this defeat. On the evidence of this campaign, Jeremy has not demonstrated the strength and presence to rebuild that support. Without it, we cannot hope to carry the country and win a general election. The many members who worked so hard in the run up to 23 June deserve no less. And none want Labour to face a third general election defeat. Major corporations and venture capitalists (VC) are investing in food startups more than ever. Society's eating habits are changing and with that, the food industry needs to make changes as well. Some major corporations, such as breakfast cereal brands, are removing unhealthy and undesirable ingredients from their products to meet society's demands for healthier food options. Startups benefit from connecting with major brands just from the affiliation and ability to reach larger audiences because of it. Catering to Society's Demands and Needs The way that society eats is changing. More consumers are purchasing more fresh ingredients and less processed foods. Major food industry names are noticing this and have started making investments into food startups. More than just the food brands you see in your local grocery store changing ingredients, fast food chains are following suit to offer healthier options and healthier preparation tactics. Chemical-Free Foods Society is rather unhappy about the chemicals placed in foods for preservation and color purposes. Major companies like Hormel and The Hershey Co. are purchasing smaller companies like Applegate Farms, who produces antibiotic and preservative-free luncheon meats. The Hershey Co. bought a nitrite-free beef jerky startup, Krave Pure Foods, that had $35-million in sales for $300-million due, in-part, to the exclusion of nitrites in the product. Purchasing organic may not be an option for every family, so major VCs and big food producers are finding startups that offer healthy, natural foods to purchase. Advertisement Food Product Evolution This move by major corporations and investors shows consumers that the brand is moving in a healthier direction and sees the big picture. Consumers take more time to read labels and ingredients these days. Even making packaging changes helps. Consumers like to be able to pick up a package and clearly read nutritional information/ingredients rather than having to search and squint for information. The ever-evolving food industry is making the necessary changes to cater to society and healthier lifestyles. Social Media Branding A social media presence is a must for all businesses, including startups. Startups, including those in the food industry that are associated or affiliated with an inter-industry leader have a better reputation from the start. Consumers are more likely to ask questions, engage and anticipate food product releases. Branding via social media takes time. A complete company profile needs to be created on each platform. The information should match on all avenues and the startup should respond swiftly to consumer inquiries. Startups and entrepreneurs must realize that being on social media alone is not enough to properly brand a business, it takes being social, engaging and maintaining an approachable status too. New Brand Discovery Major food corporations are discovering new brands every day. Food industry giants like Kellogg, Coca-Cola, General Mills and PepsiCo, as examples, are funding these startups to refresh their own portfolios and help startups build theirs. Updated and current brand profiles help maintain longevity, positive brand reputations and display the ability to sustain themselves while building new, next-generation brands. Advertisement Brings Sales Leads in When a startup is connected to a major brand or corporation, it can generate business-to-business (B2B) sales leads to come in on their own. Authority figures within an industry gain more attention and have more desire from other businesses to develop a business relationship. Startups in the food industry have spent time and money researching their products and the benefits that the new offerings will have to consumers. Other brands in the health and wellness industry may want to sell products or commission a startup to manufacture a new product for exclusive sales rights. These B2B leads are invaluable as they can help establish a startup well. Consider Hiring an Industry Influencer When food companies fund startups and assist them in brand building, quality control and turning a profit other areas may become neglected. New brands, especially food industry brands, need to get a jumpstart on marketing. An industry influencer can be brought in to help build an audience, begin a positive reputation and inform consumers about the new food startup. The influencer should be tasked with displaying the benefits of the ingredients used, added convenience and who the startup is affiliated with to get the public ready to purchase the new products. Food startups are popping up more frequently. While major brands may not have the time to take-on the process of developing a new food product, startups do. Their time is spent perfecting their product, making sure it lives up to the promise the startup makes and does provide real value for consumers. Investing in startups is an ideal way for major food makers to create a legacy, increase revenue and build the industry. On August the 21st, 1858 Abraham Lincoln said: Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed. Consequently, he who molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces decisions. Donald Trump and pro-Brexit politicians such as Nigel Farange and Boris Johnson have benefitted from Lincoln's assertion. Others haven't learned from it. Some even insist on addressing public sentiment from a rational perspective. They throw facts and arguments at the people, thinking they can change public mood with information. Public sentiment is not rational, it's emotional. I hate to point out the obvious but after all, it is a sentiment. Or does anyone think with their heart and feel with their mind? Can one easily think one's way out of sentiments of defeat, impotence, anxiety or fear? Here we are, wondering how Trump gained millions of supporters or why the pro-Brexit politicians won, since in both cases their arguments don't make sense and there is a battery of logical reasons, facts and examples that clearly contradict them? Well, again, it's not rational, it's emotional. Advertisement In Britain, the English (not the Scottish or the Irish, the English) have been closet anti-Europeans since the creation of the EU. No surprises there. They were never very convinced about the Schengen Treaty to allow the free transit of people so they stayed out of it. They were skeptical about the Euro so they kept the Pound. And then there are the stereotypes and so on. They see themselves as the heart and soul of Britain, the Great Britain. They were an empire but their sentiment is that they still are. They feel uncomfortable sharing sovereignty with Brussels or being part of the EU because that doesn't fit their mood. Fair enough. So some politicians took that mood and fed it with prejudices and fears of immigrants taking their jobs or Britain having to take Syrian refugees that could be terrorists for example. Despite the solid arguments in favor of the "remain", regardless of Cameron's renegotiation of the conditions with Europe and even after one prominent and charismatic politician who supported the "remain" was murdered, the Brexit won. So far the consequences of the Brexit are as bad as they anticipated. It turns out that the pessimistic scenarios were true. So how come the Brexit won despite the multiple arguments and clear warnings? The British voted in favor of Brexit with their hearts, not with their minds. And in the case of Trump, the supporters who are backing him are also motivated by their sentiment. In general, voting for someone or something is not essentially a rational decision made after a thorough process of reflection and assessment of the options or based on analysis of the facts, campaign platforms and consequences. Most people vote for someone or something predominantly motivated by emotional factors, with some facts in mind. In general, they vote for values and principles, not for complex proposals. They support those who validate their views and empathize with them. Liking the candidate (or disliking the opponent) is a must. Understanding the public sentiment and addressing it is the key to winning. Yes, the key. Advertisement Effective communication is achieved through empathy. Emotionality is essential to empathize and to connect. Take Donald Trump for example, he can be criticized for his racist and misogynous views, his temper or radicalism, but few can doubt his communication skills. The guy is a natural communicator with a superb capacity to connect with his crowd and deliver his message no matter what. Ask him his opinion about astronomy and he would probably reply he "loves" astronomy so much because it's about stars, each one representing a state in the flag of America, and he will "make America great again." How many facts or figures he refers to? Very few, but how about the times he says: "We don't win anymore. When I am President we are going to win again, believe me folks." Trump and his advisors probably found that their target audience felt defeated, excluded from progress and evidently frustrated. Some maybe lost their jobs and others can't find a good one or make enough money. Instead of explaining to them how he would solve their problems, Trump addresses their mood, empathizes and tells them he will make things better. In short, find a sentiment, validate it, and promise to solve it. Keep the messages short so the media cannot edit them, the people cannot forget them, and repeat the message over and over again to maintain the emotion. That's the recipe and what a recipe it is. Does Hillary Clinton do the same? Nope. She reads speeches, explains a lot, argues, invokes her experience, changes the message before it sticks, doesn't display too much emotion, and rarely talks spontaneously about her personal life. Politically correct, very experienced, presents thoughtful proposals to solve issues but she doesn't fully connect. Can anyone remember one of Clinton's phrases that sticks? Nope. It is almost as if she wouldn't want to be liked, just respected. She does good with the already democratic more rational-informed voters but she could add so many more if she and her team addressed public sentiment. Perhaps power is the flame wooing some "evangelical" moths. They can't help themselves - even when the flame is a bona fide proto-fascist liar, wife dumper, misogynist, strip-club owner, narcissistic megalomaniac, and Muslim and Mexican hater. Such is my takeaway after sifting through the news of Donald Trump's newly-appointed Evangelical Advisory Board. The Donald gushed: "I have such tremendous respect and admiration for this group and I look forward to continuing to talk about the issues important to Evangelicals, and all Americans, and the common sense solutions I will implement when I am President." Yeah. Sure. Several on the board stressed that their membership should not be seen as an endorsement, but surely they could have anticipated lines like this Religion News Report lead: "Evangelical leaders have made their concerns about Donald Trump loud and clear. That is, until yesterday when prominent holdouts announced that they were joining Trump's Evangelical Executive Advisory Board." Advertisement A Closer Look First, notice who is not named. All of evangelicalism's leading intellects are distinctly absent. The presidents of Fuller, Trinity, Gordon-Conwell, Dallas, and Asbury theological seminaries aren't there, nor are the current presidents or executive directors of any evangelical denomination. Pastors Bill Hybels and Rick Warren are not there. Jack Hayford is not there. No Vineyard pastor is there. There is no representative from the governing board of the National Association of Evangelicals. To repeat: The alliance representing some 40 evangelical denominations and a slew of churches and individual members is not at the table. So who is named? Some of the more famous include: Richard Land: Southern Evangelical Seminary's current president and the former head of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. He wrote this in Charisma News on March 3: "... it must be said, before it is too late, that whatever the problems may be, Donald Trump is not the answer. I fear that the millions of Americans who are putting their trust in Mr. Trump will be bitterly disillusioned if he were to obtain the nation's highest office." Land lost a lot of his evangelical mojo in 2012, when he said the Obama administration used the Trayvon Martin case to "gin up the black vote." An investigation later found he often lifted his commentaries from others without attribution, hedging the ethics title in his commission. He stepped down. Why the shift, Dr. Land? How has Trump changed? James Dobson: The founder of Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council, through which he baptized right wing politics in the name of Christ. Dobson resigned as Focus's president and CEO in 2003 and stepped away from his role as chairman of the board in 2009, citing differences with his successor, Jim Daly (Daly veils his political preferences). Dobson once criticized both Rubio and Trump: After they "announced they would accept the Supreme Court's ruling on gay marriage, we knew we could not support them." Advertisement Dobson has always found the flame alluring. Michele Bachmann: The former congresswoman and presidential candidate may be a sincere evangelical, but she is not an evangelical leader. There's a difference. Kenneth and Gloria Copeland: Kenneth is one of the architects of the "Health and Wealth Gospel," which many evangelical denominations - including Pentecostals - have labeled a heresy. They hosted a conference in January at which Rafael Cruz, father of the presidential candidate, preached. Copeland introduced the elder Cruz with these words: "I believe, with all my heart, that his son is called and anointed to be the next president of the United States." Has God changed his mind? Tony Suarez: The executive vice president of the National Hispanic Leadership Conference said this in November: "As Donald Trump once again reveals his true character we are one day closer to this embarrassing reality showing coming to an end. The only thing more embarrassing than this campaign is watching preachers who support Trump and even manipulate scripture to invent false prophecies regarding Trump. He's not 'the Trumpet.'" Suarez has explained his board membership: "I feel that I can best serve the Body of Christ and the Latino community by coming to a table of reason, rather than exchanging rhetoric for rhetoric. For months, we've been asking Mr. Trump to not just build a wall, but to build a bridge between his campaign and the Latino community. The formation of the board and his invitation for me to be a part of it gives me hope...Should Hillary Clinton ask me to serve on an advisory board, I will gladly say 'yes.' So far, she hasn't, but Mr. Trump has and he deserves credit for it." I don't question his sincerity, but I would ask: Did you not anticipate how this would be seen? Or did the flame feel so warm and comfortable? Advertisement Paula White: Another Health and Wealth advocate and the senior pastor of New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka, Florida. She co-founded Without Walls International, a Tampa megachurch that grew to 25,000, with her former husband, Randy. The couple separated in 2007. She admitted to an "inappropriate" relationship with faith healer Benny Hinn after her divorce - although she claimed they did not have an affair. Ralph Reed: Him again. Enough. See the full list below. Many have been Religious Right advocates for years, which prompted this June 21st tweet from Russell Moore, Land's replacement at the Southern Baptist Religious Liberty Commission: "If you wondered why younger, theological, gospel-centered evangelicals reacted neg to the old guard Religious Right, well, now you know." Flames Can Feel Good - at first I understand the lure of the flame. I've touched it in my political involvement. Dropping in on senators and congressmen and rubbing shoulders with BCVIPSINW (Big Christian VIPS in Washington) gets heady very quickly. But then you peer into the lives of some BCVIPSINW and you find towering egos and spent marriages. The late David Kuo wrote all about it in his book, Tempting Faith. He talked about his own moral failures - including his divorce and fathering an out-of-wedlock child - while decrying Clinton's immorality. Later, in the Bush years, he found that Republicans don't take evangelicals that seriously. Many evangelicals got burned in the unholy Religious Right. Fortunately, the vast majority refuses to be moths this time. The full list: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at Turnberry Golf course in Turnberry, Scotland, June 24, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri Donald Trump's name lends itself to all sorts of mashed-up words, but we find it doesn't really work with the big story of the week. British voters decided to take the so-called "Brexit" (or "British exit") from the European Union. But what should we call the increasing stream of Republicans flowing away from Trump's campaign? Truxit? Trexit? See, it just doesn't work all that well. But whatever you call it, the number of GOP stalwarts now taking the Trump exit continues to increase. It's kind of astounding that so many in the party are fleeing their own presidential nominee, since this (to put it mildly) isn't normal. Normally, the party rallies around their candidate right about now, but these are not (again, to put it mildly) normal times. Advertisement Just in the past week alone, we had well-respected Republican foreign policy wonk Brent Scowcroft actually endorse Hillary Clinton for president. That's pretty stunning. Then there were a list of 50 Republican business leaders who also publicly announced they were supporting the other party's candidate. George Will is now pleading with Republican donors to not give Trump a thin dime. Senator Mark Kirk, who is in fear of losing his seat in Illinois, is proudly running away from both Trump and his own party (his recent ad boasts Kirk "bucked his party to say Donald Trump is not fit to be commander-in-chief"). Go on, tell us how you really feel, Senator Kirk! One Republican was a bit more eloquent about his disgust towards Trump. Lionel Sosa, described as: "One of the few Hispanic political operatives able to help Republican candidates win large percentages of Latino voters," will be leaving the Republican Party if it nominates Trump. He explains why he's made this decision: I'll have to bid [the Republican Party] farewell, hoping that one day soon, it comes to its senses. Here's my thinking. This madness could be temporary because our nominee is not really a Republican. Not a real conservative. He's just a shark, a self-promoter out to see how far his out-of-control ego can take him. Instead of "Tear down this wall," the party promotes a new and bigger wall. A thousand points of light has been replaced by a thousand points of anger. In place of compassionate conservatism, our nominee promotes callousness, extremism and racism. And instead of a unifier, the party now cheers the ultimate "us against them" proponent. Divisiveness incarnate. Wow. And that's all coming from Republicans, mind you. The Trump campaign had another bad week all around, beginning with Trump firing his campaign manager. The news that the campaign is essentially broke also hit hard. Trump ended the last filing period with less money in the bank than many House candidates. Hillary is outspending him in battleground states by over a $20-million-to-zero margin. Advertisement From all reports, Trump just doesn't like to do fundraising. Fundraising is a part of politics that most politicians hate, because it involves picking up the phone and calling wealthy people to ask them to send you a bunch of money. It's tawdry -- there's no getting around it. Trump, so far, seems not to have called anybody on the GOP's "big donors" list. This, in addition to the "we're flat broke" campaign finance report, means GOP donors are now less inclined to make donations, even if Trump calls them up and personally asks. "Why throw away money on a losing cause?" the fatcats wonder. Making it even harder in the future for Trump to raise funds. It's a vicious cycle, and it couldn't be happening to a more deserving guy, really. Trump tried to get back on offense this week, by giving a speech outlining all the ways he's going to be attacking Hillary Clinton over the course of the campaign. Unfortunately for Trump, most of it was laughably inaccurate and some of it descended to the level of flat-out conspiracy theory. Especially amusing was his claim that Clinton "was asleep" when the tragedy in Benghazi happened (she wasn't -- it was three o'clock in the afternoon when the call came in, not three in the morning). Clinton also gave a speech which attacked Trump right back. She got off one amusing line during it (about how all Trump's books "seem to end at Chapter 11"), but she still needs some work on her delivery. But beyond oratory style, Clinton's biggest danger this year is going to be running a too-conventional campaign strategy against Trump, who is making up his own rules as he goes along. One thing Clinton should do to practice facing hostility would be to give a press conference (since it's now been over 200 days since she last did so). If you can't even face reporters' questions, after all, how are you going to ever face Trump on a stage? Three names have popped up on the shortlist for Hillary's veep choice: Senator Tim Kaine, HUD Secretary Julian Castro, and Senator Elizabeth Warren. Warren will actually be appearing on the stump with Hillary in Ohio on Monday, which could serve as an audition of sorts. Reports are that Clinton and Warren don't exactly have a close relationship, though, and there was a very disturbing story in Politico recently -- which was disturbing on a number of levels: Big Wall Street donors have a message for Hillary Clinton: Keep Elizabeth Warren off the ticket or risk losing millions of dollars in contributions. In a dozen interviews, major Democratic donors in the financial services industry said they saw little chance that Clinton would pick the liberal firebrand as her vice presidential nominee. These donors despise Warren's attacks on the financial industry. But they also think her selection would be damaging to the economy. And they warned that if Clinton surprises them and taps Warren, big donations from the industry could vanish. "If Clinton picked Warren, her whole base on Wall Street would leave her," said one top Democratic donor who has helped raise millions for Clinton. "They would literally just say, 'We have no qualms with you moving left, we understand all the things you've had to do because of Bernie Sanders, but if you are going there with Warren, we just can't trust you, you've killed it.'" Personally, we think that is a dandy reason to pick Warren. Pissing off Wall Street would be a good thing, in our book at least. Forgive my language, but it actually comes from one of these donors, explaining why they wouldn't speak on the record: "There is no upside to my talking to you on the record. Either I piss off the Clinton campaign or I piss off Warren, or both." Like we said, the whole article was a pretty cynical look at how politics works these days. Speaking of denouncing such a rigged system, Bernie Sanders made crystal clear what he wants now, in an op-ed he wrote for the Washington Post. Here are his opening and closing paragraphs: As we head toward the Democratic National Convention, I often hear the question, "What does Bernie want?" Wrong question. The right question is what the 12 million Americans who voted for a political revolution want. And the answer is: They want real change in this country, they want it now and they are prepared to take on the political cowardice and powerful special interests which have prevented that change from happening. . . . What do we want? We want to end the rapid movement that we are currently experiencing toward oligarchic control of our economic and political life. As Lincoln put it at Gettysburg, we want a government of the people, by the people and for the people. That is what we want, and that is what we will continue fighting for. Bernie now says he'll vote for Hillary Clinton, so he's edging closer to trying to unify the Democrats for the general election campaign. Advertisement In other news, Marco Rubio has decided that he will, after all, run for re-election. The Washington Post summed this up in a single headline: "Marco Rubio Is Running For Senate Again. So That He Can Run For President Again." Florida voters, beware! It was a busy week for the Supreme Court, with rulings that watered down the Fourth Amendment, reaffirmed affirmative action in college admissions, and punted (with a 4-4 tie) on Obama's immigration plans. This last one was a political loss for Obama, as he likely won't be in office when the issue is fully resolved. In marijuana news, there is a bipartisan bill moving in Congress to essentially remove all the restrictions on medical marijuana research. The astonishing part is that it was written by both strong supporters of ending the War On Weed as well as the staunchest drug warriors in the House. Maybe with those co-sponsors it has a chance of passing, who knows? Data is now in from Colorado, showing that legalizing recreational marijuana use among adults had almost no impact on underage marijuana use. None! If anything, teen use went down because of legalization. Add that to the enormous heap of wrong predictions (and outright lies) the public has been told about marijuana, for approximately the last century. In related news (heh), Led Zeppelin won a court challenge to the originality of "Stairway To Heaven." Advertisement All kidding aside, we'll end where we began, with Donald Trump. There's one Republican candidate for office (for a House seat from Tennessee) who obviously isn't taking the Trump exit. In fact, he's actually gone beyond Trump in racism (something that's not all that easy to do). He put up a proud sign with his own charming take on Trump's signature slogan: "Make America White Again." Hey, since it seems to be the year to discard all the dog whistles in favor of just saying what you feel, why not? The sign later came down, but it's obvious we're in for a whole different style of politics on the Republican side, possibly for a long time to come. This one is obvious. The Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week this week was Representative John Lewis, veteran of the Civil Rights battles, who staged a sit-in on the floor of the House of Representatives which lasted over 25 hours, in an effort to force a vote on gun control legislation that 85-to-90 percent of Americans want to see happen. We already wrote this past week about what a brilliant piece of political theater this was. In fact, in the very first blog post I ever wrote, I called on Democrats (who, in 2006, were also in the minority in Congress) to start playing some offense instead of just moping about not being in charge: Realistically, since Democrats don't control either house of Congress, they can't schedule floor votes on their issues (or even get them out of committee). But that doesn't mean they can't use the media to effectively start a national debate on their own "hot button" issues. . . . There's no shortage of good hot button issues to pick from that poll at 60%, 70% or even higher with the general public -- in both blue states and red. . . . Democrats need to take back Congress, but the only way they'll do it is to give people a good solid reason to vote for them, not just against the other guys. Something Americans would be for without caring which party thought it up. Something a devout churchgoer in the Deep South could support as enthusiastically as a tree-hugger in San Francisco. Republicans can scream and rant about being anti-this or anti-that until they're blue in the face, but the average swing voter is going to think: "Wow, that's a good idea. That would make my life easier. I'm voting for that." This is precisely what the House Democrats just did. Following the Senate's lead (after Chris Murphy's filibuster), they focused on only two gun control bills: universal background checks, and banning suspected terrorists from buying guns. Both poll astronomically high with the public at large. Democrats are now vowing to vigorously make their case out on the campaign trail. This is a great idea. Put as much pressure on Republicans as humanly possible on both issues. The campaign ads would almost write themselves ("Congressman Smith wants terrorists to be able to buy guns!"). For leading this effort in the House, and for showing the country what Democrats look like when they're on offense, John Lewis is easily our Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week. He took an old civil disobedience idea and masterfully used it to radically change the debate on a very important issue. A hearty "Well done!" to Congressman Lewis and all the other Democrats who stood (or "sat") by him. [Congratulate Representative John Lewis on his House contact page, to let him know you appreciate his efforts.] Sadly, this one is also pretty easy this week. Representative Chaka Fattah was convicted of financial racketeering charges this week. You can read the whole sordid story for the details, if you'd like. Advertisement The icing on the cake, though, was Fattah's announcement (after he had been found guilty as sin) that he would be stepping down from his seat... in October -- the day before he will be sentenced. Because, you know, another three months of salary isn't too much to ask, right? Republicans began moving quickly to force Fattah out, so he quickly decided that it'd be better for everyone if he just stepped down immediately. But even attempting to cash a few more paychecks after a racketeering conviction was a pretty nakedly greedy move, so both for his many crimes and his attempt to cash in until the last possible day, Chaka Fattah is unquestionably our Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week. [Since he is no longer a member of the House, his contact page will no longer be available. Maybe you could write to him when he starts his prison term, if you'd like to let him know what you think of his actions.] Volume 397 (6/24/16) Before we begin this week's talking points, we have some old business to take care of. A few weeks back, in FTP [374], we ran the final round of our "best playground taunt to call Donald Trump" contest. We had four finalists, but in the end we're going with the simplest and most elegant of the choices. We felt it was the most versatile, the most cutting, and the most dismissive label of all the suggestions we received. The runner-up slogan is funnier, we do admit: "Crazy Uncle Donald." It universally brings to mind that relative you only see at Thanksgiving and Christmas who revels in being politically incorrect. However, we see this one as better for surrogates and attack dogs to use against Trump, because it is a little too blunt for a presidential candidate (one not named Trump, at any rate) to use. The word "crazy" is just a wee bit too much, at least to us. Advertisement Which is why we decided on "Poor Donald" instead. This is even more appropriate now that the Trump campaign appears to be in financial trouble. It fits in with Trump's refusal to release his tax returns -- probably because he wants to hide how little he's actually worth. Literal meaning works just fine in saying "Poor Donald," but it also brings to mind nothing short of pity. It evokes the flavor of "Richie Rich, the poor little rich boy." Poor Donald -- we should all hold a pity party for him. We feel that this is calculated to get under Trump's orange skin in multiple ways, which was the whole point of the contest in the first place. So we congratulate Balthasar, a commenter at my blogsite, who came up with the winning entry. Woo hoo! You have earned respect (but, unfortunately, no actual prize), and we will begin using "Poor Donald" as many times as we can in the coming months. OK, that's enough old business, let's get on with this week's talking points. As always, use responsibly. 92 percent These first two come from a CNN poll with some eyebrow-raising statistics. "Democrats in Congress held a sit-in this week to draw the public's attention to how bought-and-paid-for all the Republicans are on commonsense gun control laws. The N.R.A. calls the tune, and the Republicans dance. They refuse to even bring up a bill expanding background checks, even though an astounding ninety-two percent of the public agrees with the idea. Over nine out of ten Americans want Congress to act -- and we bet that includes a whole bunch of constituents who are paying attention now and who will be paying attention this November in the voting booth." 85 percent These first two are (if you'll forgive the analogy) a double-barrelled shot Democrats should be verbally firing. Advertisement "In the same poll, almost as many Americans support banning people on federal watchlists from buying guns -- an astounding 85 percent of the public agrees with the idea. What's even more startling is that the support among Republican voters is actually higher than the average. A whopping ninety percent of Republicans want to see people on the No-Fly List or other terrorist watchlists banned from buying guns. Once again, in case you missed it, ninety percent of Republicans want to see Congress act. The N.R.A. doesn't want Congress to act. It's pretty easy to see that Republicans are completely ignoring the will of the people -- their own partisan voters, even -- in favor of kowtowing to a big campaign donor." Getting out in front, for once As mentioned earlier, it certainly is nice to see Democrats playing offense, for once. "Count me among those who are pleased that Democratic politicians are making a stand (by sitting down) and for once going on offense on a political issue with sky-high public support. They should continue protesting Republican inaction right up to the election, in fact. Republicans have always been eager to explain why certain laws needed to pass for national security, always helpfully pointing out: 'If you're not a terrorist, this won't apply to you, so don't worry!' But when the subject of allowing suspected terrorists to legally buy high-powered military weapons, then Republicans balk. The public is not on their side, and Democrats are the ones showing leadership this time around. We can't force Paul Ryan to hold a vote in the House, but maybe if we make this a centerpiece of the election, we'll be able to get a vote under Speaker Pelosi next year. The time for moments of silence is over. The time for action is here. And you can bet your bottom dollar Democrats will be pointing this out from now to Election Day." Ryan's other failure this week Paul Ryan has had a pretty miserable week. So point it out! "Paul Ryan rolled out the long-awaited official Republican replacement of the dreaded Obamacare this week. Initially, Ryan promised he'd roll out actual legislation to accomplish this, but then he found out this was too hard to do, for a simple reason: the numbers just don't add up. When you propose a bill, it has to be 'scored' to see what the outcome will be in dollars and other statistics (like number of people insured). But all the Republican ideas -- each and every one of them -- will actually cost more money than Obamacare, and have a worse outcome. So Ryan instead decided to just put out a 'white paper,' which is Washington-speak for 'some vague ideas with no actual details or numbers.' Republicans have had six years to offer up their magical replacement plan for Obamacare, and they still cannot do it because the numbers just don't add up." Speaking of political stunts... But there's an even better way to drive this point home. "Paul Ryan complained that the Democrats were doing nothing more than (as he put it) putting on a 'political stunt' with their sit-in. If you're wondering why he's so cranky on the subject, it's because the Democratic effort completely buried his own political stunt this week. Ryan rolled out his replacement for Obamacare, straight from the Land of Make-Believe, which has no details and no numbers. When he took over leadership of the House, he promised he'd pass actual legislation -- an actual bill to replace Obamacare. He could not do so because, as always, the Republican numbers just don't add up. So rather than provide real numbers, Ryan decided a political stunt would do the job just fine. Too bad for him that he chose a week to pull this stunt when Democrats showed how much better they are at political theater. Ryan was upset because their stunt blew his away in the media world, plain and simple." Taking the Trump exit Although admittedly not as catchy as "Brexit," we think this phrase nicely balances "jumping on the Trump train." When you want to get off it, it's not a train, it's a highway -- and many are already heading for the exit lane. "At this point, you have to wonder how many Republicans are going to eventually decide to take the Trump exit. Brent Scowcroft and 50 Republican business leaders did so this week, declaring their support for Hillary Clinton rather than supporting their own party's nominee. Latino Republicans are heading for the exit, too. Conservative columnist George Will is begging Republican donors not to donate to his party's presidential nominee. Has America ever had a presidential election where so many respected voices from one party have denounced their own nominee? At this rate, I'd have to warn Republicans to head for the Trump exit ramp as soon as possible, because as time goes by a real traffic jam may develop." Only one year? And finally, we had to end on a happy note. "Can you believe it's only been a single year since the Supreme Court upheld marriage equality all across America? Thinking back to the time before the court ruled on the matter once and for all is like remembering some much more distant era in history. In only a year, gay marriage has been almost completely normalized. The political fight is over. Opponents have moved on to other (and smaller) political battlefields, and even Republican candidates for office now regularly refuse to even talk about gay marriage. That's a big change from when they confidently used it as a wedge issue in every election they could. Such a big change has happened so swiftly that it now feels like gay marriage was legalized a lot longer ago than a single year, in fact. This is the ultimate victory, folks -- the other side has completely given up the fight. Soon it will become hard to remember a time when marriage equality wasn't the law of the land for all." Advertisement Chris Weigant blogs at: Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant Full archives of FTP columns: FridayTalkingPoints.com THE SINGAPORE RESEARCH STORY: edited by Hang Chang Chieh, Low Teck Seng, and Raj Thampuran; World Scientific Publishing, Inc. 2016 Reviewed by Don C. Reed Disclaimer: World Scientific published one of my books, "STEM CELL BATTLES: Proposition 71 and Beyond", so I am perhaps biased on their behalf. Question: could a small island nation, endowed with few natural resources or financial backing-- become a world leader in biomedical research? Advertisement Answer: "In little more than a decade, Singapore established a thriving biomedical industry from scratch...In 2000, it started to invest in a Biomedical Sciences initiative... by 2012, this industry had grown to more than...$24 billion (US) dollars ...." "Many leading ...companies (including Pfizer, Abbott, GlaxoSmithKline, Lonza, MSD, Novartis, and Sanofi-Aventis) have made Singapore their global manufacturing base..." When Singapore became independent in 1965, it was a third world country with few advantages. It could easily have been a country with cheap labor as its only edge, taken advantage of by other nations. Instead, it became a prosperous country whose population is well-educated, and with an economy based on information, science--and jobs. Today, Singapore's unemployment rate is less than 2%. In a series of densely-packed chapters, we see the transformation of a nation. A key policy was a willingness to seek out information from outside experts first, and then adapt their suggestions to fit Singapore. Advertisement For instance, in 1970, an Israeli scientist, Dr. Meir Ben Zvi, offered a detailed plan to develop Singapore's "qualified scientific... personnel" by sending students overseas to study. A civil servant, Philip Yeo, developed that concept, which he called "guppies and whales", sending out "guppies", students to learn, and bringing in "whales", international experts. Yeo worked closely with the visionary Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee, who gave him considerable leeway. Look anywhere in Singapore's research world, and you will see both men's fingerprints. Yeo brought change, the Finance Minister backed him up. If anyone complained, Goh Keng Swee would say "What can I do? That's Philip!" A small but telling example: Yeo changed the name of Singapore's biomedical division, from something people could not remember, the National Science and Technology Board (NSTB) to Agency for Science, Technology and Research-- A*STAR-- because A*STAR is the top grade every student can achieve in a Singapore school. Advertisement One tragic but inspirational story concerned a brilliant young scientist, Tsao Chieh, who developed a life-threatening disease. Yeo arranged for therapy from outside Singapore to be brought in--but Tsao had an immunity to the cure itself, and died. "Here I was, watching a young life die before my eyes," said Philip Yeo, "And there was nothing I could do..." In 1983, Nobel laureate Dr. Sydney Brenner gave a hugely influential series of lectures about biomedicine. Goh Keng Swee arranged for those lectures, and worked to make their message become real. Working with Dr. Brenner, Philip Yeo made a list of 100 top scientists and tried to bring them to Singapore. "The first top scientist he attracted to Singapore to be Genome Institute of Singapore's founding executive director was Dr. Edison Liu... Remember the bird flu epidemic? Called SARS, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, "It was a global epidemic...controlling the spread of this highly communicable disease became paramount." Advertisement Dr. Liu mobilized the scientists. "I am calling on everyone to drop what they are doing to work on this problem.... In the morning we met with the team leaders and said, 'Okay, what are you going to do today?' At the end of the day, we met with the team leaders again and said, 'What happened today?' The gene sequencing team worked 24/7. I mean, they slept in the hallway." Singapore developed a testing kit for SARS, and was "cited by the World Health Organization as an exemplary country in its response. "...that experience made it obvious to all the decision-makers that their investment in the biomedical sciences was not just to get cash return in the stock market, it was (also) for national security..." Hepatitis B? Thanks to Singaporean efforts, that condition can now be diagnosed in two days instead of two weeks. Another biomed champion is A*STAR Chairman Lim Chuan Poh, formerly a Lieutenant General in the Singapore military. At the agency's 20th anniversary, he said: "...In the biomedical effort, we (built) capabilities for one big industry cluster. This was a new approach, a new strategy. That was how the research landscape changed...conceptually." The visual reality of the "one big industry cluster" was a series of 13 incredible buildings, Biopolis and Fusionopolis, designed by one of the world's greatest architects, the late Iraqi-Brit designer Zaha Hadid. Advertisement Two million square feet of shining steel, seeming to touch the sky, but designed to both meet the needs of science and to be inviting as a living space; so that scientists could get up in the morning, have breakfast, kiss the family goodbye--and be at work in 30 minutes! Like Biopolis, "The Singapore Research Story" is both practical and visionary: it belongs on the shelves of college, governmental, and public libraries, wherever students want to know: what can happen to a country, when science is respected. by by Dawna Jones, Connecting Decisions to Creating Prosperity The last thing my AirBNB guest said as she left to board a plane back to the U.K. was, "It'll be a Stay vote." She landed to discover her country had voted 'Leave'. Brexit refers to the vote June 23rd, 2016, where Brits voted to exit the European Union dragging Scotland and Ireland along with it against their will. The results were close. 'Leave' nudged out 'Stay' by a small enough margin to form a divide. In the aftermath, few are excused from absorbing the impact on family and friends whose lives now stand in the muddle of uncertainty. Business can learn a lot from how Brexit was handled. So can political decision makers. While the analysts and forecasters will weigh in on what happens next, now is a good time to reflect and learn from the Brexit experience. A Complex Decision Oversimplified The decision to stay or leave the EU is a phenomenally complex mash-up of politics, geopolitics, economic and social entanglements with benefits from being part of a larger community (including retired Brits living in sunnier places). Voting made the decision look simple. It was anything but. Media failed to communicate what was at stake, which opened up the ground for misinformation and more campaign style politics. Advertisement Business Lesson #1: Recognize Complex Decisions as Complex, not Complicated The majority of decisions made today, unless you are in operations carrying out a repetitive task until the end of time, are complex. However, they are treated as complicated. Niels Pflaeging, speaker and author of 'Organize for Complexity: how to get life back into work to build the high-performance organization', clarifies the difference: "Complicated operates in standardized ways... imprecision and uncertainty are diminished as far as possible. Such a system can be described in non-ambiguous cause-and-effect chains." "Complex systems produce surprises. They are living systems - That's why they may change at any moment....A complex systems behavior is non-predictable." You can observe complex systems but not control them. Applying Awareness to Complex Decisions Making decisions in complicated environments reflects the standardized routine. Little thought is given leaving the company exposed and ill-prepared for surprises. Advertisement Awareness Skill: Making decisions in complexity requires the capacity to observe the social and emotional network, communication systems being utilized and respond to what emerges. It is a much more expanded skill set. Deciding how to make a complex high stakes decision collectively demands capacity to recognize when the decision you face is complex so you don't risk oversimplifying for the sake of keeping it simple. Awareness Skill: Recognition that you're working with a complex decision allows you to chose a better process for leading and deciding. Technological innovation is generating collaborative tools at a rapid rate. A critical leadership skill is to understand the relationship and interaction between the governance structure (management or political) and the social and emotional pulse of the community. Put the two together and you are better equipped to make use of diversity and differences. Business Lesson #2: Choose the Best Tool for the Task By definition, voting is binary. Leave or Stay. Binary decisions attract emotional responses. Information isn't necessary for strong opinions to form. Cognitive bias, any one of a hundred and fifty distorting perception of reality, adds to the mix. The effect is that the decision, using voting, isn't based on information but on emotion. Brexit became a vehicle for the emotionally disenfranchised to declare their feelings as one 92 year old blind senior did when asking, "Which box is OUT (Leave) ?" Former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell wryly observed: "Democracy is a blunt instrument." Indeed. To avoid dividing nations internally, requires use of collaborative decision processes better suited complex issues. Advertisement While it's hard to imagine any company using a company-wide vote to make strategic decisions it is easy to imagine a decision being treated a binary choice or, worse, to forge ahead using only one option. Unless the habit of stepping back to reflect and see a wider view has been integrated into the decisions making mindset, you are working with a narrow field of view. And that's risky. Awareness Skill: Map out the impact of the decision on all the parties who will be affected by the outcome. Go deeper than the strategic level to explore the feelings that will emerge. Feelings power the mood and morale of a nation or of a company and directly impact resilience, innovation and creativity. Business Lesson #3: Observing Emotional and Social Dynamics Fear versus Hope and Aspiration Fear, anger, and isolation forged the Brexit outcome. Emotions are powerful. Peter Cook's aunt was afraid terrorism would erupt on the streets. Many who voted 'Leave' feel disenfranchised by their current economic conditions (a much larger systemic issues). Lack of trust is an undercurrent. Without a broader perspective, the impact of your choice is beyond view. Business has, for the sake of keeping it simple, largely operated under the assumption that emotions have no place in the workplace. Oddly, managers lacking trust in their own abilities confuse fear as a management style to control performance and behavior of 'subordinates'. In contrast, where trust is instilled it becomes the emotional engine for initiating and sustaining a culture of innovation. Without trust, failure is punished. Without failure, learning is impossible. Advertisement Neurologically humans are wired to pay more attention to threats than to opportunities. Neuroscientist David Rock points out that the brain has five times more real estate for threats than for good news. Recall the last confrontation you were in. Would you agree that the effects last longer? Fear or threat narrows the field of perception and shuts down the executive decision making function in your brain. Unless the choice is made to advance to a more progressive state of trust, business decisions makers are easily tempted to centralize control to get things done. Awareness Skill: Balance your emotional and social intelligence with becoming more contextually aware. Then you can better observe the influence of your environment and can act to bring balance back into the decision making process. Practice by observing where in the company you witness risk adverse thinking over risk taking. You will be able to detect how much trust is operating in working relationships. Business Lesson #4: Become Aware of the Thinking Being Stimulated Shifting from Duality to Unified Thinking Voting when applied to an intense emotional issue results in duality. 'We' versus 'They'. Then discussion focus on who is 'right' and who is 'wrong'. In the end, everyone loses because the collective health of the community is not factored in. Triggered by the binary nature of separation voting instigates, Brexit reeked of duality thinking. Early on before the vote results were out, one 'Leave' proponent pointed to the rally of the pound as evidence that the 'Leaves' were 'right'. It was a short-lived celebration before the pound tanked. In Brexit, the Leave side (52%) claim they are the working class, leaving 48% as 'elite'. Blame is stronger than vision by far. The vote was for what was or wasn't wanted, not for a future that supports the economic and social health of Britain. Advertisement The we-they dynamic should ring some bells in companies where executives and management have become distanced from what is going on in their company, otherwise known as 'the gap' between management and employees. Awareness Skill: Decisions made at a distance from those impacted will not be accurate. Use dialogue to close the gap. Gain greater agility by working together to better adapt to surprises. Set aside 'being right' to leave behind the 'thinker-doer' division characteristic of large hierarchies. You will gain insight, creative genius and a workforce that is fully engaged and able to contribute more. Unified thinking requires a 'yes, and' approach. It also requires harnessing the power of collective intelligence which is much more accurate than any one decision maker. The days of treating companies as machines are long over yet out-dated decision making habits still run the show. Time to expand awareness so companies can integrate higher purpose into their contribution and succeed in a volatile world. Moving Toward Biosphere Consciousness or Away Advertisement The Brexit result has ramifications on the expansion of humanity's capacity to make decisions that impact all of humanity globally. Nationalist sentiment has merit but not when fear is the driving force. Since our collective security resides in the relationship between humanity and the life-support system of our home, the planet, moves to contract to an island mentality do not bode well for co-creating the future. Whether or not the European Union is the right vehicle to achieve a global and future-minded form of governance is not the question. My question is: How can we use the shocking outcome of Brexit to intentionally create better economic and political relationships to restore health of all of life? I was raised to believe I could rise. I think many of us were. Our parents taught us, in ways large and small, that what mattered most was not where we started out but where we were headed. It was passed down as promise that no matter who we were or where we came from, we all deserve to have a decent life, to know that we have the power to take care of ourselves and our families, to build our own futures. We believed it because so many of us were living it. The eldest of five children, growing up in a solid middle class household in San Antonio, Texas, I never doubted that the doors of opportunity were indeed open to me. And I saw how hard -- and successfully -- my parents worked to make it so. But this is sadly not the case for an ever-growing number of families, as we struggle societally with the impact of inequality and injustice. What our children seem to see most these days are their parents working harder but still somehow struggling more. Our cities, our neighborhoods, our housing so often trap us, offering only the most dimly lit paths to the opportunity and self-improvement that so many of us need. Advertisement It's staggering to realize that there is virtually no location in the U.S. where a full-time minimum wage employee can afford even a one-bedroom apartment. How can our cities be places of strength and stability when our workers can't afford to live in them? How can our neighborhoods remain places of rich diversity and experience? I have always believed that decent, affordable housing is crucial to creating economic mobility for families and to keeping our cities and towns vital engines of progress, and I've spent most of my working life championing innovations that strengthen efforts to make this fundamental building block of success accessible to all. It's why I'm so proud to support the mission of an organization like Habitat for Humanity, which just recently topped the Builder 100 annual list of private homebuilders in the country. Habitat also was recently named "Brand of the Year" in the social services nonprofit category based on the 2016 Harris Poll EquiTrend Study. This is the second year in a row Habitat has received this recognition. This year, it was also the highest ranked brand in "Trust" and "Love" in that same nonprofit category. I think it's worth examining why an undertaking like Habitat works so well and resonates with so many. Advertisement 1. Basic need. Habitat's work is focused on an identifiable and recognized need: partnering with families who are in need of decent shelter to build and improve places they can call home. We all agree that there is a dire need; Habitat's response is tangible, visible and measurable. 2. Earned benefits. Habitat homeowners earn their way toward a home, performing sweat equity to help build their houses alongside volunteers and paying an affordable mortgage. People recognize how uplifting this process is for all involved, and the fairness at the heart of Habitat's approach appeals to those who so strongly believe in offering a hand up, rather than offering a hand out. 3. Inclusiveness. In an era of "high tech," the Habitat experience is "high touch." That's something we innately enjoy, seek, need. And it's leveling -- people from all walks of life, classes, ethnicities, ages and genders come together in T-shirts, jeans and work boots to build side by side. Everyone has to stretch, learn something new and show initiative. 4. Permanent evidence. A decent, affordable house is an essential platform for all other dimensions of social progress: health, workforce training, raising children, family stability, economic advancement. The positive changes that families experience in Habitat houses are a tremendous legacy, a lasting reminder of the transformative power of hard work -- their own and that of those who helped them in their moment of need. Organizations like Habitat, with its clarity of purpose and its erasure of artificial divisions between groups of people, make an undeniable difference toward broader social advancement. And much advancement is desperately needed. The issues of housing affordability and quality -- and their profound impacts on social policy -- are only growing and should never be underestimated. It will take a tightly woven web of public, private and nonprofit actors like Habitat to ensure that we fully address such a complex and intricate issue. AYR, SCOTLAND - JUNE 24: Presumptive Republican nominee for US president Donald Trump gives a press conference on the 9th tee at his Trump Turnberry Resort on June 24, 2016 in Ayr, Scotland. Mr Trump arrived to officially open his golf resort which has undergone an eight month refurbishment as part of an investment thought to be worth in the region of two hundred million pounds. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Shortly after Tim Kaine had been elected Governor of Virginia in 2006, a discussion ensued among Democratic party leaders about the lessons that could learned from Kaine's victory. Some observations were interesting, others were not. One was particularly off the mark. Because Kaine had often spoken about his Catholic faith, and because Democrats ordinarily do not, some concluded that the lesson to learn from Kaine's win was that Democrats needed to make a point of speaking more about religion. The observation was correct -- Kaine did speak about his faith; but the conclusion was wrong. Advertisement Kaine is not your ordinary politician. He is soft-spoken and thoughtful. Never one for bluster or stilted speechifying, his style is easy going and conversational. He is also a Catholic who speaks comfortably about how his sense of morality and his commitment to serving those in need comes from the social gospel message of the bible and his experience as a volunteer worker in Latin America sponsored by the Jesuits. Over the next several months, I noted that one of the Democrats who had been influenced by this discussion began to speak, rather awkwardly, about his religious beliefs. At one point, having winced one too many times at his clumsy efforts to talk about his faith, I approached him and said "You have it all wrong. Tim Kaine didn't win because he spoke about religion. He won because he is authentic. And because he really is influenced by his faith. When he speaks about it, it's real and people can feel that. When you speak about religion, it's not real and it just doesn't work. Be authentic, don't fake it." This same dynamic was at work during this year's Democratic primary. To his credit, Bernie Sanders never faked it. He was compelling when he spoke about his immigrant father and the values he learned growing up in a working class immigrant home. When he was asked during a televised debate about his religious beliefs, he didn't attempt to fake it. Instead he spoke about his "spirituality" -- his belief that we are all connected to one another and, therefore, responsible to care for each other. It was moving and authentic. And because it was real, it registered well with the audience. I thought about this matter of religion in politics this past week, when I read news accounts of Donald Trump's meeting with a group of leading Christian Conservatives. Originally planned as a small "get acquainted" session, the event grew to over one thousand people. Since the Christian right represents almost 40 percent of the Republican electorate, the meeting was important. Trump needed their support. Advertisement Trump apparently knew his limitations. He didn't even try to convince the assembled religious leaders about his faith. At one point he spoke clumsily about the importance of sending children to Sunday school and at another he mentioned "when I used to go to church" implying that he no longer does. But none of this mattered to the assembled leaders. They are a self-righteous group who believe that they alone are in possession of God's truth. Instead of their political beliefs flowing from their faith, they attempt to give their conservative politics a religious coloration. They weren't interested in Trump's religion, what they wanted to know was that would endorse their political agenda. And he did, promising to appoint anti-abortion judges and to change the law that currently limits the ability of tax-exempt religious institutions from becoming directly involved in politics (which Trump endorsed saying "I think maybe that will be my greatest contribution to Christianity"). Though awkwardly phrased, Trump was direct in his appeal "You can pray for your leaders, and I agree with that -- pray for everyone -- but you really have to do is you have to pray to get everyone out to vote for one specific person" -- obviously meaning himself, Donald Trump. Not satisfied with this crass appeal for votes, Trump went further questioning Hillary Clinton's faith. "We don't know anything about Hillary Clinton in terms of religion... she's been in the public eye for years and years and yet there's nothing out there." That, of course, is sheer nonsense since it is well known that Clinton is deeply committed to her Christian faith. She often quotes scripture and her most genuine moments have been when she speaks about it. Coincidentally, I had just received a letter from a friend, an evangelical Christian leader, who told me that he had gone to high school with Clinton and how she had been a youth leader in the Methodist Church. He recalled her decades-long relationship with her pastor on whom she had relied for spiritual guidance. Advertisement In the end, it wasn't faith or the lack of it that mattered for the assembled Christian Conservatives. In reality, they were not embracing Trump for his religion or his authenticity. More likely, they suspended their disbelief, simply because they had come to accept that he would advance their earthly goals. A person holds European country flags in an hand and a United Kingdom flag in another on June 25, 2016 in Lille, northern France.European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said Britain's planned departure from the European Union was 'not an amicable divorce' but called for it to be quick. 'I do not understand why the British government needs until October to decide whether to send the divorce letter to Brussels,' he told German public broadcaster ARD late June 24, 2016. / AFP / PHILIPPE HUGUEN (Photo credit should read PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images) British voters have spoken and announced their intention to leave the European Union, or so it seems. But now it seems apparent that many supporters of Brexit, the plan to get Britain to exit the EU, were ignorant of the plan, hoodwinked by false data, and may be experiencing buyer's remorse, now that the economic consequences of the vote are becoming apparent. They resemble the silliness of efforts to prohibit certain types of alcohol. Back in the 1700s, gin was all the rage, thanks to the policies of King William and Queen Mary, who sought to stimulate consumption of alcoholic drinks made with domestic products, instead of foreign crops. Gin was in style, until 1751. Advertisement That year, William Hogarth completed the artwork "Gin Lane," which showed the "evils" of gin, with British society degenerating into chaos. The worst image was of a mother, drinking while her child spills off her shoulder, falling toward the sewer, as noted by BBC. The artwork produced such an outrage among those who fell for it, that the strongest possible anti-gin prohibition was passed, which nearly eliminated the drink from existence, as much of the stills and trade were banned. Few know the truth, that Hogarth was actually commissioned by beer producers to make the art. His creation "Beer Street" showed a prosperous London and its people, drinking in moderation while hard at work, according to Camilla Swift and Lara Prendergast with The Spectator. The same charade was repeated in America, where moralistic types backed the 18th Amendment, which banned the sale of alcohol. Economist Bruce Yandle writes about this phenomenon dubbed "Baptists and Bootleggers." Baptists would rail against the evils of beer and liquor, unaware that their efforts were financed by the bootleggers, who benefited from their illegal trade, and wanted to ensure that prohibition stuck around. Finally, the Baptists stopped being played for saps when the 21st Amendment passed, which legalized alcohol. Advertisement A number of gullible British voters thought they were doing the smart thing, as they were wooed by the Brexit forces, who promised them all kinds of goodies if they would leave the European Union. Research on Google searches shows there's a lot of concerns by British about the consequences of their actions. Take the 350 million pounds that Brexit supporters said would shift from the EU to domestic programs. Even Brexit supporters admit that this key claim was a lie. The economically hard hit area of Cornwall, England voted for Brexit, expecting to be "protected" now. They won't be. A lot of the hoopla was whipped up by former London Mayor Boris Johnson, hoping to take Prime Minister David Cameron's job. And he may well succeed. But as the country's currency, stock market and economy crumble, it seems like a high price to pay for someone's political ambition. America will soon face a similar number of temptations to renege on all kinds of international agreements that it signed in good faith with other nations. Supporters will promise all kinds of benefits they can't deliver. Learn from the British and the Baptists, and know what the real motives and consequences are of such rash decisions I've often thought it interesting that when SETI scientists imagine extraterrestrial civilizations, they usually think in terms of unified worlds that have one civilization. The image is very much unlike our world, in which we have multiple civilizations that are fractured and in conflict with other societies. The Brexit event of the past couple of days is a good example of just how fractured our world is as well as representing some solid data not in support of the idea that humans are becoming increasingly unified. When we imagine other worlds, we tend to take a distant view and create images that reflect a fictionalized, romanticized representation of life right here on Earth. Rather than fractured worlds with many civilizations like the one on which we actually live, many SETI scientists think in terms of what I call the Star Trek Imaginary, in which each world forms a civilization equivalent to a geopolitical unit on Earth. In other words, we think of alien worlds as unified political states or countries. There is a good chance that this is an inaccurate view of civilizations on other planets, but it still may be a useful way to think about extraterrestrial intelligence if only to deconstruct our assumptions about life on other worlds. Indeed, one way to use this image is to turn it around and think about Earth from the perspective of an alien world. This makes for an interesting thought experiment. Advertisement Suppose ET planted some sort of observational device near Earth, say, 6,000 years ago. Somehow, they had noticed that there seemed to be an emerging civilization and thought it would be interesting to study how things evolved. ET doesn't have a lot of time to spend on watching Earth and the observational device isn't sensitive enough to show all the nuances of political machinations throughout human history. So the data are limited in detail. The result is a wide-angle picture of Earth throughout history that gives a general sense of what cultural evolution on Earth is like. ET will have learned quite a bit, actually, about how humans evolve and form societies over time, but a lot of the detail will be left out. They probably won't get the nitty-gritties about the Brexit. So what would such a device tell ET? As I thought about this, I realized there would be one overwhelming image ET would get about Earth. And it's an image we here--with our close-up picture of our own history--don't usually associate with civilization on this planet. I think what ET might conclude is that Earth has been at war for about 5,000 years--pretty much non-stop. The first war in recorded history seems to have been in Mesopotamia around 2,700 BCE between Sumer and Elam, and from the outside it might look like it never stopped. Since that time, if one were to stand back a bit from Earth, there is a pretty good chance that warfare would be the dominant feature of human civilization. There is always war going on somewhere on Earth. It ebbs and flows in intensity. Sometimes it's regional; sometimes it covers most of the planet. But it is always there and it might look like one long war from an outside perch. If you didn't know all of the political and historical details, there would be no reason to assume that our history had been an endless string of wars rather than simply one really long one. Advertisement From our perspective, this would not be a very accurate picture. Different societies have had on-and-off periods of war and peace. And we don't tend to think about our civilization(s) as being characterized by a single war lasting 5,000 years, because we understand the geopolitical details in which there have been lots of wars over that time, not just one war. But if you look at Earth from the outside and treat human societies as a civilization, then it's probably a reasonable conclusion about us. From the external--or in anthropology what we would call etic--perspective, human civilization might appear to be based on and characterized by a single war that has spanned almost 5,000 years. This raises the importance of seeing the difference between proximate and distant perspectives and the difficulties in imagining intelligent life and civilizations on other worlds when we don't have a lot of data to work with (or in our current situation, without any data at all). SETI scientists often tend to impose their own assumptions about intelligence and civilization on imagined extraterrestrial worlds and those assumptions are shaped by ideas about the way our world is that: 1) may not be empirically accurate, and 2) are unlikely to reflect how we would look to outsiders. The devil is in the details, and we don't have any of those, since we have no evidence of alien intelligence. But even if we do get evidence sometime, we probably won't have much detail and we will need to be very careful to avoid imposing the Star Trek Imaginary--or any other set of assumptions--on what little data we receive. Standing back and trying to imagine what our world would look like to distant outsiders is a useful way of trying to control this tendency to imagine alien others in terms of romanticized images of ourselves. U.S. Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders pauses while speaking during a campaign stop in Albany, New York, U.S. June 24, 2016. REUTERS/Brian Snyder Over the course of this presidential campaign season it is safe to say that millions of people participated in what was to hoped to be a political revolution. Senator Bernie Sanders, was able to campaign across the country and inspire millions of people to challenge the Democratic Party. His stance on the corruption that fuels Wall Street, and the rich controlling politics reminded the everyday person that their vote might have a chance in this election. When interrupted by Black Lives Matter supporters early on in the campaign, Sen. Sanders did what all white people who truly believe in that sentiment should: He stepped aside and listened. After filling arenas to capacity, and breaking individual campaign contribution records the "Bern-man" himself, all but put out the Bern. Durning an interview on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Sen. Sanders was asked weather he would be voting for Hilary Clinton in November. As he uttered the words "Yes," it felt as if we had watched Rob Stark and his quest to be King of the North end all over again. Advertisement The 'Bern-man' himself, all but put out the Bern. Bernie Sanders set out to destroy the democratic establishment, and to the surprise of the status quo his message resonated with those who felt voiceless in the democratic process. Hilary Clinton will certainly be the Democratic Party Nominee, the system was rigged from the start for someone like her to win. If Bernie Sanders were just another Democratic candidate it would be far more acceptable, and expected for him to throw his support to Hilary Clinton and concede the race in an effort to "defeat Donald Trump." The problem with him doing so is that he essentially has let down the millions of people who don't just want to defeat Trump, but more importantly don't want another Clinton administration. A June 14th Bloomberg Politics national poll of likely voters in November's election found that barely half of those who favored Sanders -- 55 percent -- plan to vote for Hilary Clinton. With the GOP rallying behind racist Donald Trump, some Sanders supporters may see Hilary Clinton as the lesser of two evils. However I am more inclined to believe that Hilary Clinton is more dangerous than Donald Trump. Malcolm X talked about the wolf in sheep's clothing, in reference to white liberals and how white liberals are actually more dangerous than white supremacist like Donald Trump. We know Donald Trumps feelings towards the LGBT, Hispanic, and Black communities respectively, but when it comes to Hilary Clinton she has shown a pattern to pander for votes. Defeating Donald Trump is only half of the problem. I won't support a candidate who carries hot sauce in her bag to please Black people, all while ignoring the fact that the actions of her husband still have thousands of Black people locked up today for nonviolent crimes. I voted for the first time for Bernie Sanders, because I believed that together the everyday people in this country could unite and destroy the two party system. Call me a dreamer, but I figured I was voting for a man who had been fighting for the issues of oppressed groups longer than I've been alive, today I feel as though somehow I might have voted for anther politician at this point. Realistically speaking a win for this political revolution doesn't necessarily mean that Bernie Sanders becomes the next president, as long as we've created a lane for this revolution to continue. Getting Hilary Clinton to talk about certain issues simply isn't enough. Millions of people are drowning in debt; Black people continue to be victims of state violence without any accountability. We need more than political rhetoric. We need a complete overhaul of what democracy has become, and finally once and for all create a political structure that doesn't just represent the interests of the rich, but reflects those of us who work everyday just to make it until tomorrow. Advertisement June 24, 2016: I spoke to my friend in Britain this morning. Still absorbing the shock that her nation had voted itself out of Europe, she said, "Today I live in a different country." I recognized the sentiment. It was widespread in this country, the USA, in the wake of 9-11. When people said, "Everything has changed." Practical things will be different in Britain. Companies will migrate to the continent for free access to the larger market. Border crossings coming and going will become cumbersome. What will happen when passport control is reinstituted to move between Northern Ireland and the Republic, which is an EU member? Scotland, with a population already feeling largely alienated from the UK, voted 62% to remain in the EU. Will the desire to rejoin Europe lead to a new referendum to separate from the UK? But of course my friend meant more than practical questions. Already there is a mood that has set in. A new mood. One that recognizes that not only is today fundamentally different than yesterday, but that the difference will go forward for decades. Again the 9-11 analogy presents itself--in this country we are already fifteen contentious years into war footing. Advertisement There is an irony in this referendum having stamped the British future so heavily. It is disproportionately the work of an older generation that will not have to live with its long-term consequences. According to a YouGov poll, a huge majority of people under 50 voted to Remain. Among 18-24-year-olds, the age category that's going to have to live with the consequences of this vote for all of their working lives, 75 percent voted to stay. The vote is not just a clash of different ages, but of urban versus suburban and rural. The only region in all of England and Wales to vote in favor of remaining in the EU was Greater London. And that by a twenty percent margin. This cosmopolitan/provincial division will be familiar to Americans who have been paying attention to the Tea Party since 2009, and this year to Donald Trump's candidacy for the presidency. Trump himself certainly sees the connection. Here's what he wrote in an email to his followers this morning: Advertisement Last night UK voters shocked the world...reassert[ed] control over their borders, politics and economy...put the United Kingdom first and they took their country back. [T]he political elites didn't see this coming. Let's send another shockwave around the world. Commentators have been pointing out the similarities between the politics of Trump's rise to the Republican nomination and the anti-immigrant politics of the far-right parties that have mounted increasingly strong electoral showings in recent years throughout Europe. In Britain, that party, the UK Independence Party (UKIP), is the big winner in the Brexit vote. Today UKIP's leader, Nigel Farage, argued that June 23 should become a national holiday which would be called Independence Day. Sounding like Trump supporter Sarah Palin talking about the "real Americans," Farage boasted, "This is a victory for real people, a victory for ordinary people, a victory for decent people." He also claimed, probably correctly, that anti-immigrant parties across Europe, like the Marine LePen's National Front in France, will put EU-exit referenda before their national constituencies before long. UKIP had forced the hand of Conservative Party Prime Minister David Cameron to put Brexit up for referendum in the first place. Here too we find echoes of the Tea Party and Trump in their fraught relations with the establishment Republican Party. Far right Euroskeptic members of the Conservative Party had long been troubled by the growth of power and bureaucracy in Brussels. Increasingly, these members sounded like UKIP on the EU question. The pressure they brought to bear on the Conservative establishment resembled the demands of the Tea Partiers among the House Republicans who primaried Eric Cantor, the party's number two, out of office and brought down Speaker John Boehner after years of legislative obstructionism. All this, of course, turned out to be a prelude to Donald Trump's routing of the Republican establishment this primary season, based on an anti-immigrant appeal even more radical than UKIP's. In the UK the radicals forced Cameron to call for a referendum that he would finally campaign against. Cameron might never have called the referendum had it not been for the rise and rise of Nigel Farage and Ukip. By January 2013, when the prime minister called the EU vote, Ukip had started to gain traction in local elections and was polling in double digits for the first time. There was a feeling that several Tory backbenchers could defect if Cameron failed to heed their calls for a plebiscite. In the US, the Trump campaign has elicited the most serious discussion of the threat of fascism--even among conservatives--in modern memory. Wherever fascism has come to power, it has benefited from a conservative establishment that believed it could make use of a rising and obstreperous movement on its right to do in its liberal opposition. Conservatives believed they could ride out the vulgarity and extremism of the upstarts and maintain control. This, despite the movement's explicit opposition to established power wherever it lay on the political spectrum. In Italy, collaborating with Mussolini's Fascist Party, the country's most important conservative politician, Antonio Salandra, continued to call himself an "honorary Fascist" until shortly before Mussolini made his party illegal. In Britain and the USA, conservatives believing they could control the extremists to their right have both come a cropper this year. In the US, this comes after decades of far-right Republicans suppressing their resentment at the party's establishment for never quite coming through in office with promises--like getting rid of Obamacare--they made soliciting votes. Cameron announcing in 2013 he would have a referendum on leaving the EU; Trump riding down his escalator to announce his run for the presidency: in each case both media and political elites saw these moves as fancifully playing to small audiences. Conventional political wisdom failed to grasp the gravity of what was being launched. Trump's success among the white male working class has been a dominant theme of the primary campaign in the US. The wave of immiseration in post-Reagan deindustrialized America was described in a widely publicized study published last December that showed that epidemic rates of suicide and substance abuse--alcohol, heroin and prescription opiods--have combined to increase the mortality rate for whites between the ages of 45 and 54, with high-school education or less, in a manner paralleled "only [by] HIV/AIDS in contemporary times." A more robust welfare state has mitigated the worst health consequences of a similar development in post-Thatcher Britain. But the Brexit working class anti-EU voters seem to carry a similar resentment sensing themselves a class being left behind amidst flourishing tech and financial sectors. And in both countries, immigration has provided a ready-to-hand explanation of the dysfunctions of contemporary working-class life chances and the betrayal of the ruling elites. In the 1960s and 1970s writers like Thomas Bottomore, Nicos Poulantzas and A. F. K. Organski analyzed the conditions which made societies ripe for successful fascist movements. Fundamental to these theories was citing a national economic structure that had a great disparity in terms of modernization. Post-World War I Italy and Germany both had systems of agricultural land holdings (latifondisti and Junkers) largely unchanged since feudalism. This was in contrast to highly developed economic sectors like automotive and aeronautics. The coexistence of such mismatched sectors in a country created a "fascistogenic" potential, and much of this thinking gave rise to a functionalist view of fascism that saw it as a mechanism for rapidly developing countries into full modernization. The 18th-century Kuskovo park and the Dormition church at Veshniaki (built in 1644) are under threat of demolition... Kuskovo is the name of the estate of the Sheremetev family. It was built in neoclassical style in the 18th century. One of its famous proprietor was a Russian nobleman and courtier Pyotr Sheremetev. He was a lover of art and theater, and he spent a lot of money to restructure the Sheremetev Palace in St. Petersburg and the summer country house near Moscow. Initially Kuskovo was situated several miles to the east of Moscow. Now Kuskovo is part of the East District of Moscow where I live. The Sheremetev Sommer Palace is a very beautiful museum complex, it situated in the park of Kuskovo which was created between 1750 and 1780 as a formal Garden a la francaise. This park now is a favourite place of recreation, many Muscovites like it. It is old and beautiful where there are thousands century-old oaks and limes. Now these centenary trees are cut down for the construction of a highway called the Northeast chord.A Russian website informs, that the section of the Northeast chord running from Izmaylovsky to Shchelkovskoye Highway in Moscow will be operational before the end of 2017. ... Journalists were informed of the news by Pyotr Aksenov, first deputy of the head of the department of construction of Moscow. According to him, construction on the project is proceeding at full speed, as 45% of the work on underground engineering communications has been performed to date. This section represents the most complex part of the operation for the builders. Work on the construction of two highways has reached nearly 50% completion. The tunnel is 30% complete. The Northeast chord will connect the Northern, Northeast and East districts of the capital. Its launch will significantly alleviate the transport situation in these districts. Advertisement So, the alleviation of "the transport situation in these districts" the Moscow authorities are going to spend at the cost of old parks and churches. The first tree felling was held on 22 June, the day, when Operation Barbarossa (the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II) began. It was 75 years ago. What is the name of today's operation? May be Death Bird, because many nestlings have lost their home nest. The German writer Hermann Hesse wrote these beautiful lines --"For me, trees have always been the most penetrating preachers. I revere them when they live in tribes and families, in forests and groves. And even more I revere them when they stand alone. They are like lonely persons. Not like hermits who have stolen away out of some weakness, but like great, solitary men, like Beethoven and Nietzsche. In their highest boughs the world rustles, their roots rest in infinity; but they do not lose themselves there, they struggle with all the force of their lives for one thing only: to fulfil themselves according to their own laws, to build up their own form, to represent themselves. Nothing is holier, nothing is more exemplary than a beautiful, strong tree".The Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky considers this park and the museum complex located on its territory unimportant and insignificant, he allowed to cut down centenary trees. Advertisement A few weeks ago I was on a plane having an epiphany about second chances and perfectionism while watching a film. The film was Burnt and the story was about a star chef (played by Bradley Cooper) who had ruined an amazing culinary career at a young age. Adam Jones, played by Cooper, was trying to make a comeback in the restaurant world. Stakes were high, tempers were inflamed, and this film was sending me a profound message about my career as a writer. Maybe it was the rum and coke or the fact that I was sitting next to the world's grumpiest man, but Bradley Cooper's role as Adam Jones was making me emotional and speaking to me like I was on a yoga retreat. Advertisement It's rare I connect to the protagonist of a film in such a powerful way. The last film I'd deeply connected with was Waltz with Bashir, a film about a soldier suffering from memory loss and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I had never been a soldier, but my therapist had diagnosed me with PTSD and prescribed a litany of medications after I started seeing her for sleep disturbances after leaving a religious organization she later labeled a cult. My connection with Bradley Cooper's character felt profound in this moment on this plane. Like Cooper's character, I had walked away from a once in a lifetime opportunity. We'd both found some success at a young age (he with cooking and I with writing) and squandered it. He to drugs and I to my fears. Prior to getting on this flight, I had just sent an essay to my editor; the first essay that I had written and sought to publish in nearly two years. Not only was it the first essay I'd written in nearly two years; it was an essay on why I quit writing. I had included a candid look at my debilitating anxiety and made myself vulnerable to readers: sharing that medication didn't "fix" my suffocating fears. "Success" only made them worse. I was paralyzed by paranoia and isolated myself from nearly everyone I knew. The essay made me feel vulnerable and it illustrated how deeply troubled I had felt (and still feel) about writing. I didn't just identify with Adam Jones. I was Adam Jones, sans drugs. In Burnt, Chef Jones explains what happened to him: "At sixteen I quit school, I saved just enough for a one-way ticket to Paris. And maybe I just wanted it really badly and when I got it too early I didn't know how to hold onto it." Advertisement Like Chef Jones, I knew what I wanted an early age and went after it. I wrote my first novel in elementary school and sent it to a publisher only to have it rejected. When I began to write in college, I wanted nothing more than to publish and have the byline of my dreams. I did everything I could to make that happen: I got a degree in creative writing, wrote as often as I could, sought out mentors, read obsessively, and perfected my query letters. I wasn't even thirty and felt I'd "made it." To some degree I had. Publishers were, and still are, publishing books by popular bloggers and I had the kind of publicity requests most people with PR teams have. Blogging, and a compelling story, had done the work for me. I had the life every young writer aspires to have: some publications under my belt, a prominent literary agent courting my memoir, and interview requests about my writing occurring regularly. And then I got stuck. Very badly. I couldn't finish my memoir. I wrote tens of thousands of words many times over and none of them seemed right. This wasn't the story I wanted to tell and in part, it wasn't the whole story; I wasn't finished healing from the time I'd spent in a cult so how could I write about my grand epiphany if I hadn't had it yet. Memoir is about revelation; it's about the hero's journey, what they learn and how they change. Sure, I had changed. I had changed into a paranoid agoraphobe. How's that the happy, revelatory ending readers long for? I struggled and struggled until I finally put my memoir aside. Promising queries with several agents didn't matter as much to me as writing the right book did. I was proud of that decision, even though it wasn't an easy one. Advertisement One day I was chatting with my friend Traci Foust, author of Nowhere Near Normal, about my issues. She suggested I try writing a novel before my memoir, maybe even a novel about cults. It had worked for other writers, she said, and named a few. So eventually, the idea for my current novel was born. Within weeks I had a smart female protagonist that even I wanted to be like. She was the start of something fantastic. I could tell by the way she pulled me into her world and into her mind and didn't let me go. She was the kind of lead every author hopes for and she was right here in front of me. Unfortunately, after finishing the first and second drafts, something didn't feel right with this book. I started doubting the setting and storyline. The villain wasn't quite believable even though he was based in reality. Still, I sat down day after day to work on what I've nicknamed the Novel That Is Giving Me An Aneurysm and nothing came out. It was the most frustrating feeling in the world and I finally quit. For two years, I wrote almost nothing. My last novel draft eventually sat wide open on my bedroom floor, becoming a bed for my cat. I closed my blog and walked away from my career as a national recognized blogger about cults at the height of its popularity. I had twelve television producers interested in creating a show about my writing and I had been courted by a literary agent, but I was paralyzed. I was impotent. I felt like an utter failure. So what happens to those of us who, like Adam Jones, want it badly and find success early? Like Chef Jones said in the film, we don't always know how to hold onto it. And like Chef Jones, when we squander the one thing we wanted most we fall into a devastating, dark place where we lose faith in ourselves and our ability to create. I've thought a lot about why I let go of the one thing I've longed for more than anything and I don't have one good reason. In fact, I'm not even sure a person caught up in debilitating anxiety can make clear sense of the chaos in her head, but I have some ideas about why it may have happened. Advertisement Maybe the pressure was too much. As a perfectionist, I put an extraordinarily large amount of pressure on myself. The first draft had to be perfect. My book had to not only please agents; it had to please readers. Not only did it need to please readers; it needed to become a bestseller. That's an amazing amount of pressure to put on myself for my first book. I felt an insane amount of pressure in the spotlight, and amongst fans: the pressure to never have writer's block, the pressure to keep growing more successful; and the pressure to never make a mistake, not even one. In some ways, finding success made me feel unsteady; as if my self-worth was measured by what people on the Internet thought of me. When I wrote something unpopular and people sent me hate mail, I cried. When fans disagreed with me and "unliked" my page after publicly shaming me, I cried again. I let my value as a human and as a writer be directed what people thought and said about me. What was I so afraid of? As silly as it sounds, I was afraid of success. I was riddled with this idea that I wouldn't be able to "make it" and if I did, I would feel incredibly unstable. I can't say why this is true for me and not true for other writers, who have no trouble being insanely famous and maintaining their sense of self. I know others feel like me, though, and when I see celebrities losing their stability in the public eye it breaks my heart. I have, in some small way, felt like that way before. I was suffocated by the idea that I might make something of this writing thing and I was afraid of the very thing I had wanted all my life. Nothing gave me respite except taking several steps back and completely retreating offline. Like Chef Jones, I ran away from the one thing that reminded me of how I'd let myself - and in this case, others - down. During my retreat offline, I went completely silent. I ignored good people who were trying to give me opportunities for interviews and speaking engagements. I grew angry and bitter, unable to understand why I was so angry and unable to let go of it. Advertisement When I wrote about coming back to writing just a few weeks ago, I wasn't sure if I'd be met with excitement or radio silence. It wasn't entirely silent, but there weren't as many persistent fans like there were before. My fans hadn't been waiting for my return. They'd moved on and found someone else to read. On the one hand, this sense of silence was a good thing. There wasn't any instant pressure building. I knew I needed a fresh start. I wanted that fresh space to create something new and publish whatever I wanted to publish; not what I thought I needed to publish to make a career out of writing, as I'd done before. I knew this would be my reality; that my fans might have left or resented me or just grew tired of waiting for me. I knew it would be a slow build to find new readers. And somehow it felt satisfying. Quitting something you're passionate about certainly isn't easy. The last two years were complicated and dark. I'd retreated into the professional world, and resigned not to write again. I wondered what I was really "called" to do. And then as simply as my desire to quit came into my heart, my desire to write again started to take shape. It felt like hope and looked like courage. I started missing my readers and the incessant emails that had caused me to retreat. Advertisement Unlike the big splash I made in my twenties, I resigned to start over quietly. Instead of plowing through goals like the ambitious young woman I once was, I'm now working on writing my absolute best every time; thoughtfully connecting with my fans; and appreciating the moment I'm currently in. I may have a quiet inbox and no agenda, but I have the courage to write again. Oh and the Novel That Is Giving Me An Aneurysm? It's coming along much better now. Almost fifty years after the original 1965 Voting Rights Act fully protected the ballot box, the Supreme Court handed down the Shelby v. Holder decision which effectively dismantled key provisions of the historical civil rights legislation. The ruling set in motion what many feared: states subjecting minorities, seniors, and low-income Americans to unfair, punitive barriers designed to prevent them from exercising their right to vote. Since the 2013 decision, 33 states have implemented laws that again make it difficult for traditionally disenfranchised communities to cast their ballots. Just hours after the Supreme Court decision, my home state of Texas began to enforce one of the strictest voter ID laws in the nation. The new law requires citizens to present specific identification that is cost prohibitive for minority, poor, disabled, and elderly voters. Even "free" election certificates require obtaining supporting documents like birth certificates that vary in price range. Voters must now effectively pay at least $20 to $50 dollars before they can obtain an ID, register to vote, and then present that ID to cast their ballot. Frankly, the practice amounts to a modern day poll tax. That is why I introduced the Poll Tax Prohibition Act to forbid requiring a person to present solely forms of ID that have associated costs in order to vote or register to vote in a federal election. Until the ratification of the 24th Amendment in 1964, African Americans and other disenfranchised communities were legally required to pay to exercise their constitutional right to vote. Supporters of the strict ID laws claim that these laws are designed to prevent "rampant" voter fraud, which is why only certain forms of identification are acceptable. However, there is no evidence that in-person voter fraud is widespread or that accepting only certain forms of photo ID is the solution. According to a Department of Justice study outlined during a 2006 Congressional hearing, out of the 197 million votes cast for federal candidates between 2002 and 2005, only 40 voters were indicted for voter fraud. Only 26 of those cases or about .00000013 percent of the votes cast, resulted in convictions or guilty pleas. It is clear that the photo ID requirement is not a solution to a problem but is instead a political ploy to prevent traditionally disenfranchised populations from voting for the candidates of their choice. But it isn't just Texas leading the charge on finding roundabout ways to suppress today's voters. States like Wisconsin, that don't have a Civil War era history of discrimination, are now implementing some of the harshest voter ID laws as well. As a result, Mrs. Ruthelle Frank, who was born at home in Wisconsin in 1927, has been unable to vote. Unlike many Americans born at home by midwives, she was fortunate enough to have a record of her birth at the Wisconsin State Register of Deeds. However, Ms. Frank's maiden name, Wedepohl, is spelled incorrectly on her birth certificate which, under her home state's new voter ID law, renders it an unacceptable form of ID to re-register to vote. For citizens like Ms. Frank, the process to correct a birth certificate could cost up to $200, a costly expense for many senior citizens living on limited income. In Shelby v. Holder, the Supreme Court called on Congress to update the Voting Rights Act to meet modern needs and yet Congress has failed to enact pending legislation to restore the protections gutted by the Court. This November, the need to break down barriers for voters is more important than ever. Americans from my grandparents' era paid the price, both with their hard earned money and with their literal blood, sweat and tears, to exercise their right to vote. No American today should have to do the same. The Poll Tax Prohibition Act will encourage states to work towards finding fair means to identify voters and prevent fraud that will not infringe on citizen's right to vote. My 103-year-old grandmother has lived to see the ballot box protected for all Americans. Now, she has also seen people's suffrage compromised once again. I will not let that be the end of her story and we must not let it be the end of our legacy. A FEW NOTES ON THE DANGERS OF IMMIGRANTS AND THE DAMAGE THAT THEY DO I am reading Age of Discovery by Ian Goldin and Chris Kutaarna. Highly recommended. It's a comparison between the impact of the invention of the printing press in 1452 and the invention of the Internet and how disruptive they both were and how the responses were quite similar. Both, in a way, precipitated a massive increase in immigration, for a variety of reasons, mostly owing to economic dislocations caused by new industries that suddenly arose, and a massive increase of wealth that they brought about. That spike in immigration also brought about a predictable reaction from those 'left behind' in the creation of new economies -- The Renaissance then, the Digital Age and Globalism now. The recent Brexit vote and the support for Donald Trump largely stem from a similar kind of Immigrant Anxiety -- close the borders, control your borders, build that wall, leave the EU and so on. Advertisement As such, I thought it might be instructive to take a look at the actual impact of immigrants on both the U.S. and UK economies in the past decade: 1. In the first decade of the 21st century, immigrants paid in, via taxes some $150 billion into the UK than they took out. By contrast, natives took out a net of $1 trillion more than they paid in. 2. In the US, 2/3rds of the country's scientific workforce are immigrants, and 10% of IT jobs go unfilled because no one has the right qualifications to fill them. 3. In the UK 12% of the whole workforce are immigrants, but they fill 50% of new jobs because they are doing work no one else wants to do or no one else is qualified to do. Advertisement 4. The founders of PayPal, Intel, Google, and Tesla, among others, were immigrants. 5. Immigrants head up 52% of all Silicon Valley companies founded in the past 10 years and 25% of all US technology and engineering firms founded in the past 10 years. 6. Immigrant Nobel laureates, National Academy of Science Members and Oscar winning directors outnumber their native-born peers by a ratio of 3:1. When politics divides instead of unites, walls off instead of embraces, what, or who, can bind fractured societies? Spiritual authority and the arts step into the breach when political leaders fail. Pope Francis has become, in effect, the planet's pastor and reconciler-in-chief, washing the feet of the poor and incarcerated, taking in refugees at the Vatican, meeting with Muslim clerics, venerating China's long civilizational heritage and declaring that climate change and inequality are moral issues. Above all, his humility challenges the example of power through the power of example, exhibiting a reverence for human dignity in all its diversity. Advertisement The cellist Yo-Yo Ma is the pope's spiritual cousin in this cause, sounding the healing chord of fellowship instead of enmity. More than a musician, he, too, is a guiding spirit who rises to the challenge of a world unraveling. His Silk Road Project, started in 1998, brings "the music of strangers" -- also the title of his just-released documentary -- together to show the common humanity of diverse traditions from around the globe. The film is about art for life's sake, as Yo-Yo Ma likes to say. It doesn't shy away from political turmoil -- the Syrian civil war and refugee camps, the Iranian Revolution, China's Cultural Revolution -- that turns the lives of musicians, like everyone else, upside down, but shows how the human spirit perseveres in the face of tribulation. As one of the musicians says in "The Music of Strangers," the Silk Road Ensemble reveals the possibility of a profound correspondence behind differences -- and where there is possibility, there is hope. There could be no more urgent message today than this. And no one puts it better than Yo-Yo Ma himself. "To be able to put oneself in another's shoes without prejudgment is an essential skill," he once told The WorldPost. "Empathy comes when you understand something deeply through arts and literature and can thus make unexpected connections. These parallels bring you closer to things that would otherwise seem far away. Empathy is the ultimate quality that acknowledges our identity as members of one human family." The historic rupture of the Brexit vote this week, in which the "leave" camp closely defeated the "remain" camp, typifies the split societies we see today across Europe as well as in the U.S. and elsewhere. WorldPost Fellow Jesselyn Cook outlines how immigration and the fear of losing control of borders is a core concern of British voters, a reminder that empathy is just a starting point that is only a meaningful value when matched with a realistic capacity to integrate newcomers. World Reporter Charlotte Alfred outlines what's next for the U.K. after Brexit. Advertisement Writing from Paris, Geoffroy Clavel describes how the French National Front sees the Brexit vote as proof that the European Union will, and should, "disintegrate." And, indeed, as Anne Sinclair also writes from Paris, the Brexit is likely only the first in a series of defections from the European Union. Writing from Germany, Konstantin Kuhle argues that the EU must immediately take steps to reassure voters on the continent, including moving toward direct election of the EU Commission president. Howard Fineman worries that the Brexit vote presages the victory of Trump populism in the United States. In a losing appeal to voters ahead of the referendum, Richard Branson, the Virgin entrepreneur who is in many ways the face of a globally-oriented Britain, warned that jobs and investment opportunities that depend on the link with Europe would be at risk if the U.K. left the EU. Turning to another instance of political paralysis in another divided country, Guillermo Rodriguez reflects on the situation in Spain ahead of elections Sunday. "Spanish people are drained," he writes from Madrid. "It feels like Spain is the main character in the movie Groundhog Day: Everything starts fresh with each new round of elections." Writing from Beirut, former MI6 agent Alastair Crooke sees all the hopeful agreements of recent months among Russia, the U.S. and Iran unwinding, particularly with respect to the Syrian cease-fire, which he now sees as having "failed." In a special series launched this week on female journalists in Afghanistan -- "Sahar Speaks" -- we profile 12 women and the challenges they've faced in that country's male-dominated culture. Writing from Bisada, Uttar Pradesh in India, Betwa Sharma chronicles the breakdown of decades of conviviality between Hindus and Muslims after a villager was lynched for allegedly slaughtering a cow. Writing from Cape Town, South Africa, gay imam Muhsin Hendricks says that, after the Orlando massacre, it is time for Muslims to reassess their stance on sexual orientation: "The orthodox belief that homosexuality is a sin -- based on the story of Sodom and Gomorrah -- is what leads to the nuances of homophobia around the massacre in Orlando." Advertisement Writing from Vladivostok, Artyom Lukin and Rens Lee argue that Russia can play a key role alongside the U.S. and China in helping curb North Korea's nuclear program. A ruling is due soon from a tribunal under the aegis of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea on a territorial dispute over islands between the Philippines and China. China's high profile ambassador to the United Kingdom, Liu Xiaoming, argues the court has no proper jurisdiction, the issue should be resolved bilaterally and that China has no intention of "ruling the waves." Writing from Manila, Richard Javad Heydarian calls the case before the tribunal the "trial of the century." "What is at stake here," he says, "is no less than protecting global commons under the auspices of international law. The alternative is the tragedy of great power politics and the rule of the jungle in high seas." Tensions also mounted further in the South China Sea this week when the U.S. sent two aircraft carriers to patrol the zone between China and the Philippines. Just when it is most needed, the region has lost one of its leading voices for restraint and reconciliation. Wu Jianmin, among China's most prominent senior diplomats and a partner in the Berggruen Institute's "Understanding China" dialogues, was killed this week in a car accident near Wuhan, sparking a debate over the direction of China's foreign policy. Wu Jianmin (left) with Mohamed el-Erian (right) at the Berggruen Institute's 21st Century Council meeting in Paris, October, 2011. (Berggruen Institute) "Recently, nationalism and populism have been expanding around the world, becoming a global phenomenon," Wu said in a speech on June 6. "....Nationalism has two connotations. First, love for your own country, which is not wrong. Second, exclusion of others and pushing the blame for your country's problems onto other countries. I am good, others are bad. This is problematic. ... Nationalism and populism are also very dangerous in China. Nationalism often flies under the banner of 'patriotism,' which is innocent. Populism can dress up as 'appealing on behalf of the people.' But both are very deceptive. We need to see that the essence of populism goes against reform, and the essence of nationalism goes against opening up." Advertisement Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden ask whether China's heavy investment in South Sudan is "naked imperialism in pursuit of the country's vast oil reserves or a genuine effort to bring peace to help end a brutal conflict." This amazing video was taken by a drone flying around inside a Byzantine-era church in France. These dazzling photos display the diversity of Mexico's indigenous cultures. Writing from Tambopata, Peru, Next Gen Scientist's Aaron Pomerantz discovers a remarkable collaboration between ants and butterflies in bamboo stalks in the remote Amazon jungle. In a separate video post, he also explains something we've all wondered about: how do butterflies create color in their wings? Finally, our Singularity series this week explores how understanding human learning can make artificial intelligence smarter. WHO WE ARE EDITORS: Nathan Gardels, Co-Founder and Executive Advisor to the Berggruen Institute, is the Editor-in-Chief of The WorldPost. Kathleen Miles is the Executive Editor of The WorldPost. Farah Mohamed is the Managing Editor of The WorldPost. Alex Gardels and Peter Mellgard are the Associate Editors of The WorldPost. Katie Nelson is the National Editor at the Huffington Post, overseeing The WorldPost and HuffPost's editorial coverage. Charlotte Alfred and Nick Robins-Early are World Reporters. Rowaida Abdelaziz is Social Media Editor. CORRESPONDENTS: Sophia Jones in Istanbul EDITORIAL BOARD: Nicolas Berggruen, Nathan Gardels, Arianna Huffington, Eric Schmidt (Google Inc.), Pierre Omidyar (First Look Media) Juan Luis Cebrian (El Pais/PRISA), Walter Isaacson (Aspen Institute/TIME-CNN), John Elkann (Corriere della Sera, La Stampa), Wadah Khanfar (Al Jazeera), Dileep Padgaonkar (Times of India) and Yoichi Funabashi (Asahi Shimbun). VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS: Dawn Nakagawa. CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Moises Naim (former editor of Foreign Policy), Nayan Chanda (Yale/Global; Far Eastern Economic Review) and Katherine Keating (One-On-One). Sergio Munoz Bata and Parag Khanna are Contributing Editors-At-Large. The Asia Society and its ChinaFile, edited by Orville Schell, is our primary partner on Asia coverage. Eric X. Li and the Chunqiu Institute/Fudan University in Shanghai and Guancha.cn also provide first person voices from China. We also draw on the content of China Digital Times. Seung-yoon Lee is The WorldPost link in South Korea. Jared Cohen of Google Ideas provides regular commentary from young thinkers, leaders and activists around the globe. Bruce Mau provides regular columns from MassiveChangeNetwork.com on the "whole mind" way of thinking. Patrick Soon-Shiong is Contributing Editor for Health and Medicine. ADVISORY COUNCIL: Members of the Berggruen Institute's 21st Century Council and Council for the Future of Europe serve as the Advisory Council -- as well as regular contributors -- to the site. These include, Jacques Attali, Shaukat Aziz, Gordon Brown, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Juan Luis Cebrian, Jack Dorsey, Mohamed El-Erian, Francis Fukuyama, Felipe Gonzalez, John Gray, Reid Hoffman, Fred Hu, Mo Ibrahim, Alexei Kudrin, Pascal Lamy, Kishore Mahbubani, Alain Minc, Dambisa Moyo, Laura Tyson, Elon Musk, Pierre Omidyar, Raghuram Rajan, Nouriel Roubini, Nicolas Sarkozy, Eric Schmidt, Gerhard Schroeder, Peter Schwartz, Amartya Sen, Jeff Skoll, Michael Spence, Joe Stiglitz, Larry Summers, Wu Jianmin, George Yeo, Fareed Zakaria, Ernesto Zedillo, Ahmed Zewail, and Zheng Bijian. From the Europe group, these include: Marek Belka, Tony Blair, Jacques Delors, Niall Ferguson, Anthony Giddens, Otmar Issing, Mario Monti, Robert Mundell, Peter Sutherland and Guy Verhofstadt. MISSION STATEMENT The WorldPost is a global media bridge that seeks to connect the world and connect the dots. Gathering together top editors and first person contributors from all corners of the planet, we aspire to be the one publication where the whole world meets. The standing joke in New Hampshire is that the only thing Dartmouth students use for birth control is their personalities. I profess nothing about their bedroom behaviors, but will at least vouch for their spunkiness in the classroom. I was invited to speak about ranching to a group of kids (my God, did I just call them "kids"?) at a political science gig at The Big Green, offering them the kind of curve ball Jeffersonian agrarian pitch needed to keep them on their toes. It's a decidedly left-leaning school (as they all are), so it's hardly surprising that the talk was, to put it charitably, 'provocative.' The "kids" were enthusiastic and well informed, rising ardently to my challenge to their worldview--so ardently, in fact, that I suspect their romantic reputations have been profoundly maligned. Leaving their passions aside, what shocked me most was how deeply entrenched the myth has become for them that government stands in benign counterpoise to private enterprise. This is nowhere more evident than in the realm of land management and conservation. We began our discussion by noting that the lushly forested hills outside their classroom windows were once practically denuded of timber--clear-cut in the 18th century to make room for food production. The overwhelming majority of the room firmly believed that this was deplorable (trees being infinitely better than fields of course) and that government regulation was the "obvious" and largely neutral arbiter to the "excesses" and "externalities" of the open market. I pointed out that the human-caused landscape changes they could see around them (from timber to farms to timber again) was in fact an almost wholly unregulated phenomenon, the natural outgrowth of changing market values and environmental norms. Advertisement They didn't believe me. In fact, and this might be the most depressing point, the worldview which says that environment can thrive only under government supervision appears to be the only one proffered. The students I talked to were not just stunned that I would question such a basic and fundamental premise, they seemed honestly ignorant of any alternative. I reminded them of Francis Bacon's adage, "If you accept the premise, you accept the bit" and while the equine metaphor may have been a little lost, I proceeded to offer an alternative: Innovation is better than regulation for generating the kinds of things we want (goods, services, healthy environment, and more). I hew to the now unfashionable view that government, by and large, is a conservative force, better at protecting property than at generating novel solutions to unexpected problems. Bureaucracies lack innate efficiency or creativity. Disturbing stuff, I know. We decided to examine this premise by walking though a real-life example: My grandfather graduated from Dartmouth in June of 1938, 14 months before the Nazis invaded Poland. We compared his experience of going to war (troop ship, charts, and semaphore) with my experience 63 years later (chartered jet, GPS, and email). The fact that things changed dramatically in a generation was hardly remarkable to students who have been trained to expect radical technological transformation. It was not always so, of course. Compare the experience of my grandfather's Pilgrim forebears (1623) with the transatlantic travels of Europeans in the 15th century: unless you had an expert eye, you would be hard-pressed to tell the Nina from the Mayflower, though they bookend a period twice as long as that between my grandfather's era and mine. It goes without saying that the rate of change in humanity's material condition has been non-linear, with immense gains in recent history. The reason for this, of course, is the great flowering of innovation that continues to accelerate to this day. Innovation--the bottom-up trial-and-error process of discovery--coupled with the freedom to share these discoveries, is the overwhelming reason we live better lives than ever before. Advertisement And what does this all have to do with ranching? Well, operating a private business on public land in the American West is a great place to see the myth of government "management" up close. For 150 years, Americans have convinced themselves that private enterprise is not to be trusted with things as vital as the environment. This distrust of private ownership and an emphasis on government supervision is why 49% of the American West is owned and operated by the US government. Like a vestigial limb, the vast swaths of public land in the West are the physical manifestation of an earlier era, a Progressive epoch that believed in the efficiency of "scientific management." Lands in the frontier West, rather than being sold to private owners as had been the pattern of centuries, were to be managed (profitably) and for the public good. Central management would cure all our ills. This faith in the "driver's seat" approach is highlighted by the fact that many of the doyens of this movement (such as Madison Grant, William Vogt, and Margaret Sanger) blended a curious faith in government-mandated eugenics with a faith in top-down control of the physical environment. While eugenics has thankfully come off the central management "To-Do" list, land management never has. Ignored then and forgotten now is the obvious question: if private land management is so brutally short-sighted, and the superiority of government management so strikingly obvious, then why are the overwhelmingly privately-managed lands east of the 100th meridian not a howling wasteland? Moreover, why is government-managed land a net economic loss to the public it ostensibly serves? The US Forest Service "makes" a mere 30 cents for every tax dollar it spends on public lands. Hell, on our ranch we could offer the public a better deal at half that price! And so here we are: it is cant evolving into holy writ that government "belongs" in the environmental realm. Insofar as this is limited to property-rights protection, I think this is proper. However, the alternative paradigm that so stunned the Dartmouth crew is this: rational private land owners, engaged in a sea of market forces, can do a much better job of creating the sort of environmental conditions we want to see. The process of discovery, with its attendant emphasis on innovation, is what makes the world go 'round. Government, by and large, (and despite its best intentions) stifles innovation where and when it matters most. Advertisement The United States Supreme Court in Washington D C USA You may have heard by now the satisfying news that the Supreme Court spanked Abigail Fisher in a decision that provides, as Salon put it, "A massive blow to mediocre white people coasting on their racial privilege." Fisher (and her lawyer, notorious affirmative action combatant Edward Blum) argued that as a mediocre white person, she should automatically get preference over a mediocre black person (I'm paraphrasing). Oh, and that the 14th Amendment should get lost. The Supremes said not so much, and conservative Anthony Kennedy was the guy who helped them do it. You'll be reading about that decision all over the place-- but I want to focus on one excerpt from Kennedy's decision: Advertisement A university is in large part defined by those intangible qualities which are incapable of objective measurement but which make for greatness. Considerable deference is owed to a university in defining those intangible characteristics, like student body diversity, that are central to its identity and educational mission. Emphasis mine. Damn straight, Justice Kennedy. And not just a university, but the individual human beings who make it up. In fact, all individual human beings. "I owe my success and my achievements in life, my whole rewarding existence, my greatness, to a set of qualities that are easily measured and quantified objectively," said nobody, ever. I am sure there will be many days to come on which I disagree with Justice Kennedy, but today is not that day. After 43 years of membership, the UK electorate has voted to leave the European Union. What is the European Union? In order to truly understand the implications that this will have on the economy of the UK, Europe, and the rest of the world, it is important to first understand what the European Union is and why it is exists. The purpose of the European Union is to allow free trade between 28 member countries in Europe. It operates like the economy of one large country. If it's economy is calculated as a single economy, it is considered to be the largest economy in the world. The Eurozone is comprised of nineteen of the 28 member states of the European Union, which are bound by their official currency, the Euro. The UK is not part of the Eurozone, and has its own currency, the Pound. Twenty-two of the member states belong to the Schengen Area, which abolished passport border control between these countries. Of these member states, the United Kingdom has never been a part of the Schengen Area. Advertisement In conclusion, the United Kingdom departing from the European Union will not change their currency, or their border patrols; it will only change their trade agreements. What Does This Mean For The Economy? Nothing has changed in the UK yet, and will take a minimum of two years to be put into effect. This historic decision opens up the prospect of multi-year negotiations with the European Union on how the separation will occur. Furthermore, the UK will then need to negotiate new terms for a trading relationship with the European Union in a post-Brexit world. The biggest problem with the UK exit is uncertainty in world markets. The UK is the first member to leave the European Union, so there is no model to rely on. Markets react negatively to uncertainty. It is entirely possible that the UK will negotiate new and strong trading agreements with the European Union, and the rest of the world, but until those 52 new trade agreements are put into place, there will be great fear in the UK economy. Other implications include a reduction in immigration. For voters, this may have been the reasoning for voting for a Brexit, but less immigration will lead to a shortage of service workers and higher UK labor costs, all leading to reduced foreign investment. Furthermore, Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, said it was "democratically unacceptable" that Scotland faced the prospect of being taken out of the EU against its will, giving more momentum to a Scottish referendum. Advertisement What Is An Investor To Do? Chill out and stay the course. We have been through worse, and investors that stayed always recovered. One month after the 39% drop in the stock market due to the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the markets recovered by 18%. The September 11th terror attacks caused an 11.6% drop, and had come back by 11.3% one month later. What matters most is how you react to a crisis, and in the game of long term investing. Historically, market rebounds outlast declines. Friday morning we all woke up to a world that had literally changed over night. Having arrived in Copenhagen from my home in Los Angeles the night before, and suffering from jet lag, I closely followed the election into the early morning. When I finally went to bed, all the prognosticators declared that the UK would remain in the European Union. When I woke up the next morning the reality was very different. The British had decided to leave the European Union to unilaterally design their own future. No longer would they collaborate closely with the remaining twenty-seven European countries, taking other's concerns into consideration. This was a decision, which to a large extent was guided by emotions rather than reason. What can our politicians, business people and problem solvers alike learn from this earth-shattering event? The Brexit election exposed, without a doubt, a chasm between the European intellectual elite and the common man. In a dictatorship, these groups' misperceived differences in interests are suppressed; however in a democracy the consequences eventually bite everybody in the butt during elections. The Brexit and Trump phenomenon provide vivid current examples of this divide. As Shakespeare said: "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." Advertisement As in all types of businesses, whether it is a company, government or any other form of organization that provides solutions, losing touch with one's users, quickly results in a dramatic decline in market shares. Recent examples of this are Nokia, the East German Communist party and the Catholic Church. What these institutions failed to consider was not just physical needs, even more importantly, they failed to address emotional needs. In the case of Brittan, the politicians failed to address half of the population's need for feeling included, having pride and trusting that their world was going in the right direction. American politicians are now failing to address the very same fundamental human needs. The most frustrating thing is that these catastrophic events are not Acts of God; they are man made and therefore preventable. The first step of basic Design Thinking is to understand the users in the field, not sitting in one's ivory tower or 'think tank' and making things up. Intellectually, the British and American elite know that over the past decades the gap in wealth between the top one percentile and everyone else has increased. They may also see that technological development has divided people into those with and those without a future. However, there is a huge difference between knowing and understanding. Advertisement Innovation providers, such as designers and engineers, have, in decades past, invested heavily in "walking a mile" in their user's shoes and not just reading technical specifications from marketing. This has provided us all with a wide range of amazing opportunities, - think Ebay, Facebook, Uber and Airbnb. In contrast to our politicians, their leaders, managers and development teams are directly, immediately and personally responsible and accountable for the outcome. And we have. In fact, again I don't want it to be like the monkey praising his own tail, to go on about the achievements we have made but, in the short period of time, we have made some remarkable achievements and we are continuing to do so. I saw some of our friends in the international arena call what we have done in this time as 'baby steps' but to them I'd like to say that even though it may look like baby steps to some of you in the international community, I think if I may paraphrase Armstrong going to the moon, It's a giant leap for Sri Lanka and we will move forward. Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - FEBRUARY 10: Newly elected AAP MLA from Sangam Vihar constituency Dinesh Mohaniya arrives for first meeting with Arvind Kejriwal at Constitution Club on February 10, 2015 in New Delhi, India. Prime Minister Narendra Modis party BJP suffers its first major election defeat since coming to power last May as anti-corruption campaigner Arvind Kejriwal wins a landslide victory in Delhi state polls. AAP won in 67 seats while BJP managed to win only in 3 seats. (Photo by Vipin Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) A day after a case was filed against AAP MLA, Dinesh Mohaniya, for allegedly abusing and manhandling a woman, another case was registered against him yesterday for slapping a senior citizen in Southeast Delhis Tughlaqabad Extension area. Mohaniya, who is also the vice chairman of Delhi Jal Board, on Friday had gone to meet the locals of Govindpuri area. It was there when a senior citizen, Rakesh Kumar, approached him and complained about the lack of amenities, the MLA lost his cool and allegedly slapped Kumar. Following that he left the place. Advertisement A report in Hindustan Times quoted Mohaniya saying, I am at a complete loss. I have not misbehaved with anyone. I dont understand why tense allegations are being made. Earlier also, an FIR was lodged against me based on a fake video. A case under sections of 323 (voluntary causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code, was registered against Mohaniya after Kumar approached the police. Based on Kumars complaint, we registered a case of voluntarily causing hurt against Mohaniya. We are investigating the matter. The man alleged that Mohaniya slapped and pushed him to the ground. We are recording statements of the eyewitnesses to ascertain the exact sequence of the incident, a senior police officer said. A case was filed against Mohaniya on Thursday for allegedly misbehaving with a woman in Delhi. Earlier in February this year, a woman had allegedly slapped Mohaniya in his Sangam Vihar constituency when he had gone there to study the problem of water scarcity in the area. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: SHAMMI MEHRA via Getty Images Indian Punjab Police stand in the lobby of a cinema hall as the controversial Bollywood movie 'Udta Punjab' is released countrywide following heavy protests in some parts of the country, in Jalandhar on June 17, 2016.A top court told India's film censor board June 13, 2016 not to act 'like a grandmother' as it overturned a controversial demand by the notoriously strict body for 13 cuts to a film depicting drug addiction. / AFP / SHAMMI MEHRA (Photo credit should read SHAMMI MEHRA/AFP/Getty Images) Udta Punjab may have come out victorious in the battle against the Indian censor board, it failed to make the Pakistan CBFC see sense. So after Pakistan's CBFC demanded 100 cuts in the film, the makers have declared that they will not release Udta Punjab in the country. Pakistans CBFC has asked for at least 100 cuts and several words to be beeped out before allowing the film to be released in the country. Advertisement Director Abhishek Chaubey told Times of India, "It definitely means loss of revenue if the film is not released in Pakistan. But more than that... it would make no sense to release it with the said cuts. The film is intended to convey something and make a point." After fighting a legal battle in his own country to reject the 89 cuts proposed by CBFC and its Chief Pahlaj Nihalani, Chaubey further said, "There is no scope to fight our case in Pakistan. So, we decided not to release the film there." Fakhr-Alam, Chairman Censor Board Sindh after watching the film, have asked the distributors to make changes to the film. "We have told the distributor to delete the bad language, swear words -- which are extremely explicit and in direct conflict with the law and censor code. We will [then] review to see that the compliance has been adhered to and then issue a certificate," Alam said. Advertisement Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC) Chairperson Mobasher Hasan expressed great shock at the contents of the film and said that at times, one sentence has two or more swear words. "The problem is that even if the movie is granted an Adult rating, it would still have the necessary cuts and beeps. And there are close to 200 scenes that need to be muted because of the vile language," Hasan told the paper. Justifying the use of swear words and explicit language in the film, Chaubey said this was how the film's characters would have spoken in the real life. "There was a bigger message that we wanted to convey with the movie and that was against drug peddling and drug abuse. The film had to reflect reality," TOI quoted him saying. Shahid Kapoor starrer Udta Punjab which nears 50 crore mark in 6 days was leaked two days before its release in the theatres. Chaubey believes, although the film is doing good, but the collections could have been far more better if the movie had not been leaked on the internet. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: K-State opens competition for kicker Kansas State coach Chris Klieman isn't giving up on kicker Chris Tennant, but he isn't giving him a free pass, either. 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WHIPPLE CREEK REALTY WILLIAM PITT SOTHEBY'S - GT BARRINGTON WILLIAM PITT SOTHEBY'S - LENOX WILLIAM PITT SOTHEBY'S - SALISBURY WILLIAM PITT SOTHEBY'S INTERNATIONAL REALTY WILLIAM PITT SOTHEBY'S INTERNATIONAL REALTY, LENOX WILLIAM RAVEIS REAL ESTATE Williamstown Realty Group WITALISZ & ASSOCIATES, INC. WOLCOTT REALTY www.HomeZu.com ZOE MELISSA HIRSCH REAL ESTATE Imperial Valley News Center On the United Kingdom - European Union Referendum Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "Earlier today, I spoke to British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond regarding yesterday's referendum in the United Kingdom. The citizens of the U.K. have made their decision and we will of course respect it. "I want to emphasize that although the U.K. will be leaving the European Union, the British are in no way departing from the principles and values that undergird the Transatlantic Partnership or from the important role the U.K. plays in promoting peace and stability in the world. The special relationship that has long existed between the United States and the U.K. endures. Our two countries remain strong and vigilant NATO Allies, permanent members of the UN Security Council, commercial partners, and close friends. "I also want to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to the European Union and the common agenda we share with Europe on such issues as Ukraine, nuclear nonproliferation, climate change, trade, and human rights. "One thing that will absolutely not change in the years ahead is America's strong support for all our European friends and for a Euro-Atlantic relationship based on mutual support for democracy, a commitment to peace, and the rule of law." Consumer Reports Finds: Nearly One-Third of Americans Experiencing Price Hikes for Meds; Pricey Pills Impacting Retirement Plans, Family Life, Overall Health Washington, DC - As pharma and insurance company behemoths lock horns in a battle over profits, Consumer Reports finds consumers are reeling from the rampant rise in drug prices. Nearly one-third of Americans polled by Consumer Reports said they had experienced a drug price hike in the past year, shelling out a total of $2 billion more for a drug they routinely take. Americans are being bled dry by corporate profiteering that is completely legal. And their pocketbook pain is reverberating through virtually every facet of their lives from retirement plans to family time to the essentials of daily living, such as buying groceries, said Lisa Gill, deputy editor, Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs. In its investigation, Consumer Reports unveils findings from its nationally representative poll of consumers, in addition to a survey of doctors on how they handle the issue of medication affordability. The investigation centers on the forces of profit that work counter to consumer interests to allow most drug costs to go unchecked without regulation or limits. The report is published in the August issue of Consumer Reports and available free online at ConsumerReports.org/drugprices. It includes a discussion of what the government can do to control drug prices, along with tips for consumers to help them find the best prices at the pharmacy. Consumers told us they had to make sometimes scary tradeoffs between their medications and necessities like groceries or other medical care. Very high deductible plans also forced many consumers to shop around for the lowest prices and not use their insurance, Gill said. Consumers arent used to questioning prices for pharmaceutical drugsnor are they used to shopping around and haggling - but they could save themselves a lot of money if they do. According to Consumer Reports nationally representative poll, consumers who were hit with higher drug prices in the last 12 months were more likely to economize in possibly dangerous ways with their health. Consumers told us they took the following steps to save money on their medications (The results below compare all respondents who currently take an Rx drug with those who experienced a price increase): Did not comply with RX to save money (33% of all respondents who currently take an Rx drug /47% of those who experienced a price increase in their Rx drug) Put off a doctors visit because of cost (18%/28%) Declined a medical test or procedure because of cost (14%/23%) Switched insurance plans for better coverage (14%/20%) Did not fill a prescription because of cost (17%/30%) Took an expired medication (12%/19%) Did not take a scheduled dosage or a prescribed medication, not at their physicians or pharmacists direction, to save money (10%/17%) In the past year, consumers took the following steps in order to pay for their prescription medications (results below compare all respondents who currently take an Rx drug with those who experienced a price increase): Spent less on entertainment and dining out (24% of those who currently take a prescription drug/38% of those who experienced a price increase) Got an insurance policy that covered their medications (20%/24%) Spent less on groceries (17%/31%) Used their credit card more often (15%/25%) Spent less on family (14%/25%) Postponed paying other bills (11%/19%) Postponed retirement to maintain their health insurance coverage (6%/10%) Took a second job (4%/7%) Yet in spite of the financial burden associated with drug costs, only one quarter of those polled said they had a conversation with their practitioner about the cost of their treatment. Of those consumers who did have a conversation, 64% said they initiated it. In CRs survey of internal medicine doctors, the same finding was evident. In a typical week, doctors said they discuss drug costs with just 2.6 out of every 10 patients. Meanwhile, eight out of 10 doctors said they were concerned about their patients ability to afford their treatments. The ability to afford a medication can have a huge effect on patient compliance, said CRs Chief Medical Adviser, Marvin M. Lipman, M.D. If there are no less costly alternatives, the doctor should go to bat with the insurance company or the drugs manufacturer on behalf of the patient. Considering that doctors prescribed an estimated 4.4 billion drugs last year, not talking to a patient about cost could be an expensive oversight. In its investigation into the forces of profit, Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs identifies five key reasons behind the rampant rise in drug prices. Heres a look at those findings: 1: Drug companies can charge whatever they want For commercial and Medicare plans, there is no government body including the FTC, FDA, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Servicesthat has rules or laws that dictate or restrict the price a pharmaceutical company can set for a drug. And in most cases, theres nothing that restricts how much a company can raise that price. Major pharmaceutical firms raked in an additional $25.6 billion in 2015 simply by raising prices on their brand name drugs, according to IMS Health, a group that tracks drug sales and marketing. The firm estimates that figure to grow to $155 billion over the next five years. 2: Insurance companies are also charging you more Insurance companies exist to protect people from unexpected high healthcare costs. But more and more people are experiencing higher deductibles; increasing monthly premiums; bigger co-pays from drugs put on more expensive tiers; or by other drugs being paid for with co-insurance, where a consumer pays a percentage of the medications price (instead of a flat co-pay). Ten years ago, less than 10 percent of employees with health insurance were enrolled in a plan with a high deductible of $1,000 or more. Today, almost half of Americans have those plans, according to figures from the Kaiser Family Foundation. 3: Old drugs are reformulated as costly new drugs Reinventing old medications, a tactic known as evergreening, can amount to greater profits because the government grants a new patent every time a drug company creates a new pill. The tweak could involve combining two older drugs into one pill or developing an extended release version. A new patent is worth up to 20 years of total exclusivity. A prominent example of evergreening that affects a broad population of consumers is the diabetes drug insulin, which is almost 100 years old with no generic available in the U.S. 4: Generic drug shortages can trigger massive price increases The ballooning price hike for the generic hydroxychloroquine, used to treat arthritis, exemplifies how a shortage can impact prices. For Marlene Condon, a nature writer from Virginia profiled in Consumer Reports investigation, the drug that was once available for $32 for a three- month supply skyrocketed in price to $500. Using discount drug coupons, Condon has managed to buy the drug for less than $300, but she still struggles to afford her medication. Consumer Reports explains that Condons experience is not an isolated event. Overall, prices of generics increased by almost 9 percent between November 2013 and November 2014, according to Elsevier. 5: Specialty drugs are costing all of us The rise of super-expensive, so- called specialty drugs is a new threat. Examples include the hepatitis C medications Solvadi ($84,000) and Harvoni (up to $95,000), which are driving up overall costs for the healthcare system. Currently, a report by the Congressional Research Service shows very expensive drugs that account for less than 1 percent of prescriptions in the U.S., but represent about one-third of total drug spending by consumers, employers and government, and will likely comprise a bigger proportion of overall spending. Also worrisome: More than half of the 56 medications approved by the FDA in 2015 were specialty drugs. One thing thats clear: Consumers costs will rise. Medicare Part D prescription plans require patients to pay one-third or more of the costs of specialty drugs. Experts worry that consumers will likely see higher insurance premiums and deductibles. Although much of drug pricing is out of consumers hands, consider these tips to find the best deals at the pharmacy: Talk to your doctor about the cost of the drug she is prescribing. Ask about generics, which can cost up to 90 percent less. If your insurance drops or reduces coverage of a drug, your doctor can help by appealing to your insurance company for an exception. Shop around and negotiate. CRs secret shoppers have found that retail prices can vary widely, even within the same zip code. Check online (with caution). If you pay out of pocket, check GoodRx. See CRs advice about using low- cost online pharmacies at ConsumerReports.org/drugprices. Choose a plan that covers the medications you need. Compare plans during your open-enrollment period because coverage may change year to year. SURVEY METHODOLOGY Consumer Poll The Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted a telephone survey using two nationally representative probability samples: landline telephone households and cell phones. 2,139 interviews were completed among adults 18+ who currently take prescription drugs. Interviewing took place over March 10-27, 2016. The sampling error is +/-2.2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Doctor Survey Online surveys were conducted over April 8-18, 2016, among 600 members of three physician specialty panels (Internal medicine: 200; Gastroenterology: 200; Oncology: 200). The sampling error for each group of physician respondents is +/-7.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. ACIP votes down use of LAIV for 2016-2017 flu season Washington, DC - CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted that live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV), also known as the nasal spray flu vaccine, should not be used during the 2016-2017 flu season. ACIP continues to recommend annual flu vaccination, with either the inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) or recombinant influenza vaccine (RIV), for everyone 6 months and older. ACIP is a panel of immunization experts that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This ACIP vote is based on data showing poor or relatively lower effectiveness of LAIV from 2013 through 2016. In late May, preliminary data on the effectiveness of LAIV among children 2 years through 17 years during 2015-2016 season became available from the U.S. Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network. That data showed the estimate for LAIV VE among study participants in that age group against any flu virus was 3 percent (with a 95 percent Confidence Interval (CI) of -49 percent to 37 percent). This 3 percent estimate means no protective benefit could be measured. In comparison, IIV (flu shots) had a VE estimate of 63 percent (with a 95 percent CI of 52 percent to 72 percent) against any flu virus among children 2 years through 17 years. Other (non-CDC) studies support the conclusion that LAIV worked less well than IIV this season. The data from 2015-2016 follows two previous seasons (2013-2014 and 2014-2015) showing poor and/or lower than expected vaccine effectiveness (VE) for LAIV. How well the flu vaccine works (or its ability to prevent flu illness) can range widely from season to season and can be affected by a number of factors, including characteristics of the person being vaccinated, the similarity between vaccine viruses and circulating viruses, and even which vaccine is used. LAIV contains live, weakened influenza viruses. Vaccines containing live viruses can cause a stronger immune response than vaccines with inactivated virus. LAIV VE data before and soon after licensure suggested it was either comparable to, or better than, IIV. The reason for the recent poor performance of LAIV is not known. Vaccine manufacturers had projected that as many as 171 million to 176 million doses of flu vaccine, in all forms, would be available for the United States during the 2016-2017 season. The makers of LAIV had projected a supply of as many as 14 million doses of LAIV/nasal spray flu vaccine, or about 8 percent of the total projected supply. LAIV is sold as FluMist Quadrivalent and it is produced by MedImmune, a subsidiary of AstraZeneca. LAIV was initially licensed in 2003 as a trivalent (three-component) vaccine. LAIV is currently the only non-injection-based flu vaccine available on the market. Todays ACIP vote could have implications for vaccine providers who have already placed vaccine orders. The ACIP recommendation may particularly affect pediatricians and other vaccine providers for children since data from recent seasons suggests nasal spray flu vaccine accounts for about one-third of all flu vaccines given to children. CDC will be working with manufacturers throughout the summer to ensure there is enough vaccine supply to meet the demand. CDC conducts vaccine effectiveness (VE) studies each season to estimate flu vaccine effectiveness. Todays ACIP vote highlights the importance of measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of public health interventions, which can have significant implications for public health policy. The change in the ACIP recommendation is an example of using new available data to ensure public health actions are most beneficial. Influenza is a serious disease that causes millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and thousands or tens of thousands of deaths each year. While the protection offered by flu vaccines can vary, the flu shots overall VE estimate of 49 percent suggests that millions of people were protected against flu last season. Todays ACIP recommendation must be reviewed and approved by CDCs director before it becomes CDC policy. The final annual recommendations on the prevention and control of influenza with vaccines will be published in a CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), Recommendations and Reports in late summer or early fall. CDC has recommended an annual influenza vaccination for everyone ages 6 months and older since February 24, 2010. CDC and ACIP briefly had a preferential recommendation for nasal spray vaccine for young children (during 2014-2015); however, during the 2015-2016 season, influenza vaccination was recommended without any preference for one vaccine type or formulation over another. Global Entrepreneurship Summit Washington, DC - President Obama today will take part in the 7th annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) at Stanford University in Silicon Valley, California, which will feature new commitments to promote entrepreneurship as a driver for economic growth, social inclusion, and secure communities. Following his historic 2009 Cairo speech, President Obama elevated innovation and entrepreneurship in the U.S. engagement agenda and hosted the first GES at the White House in 2010. The United States has made significant strides in supporting entrepreneurship around the world by developing innovative ecosystems; advocating for stronger business climates through rule of law and transparent business conduct; catalyzing capital; building networks of innovators; promoting entrepreneurship for women, youth, and marginalized communities; and partnering with the private sector to expand impact. With the eyes of the world on Silicon Valley, today the Obama Administration is announcing new commitments to advance entrepreneurship around the world. These announcements build on a week where the Administration has highlighted a powerful record of progress in fueling American innovation over the last seven and a half years and announcing major new steps we are taking to build on those effortsincluding supporting advanced manufacturing and making, laying the groundwork for smart and connected cities, supporting next-generation technologies, and promoting inclusive entrepreneurship and innovation here at home. GES 2016 has brought the best entrepreneurs and investors from 170 countries to the birthplace of modern innovation, highlighting that the dynamic enterprises driving new solutions can be found in every corner of the world. The summit convenes approximately 1,200 outstanding entrepreneurs and investors from across the world for dynamic, outcome-oriented sessions; mentoring; and opportunities to showcase their work. The summit showcases how investors and entrepreneurs from around the world are embracing the culture of entrepreneurship far beyond Silicon Valley. GES has become a preeminent annual gathering that provides emerging entrepreneurs with exceptional networking, insight, and investment opportunities. During Indian Prime Minister Modis visit to the White House on June 7, President Obama and Prime Minister Modi were pleased to announce India as the host of the 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Summit, becoming the seventh country to host the event. The President signed an Executive Order to institutionalize key entrepreneurship programs of his Administration in recognition of the fact that entrepreneurship is a hallmark of American leadership in the world. The President also will speak to U.S. government commitments and highlight private sector announcements that will provide entrepreneurs across the globe new opportunities for capital and mentorship, build their networks, and gain skills that will help their companies grow and thrive. The President will place a special emphasis on supporting youth, women, and minority entrepreneurs as drivers of innovation and investment in their home communities. U.S. Government Commitment to Global Entrepreneurship The U.S. Government is committing significant new resources to advance entrepreneurship around the world: President Obama signed an Executive Order institutionalizing programs that support entrepreneurship around the world, including the Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship, the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, and the Global Connect Initiative. USAIDs Power Africa initiative launched the Scaling Off Grid Energy Grand Challenge for Development that will invest $36m in promising enterprises, innovative technologies, and partnerships with local stakeholders to scale up clean energy solutions to reach millions of households that live beyond the reach of the electricity grid. This effort will bring together entrepreneurs, investors, philanthropists, and governments to support the growth of innovative ventures that are making off-grid solutions affordable for rural families and catalyze private investment to help these enterprises reach new markets. President Obama will announce the launch of an effort to encourage greater investments in small-scale clean energy entrepreneurs from developing countries. The Administration will identify and highlight entrepreneurs working to provide affordable, reliable, and significantly scalable on-grid or off-grid energy solutions that meet the renewable energy and energy efficiency needs of individuals, enterprises, and communities in the developing world, and in particular in sub-Saharan Africa. Entrepreneurs will be identified and highlighted from the large cadre of energy innovators, researchers and partner institutions in the developing world that have worked with U.S. Government entities, including USAID, the Departments of Defense and Energy, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. The Administration will facilitate opportunities for leading clean energy investors to evaluate and consider providing seed funding and similar investments to these entrepreneurs. Building in part on the work and vision of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition (BEC), launched in Paris last year, a number of BEC members and other leading international investors have agreed to support this effort by working with the US Government to develop a process to consider potential investments. These investors include Aliko Dangote, Bill Gates, Paul G. Allen (Vulcan Capital), Strive Maisiyiwa, Matt Rogers and Swati Mylavarapu, Nat Simons and Laura Baxter-Simons (Prelude Ventures), Dipender Saluja (Capricorn Investment Group), Tom Steyer, and Mark Zuckerberg. The first round of the Administration's work on this initiative will be completed by November 1. The U.S. Department of State and Kiva, the world's largest crowdfunding platform for loans, have joined forces to launch the Women's Entrepreneurship Fund, which aims to help crowdfund loans to one million women entrepreneurs over the next five years. The Fund has a special focus on women entrepreneurs in the growth phases, offering loans greater than the average microfinance loan. To date, an estimated $500,000 has been pledged with commitments from corporations and foundations. USAID announced its Feed the Future Call for Cool Storage Solutions. Through a competitive call for innovations, USAID will provide up to $2.5 million in funding and mentoring to entrepreneurs to help them adapt, pilot and scale their proven cool storage solutions to prevent food loss and waste in countries where the U.S. Governments Feed the Future initiative focuses efforts. This call will expand the impact of USAIDs investment by catalyzing private investment that strengthens food chains between farms and markets. President Obama will speak to the Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative (YTILI) to develop entrepreneurial skills and enhance economic opportunities for young professionals across Europe. To counter the challenges of inclusion and integration facing European youth, YTILI will support European entrepreneurs by offering training and exchanges, and building a European-Transatlantic network. YTILI will bring 200 Fellows to the United States in 2017. This is the fourth regional program within the U.S. Governments Young Leaders Initiatives. To connect Americas top technologists and innovators with entrepreneurs in Africa, USAID and 500 Startups announced they will bring the Geeks on a Plane tour to Sub-Sahara Africa for the first time in March 2017. The 11-day trip to Accra, Lagos, Cape Town and Johannesburg will engage with African entrepreneurs and innovators and explore partnership and investment opportunities. The trip will culminate with the 2017 Global Entrepreneur Congress in Johannesburg. The State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program will host an exchange program for government technology leaders and their private-sector partners from more than a dozen countries this fall. Participants will take part in a design sprint developed in partnership with the U.S. Digital Service, the Presidential Innovation Fellows, and 18F. After traveling to cities around the U.S., including San Francisco, to look at how governments at the city, state, and federal level are partnering with the tech sector, they will return home and drive digital transformation within their governments to better tackle policy challenges and deliver improved services to citizens. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office at the Department of Commerce launched its online Global Entrepreneurship Portal to provide U.S. innovators and business the knowledge, tools, and guards necessary to protect their technologies, and navigate intellectual property regimes in foreign countries, as they scale their businesses across borders and markets. The Global Entrepreneurship Portal will arm innovators from solo inventors to Fortune 500 companies -- with tools to facilitate exports and empower global expansions. U.S. development and financing agencies have surpassed the $1 billion mark over the past year in financing and investment for global ICT and connectivity projects, bringing Internet access to millions around the world. These efforts represent the Administrations commitment to closing the digital divide and bring an additional 1.5 billion people online by 2020 through the Global Connect Initiative Private Sector Impact At GES 2016, private sector companies around the world announced initiatives that support to the next generation of entrepreneurs through capital mentorship and training, ecosystem support, and research: Capital Commitments CalPERSCalifornia announced that they will open up an $11 billion global solicitation for new emerging manager investment strategies. This will identify early funds that include international investments in global entrepreneurs with strong potential for success; accessing unique investment opportunities that may otherwise be overlooked; and cultivating the next generation of external portfolio management talent. Endeavor, an organization that supports entrepreneurs around the world, launched a $100 million co-investment fund -- Endeavor Catalyst II -- to invest in high-growth companies across Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Endeavor Catalyst II is a commitment by Endeavor and private sector leaders to support projects across the globe over the next four years. To date the fund has $30 million in pre-commitments. Capria Ventures, the first global business accelerator for impact fund managers, announced the launch of the Capria Emerging Managers Fund, a $100M venture fund that will invest in fund managers who have compelling investment programs targeting entrepreneurs in emerging economies across Africa, Central and South America, and South and Southeast Asia. Capria has also selected its next cohort of fund managers who will come to a multi-week acceleration program later this year. The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation announced the launch of a new fund totaling $65 million to find, fund and support 100 early stage, high impact social enterprises that are tackling some of the worlds most challenging problems in our world, including access to healthcare, education, poverty alleviation, opportunity equality, social justice, and the environment. The SDG Philanthropy Platform [sdgfunders.org], an initiative of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, UNDP, and the Foundation Center, announced an initiative launching in India later this year that focuses on womens empowerment through entrepreneurship, mobilizing at least $500,000 in financial contributions within the next six months. The Platform will engage philanthropy more deeply on the Sustainable Development Goals by partnering with governments, the United Nations, philanthropy, civil society, and business. NOW Ventures (NOW) is a new venture capital platform that will invest in, enable and amplify early stage startups that deliver positive social benefits alongside competitive financial returns. NOW launched the first ever use of AngelList to support impactful and mission-driven founders through a dedicated syndicate. NOW will mobilize early stage funding, with the first phase targeting forty investments of $200,000 each. Each founder will receive mentoring and be featured on AngelList. Obvious Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in entrepreneurs who are passionate about solving the systemic challenges of our time, awarded a GES delegate a $50,000 #worldpositive prize to a business that every dollar of profit made aligns with a mission driven purpose. Mentorship and Training Commitments 1776, in partnership with Dell, launched Union to empower entrepreneurs around the world by connecting the global startup economy. Accessible through the Startup Federation -- a worldwide network of startup campuses and mega-hubs -- or virtually for entrepreneurs in remote areas, Union will provide entrepreneurs anywhere in the world the ability to reach the people, resources and education they need to take their ideas from seed to scale. Union is available via a mobile app and web tool, enabling entrepreneurs at all stages of growth to tap into the resources they need to scale and succeed no matter what city or country they live in. The World Bank launched the Women for Resilience Initiative to strengthen the entrepreneurial capabilities of women entrepreneurs from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in the resilience value chain by providing them with funding and business support services. The program connects and trains women from across MENA and creates a vibrant community of leaders of tomorrow who will positively impact the region and the world. Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE) Antonio Gracias launched ADELANTE, an international exchange program for Cuban entrepreneurs. This program provides emerging Cuban entrepreneurs with an opportunity to visit the U.S., meet and exchange ideas with U.S. entrepreneurs, network with business leaders, and receive relevant training. By building connections between entrepreneurs in Cuba and the United States, Adelante seeks to foster a closer relationship between the people of the two countries. The KIND Foundation, in partnership with Venture for America, announced that it will host its first Entrepreneur Summit. The convening, which will take place during National Entrepreneurship Month, aims to support aspiring and early stage entrepreneurs in building businesses that are not only economically sustainable but also socially impactful. Affinis Labs announced Rising Margins, a series of hackathons and training sessions to support entrepreneurship and job creation for socioeconomically disadvantaged communities around the world. The initiative seeks to broaden economic inclusivity by empowering communities as grassroots drivers -- not simply beneficiaries -- of economic growth. Ecosystem Support Initiatives IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, announced the Startup Catalyst initiative that will invest in accelerators and seed funds to support innovation ecosystems in emerging economies. Startup Catalyst aims to support and invest in seed funding mechanisms around the world to help build innovation ecosystems that support entrepreneurship and create jobs in developing countries. The first three Startup Catalyst initiative investments include Flat6Labs, a Cairo-based accelerator supporting technology startups throughout Egypt; CRE, a Sub-Saharan focused seed fund investing in visionary entrepreneurs; and 500 Mexico City, an accelerator working to spur the growth of technology startups across Latin America. Research Initiatives Assistant Secretary Frank A. Rose to Travel to Japan, the Republic of Korea, and China Washington, DC - Assistant Secretary for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance Frank A. Rose will travel to Japan, the Republic of Korea, and China, from June 27 to July 7, for the third plenary meeting of the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification (IPNDV), and for discussions on space security, strategic stability, arms control, and other bilateral and multilateral issues. From June 2830, Assistant Secretary Rose will travel to Tokyo, Japan, to co-chair the third IPNDV plenary meeting featuring the participation of over 25 countries. The IPNDV channels expertise from both nuclear and non-nuclear weapon states to address the complex challenges involved in the verification of nuclear disarmament agreements. On July 1, he will participate in two IPNDV-related public events in Tokyo: a press event in the morning at the Japan National Press Club, and a panel event in the afternoon at the University of Tokyo. From July 25, Assistant Secretary Rose will be in Seoul, Republic of Korea, where he will meet with senior officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and at the Blue House to discuss a range of strategic issues. Assistant Secretary Rose will be in Beijing, China, from July 57, for discussions on mutual strategic interests with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the China National Space Administration. Madagascar National Day Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I congratulate the people of Madagascar as you celebrate the anniversary of your independence on June 26. "The United States deeply values its friendship with you and strongly supports your efforts to build prosperity through sustainable economic development and growth. We look forward, in the year ahead, to working closely with you to improve healthcare, protect the environment, and safeguard the security of Madagascar and the entire region. "I wish the Malagasy people a joyful National Day." Watch: Snake Attacks Owner As She Tries To Release It From Cage Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Suicide Squad fans have been given a glimpse at new footage in the music video for a soundtrack song by Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa and Imagine Dragons. Sucker for Pain focuses mainly on Jared Leto's Joker and follows Twenty One Pilot's lead single Heathens. The supervillain theme is echoed in the video's tone, with the artists seen tied up in strait jackets and locked in cages, while the dark lyrics describe the Joker's on-off relationship with his accomplice Harley Quinn. Suicide Squad: The Album can be preordered now ahead of release on 5 August, to coincide with the movie hitting cinemas. The video for Skrillex and Rick Ross' song Purple Lamborghini is expected soon, with the full track list as follows: Skrillex & Rick Ross - 'Purple Lamborghini' Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa & Imagine Dragons with Logic and Ty Dolla $ign (feat. X Ambassadors) - 'Sucker For Pain' Twenty One Pilots - 'Heathens' Action Bronson & Dan Auerbach (of The Black Keys) [Feat. Mark Ronson] - 'Standing In The Rain' Kehlani - 'Gangsta' Kevin Gates - 'Know Better' Grace - 'You Don't Own Me' (feat. G-Eazy) Eminem - 'Without Me' Skylar Grey - 'Wreak Havoc' Grimes - 'Medieval Warfare' Panic! At the Disco - 'Bohemian Rhapsody' War - 'Slippin' Into Darkness' Creedence Clearwater Revival - 'Fortunate Son' ConfidentialMX - 'I Started A Joke' (feat. Becky Hanson) Suicide Squad has been much-hyped as this summers big blockbuster, with mostly positive test screening reviews ranking fans expectations up even higher. Margot Robbie stars alongside Leto as his unhinged on-off lover and accomplice Harley Quinn, while Will Smith, Cara Delevingne, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis and Jai Courtney also star. Suicide Squad character posters Show all 38 1 /38 Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters The story follows Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, with Ben Affleck making a brief cameo as Batman, and focuses on a group of villains recruited by a secret government agency to carry out black op missions in exchange for reduced jail sentences. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Regulations set in place to help fight climate change and protect Britains wildlife may be destroyed following the Brexit result, top environmentalists have warned. Reacting to the vote to leave the European Union, charity groups and climate change campaigners said the result could have a devastating effect on the UK environment, since more than 70 per cent of environmental safeguarding comes from European legislation. Greenpeace UK executive director John Sauven said: Many of the laws that make our drinking and bathing water safe, our air cleaner, our fishing industry more sustainable and our climate safer now hang by a thread There is a very real fear that Cameron's successor will come from the school that supports a bonfire of anti-pollution protections. In an post-referendum statement, Friends of the Earth said the group could no longer rely on the EU to protect our nature and habitats, adding that clean beaches, air quality and bees were among the factors put at risk by potential loss of EU legislation. Craig Bennett, Friends of the Earths CEO, said: The referendum may be over but many of the difficult debates are only just beginning. The environment must be at the heart of our negotiations with Europe and how we create a positive future for our country. We cannot let the UK return to the days of the dirty man of Europe. Protections for our birds and wildlife, our beaches and rivers, must not be sacrificed in the name of cutting away so-called EU red tape. The environment was rarely mentioned during the referendum but it must now move up the political agenda. With urgent issues like climate change, air pollution and destruction of the natural world already impacting this generation, not just the next, we dont have time for the environment to take a back seat through years of negotiations. 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Show all 6 1 /6 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you More expensive foreign holidays The first practical effect of a vote to Leave is that the pound will be worth less abroad, meaning foreign holidays will cost us more nito100 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you No immediate change in immigration status The Prime Minister will have to address other immediate concerns. He is likely to reassure nationals of other EU countries living in the UK that their status is unchanged. That is what the Leave campaign has said, so, even after the Brexit negotiations are complete, those who are already in the UK would be allowed to stay Getty 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Higher inflation A lower pound means that imports would become more expensive. This is likely to mean the return of inflation a phenomenon with which many of us are unfamiliar because prices have been stable for so long, rising at no more than about 2 per cent a year. The effect may probably not be particularly noticeable in the first few months. At first price rises would be confined to imported goods food and clothes being the most obvious but inflation has a tendency to spread and to gain its own momentum AFP/Getty Images 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Interest rates might rise The trouble with inflation is that the Bank of England has a legal obligation to keep it as close to 2 per cent a year as possible. If a fall in the pound threatens to push prices up faster than this, the Bank will raise interest rates. This acts against inflation in three ways. First, it makes the pound more attractive, because deposits in pounds will earn higher interest. Second, it reduces demand by putting up the cost of borrowing, and especially by taking larger mortgage payments out of the economy. Third, it makes it more expensive for businesses to borrow to expand output Getty 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Did somebody say recession? Mr Carney, the Treasury and a range of international economists have warned about this. Many Leave voters appear not to have believed them, or to think that they are exaggerating small, long-term effects. But there is no doubt that the Leave vote is a negative shock to the economy. This is because it changes expectations about the economys future performance. Even though Britain is not actually be leaving the EU for at least two years, companies and investors will start to move money out of Britain, or to scale back plans for expansion, because they are less confident about what would happen after 2018 AFP/Getty Images 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you And we wouldnt even get our money back All this will be happening while the Prime Minister, whoever he or she is, is negotiating the terms of our future access to the EU single market. In the meantime, our trade with the EU would be unaffected, except that companies elsewhere in the EU may be less interested in buying from us or selling to us, expecting tariff barriers to go up in two years time. Whoever the Chancellor is, he or she may feel the need to bring in a new Budget Getty Images Those in favour of leaving the EU have argued that the UK may soon be free of red tape restrictions which are damaging to UK farms and fisheries, the latter being known to discard large quantities of dead fish into the sea to avoid breaking EU quotas. Remain campaigners, however have praised the EUs record on environmental issues as one of its greatest achievements, arguing that union legislation has helped towards tackling water and air pollution, protect endangered species and impose tough safeguards on the use of genetically modified crops and potentially dangerous chemicals. While laws that have already been adopted into English and Scottish law will still apply following the UKs departure form the EU, parliament will be able make changes should it choose. Rules restricting the amount of fracking could also be lifted, since the majority of restrictions come from European directives, Greenpeace analysis suggests. Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has called on progressive parties to join forces in order to resist any attack on hard won rights following Brexit. This decision could be devastating for the environment, said the MP for Brighton, The EU has been at the forefront of global action on climate change and Britain has been leading that push. [Fridays] decision not only undermines our standing in the international community, but represents a huge gamble with our own green energy targets and performance. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Thom Yorke is backing calls for a second referendum on Britains place within the European Union after citizens voted for a Brexit in one of the most contentious votes in recent decades. Anti-Brexit momentum is steadily growing and a petition calling for changes to voting regulations that would trigger a second vote has been signed more than one million times since Friday morning. Yorke joined the chorus of voices demanding a second vote by sharing the petition and a blog post entitled The EU Referendum: Turkeys have voted for Christmas. He posted the petition in a second tweet. Parliament will now consider the petition for a debate. All parliamentary petitions are reviewed after garnering 100,000 votes or more. Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Show all 30 1 /30 Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? David Beckham (REMAIN) The former captain for the England international football team announced on Instagram that he was voting to Remain. He said: We live in a vibrant and connected world where together as a people we are strong. For our children and their children we should be facing the problems of the world together and not alone. Getty Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Victoria Beckham (REMAIN) 'I believe in my country, I believe in a future for my children where we are stronger together and I support the remain campaign.' Getty Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Daniel Craig (REMAIN) Actor He was pictured wearing a white T-shirt with the slogan: 'No man is an island. No country by itself. Vote Remain on 23rd June.' Getty Images Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Bob Geldof (REMAIN) Irish singer expresses his support for the Remain vote as he waves from a boat carrying supporters for the 'Remain' campaign in London AFP/Getty Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? John Cleese (LEAVE) The Monty Python star signalled he will vote to leave the EU when he tweeted: "If I thought there was any chance of major reform in the EU, I'd vote to stay in. But there isn't. Sad." Getty Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Daniel Portman (REMAIN) Game of Thrones actor supports Reamin vote Getty Images Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Elton John (REMAIN) The singer also announced his intention to vote Remain on Instagram, sharing an image which said Build bridges not walls, along with the caption I'm voting to remain. #StrongerInEurope Getty Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Roger Daltrey (LEAVE) Former frontman of iconic rock band The Who. I am not anti European, but I an anti the present way we are being governed in Europe, he wrote in The Mirror. The whole system has been corrupted by political ego and massive government overreach. The Euro being a perfect example I do not want to be dragged into the kind of Federal State that this present EU is pushing for - with the UK's voice getting smaller and smaller. AFP/Getty Images Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? JK Rowling (REMAIN) The author of the Harry Potter books has expressed concern that "racists and bigots" are directing parts of the Leave campaign. She added: How can a retreat into selfish and insecure individualism be the right response when Europe faces genuine threats, when the bonds that tie us are so powerful, when we have come so far together? How can we hope to conquer the enormous challenges of terrorism and climate change without cooperation and collaboration? Getty Images Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Vivienne Westwood (REMAIN) British fashion designer expressed her support for Remain vote Getty Images Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Michael Caine (LEAVE) The actor has said he is a reluctant Leaver. He said: "I don't know what to vote for. Both are scary. To me, you've now got in Europe a sort of government-by-proxy of everybody, who has now got carried away. Unless there is some extremely significant changes, we should get out." Getty Images Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Benedict Cumberbatch (REMAIN) Benedict Cumberbatch and Sir Patrick Stewart led more than 280 figures from the arts world who backed a vote to stay. An open letter pledging support for Remain was also signed by music stars Hot Chip, alt-J and Paloma Faith, authors Dame Hilary Mantel and John le Carre, and fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood. Daniel Craig was pictured wearing a vote Remain t-shirt with the words "No man is an island. No country by itself" emblazoned across it in a picture tweeted on the Stronger IN account. Getty Images Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Patrick Stewart (REMAIN) Actor is a leading supporter of the Remain campaign Getty Images Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Elizabeth Hurley (LEAVE) The actress said If it means we can go back to using decent lightbulbs and choose high-powered hairdryers and vacuum cleaners if we so wish, I'm joining Brexit for sure. Getty Images Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Stephen Hawking (REMAIN) The physicist was in favour staying, and said "progress comes from co-operation". He said: "By working together in Europe we make our economy stronger and we give ourselves more influence in the world and we provide future opportunities for young people." Numerous scientists have also voiced their support for Remain, claiming an out vote would badly damage the field. Getty Images for Breakthrough Pr Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Sol Campbell (LEAVE) The former England international football star said he is backing Brexit so that young British sporting talent would be nurtured and given greater opportunities at British clubs. He said: "I'm looking at the sporting side - how youngsters aren't getting the opportunities at some of the big clubs and some of the big clubs are bringing in youngsters from 14, 15, 16 and becoming homegrown, which is pushing some of our youngsters out." Getty Images Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Hilary Mantel (REMAIN) Author Hilary Mantel announced her support for Remain vote Getty Images Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Bear Grylls (REMAIN) The adventurer and TV presenter said he spoke "from the heart" in backing the EU. "At such a time for the UK to retreat, run and cut ourselves loose from Europe, when there are so many challenges on our doorstep, to me just doesn't feel either courageous or kind, he said. Europe has many flaws, but I also believe the way to help resolve many of those tough issues is from within... I have never been a good quitter and I am so proud of the UK and our values: tolerance, kindness, respect, courage and resilience. This is why I want us to stay together and Remain in Europe." Getty Images Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Billy Bragg (REMAIN) British singer decided to support Remain campaign AFP/Getty Images Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Ian Botham (LEAVE) The former England Test cricketer and Test team captain supports Brexit Getty/Laureus Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Simon Cowell (REMAIN) Music mogul Simon Cowell announced his support of staying in EU Getty Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? David James (LEAVE) The former England goalkeeper supports Brexit Getty Images Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Idris Elba (REMAIN) The actor voiced his support for Remain vote Getty Images Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? John Le Carre (REMAIN) British writer supports Remain campaign Getty Images Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Paloma Faith (REMAIN) English singer supports Remain campaign Getty Images Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Perry McCarthy (LEAVE) The racing driver supports Leave campaign Rex Features Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Keira Knightley (REMAIN) The actress intends to vote for Remain campaign Getty Images for Lincoln Center Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? James Cracknell (LEAVE) British athlete and rowing champion decided to vote for Brexit Getty Images Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Florence Welch (REMAIN) British singer supports Remain campaign Getty Images for Gucci Which celebrities support Brexit and which support Remain? Helena Bonham-Carter (REMAIN) The actress expressed her support for Remain vote AFP/Getty Images The parliamentary petition is calling for the implementation of a rule that if a vote either way is less than 60 per cent in a referendum with a turnout of less than 70 per cent another referendum should be held. The EU referendum saw a turnout of 72 per cent. Fifty two per cent voted to leave. David Cameron has said he will leave his successor to trigger Article 50 after he officially steps down in October. Once triggered, Britain will start a two-year path towards leaving the EU. On Saturday, Nicola Sturgeon said the option of a second Scottish referendum will be on the table after Article 50 has been activated. The Scottish First Minster said Scotland being pulled out of the EU against its will was democratically unacceptable. All 32 areas of Scotland voted to stay as a member of the EU. Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish government would begin immediate discussions with EU institutions and other member states to explore possible options to protect Scotland's place in the EU. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} George Osborne has brushed off the devastating defeat in the Brexit vote and injected a little humour into his Twitter feed. The Chancellor said fellow cabinet colleague Justine Greening's decision to come out as gay was the best news in [the] last 48 hours". He used the social media platform to congratulate the Conservative politician after she revealed the news on the day of the Pride 2016 event. Congrats Justine, he wrote. Best news in last 48 hours! The message was a stark contrast to the preceding messages in his feed, desperately urging people to vote Remain and, later, detailing his reaction to the financial fallout of Brexit. Justine Greening, Secretary of State for International Development, publically announced her sexuality on social media. In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Pride in London 2016 In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Participants on motor cycles during the Pride in London parade, as it makes its way through the streets of central, London. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Daphne, a miniture schnouzer, wears a rainbow tie at a march as the LGBT community celebrates Pride in London on June 25, 2016 Getty Images In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Jennifer Saunders (right) and Joanna Lumley (left) pose in character along with performers in front of the Absolutely Fabulous/Stolli (vodka) Pride in London float PA In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London 'Pet Play' enthusiasts dress and behave as dogs during a march as the LGBT community celebrates Pride in London on June 25, 2016 Getty Images In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London A policeman kisses his fiance after proposing to him during the Pride in London parade, as it makes its way through the streets of central London. PA In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Participants show their support for victims of the Orlando shooting during the annual Pride Parade in London on June 25, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom Matthew Barzun (left) and Major of London Sadiq Khan attending the Pride in London parade PA In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Participants take part in the annual Pride Parade in London on June 25, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Participants take part in the annual Pride Parade in London on June 25, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Participants show their support for victims of the Orlando shooting during the annual Pride Parade in London on June 25, 2016. AFP/Getty Images She celebrated Pride by tweeting: Today's a good day to say I'm in a happy same-sex relationship, I campaigned for Stronger In but sometimes you're better off out! #Pride2016. The Prime Minister also offered his congratulations. In his resignation speech, Mr Cameron said passing legislation approving same-sex marriage was one of the proudest moments of his premiership. In addition, a number of prominent politicians from across the political spectrum hailed the move. Pride, which celebrates and promotes LGBT rights, is being celebrated across the UK. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Michael Herr, whose reporting during the Vietnam War culminated in the nonfiction novel Dispatches and later became known for his writing in the films Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket, died in upstate New York. He was 76. Publisher Alfred A Knopf, who released Dispatches in 1977, confirmed Herrs 23 June death to the Associated Press. Herrs work in Dispatches has been heralded by critics as one of the greatest pieces of writing about the savagery of war. The book documents the reporter's time spent covering the Vietnam War for Esquire magazine between 1967 and 1969. Hunter S Thompson, the late gonzo journalist known for his experiential reportage, lauded the book. We have all spent 10 years trying to explain what happened to our heads and our lives in the decade we finally survived, Thompson wrote of the work, but Michael Herrs Dispatches puts all the rest of us in the shade. Spy novelist John le Carre said the work was the best book I have ever read on men and war in our time. Herr obsessed over the book during the 18-month writing process, which triggered an emotional breakdown, he revealed in an interview with The Observer. The Vietnam War 40 years on Show all 10 1 /10 The Vietnam War 40 years on The Vietnam War 40 years on The Vietnam War A helicopter lifts off from the US embassy in Saigon, Vietnam during last minute evacuation of authorized personnel and civilians on 29 April 1975 The Vietnam War 40 years on The Vietnam War A cargo net lifts refugees from a barge onto the SS Pioneer Contender for evacuation from the fallen city of Da Nang, Vietnam on 1 April 1975 The Vietnam War 40 years on The Vietnam War Captain Donald R Brown crouches on the ground in Saigon, waiting for the order for attack across an open field against Vietcong positions 5 April 5 1965 The Vietnam War 40 years on The Vietnam War Orphans aboard the first 'Operation Babylift' flight at the end of the Vietnam War look through the windows of World Airways DC-8 jet as it flies them to the United States in April 1975 The Vietnam War 40 years on The Vietnam War Young demonstrators toss sticks and rocks at South Vietnamese riot police in Saigon in a brief confrontation after a rally sponsored by the mainly Catholic anti-corruption movement on 4 April 1975 The Vietnam War 40 years on The Vietnam War US Navy personnel aboard the USS Blue Ridge push a helicopter into the sea off the coast of Vietnam in order to make room for more evacuation flights from Saigon in 29 April 1975 The Vietnam War 40 years on The Vietnam War South Vietnamese troops and western TV newsmen run for cover as a North Vietnamese mortar round explodes on Newport Bridge on the outskirts of Saigon in 28 April 1975 Hoanh/AP The Vietnam War 40 years on The Vietnam War US sailors transfer a South Vietnamese boy from the USS Blue Ridge to a merchant vessel off the South Vietnam coast during evacuations from South Vietnam in 1 May 1975 The Vietnam War 40 years on The Vietnam War A North Vietnamese tank rolls through the gates of the Presidential Palace in Saigon, signifying the fall of South Vietnam. The war ended on April 30, 1975, with the fall of Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh City The Vietnam War 40 years on The Vietnam War A US Marine, who was wounded in the head as he fought against the Viet Cong from inside an amphibious tank, is led to evacuation helicopter landing zone at Van Tuong, Vietnam on 19 August 1965 The problem with Vietnam is that if your body came back, your mind came back too, he recalled in the 2000 interview. Within 18 months of coming back, I was on the edge of a major breakdown. It hit in 1971 and it was very serious. Real despair for three or four years; deep paralysis. I split up with my wife for a year. I didn't see anybody because I didn't want anybody to see me. Herr revisited the Vietnam War in the almost hallucinogenic narration in Francis Ford Coppolas epic 1979 film Apocalypse Now. He co-scripted Stanley Kubricks 1987 film Full Metal Jacket, for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Former reporter discusses media s role in Vietnam war Herr was born in Lexington, Kentucky, on 13 April 1940, and later grew up in Syracuse, New York. He attended Syracuse University, but ultimately dropped out in favour of wayward life of travel - akin to writers like Ernest Hemingway. A private man, Herr told Los Angeles Times that the resounding success of Dispatches blew [his] cover, as reporters and television producers consistently attempted to get him to relive the harrowing details of the Vietnam War. He fled to London after the books release, but finally returned to the States in 1990. The reception couldn't have been better, frankly it couldn't have been more wonderful, he said. It totally changed my life. But it also blew my cover. It was great for a little while, but then I wanted to stop it, and you can't turn that tap off so easily, particularly in New York. He recalled turning down a lucrative offer to host a documentary commemorating the 10th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. I said I would rather observe this great anniversary in private, Herr said. The idea of going on television just fills me with dread and horror. But to go on and impersonate an old war correspondent returning seems really profane. Really profane. If they want to commemorate the Vietnam War, man, they can welcome the veterans home. Set up some apparatus to take the pain away. Michael Herr is survived by his wife of almost 40 years, Valerie Elliott; their two daughters, Claudia and Catherine Herr; and siblings Steven Herr and Judy Bleyer. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Conservative MP Justine Greening has announced she is in a same-sex relationship on the same day as annual LGBT celebrations are taking place across the country. The International Development Secretary spoke about her sexuality on Twitter as the 43rd annual Pride 2016 march kicked off. In her message, Ms Greening joked that while she had campaigned for staying in the EU ahead of the referendum, sometimes youre better off out! The Chancellor George Osborne responded by declaring her tweet the best news he had heard in 48 hours. The Prime Minister also extended his congratulations to Ms Greening but wisely decided against making a joke about Brexit. Events are being held in cities across the UK today to mark the LGBTQI community. Thousands have taken to the streets in London for the capital's annual Pride parade, which ends at Whitehall. A minutes silence will be held to honour the 49 victims of the Orlando LGBT nightclub shooting. Campaigner Peter Tatchell, who helped to organise the first pride, called for people to unite against hate in the wake of the devasting attack. In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Pride in London 2016 In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Participants on motor cycles during the Pride in London parade, as it makes its way through the streets of central, London. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Daphne, a miniture schnouzer, wears a rainbow tie at a march as the LGBT community celebrates Pride in London on June 25, 2016 Getty Images In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Jennifer Saunders (right) and Joanna Lumley (left) pose in character along with performers in front of the Absolutely Fabulous/Stolli (vodka) Pride in London float PA In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London 'Pet Play' enthusiasts dress and behave as dogs during a march as the LGBT community celebrates Pride in London on June 25, 2016 Getty Images In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London A policeman kisses his fiance after proposing to him during the Pride in London parade, as it makes its way through the streets of central London. PA In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Participants show their support for victims of the Orlando shooting during the annual Pride Parade in London on June 25, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom Matthew Barzun (left) and Major of London Sadiq Khan attending the Pride in London parade PA In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Participants take part in the annual Pride Parade in London on June 25, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Participants take part in the annual Pride Parade in London on June 25, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Participants show their support for victims of the Orlando shooting during the annual Pride Parade in London on June 25, 2016. AFP/Getty Images We are highlighting the need for dialogue, unity and solidarity between the Muslim and LGBT communities - to oppose all hate," he said ahead of the parade. In April, the Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale announced she was in a same-sex relationship on Twitter, making Scotland one of the only countries in the world where the majority of its mainstream party leaders are out as lesbian, gay or bisexual. The LGBT organisation Stonewall praised Ms Greenings decision to speak openly about her relationship. A spokesperson told the Independent: As well as a time of reflection, Pride is a time for solidarity and celebration. We are delighted for Justine Greening that she has chosen this moment to come out to the world, and we wish her nothing but happiness. Congratulations Justine! Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} US-born author Bill Bryson has said that the British are more greedy and selfish than they used to be, and suggested people had voted with their hearts rather than their heads in the EU referendum. Since he wrote his breakthrough book about the UK, Notes From A Small Island, two decades ago, Mr Bryson said British living standards had increased. But, after travelling the country again for the sequel The Road to Little Dribbling, he said the British appeared to have let their manners go. Britain used to be a much more orderly and well-behaved society," he told The Times. Now, the British have become more greedy and selfish, more like the American model, except they havent quite mastered it yet. The author said he felt the EU referendum was a completely emotional event, not an intellectual one, and reflected a Euroscepticism in the UK that he remembered from the 1980s. It kind of reminded me of when the Channel Tunnel was being built. A lot of people felt uncomfortable having a physical link to the continent, as if Germans or even the French might invade through the tunnel," he said. It was clearly an irrational feeling of losing a sense of being an island and separate. Mr Bryson, born in Iowa, first visited the UK during a backpacking trip around Europe when he was in his 20s. He got a job at psychiatric hospital in Surrey, and decided to stay. I couldnt do now what I did then, he said. The world has made it a lot harder for people to be immigrants. Mr Bryson met a nurse, Cynthia, while working at the hospital and said he ended up falling for her and falling for England literally simultaneously". He added: It does surprise me that 40 years on I am still very fond of them both. He told The Times that his agent had asked him to pen the sequel for crassly commercial reasons, but that he had accepted after realising that the original had become somewhat dated. Its history now really. Its talking about a world that had Princess Diana in it, where John Major and Margaret Thatcher were still forces to be reckoned with," he said. So I thought, Yeah, it wont be too preposterous to go out and see how Britain has changed and how I have changed.' While writing The Road to Little Dribbling, Mr Bryson travelled across the country between the UK mainlands southernmost and northernmost geographical points. He said he found Britain itself to be much improved. And British people were richer and had more comfortable lives than they did 20 years ago. People have a lot more money in their pockets, richer lives, better experiences, he said. We travel so much more now. My kids go overseas three times a year at least. 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Show all 6 1 /6 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you More expensive foreign holidays The first practical effect of a vote to Leave is that the pound will be worth less abroad, meaning foreign holidays will cost us more nito100 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you No immediate change in immigration status The Prime Minister will have to address other immediate concerns. He is likely to reassure nationals of other EU countries living in the UK that their status is unchanged. That is what the Leave campaign has said, so, even after the Brexit negotiations are complete, those who are already in the UK would be allowed to stay Getty 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Higher inflation A lower pound means that imports would become more expensive. This is likely to mean the return of inflation a phenomenon with which many of us are unfamiliar because prices have been stable for so long, rising at no more than about 2 per cent a year. The effect may probably not be particularly noticeable in the first few months. At first price rises would be confined to imported goods food and clothes being the most obvious but inflation has a tendency to spread and to gain its own momentum AFP/Getty Images 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Interest rates might rise The trouble with inflation is that the Bank of England has a legal obligation to keep it as close to 2 per cent a year as possible. If a fall in the pound threatens to push prices up faster than this, the Bank will raise interest rates. This acts against inflation in three ways. First, it makes the pound more attractive, because deposits in pounds will earn higher interest. Second, it reduces demand by putting up the cost of borrowing, and especially by taking larger mortgage payments out of the economy. Third, it makes it more expensive for businesses to borrow to expand output Getty 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Did somebody say recession? Mr Carney, the Treasury and a range of international economists have warned about this. Many Leave voters appear not to have believed them, or to think that they are exaggerating small, long-term effects. But there is no doubt that the Leave vote is a negative shock to the economy. This is because it changes expectations about the economys future performance. Even though Britain is not actually be leaving the EU for at least two years, companies and investors will start to move money out of Britain, or to scale back plans for expansion, because they are less confident about what would happen after 2018 AFP/Getty Images 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you And we wouldnt even get our money back All this will be happening while the Prime Minister, whoever he or she is, is negotiating the terms of our future access to the EU single market. In the meantime, our trade with the EU would be unaffected, except that companies elsewhere in the EU may be less interested in buying from us or selling to us, expecting tariff barriers to go up in two years time. Whoever the Chancellor is, he or she may feel the need to bring in a new Budget Getty Images Despite spending most of his years in England, Mr Bryson still considers himself to be American: I was born American the same way I was born left-handed. And I will always be left-handed. For the first time, he has registered to vote in the upcoming US election: I never bothered to vote, he said. Its 360 million people what do they need me for? But if Donald Trump won by one vote, and I hadnt registered, I would never forgive myself. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Labour MP David Lammy has called on Parliament to "stop this madness" and to vote against the referendum decision to leave the EU. In a statement on his Twitter feed, the MP for Tottenham and former Higher Education and Skills Minister said: "Wake up. We do not have to do this. "We can stop this madness and bring this nightmare to an end through a vote in Parliament. Our sovereign Parliament needs to now vote on whether we should exit the EU. 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you "The referendum was was an advisory, non-binding referendum. The Leave campaign's platform has already unravelled and some people wish they hadn't voted to Leave. "Parliament now needs to decide whether we should go forward with Brexit, and there should be a vote in Parliament next week. "Let us not destroy our economy on the basis of lies and the hubris of Boris Johnson." Mr Lammy also posted a second tweet, in which he quoted Nigel Farage: Despite it being legally possible for Parliament to not enact Brexit, doing so would cause uproar among those who voted to leave the EU. Despite it being close vote, the Leave side won with a majority of 51.9 per cent, with a over million more people than the Remain side. Britains withdrawal would not formally happen until Article 50 is invoked by the government. Until then, no technical decision has actually been made. The referendum itself has no constitutional significance. To stop Brexit, all the government has to do is nothing. However, this is unlikely to happen. The authority and credibility of the leading Remain politicians has taken a severe blow as demonstrated by David Camerons resignation on Friday. Brexit reactions in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Brexit reactions in pictures Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In campaign look at their phones after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall AP Brexit reactions in pictures Leave supporters cheer results at a Leave.eu party after polling stations closed in the Referendum on the European Union in London Reuters Brexit reactions in pictures Mr Cameron announces his resignation to supporters Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Donald Tusk proposes that the 27 remaining EU member states start a wider reflection on the future of our union Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Ukip leader Nigel Farage greets his supporters on College Green in Westminster, after Britain voted to leave the European Union PA Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as referendum results are announced today Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Boris Johnson leaves his home today to discover a crowd of waiting journalists and police officers Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Leave EU supporters celebrate as they watch the British EU Referendum results being televised at Millbank Tower in London Rex Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as results of the EU referendum are announced at the Royal Festival Hall Reuters Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall PA There is widespread expectation that prominent Leave campaigner Boris Johnson will take his place, and in doing so surround himself with other politicians who support Brexit, allowing the move to go ahead. Mr Lammy was not immediately available for comment. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A leading Conservative Brexit campaigner has suggested Britain should allow people from the European Union to freely enter the UK after Brexit. MEP Daniel Hannan said told presenter Evan Davis on the BBC's Newsnight programme: Frankly, if people watching think that they have voted and there is now going to be zero immigration from the EU, they are going to be disappointed. Mr Hannan said the UK would have to accept the free movement of people in order to remain in the European common market. "The idea of staying within a common market but outside the political integration, I think that is feasible," said Mr Hannan. After Mr Davis asked whether that meant the free movement of people between a post-Brexit Britain and the EU, Mr Hannan replied: "It means free movement of labour." The Conservative MEP defended the campain to leave the EU, which focussed heavily on migration issues, saying that they had been honest about the implications for immigration from the start. He said that it was up to future governments to decide if immigration should be limited. I dont think anyone has ever tried to put a number on [immigration]. Thats obviously going to depend on the state of the economy at the time, said Mr Hannan. Mr Hannan's statements on Newsnight were seen as the latest apparent, or alleged, U-turn by the Leave campaign. Nigel Farage has already disowned the pledge by the official Leave campaign to spend 350m a week previously given to the European Union on the NHS even though much of that was spent in the UK. Mr Davis responded with visible exasperation to Mr Hannans assertion that free movement of Labour would need to continue. Im sorry weve just been through three months of agony on the issue of immigration and the public have been led to believe that what they have voted for is an end to free movement," he said. At one point Mr Davis put his head in his hands. Why didnt you say in the campaign that you were wanting a system where we had free movement of labour?" he said. Come on, that is completely at odds with what the public think they have just voted for. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Former Conservative Cabinet minister Lord Patrick Mayhew, who served as attorney general and Northern Ireland secretary during critical events for both posts, has died at the age of 86. In a statement, his family said he died peacefully at his home in Kent on Saturday, adding: "He had lived with cancer and Parkinson's for several years. He worked hard for peace in Northern Ireland." Lord Mayhew was a key figure in the December 1993 Downing Street Declaration, formulated by then prime minister John Major and then Irish taoiseach, Albert Reynolds, which led to the IRA ceasefire the following September. He was also the subject of controversy for his decision not to prosecute in alleged shoot-to-kill cases in Northern Ireland. Recommended Read more Martin McGuinness calls for border poll on united Ireland He is survived by his wife Jean Mayhew, their four sons and their families. The peer was the longest ever serving Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, working in the position from 1992 - 1997. He was also the first ever MP for the Tunbridge Wells constituency, representing the area from its inception at the Februaury 1974 general election. He continued to represent Tunbridge Wells until 1997. Greg Clark, the current MP for the constituency, paid tribute to him on social media: Other people also paid their respects: Mayhew became attorney-general in 1987 and was involved in a series of contentious issues during his tenure. These included demands for the extradition of terrorist suspects from the Irish Republic, and his decision not to prosecute in alleged shoot-to-kill cases. This brought him unpopularity in Dublin and a reputation as a disdainful, high-handed and haughty man. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA 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 Throughout this period he remained unemotional and steadfast through some of the most vicious terrorist attacks the Province had seen in 25 years of the troubles. And he was particularly outspoken about Dublin's continued territorial claim, in its constitution, on the six counties of the North. It also came to light that there had been secret contacts between the government and the IRA, and Mayhew published a lengthy dossier of the written exchanges. But he worked assiduously with the British prime minister, with Irish taoiseach Albert Reynolds and Dick Spring, the then Irish foreign minister, to achieve the Downing Street agreement of December, 1993. There was a delay of nine months while the IRA continually sought "clarification" of the document: a plea which Britain regarded not as a request for clarification but for renewed negotiations which Whitehall was not going to allow. But finally the breakthrough came, with the IRA ceasefire and the subsequent lifting of the ban on the broadcast voices of IRA and other paramilitary sympathisers. And although hard-line Unionists were deeply suspicious it appeared as though Sinn Fein was coming towards the legitimate constitutional fold of Ulster politics. Mayhew was normally impeccably diplomatic, but there was one rare and uncharacteristic gaffe for which he had to apologise publicly and profusely. He was with the prime minister in June, 1993, awaiting the start of a performance in Northern Ireland of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. When a reporter questioned him about a grenade attack that day in Belfast which had injured nearly 30 people, he quipped: "No, nobody dead. At the end of this opera, everybody's dead." Mayhew said later that he much regretted any distress he had caused by this remark. Press Association contributed to this report Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} At the end of one of its most difficult weeks of the year, British Airways cancelled 50 flights to and from London on Saturday, the vast majority at Heathrow Terminal 5. Many other flights were delayed - including a service to Los Angeles that left 27 hours late. Poor weather during the week, in particular thunderstorms in South East England, has been blamed by the airline for disrupting services and leaving aircraft and staff out of position. On Thursday, French air-traffic controllers went on strike once again, grounding dozens of flights between the UK. France, Spain, Switzerland and Italy. On Friday, lightning caused further delays. Fourteen BA flights departed after midnight, long after take-offs normally end. Eleven other flights arrived in the early hours of Saturday morning, breaking the conventional curfew. Harry Waterworth, one of the passengers delayed by seven hours on BA873 from Krakow, tweeted: Very disappointed in an airline that is usually exceptional. Nina Pertwee, a passenger from Nice to Heathrow, waited two hours for a delayed flight from Nice on Friday night and then waited on the tarmac for a further 45 minutes. At baggage reclaim we were told that due to technical difficulties there would be an extremely lengthy wait for bags and they would deliver them to our homes, she said. The Friday afternoon Airbus A380 Superjumbo flight from Heathrow to LA was delayed by 27 hours, taking off two hours after the corresponding flight on Saturday. Most of the Saturday cancellations were between Heathrow and domestic and short-haul destinations such as Manchester, Berlin and Amsterdam, to which BA has multiple daily departures. But a holiday flight to and from the Greek island of Santorini was also cancelled; the airline has only four flights per week on the route. A BA spokesperson said: We are sorry for the disruption to some our customers' travel plans. Due to poor weather across much of England and beyond over the past few days, air traffic control reduced the number of aircraft which can land at Heathrow and Gatwick and this has had a knock-on effect to our schedules. We are looking after customers and are re-booking those affected onto alternative flights or offering them overnight hotel rooms if they can't fly until tomorrow. Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Show all 8 1 /8 Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Winners: Landscape category - Jurassic Coast (Dorset, UK) by Tony Cowburn Tony Cowburn Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Winner: Icon category - Tiger's Nest (Paro Valley, Bhutan) by Kasia Nowak Kasia Nowak Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Winner: People category - Reflections (S-21 Prison, Phnom Penh, Cambodia) by Charlotte Currie Charlotte Currie Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Winner: Wildlife category - Escape! (Tanzania) by Vittorio Ricci Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Runners-up: Icon - Snow Time (Westminster Bridge, London) by Ron Tear Ron Tear Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Runner-up: Wildlife - Momentary (Bucks, UK) by Porsupah Ree Porsupah Ree Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Runner-up: Landscape - Polar Bear Landscape (Wrangel Island, Russia) by Gunther Riehle Travel Photo of the Year: The winning entries Runner-up: People - Let Sleeping Sikhs Lie (Amritsar, India) by Allan Dransfield Allan Dransfield Other airlines were less affected, though Eurowings cancelled flights between Heathrow and Hamburg. Meanwhile the Heathrow airport home page carried a message about the Brexit vote, saying The airport is operating normally and there are no changes to security or immigration procedures following the EU referendum. Events following the poll have alarmed Heathrow's owners. Boris Johnson, front-runner to be next prime minister, is an avowed opponent of the third runway, which was recommended last summer by the Davies Commission. The government is due to announce its choice of location for a new runway at either Heathrow or Gatwick next month, but the post-referendum political turmoil makes it unlikely that a decision will be made until late in the year. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The army has lit up its Sandhurst military academy with the colours of the rainbow to celebrate the Pride 2016 as thousands of LGBT took to the streets. Gay recruits have only been able to serve openly in the Armed forced since 2000. The Armys diversity and inclusivity champion, Lieutenant General Sir James Everard, said: "The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst is perhaps our greatest icon of strong leadership. "This week we have floodlit Old College in the LGBT rainbow colours to show how closely we see the links between the Army, the LGBT community and the Nation we serve." London Live at Pride And Armed Forces Minister Penny Mordaunt said: "The participation of so many of our personnel this weekend demonstrates the diversity we encourage in the Armed Forces and the support that we provide to all of our staff." The rainbow flag was also flying at the Westminster parliament in order to mark the event, which has seen thousands take to the streets in London and Brighton to raise awareness about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues. A parade through Londons West End started in Regent Street and walked past Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus and Charing Cross stations to songs including the YMCA by the Village People, It's Raining Men and tunes from a brass band. A heightened police presence was visible at the march, which is now in its 43rd year. In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Pride in London 2016 In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Participants on motor cycles during the Pride in London parade, as it makes its way through the streets of central, London. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Daphne, a miniture schnouzer, wears a rainbow tie at a march as the LGBT community celebrates Pride in London on June 25, 2016 Getty Images In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Jennifer Saunders (right) and Joanna Lumley (left) pose in character along with performers in front of the Absolutely Fabulous/Stolli (vodka) Pride in London float PA In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London 'Pet Play' enthusiasts dress and behave as dogs during a march as the LGBT community celebrates Pride in London on June 25, 2016 Getty Images In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London A policeman kisses his fiance after proposing to him during the Pride in London parade, as it makes its way through the streets of central London. PA In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Participants show their support for victims of the Orlando shooting during the annual Pride Parade in London on June 25, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom Matthew Barzun (left) and Major of London Sadiq Khan attending the Pride in London parade PA In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Participants take part in the annual Pride Parade in London on June 25, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Participants take part in the annual Pride Parade in London on June 25, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Pride in London 2016 Pride in London Participants show their support for victims of the Orlando shooting during the annual Pride Parade in London on June 25, 2016. AFP/Getty Images A minute's silence was held to mark those killed during the mass shooting at gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando on 12 June. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who attended the march, said it was "more important than ever" to be accepting of LGBT people. Two male police officers took the opportunity to propose to their partners, which was then shared by the Metropolitan Police's LGBT Network on Twitter. During the parade Jeremy Corbyn was heckled by protesters about the result of the EU referendum. Resign, its your fault. I had a Polish friend in tears because you couldnt get out the vote in Wales, the North and the Midlands," one protester told him. Stop using the gay movement as a shield to protect your weak leadership. Justine Greening, International Development Secretary also announced that she was in a lesbian relationship. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said that Ms Greenings announcement was the best news he had in 48 hours since in a pointed reference to the EU referendum. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Racism is to blame for Britain voting to leave the EU, a leading asylum campaigner has said. Mubina Irfan, leader of the Scottish Refugee Policy Forum, said the Brexit vote will have a damaging effect on asylum seekers fleeing terror in other countries. Her concerns echo those of other refugee charity groups, who said the referendum result has led to uncertain, settling times for foreigners in the UK. Speaking to the Daily Record, Ms Irfan praised Scotland for doing the right thing by voting to remain in Europe. In this situation, I find this racism is more on Englands side than on Scotlands," she said. Ms Irfan, who is also vice-chair of the Refugee Womens Strategy Group, said: I wanted us to stay in Europe. I think the result is shocking news for asylum seekers and refugees. Applying for asylum is a very tough process but now I would say it is going to be even more difficult. Many asylum seekers are able to appeal through European courts but now thatll not happen. Originally from Pakistan, Ms Irfan was in the UK asylum system for three-and-a-half years. Brexit reactions in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Brexit reactions in pictures Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In campaign look at their phones after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall AP Brexit reactions in pictures Leave supporters cheer results at a Leave.eu party after polling stations closed in the Referendum on the European Union in London Reuters Brexit reactions in pictures Mr Cameron announces his resignation to supporters Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Donald Tusk proposes that the 27 remaining EU member states start a wider reflection on the future of our union Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Ukip leader Nigel Farage greets his supporters on College Green in Westminster, after Britain voted to leave the European Union PA Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as referendum results are announced today Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Boris Johnson leaves his home today to discover a crowd of waiting journalists and police officers Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Leave EU supporters celebrate as they watch the British EU Referendum results being televised at Millbank Tower in London Rex Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as results of the EU referendum are announced at the Royal Festival Hall Reuters Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall PA When asked if she believed racism was responsible for the Leave campaigns victory, she said: I think it is, yes. Many people here really dont know about asylum seekers and refugees. They dont have a clear view because they are not aware why they came to be in this country and how they have struggled. In a statement on Friday, the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants said: For far too long we have been spun a line on immigration that blames migrants for all of our ills. We are now in a position where migrants in the UK, particularly those from the EU, are scared for their future in the country they have made their home. The Scottish Refugee Council added that many refugees are anxious about their status following Fridays results. Campaigns officer Pauline Diamond Salim said: The mood among refugees weve spoken to is similar to that of many of us anxiety about what lies ahead for all our families futures. Recommended Read more Boris Johnson launches pitch to be PM that leads Britain out of Europe People are looking for reassurance that their fundamental human rights to safety, equality and dignity will be protected in a UK that exists outside of the EU. She added: The tone of the debate in parts of the UK was driven by fear and hate, especially the stoking of fears around immigration and the scapegoating of refugees we saw in that awful poster last week. Despite the result, the UK is still a signatory to the UN Convention on Refugees, the main international treaty that protects people in need of safety. We are in uncertain, unsettling times but values like compassion, empathy and solidarity are needed more than ever. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The EU has too many rules and regulations, according to those who campaigned for a Brexit vote. Outside the EU we wouldnt have all the EU regulations which cost our economy 600 million a week, Michael Gove claimed during the campaign. Whether EU regulations are really that expensive is disputed, but there is no doubt that the volume of EU directives and rules is vast - and they all have legal force in the UK until the Brexit negotiations are complete. After the UK is out, it will be for Parliament to decide whether to keep them or scrap them. Here 15 examples of EU laws or rules that govern our lives some that a post-Brexit government may choose to abolish, and others that will probably remain. Free movement of labour Immigration may have been the biggest single reason that the country voted Brexit. EU membership denies the Government any control over the number or type of EU migrants who come to the UK seeking work. Leaders of the Brexit campaign have said they will introduce an Australian-style points system under which all migrants would be subject to the same rules, and could be selectively refused entry. But free movement of labour is a cherished EU rule, which applies even to Switzerland and Norway, which are not EU members but have free trade agreements with the EU. This issue could set Brexit supporters fighting among themselves, with Nigel Farage, who pushed immigration to the centre of the campaign on one side, and the Tory MEP Daniel Hannan, a libertarian Tory and supporter of free trade on the other. Hannan told the BBC: Do not imagine that if we leave the EU that will mean zero immigration. The right to be forgotten In 2010, a Spanish citizen whose home had once been repossessed complained that it was a breach of his privacy that people could read about his old problem on Google. The case went to the EU court, who found in his favour and ruled that individuals have the right to demand that search links remove links with personal information about them, if that information is inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant or excessive. When Britain is out the EU, Google can, if they want to, apply to a British court for a ruling that in the UK there is no right to be forgotten. 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Child benefit for migrant workers EU citizens working in the UK can claim child benefit even if their children are not living in this country. That right is likely to be an early casualty of Brexit. Working time directive Under EU law, it is illegal to make an employee work for an average of more than 48 hours a week. John Major secured an opt-out for the UK from this directive in 1992, but six years later the Labour Government opted in. Working class voters who backed Brexit are unlikely to want to see this protection disappear, despite the cost to employers, which is said to be above 4 bn a year. However, Andrea Leadsom, a prominent Brexit campaigner, said during the campaign: In the area of employment I wouldnt expect to see deregulation. Temporary Agency Workers Directive This aims to guarantee that those hired through employment agencies get the same pay and conditions as employees in the same business doing the same work. The overall cost to employers is only half that of the working time directive, and though free marketeers in the Brexit camp might think this is an unnecessary interference in the labour market, the comment from Ms Leadsom implies that the post-Brexit Government may not want to take the political risk of abolishing it. Fishing The Common Fisheries Policy gives European fishing fleets equal access to the waters of all EU state within 12 nautical miles of the coast, and imposes quotas to preserve fish stocks. Boris Johnson has described the quotas as crazy. Brexit may turn out to be good news for the British fishing fleets, but at others expence. VAT on energy bills The removal of VAT from gas and electricity bills would be socially progressive (Rex Features) EU law lays down that the standard rate of VAT must be at least 15 per cent, and the reduced rate, which can only apply to certain specified goods and services, must be at least 5 per cent. It does not allow governments the freedom to decide that there should be no VAT on chosen items - hence that long argument over VAT on sanitary goods, dubbed the tampon tax, which was eventually scrapped. Outside the EU, the Government could remove VAT from gas and electricity bills, which would be socially progressive, because the people most affected would be those on the lowest incomes, but green activists may object that it is not green because it might encourage people to use more electricity. Renewables directive Technically known as Directive 2009/28/EC, this is reckoned by the Open Europe think-tank to be the single most expensive piece of Brussels-imposed legislation. Steered through the Commons by Ed Miliband, when he was Energy Secretary, it sets targets for combatting climate change, such as achieving a 20 per cent share of energy from renewable sources by 2020, at a reputed cost of 4.7bn a year. Brexit campaigners tend to be sceptical about climate change, so a government dominated by Brexiteers may well see this as a useful way to save money. Green activists will disagree. EU Climate and Energy Package This is a set of rules that compel EU states to meet key targets including a 20 per cent cut in greenhouse gas emissions and a 20 per cent improvement in energy efficiency. Like the renewables directive, it is expensive. Banking regulations There is some doubt as to whether even a post-Brexit British Government would dare lift bank regulations after the experience of 2008 (Getty) When EU states argued over how tightly to regulate the banks, the UK was usually on the side of light regulations with the Germans leading the other side. The Capital Requirements Directive IV is a compromise, but an expensive one for the UK economy. But there must be some doubt as to whether even a post-Brexit British Government would dare lift bank regulations after the experience of 2008. Diabetic motorists When David Cameron addressed the 2011 Conservative conference, he ridiculed the EU for involving itself in the question of whether people suffering from diabetes mellitus should be issued with driving licences. There is no blanket ban, but the updated directive 2006/126/EC says that diabetics who need regular insulin treatment should be issued with driving licences only in very exceptional circumstances. After Brexit, road safety will be Parliaments responsibility. 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Show all 6 1 /6 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you More expensive foreign holidays The first practical effect of a vote to Leave is that the pound will be worth less abroad, meaning foreign holidays will cost us more nito100 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you No immediate change in immigration status The Prime Minister will have to address other immediate concerns. He is likely to reassure nationals of other EU countries living in the UK that their status is unchanged. That is what the Leave campaign has said, so, even after the Brexit negotiations are complete, those who are already in the UK would be allowed to stay Getty 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Higher inflation A lower pound means that imports would become more expensive. This is likely to mean the return of inflation a phenomenon with which many of us are unfamiliar because prices have been stable for so long, rising at no more than about 2 per cent a year. The effect may probably not be particularly noticeable in the first few months. At first price rises would be confined to imported goods food and clothes being the most obvious but inflation has a tendency to spread and to gain its own momentum AFP/Getty Images 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Interest rates might rise The trouble with inflation is that the Bank of England has a legal obligation to keep it as close to 2 per cent a year as possible. If a fall in the pound threatens to push prices up faster than this, the Bank will raise interest rates. This acts against inflation in three ways. First, it makes the pound more attractive, because deposits in pounds will earn higher interest. Second, it reduces demand by putting up the cost of borrowing, and especially by taking larger mortgage payments out of the economy. Third, it makes it more expensive for businesses to borrow to expand output Getty 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Did somebody say recession? Mr Carney, the Treasury and a range of international economists have warned about this. Many Leave voters appear not to have believed them, or to think that they are exaggerating small, long-term effects. But there is no doubt that the Leave vote is a negative shock to the economy. This is because it changes expectations about the economys future performance. Even though Britain is not actually be leaving the EU for at least two years, companies and investors will start to move money out of Britain, or to scale back plans for expansion, because they are less confident about what would happen after 2018 AFP/Getty Images 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you And we wouldnt even get our money back All this will be happening while the Prime Minister, whoever he or she is, is negotiating the terms of our future access to the EU single market. In the meantime, our trade with the EU would be unaffected, except that companies elsewhere in the EU may be less interested in buying from us or selling to us, expecting tariff barriers to go up in two years time. Whoever the Chancellor is, he or she may feel the need to bring in a new Budget Getty Images Clean water The EU has strict rules about the cleanliness of drinking water, and of the water in which we bathe. In other words, for as long as we are in the EU, we are denied the right to drink filthy water or swim in sewage-polluted sea. Even Nigel Farage might agree that this is a right not worth reclaiming. Bananas Even outside the EU, British shoppers may resist having to pay the full price for bananas whose shape is not aesthetically pleasing It is absurd that we are told you cannot sell bananas in bunches of more than two or three bananas. You cannot sell bananas with abnormal curvature of the fingers, Boris Johnson declared during the campaign. He was plain wrong about bunches of bananas, but in 1993, the Commission did genuinely draw up Regulation 404/93 setting out a new EC-wide banana import regime which set out what, under EU rules, constituted a standard quality banana. It did not ban misshapen bananas, but it did categorise them as sub-standard. There is a 56 page EU document explaining the regulation, and setting the history of its introduction. This is a trifle absurd, but even outside the EU, British shoppers may resist having to pay the full price for bananas whose shape is not aesthetically pleasing. Vacuum Cleaners In July 2013, the European Commission imposed a regulation setting new standards for efficient electricity use for vacuum cleaners. Leaving the EU means that Parliament can decide whether the British should have the right restored to buy inefficient vacuum cleaners that use lots of electricity. Hair dryers, kettles, toasters The EU is threatening to impose regulations on other household items on the same lines of those that apply to vacuum cleaners. Thursdays vote may have saved the British energy guzzling kettle. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Anger is growing among countless British expats who say they have been disenfranchised in the EU referendum because their postal votes failed to arrive. Since The Independent revealed the scandal on Thursday, more than 100 people have said they had confirmation that they registered within the Governments deadline but never received the ballot. There were demands for an immediate investigation as the number of those known to be affected continued to grow, with some calling for a re-run of the referendum. Christina Watkins, who lives in Normandy, told The Independent she had spoken to many other British friends in France who did not receive their postal votes. How the UK felt about Brexit This has the potential, I believe, to demand a new referendum if the problem of overseas postal voting for expats is identified, she said. How many eligible voters who have been denied a vote must be identified before the Electoral Commission must act? The potential impact on people like me in a future where we are out of the EU could be catastrophic. There were similar stories from British voters in countries including Peru, Iceland, Hong Kong, Turkey, South Africa and New Zealand, all of whom had their registrations for postal voting confirmed. Michael Shorthouse, who did not receive his postal vote in the US, said the result of the referendum should be challenged, while another angry voter said the situation makes a farce of the outcome of the EU referendum. I accept that this may be difficultbut at least morally, I would maintain time should at least be given to calls for a re-run, given the impact any mass-disenfranchisement could have had on the narrow margin of the result, he added. EU referendum - in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 EU referendum - in pictures EU referendum - in pictures A woman in a wheelchair with British and European Union flags shows her support for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union on the day of the EU Referendum in Gibraltar Getty Images EU referendum - in pictures A polling station being used in the EU referendum at Batley Town Hall in the constituency Labour MP Jo Cox PA EU referendum - in pictures People arrive to vote in the EU Referendum at the Library where British MP Jo Cox was shot and fatally wounded last week in Birstall EPA EU referendum - in pictures A man arrives to vote at a polling station for the Referendum on the European Union in north London REUTERS EU referendum - in pictures Voters queue to enter a polling station at Trinity Church in Golders Green in London Getty Images EU referendum - in pictures British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha Cameron leave after voting in the EU Referendum at Central Methodist Hall, Westminster Getty Images EU referendum - in pictures Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn cast his vote at a polling station at Pakeman Primary School in Islington Getty Images EU referendum - in pictures Chelsea pensioners arrive at a polling station near to the Royal Chelsea Hospital PA EU referendum - in pictures A woman wearing an "I'm In" t-shirt, promoting the official "Remain" campaign, leaves a polling station in London AFP/Getty Images EU referendum - in pictures People queuing outside a polling station on Amott Road in London PA EU referendum - in pictures Scotland's First Minister and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Nicola Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell, react as leave after casting their votes at a polling station at Broomhouse Community Hall in east Glasgow AFP/Getty Images EU referendum - in pictures A man wearing a European themed cycling jersey leaves after voting at a polling station for the Referendum on the European Union in north London REUTERS EU referendum - in pictures Ukip leader Nigel Farage arrives to cast his vote at Cudham Church of England Primary School in Biggin Hill, Kent PA EU referendum - in pictures Justice Secretary and prominent 'Vote Leave' campaigner Michael Gove poses with his wife Sarah Vine after voting in the European Union referendum at their local polling station in Kensington Getty EU referendum - in pictures Nuns leave a polling station after voting in the EU Referendum in London EPA EU referendum - in pictures People arrive to cast their ballots in the EU Referendum in Gibraltar. The United Kingdom and its dependant territories are going to the polls to decide whether or not the the United Kingdom will remain in the European Union Getty Images EU referendum - in pictures A man driving a van covered in stickers urging people to vote for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union drives outside a polling station on the day of the EU Referendum in Gibraltar Getty Images EU referendum - in pictures A sign on a gable wall in Belfast's, Loyalist Tigers Bay urging voters to leave the EU using scripture from Revelation 18:4, as voters head to the polls across the UK in a historic referendum on whether the UK should remain a member of the European Union or leave PA A Cardiff University professor, Bill Bell, said there should be a debate if the number of missing votes proves to be greater than the 1.3 million margin that gave the Leave campaign victory by 52 per cent to 48 per cent. The majority of voters contacting The Independent said they had received no documents at all, but some said they did not arrive until shortly before the EU referendum or on the day of the vote itself, making it impossible to return them in time. Jackie Donkin, who lives in Australia, said she received her postal vote on 23 June complete with instructions to return it by 10pm on the same day. I am furious and disenfranchised, she said. In this day of modern communications why is it not possible to enable a vote by means other than an unreliable postal system and, what is more, send out the ballot so late that it is clear that it is not going to be possible to return it by the deadline? Many voters said they had been told postal errors were to blame, although several said they had never had issues with the service in their respective countries and a man who contacted Iceland Post was told they had no record of the package. Delays were confirmed by Castle Point Borough Council in Essex, which issued a letter to expats on 9 June saying it re-issued postal packs after being told those handed to Royal Mail on 25 May had not yet been delivered. A letter sent to a British voter living abroad who did not receive a postal vote for the EU referendum (Supplied) Sarah Newton said she was told by electoral officials at Kirklees Council in Yorkshire that the papers had not been sent out because of an unspecified clerical error. I wonder how many other British expats have been disenfranchised in this way? she asked. Presumably many of them would have voted Remain, concerned as they probably are for their own legal status in the country where they live. In another mistake, one man found out his postal vote had been accidentally sent to an address in Australia, rather than his home in Austria. Anna Szkalinska, who received her postal vote on polling day in Johannesburg, suggested that expats be allowed to vote in British consulates to avoid the problem in the future. Many of those affected said they wanted to vote Remain, although many intended to back Leave and a man living in Australia said the vast majority of his acquaintances were pro-Brexit. Leave votes piled up on the counting tables in Cardiff on referendum night (Rex) Sally Brimblecombe said council responsible for her vote, in Suffolk, blamed the error on the French postal system but raised the prospect of a conspiracy against pro-EU expats. I feel defeated, but thought my one vote would not make much difference in the end, she added. If, as I now hear, this has affected many people living abroad in the EU, then I want to join them to be heard. Karen and Paul Mehrlich, who live in France, believed the disappearances were suspicious. It would be interesting to know how many expat postal votes were allegedly sent out and how many returned, the couple said in an email. Jack Bownes, an Exeter University student on a year abroad in Paris, said that three out of seven of the English friends he met on Thursday evening had the same problem. Regardless of which way I was voting, and whether I am pleased or disappointed with the result, I am hugely upset that I wasn't able to have a say and exercise one of my basic human rights in what is an historic referendum, he added. Anti-Brexit demonstrators outside the Houses of Parliament (EPA) It seems like a lot of postal votes didn't come through. It's simply not fair. And the issue is not confined to expats several British residents have also contacted The Independent. A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission said it would investigate the issue. We are aware of the complaints from some overseas voters that they did not receive their postal votes ahead of the referendum, she added. We will be looking into this as part of our statutory report on the referendum. She did not comment on individual cases or explain what had happened to the missing votes. Did your postal vote fail to arrive? Let us know by emailing lizzie.dearden@independent.co.uk. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Liberal Democrats will stand at the next general election on a platform of derailing Brexit and keeping Britain in the European Union, the party has announced. Leader Tim Farron said on Saturday night that he would be clear and unequivocal with voters that if elected it would set aside the referendum result and keep Britain in the EU. He said the referendum result amounted to a howl of anger at politicians and that the election of a liberal government would be a way of registering a change of heart by the electorate Recommended Read more Video evidence emerges of Farage pledging EU millions for NHS Though the next general election is scheduled for 2020 under the Fixed Term Parliament Act (FTPA), David Camerons resignation and major loopholes in the legislation mean it could come as early as the autumn or early next year. A successor to Mr Cameron is planned to be in place by Conservative Party conference in October and it is expected that whoever is chosen will immediately come under pressure to call an early election. This is possible under the FTPA if a simple majority of MPs vote no confidence in their own government and an alternative government cannot be formed within 14 days. Alternatively, a two-thirds majority of MPs can call an election with a vote. 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you For many millions of people, this was not just a vote about Europe. It was a howl of anger at politicians and institutions who they felt they were out of touch and had let them down, Mr Farron said. The British people deserve the chance not to be stuck with the appalling consequences of a Leave campaign that stoked that anger with the lies of Farage, Johnson and Gove. The Liberal Democrats will fight the next election on a clear and unequivocal promise to restore British prosperity and role in the world, with the United Kingdom in the European Union, not out. If you agree with us, join us to make this happen. A spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats said people would feel betrayed with the outcome of Brexit and suggested the result had been won on a false prospectus. 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Show all 6 1 /6 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you More expensive foreign holidays The first practical effect of a vote to Leave is that the pound will be worth less abroad, meaning foreign holidays will cost us more nito100 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you No immediate change in immigration status The Prime Minister will have to address other immediate concerns. He is likely to reassure nationals of other EU countries living in the UK that their status is unchanged. That is what the Leave campaign has said, so, even after the Brexit negotiations are complete, those who are already in the UK would be allowed to stay Getty 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Higher inflation A lower pound means that imports would become more expensive. This is likely to mean the return of inflation a phenomenon with which many of us are unfamiliar because prices have been stable for so long, rising at no more than about 2 per cent a year. The effect may probably not be particularly noticeable in the first few months. At first price rises would be confined to imported goods food and clothes being the most obvious but inflation has a tendency to spread and to gain its own momentum AFP/Getty Images 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Interest rates might rise The trouble with inflation is that the Bank of England has a legal obligation to keep it as close to 2 per cent a year as possible. If a fall in the pound threatens to push prices up faster than this, the Bank will raise interest rates. This acts against inflation in three ways. First, it makes the pound more attractive, because deposits in pounds will earn higher interest. Second, it reduces demand by putting up the cost of borrowing, and especially by taking larger mortgage payments out of the economy. Third, it makes it more expensive for businesses to borrow to expand output Getty 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Did somebody say recession? Mr Carney, the Treasury and a range of international economists have warned about this. Many Leave voters appear not to have believed them, or to think that they are exaggerating small, long-term effects. But there is no doubt that the Leave vote is a negative shock to the economy. This is because it changes expectations about the economys future performance. Even though Britain is not actually be leaving the EU for at least two years, companies and investors will start to move money out of Britain, or to scale back plans for expansion, because they are less confident about what would happen after 2018 AFP/Getty Images 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you And we wouldnt even get our money back All this will be happening while the Prime Minister, whoever he or she is, is negotiating the terms of our future access to the EU single market. In the meantime, our trade with the EU would be unaffected, except that companies elsewhere in the EU may be less interested in buying from us or selling to us, expecting tariff barriers to go up in two years time. Whoever the Chancellor is, he or she may feel the need to bring in a new Budget Getty Images In twenty four hours the cheap bus slogans of Farage, Johnson and Gove are unraveling, he said. On 350 million for the NHS, on immigration, it is clear that they will fail to deliver what people thought they had voted for. Once again people will feel betrayed by out of touch politicians. The Liberal Democrats are the only party united behind a future for Britain inside the European Union. The striking policy to discount the referendum result is a gamble for the party, which hit a historic low of 7.8 per cent at the 2015 general election after a disastrous flirtation with the Conservatives in coalition. That five-year period in government saw the party lose almost all of its seats painstakingly won by activists over decades, with just eight now remaining. With the EU sure to be a key battleground in any early election, the policy may appeal to the nearly half of the voting population who voted to Remain. Over a million people have already signed an official petition to re-run the referendum, and scattered anecdotal reports on social media have shown some Leave voters already regretting their decisions. Mr Farron, an MP from the centre-left of the party was elected to replace Nick Clegg as party chief in 2015, has previously suggested he would shy away from another formal coalition deal and lean towards confidence and supply arrangements with another party if confronted with a hung parliament. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said he will respect the result of the referendum, though his position has come under threat in recent weeks after hostile Labour MPs moved a no confidence motion against him. Some voices inside that party have urged a rejection of the referendum, which is not legally binding. Tottenham MP David Lammy on Saturday called for Parliament to vote on whether Brexit should take place. On Thursday night Britain voted to leave the European Union by 52 per cent to 48 per cent. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Nobody thinks Jeremy Corbyn can win a General Election, veteran MP Frank Field has said, piling further pressure on the Labour leader ahead of a likely leadership challenge next week. Mr Corbyn faces accusations of lacklustre leadership during the EU referendum campaign and with an early election now possible following David Camerons resignation, Mr Field, the Birkenhead MP, said the party needed a leader who the public could view as an alternative Prime Minister. More than 10 MPs have already said they will support a motion of no confidence in the leader, tabled by Dame Margaret Hodge and Ann Coffey. Mr Corbyns aides have denied that he will use a speech scheduled for Saturday morning to stand down. The Labour leader told Channel 4 News yesterday that he was going nowhere, and re-stated his ambition to be Prime Minister. 5 things we learned from a night that shook Europe But Mr Field, who backed the Leave campaign, told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that he believed Mr Corbyn clearly isnt the right person to lead Labour into an election, because nobody thinks he will win. We clearly need somebody who the public think of as an alternative prime minister, he said, warning that Labour had stopped listening to the electorate. We have got to respond directly to the very large numbers of people in this country who have watched their living standards cut while the upper middle class in this country have actually lived the life of riley, he added. 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Show all 6 1 /6 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you More expensive foreign holidays The first practical effect of a vote to Leave is that the pound will be worth less abroad, meaning foreign holidays will cost us more nito100 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you No immediate change in immigration status The Prime Minister will have to address other immediate concerns. He is likely to reassure nationals of other EU countries living in the UK that their status is unchanged. That is what the Leave campaign has said, so, even after the Brexit negotiations are complete, those who are already in the UK would be allowed to stay Getty 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Higher inflation A lower pound means that imports would become more expensive. This is likely to mean the return of inflation a phenomenon with which many of us are unfamiliar because prices have been stable for so long, rising at no more than about 2 per cent a year. The effect may probably not be particularly noticeable in the first few months. At first price rises would be confined to imported goods food and clothes being the most obvious but inflation has a tendency to spread and to gain its own momentum AFP/Getty Images 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Interest rates might rise The trouble with inflation is that the Bank of England has a legal obligation to keep it as close to 2 per cent a year as possible. If a fall in the pound threatens to push prices up faster than this, the Bank will raise interest rates. This acts against inflation in three ways. First, it makes the pound more attractive, because deposits in pounds will earn higher interest. Second, it reduces demand by putting up the cost of borrowing, and especially by taking larger mortgage payments out of the economy. Third, it makes it more expensive for businesses to borrow to expand output Getty 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Did somebody say recession? Mr Carney, the Treasury and a range of international economists have warned about this. Many Leave voters appear not to have believed them, or to think that they are exaggerating small, long-term effects. But there is no doubt that the Leave vote is a negative shock to the economy. This is because it changes expectations about the economys future performance. Even though Britain is not actually be leaving the EU for at least two years, companies and investors will start to move money out of Britain, or to scale back plans for expansion, because they are less confident about what would happen after 2018 AFP/Getty Images 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you And we wouldnt even get our money back All this will be happening while the Prime Minister, whoever he or she is, is negotiating the terms of our future access to the EU single market. In the meantime, our trade with the EU would be unaffected, except that companies elsewhere in the EU may be less interested in buying from us or selling to us, expecting tariff barriers to go up in two years time. Whoever the Chancellor is, he or she may feel the need to bring in a new Budget Getty Images Mr Corbyn will use his speech on Saturday to outline the direction of the party following the EU vote, and will also address the question of immigration, the key concern for many of those Labour voters who backed Brexit. He has been a staunch defender of free movement within the EU a position, which has brought him into conflict with senior figures in the party including deputy leader Tom Watson and one-time leadership hopeful Chuka Umunna who have said the principle needs reform. Mr Umunna said in an article for the i newspaper on Saturday that it was inconceivable now that any new arrangement between the UK and the EU could include free movement. Recommended Read more More than a million sign petition demanding new EU referendum Asked on Channel 4 News whether he wanted to be Prime Minister, Mr Corbyn said: Of course I want to lead this party. Of course I want to lead this party in order to put forward an alternative and lead this party to win the election as soon as it comes. Pressed on whether he wanted to hold the office of Prime Minister, he added: Well you heard it here first, of course I want to be. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Britains severance from the European Union is not an amicable divorce and the government should begin negotiating exit terms immediately rather than waiting for David Cameron to leave office, EU Commission President Jean Claude Juncker has said. The Prime Minister will stand down in October, after offering his resignation yesterday hours after Britain voted 52 to 48 in favour of leaving the European Union, against his urging. His most likely successor, Boris Johnson, said yesterday that there need not be any haste in negotiating the terms of Britains departure, but Brussels has issued a distinctly different message, warning that Brexit should be instigated as soon as possible to avoid prolonged uncertainty that could be damaging to markets and economic growth. Leave voter didn't want Brexit Mr Juncker told Germanys ARD television station that he would like to get talks started immediately. Britons decided yesterday that they want to leave the European Union, so it doesnt make any sense to wait until October to try to negotiate the terms of their departure, he said. He pledged that EU would take a reasonable approach to negotiations, but added: Its not an amicable divorce, but it was not exactly tight affair anyway. 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Show all 6 1 /6 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you More expensive foreign holidays The first practical effect of a vote to Leave is that the pound will be worth less abroad, meaning foreign holidays will cost us more nito100 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you No immediate change in immigration status The Prime Minister will have to address other immediate concerns. He is likely to reassure nationals of other EU countries living in the UK that their status is unchanged. That is what the Leave campaign has said, so, even after the Brexit negotiations are complete, those who are already in the UK would be allowed to stay Getty 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Higher inflation A lower pound means that imports would become more expensive. This is likely to mean the return of inflation a phenomenon with which many of us are unfamiliar because prices have been stable for so long, rising at no more than about 2 per cent a year. The effect may probably not be particularly noticeable in the first few months. At first price rises would be confined to imported goods food and clothes being the most obvious but inflation has a tendency to spread and to gain its own momentum AFP/Getty Images 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Interest rates might rise The trouble with inflation is that the Bank of England has a legal obligation to keep it as close to 2 per cent a year as possible. If a fall in the pound threatens to push prices up faster than this, the Bank will raise interest rates. This acts against inflation in three ways. First, it makes the pound more attractive, because deposits in pounds will earn higher interest. Second, it reduces demand by putting up the cost of borrowing, and especially by taking larger mortgage payments out of the economy. Third, it makes it more expensive for businesses to borrow to expand output Getty 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Did somebody say recession? Mr Carney, the Treasury and a range of international economists have warned about this. Many Leave voters appear not to have believed them, or to think that they are exaggerating small, long-term effects. But there is no doubt that the Leave vote is a negative shock to the economy. This is because it changes expectations about the economys future performance. Even though Britain is not actually be leaving the EU for at least two years, companies and investors will start to move money out of Britain, or to scale back plans for expansion, because they are less confident about what would happen after 2018 AFP/Getty Images 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you And we wouldnt even get our money back All this will be happening while the Prime Minister, whoever he or she is, is negotiating the terms of our future access to the EU single market. In the meantime, our trade with the EU would be unaffected, except that companies elsewhere in the EU may be less interested in buying from us or selling to us, expecting tariff barriers to go up in two years time. Whoever the Chancellor is, he or she may feel the need to bring in a new Budget Getty Images Foreign ministers from the EUs six founding states are meeting in Berlin on Saturday to debate the blocs response to the Brexit vote. Their attentions will likely be focused on a strategy for stifling nationalist sentiment in other member states to avoiding a so-called domino effect. The Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Hungary and even France have all been identified as countries that might follow the UKs lead. Geert Wilders, who leads Hollands anti-immigrant Party for Freedom, which is leading in the polls, called for a Dutch referendum yesterday, while French Front National leader Marine Le Pen, has hailed the Brexit vote and reiterated calls for a similar plebiscite in France. European leaders are split on the direction the bloc must now take, with some pressing for rapid reforms, while others, including Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel, urging a more cautious approach. The foreign ministers of Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Luxembourg will issue a statement later on Saturday following talks. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Welsh Muslim who campaigned to remain in the EU was told to "pack her bags and go home" soon after the vote to leave the European Union. Shazia Awan, a businesswoman brought up in Caerphilly, warned that the fallout of the divisive referendum campaign would see an increase in racist abuse. Echoing Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's view that much of the anti-EU debate had been characterised by hate, Ms Awan had written: "The campaign was racist. "Don't see how this country can heal itself. The UK is my home yet I feel alienated." But Warren Faulkner, whose Twitter handle is @foggyneiinfidel, replied: "Great news...you can pack your bags, you're going home...BYE THEN." His Twitter thread showed other apparently abusive, Islamophobic comments. Elements of the Brexit campaign have been labelled "Project Hate" Ms Awan, who had campaigned for Remain in Cardiff, said in the aftermath of an anti-immigration rhetoric, the "vile tweets" against ethnic minorities would start. She said she had witnessed a white man calling a woman a "n*****" in Cardiff after accusing her of voting to remain in the EU. She said the woman had not felt able to report it as a hate crime. "Every ethnic minority, every decent person, everyone who is in a mixed race relationship or from a black, Asian minority ethnic background are going to feel this now. Now start the vile tweets, she said. During the campaign, Nigel Farage and his Ukip party were reported to the police for allegedly inciting racial hatred with a poster showing refugees "queuing" to get into Europe. Refugees from Africa and the Middle East are fleeing brutal civil war, dictatorships and poverty. Sadiq Khan, new Mayor of London and Remain campaigner, told his predecessor Boris Johnson during one referendum debate that the Brexit camp's claims it was not simply "anti immigrant" were disingenuous. "You might start off with platitudes saying how wonderful immigration is. But your campaign hasn't been Project Fear. It's been Project Hate, as far as immigration is concerned," he told Mr Johnson. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} More than 1.7 million people have signed a petition demanding a second EU referendum as the UK continues to reel from the vote for a Brexit. Signatories are calling for a new rule to be implemented stipulating that polls on the European Union with a majority under 60 per cent and turnout under 75 per cent must be re-started. The petition started by William Oliver Healey, reads: We the undersigned call upon HM Government to implement a rule that if the Remain or Leave vote is less than 60 per cent based a turnout less than 75 per cent there should be another referendum. Leave voter didn't want Brexit It passed the million mark on Saturday morning, with votes most concentrated in London, Brighton, Oxford, Cambridge and Manchester. Recommended Read more How to deliver a second EU referendum The pattern largely followed that of the strongest votes for Remain in Thursdays referendum, which ended with a result of 48 per cent, to 52 per cent for Leave, on a turnout of 72 per cent. Such was the petitions popularity on Friday morning that it crashed the governments website, and its popularity means that it must be considered for a Parliamentary debate. It was unclear if such a rule, if created and inserted into UK legislation, could be applied retrospectively. Brexit reactions in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Brexit reactions in pictures Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In campaign look at their phones after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall AP Brexit reactions in pictures Leave supporters cheer results at a Leave.eu party after polling stations closed in the Referendum on the European Union in London Reuters Brexit reactions in pictures Mr Cameron announces his resignation to supporters Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Donald Tusk proposes that the 27 remaining EU member states start a wider reflection on the future of our union Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Ukip leader Nigel Farage greets his supporters on College Green in Westminster, after Britain voted to leave the European Union PA Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as referendum results are announced today Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Boris Johnson leaves his home today to discover a crowd of waiting journalists and police officers Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Leave EU supporters celebrate as they watch the British EU Referendum results being televised at Millbank Tower in London Rex Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as results of the EU referendum are announced at the Royal Festival Hall Reuters Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall PA Some were interpreting the petition to mean there was a pre-existing rule that could be applied to the result, although The Independent understands that no such provision exists in British or European legislation. When a Remain vote was considered likely in May, Nigel Farage suggested he would support a second referendum if his side lost by a narrow margin. The Ukip leader told the Mirror: In a 52-48 referendum this would be unfinished business by a long way. If the Remain campaign win two-thirds to one-third that ends it. He made no mention of the sentiment on Friday, when he triumphantly hailed independence day for Britain. David Cameron's office slapped down Mr Farage's suggestion at the time, with a tweet from the Prime Minister's official account reading: The Leave campaign is wrong to say there'll be a 2nd referendum if we vote to remain in the EU. This is a referendum and not a neverendum. After the Scottish independence referendum in 2014, the 45 per cent of voters who lost started a similar campaign for another vote, and could now get their wish after Nicola Sturgeon said there had been a significant change to the circumstances of the original poll. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Supporters of the Remain campaign are considering joining the Conservative Party in a bid to stop Boris Johnson becoming party leader after David Camerons resignation. The Prime Minister said he would resign following the results of the EU referendum, in which 51.9 per cent of votes were cast to leave the European Union. And social media users say they may become Conservative Party members so they get a vote in the forthcoming leadership election. I am seriously considering joining the Tory party, just so I can stop Gove or Boris becoming PM in October, wrote Twitter user and Remain supporter under the name of Kiteman. Kiteman told The Independent: I'm serious. I hate the way they've acted in the Leave campaign, and I already didn't trust Gove (I'm a teacher). Boris was so full of fluff and arm-waving empty promises, I don't think he has a genuine plan for anything. Other Twitter users echoed this sentiment, with Richard Bayley saying: Want to stop Boris the inconstant? Join the Tory Party (25) and, after three months, you can vote in their election. I think I may have to join the Tory party now. Weve got to stop Boris being PM. We need a clean sweep, bring in some new characters, wrote a user called Griff. Standard membership of the Conservative Party, which allows members to vote in party elections, costs 25 for one year, and 5 for those under 23. Who will replace David Cameron? Young people are much more likely to have voted to Remain in the EU in Thursdays referendum, with some 75 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds voting remain, compared to around 40 per cent of over 65s. Mr Johnson is tipped to replace Mr Cameron as Prime Minister after his successful stint at the helm of the Leave campaign. The Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP said in a speech the Brexit vote "does not mean that the United Kingdom will be in any way less united" or "less European". Journalist Philip Collins also urged his thousands of Twitter followers to all join the Tory party and stop Boris. During last years Labour leadership election, political commentator and Conservative supporter Toby Young encouraged Conservatives to join Labour and vote for Jeremy Corbyn to silence [the partys] loony left. Brexit: David Cameron resigns Make Corbyn leader, secure Boriss victory in 2020 and, in the process, help transform Labour into a grown up political party, wrote Mr Young in a column for the Telegraph. Brexit reactions in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Brexit reactions in pictures Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In campaign look at their phones after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall AP Brexit reactions in pictures Leave supporters cheer results at a Leave.eu party after polling stations closed in the Referendum on the European Union in London Reuters Brexit reactions in pictures Mr Cameron announces his resignation to supporters Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Donald Tusk proposes that the 27 remaining EU member states start a wider reflection on the future of our union Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Ukip leader Nigel Farage greets his supporters on College Green in Westminster, after Britain voted to leave the European Union PA Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as referendum results are announced today Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Boris Johnson leaves his home today to discover a crowd of waiting journalists and police officers Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Leave EU supporters celebrate as they watch the British EU Referendum results being televised at Millbank Tower in London Rex Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as results of the EU referendum are announced at the Royal Festival Hall Reuters Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall PA A swell of grassroots support and new Labour supporters propelled Mr Corbyn to the top of the Labour Party in September 2015 perhaps more powerfully than the so-called #ToriesforCorbyn movement, which was criticised by Labour supporters at the time. David Cameron said the country needed fresh leadership in an emotional speech, adding it would be wrong for him to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination. Mr Cameron announced that he would stay on in a caretaker capacity but expected a new leader to be in place by the time of the Conservative Party conference in October. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A suicide bomber and gunmen have stormed a hotel in Mogadishu, where an unknown number of guests and staff were being held hostage. A huge blast rocked the Somali capital on Saturday afternoon as a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb, before militants entered the building, police said. Witnesses said at least four bodies were seen outside the Hotel Naso Hablod as gun battles with police continued. The car bomb was detonated at its gates and a second explosion was heard inside the building. A police official, Mohamed Hussein, told the Associated Press the attackers took positions behind blast walls and sandbags; fighting is still ongoing. Ali Mohamud, who managed to escape, said they started shooting guests at random. They were shooting at everyone they could see. I escaped through the back door, he added. Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group, were the immediate suspects following a string of similar attacks on hotels by its members. They started with a suicide bomb and then stormed in. Now they are inside and the heavy exchange of gunfire continues, Major Nur Farah told Reuters. It is too early to give details." Like other Islamist groups, al-Shabaab often intensifies its attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is currently being observed around the world. 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 There have been several attacks on hotels in Somalia and other countries in Africa where Islamist groups are active, particularly targeting those known to host foreign tourists, politicians and diplomats. In Mogadishu, at least 15 people were killed in an attack on the Ambassador Hotel earlier this month, the Somali Youth League (SYL) hotel was targeted in February, a restaurant on Lido beach in January and the Jazeera Palace hotel in July 2015. Somali security forces are launching multiple operations against al-Shabaab fighters, announcing the deaths of 17 militants including the head of their intelligence unit and a Mohamud Ali Dulyadeyn, also known as Mohamed Mohamud, who was suspected of orchestrating an attack on Kenya's Garissa university earlier this month. Al-Shabaab, which is fighting an insurgency aiming to topple Somalia's government, was driven out of Mogadishu by the African Union force Amisom in 2011, and was ousted from strongholds elsewhere in the south last year. A new terror group called Jahba East Africa emerged in the country in April, pledging allegiance to Isis and threatening a "new era" of terror in the region. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A slip-up made by a technician fitting an electronic tracking bracelet on a man with a long-standing criminal record has ended in tragedy. The GPS device was mistakenly applied to the ankle of Washington DC man Quincy Greens fake leg in April, while he was on house arrest for a gun charge. Mr Green, 34, then removed his prosthetic leg with the electronic tracker attached, before allegedly shooting and killing Dana Hamilton, 44, in the American capital in the early hours of 19 May. An executive at the company that supplies the tracking devices said the employee had fitted the bracelet over Mr Greens sock without realising it was covering a prosthetic leg, according to the Washington Post. Mr Green was then seemingly able to remove the device along with the fake leg, replace it with a different prosthesis he had, and leave his house. Why would they put it on a prosthetic leg, when it was supposed to go on a persons real leg? Mr Hamiltons mother Lily, who lived with her late son, told local TV station WUSA9. This is the worst thing thats happened to me in my life and I am 72 years old. Masked gunman shot in Germany Police have not disclosed a possible motive for the crime, but say they have charged Mr Green with second-degree murder after obtaining a search warrant and discovering the spare leg with the bracelet attached in a box at his home. According to Fox 5, police were unable to name any suspects for six days after Mr Hamiltons death due to the error. Around 480 people awaiting trial in Washington DC must wear the devices. But in this case, the bracelet was absolutely not applied according to protocol which dictates it must be applied directly to skin, said the executive for Sentinel, the company which supplies and fits the bracelets. Gang boss convicted over gun smuggling from Charlie Hebdo attack arms dealer Show all 13 1 /13 Gang boss convicted over gun smuggling from Charlie Hebdo attack arms dealer Gang boss convicted over gun smuggling from Charlie Hebdo attack arms dealer Officers arresting Richard Rye, 24, in McDonalds, who attempted to contact other members of the gang after witnessing the arrest of Harry Shilling, a crime boss who has been found guilty of gun smuggling and possessing firearms with intent to endanger life following a trial held at the Old Bailey Gang boss convicted over gun smuggling from Charlie Hebdo attack arms dealer Part of a haul of 100,000 worth of Eastern European guns smuggled into the UK by a gang Gang boss convicted over gun smuggling from Charlie Hebdo attack arms dealer Ammunition smuggled into the UK along with 100,000 worth of Eastern European guns by a gang Gang boss convicted over gun smuggling from Charlie Hebdo attack arms dealer The inside of the van Skipper David Payne, 43, was driving carrying more than 100,000 worth of smuggled Eastern European guns PA Gang boss convicted over gun smuggling from Charlie Hebdo attack arms dealer The van Skipper David Payne, 43, was driving carrying more than 100,000 worth of smuggled Eastern European guns Gang boss convicted over gun smuggling from Charlie Hebdo attack arms dealer Police officers arresting John Smale, 58 and Christopher Owen, 30, after they were caught offloading more than 100,000 worth of Eastern European guns from a boat into a van driven by accomplice Skipper David Payne, 43, near Cuxton Marina, outside Rochester in Kent Gang boss convicted over gun smuggling from Charlie Hebdo attack arms dealer Part of a haul of 100,000 worth of Eastern European guns smuggled into the UK by a gang Gang boss convicted over gun smuggling from Charlie Hebdo attack arms dealer Crime boss Harry Shilling, 23, who has been found guilty of gun smuggling and possessing firearms with intent to endanger life following a trial held at the Old Bailey Gang boss convicted over gun smuggling from Charlie Hebdo attack arms dealer Michael Defraine, 30, was found guilty of gun smuggling and possessing firearms with intent to endanger life following a trial held at the Old Bailey Gang boss convicted over gun smuggling from Charlie Hebdo attack arms dealer Gang member John Smale, 58, will be sentenced alongside crime boss Harry Shilling, 23, who has been found guilty of gun smuggling and possessing firearms with intent to endanger life following a trial held at the Old Bailey Gang boss convicted over gun smuggling from Charlie Hebdo attack arms dealer Gang member Christopher Owen, 30, will be sentenced alongside crime boss Harry Shilling, 23, who has been found guilty of gun smuggling and possessing firearms with intent to endanger life following a trial held at the Old Bailey Gang boss convicted over gun smuggling from Charlie Hebdo attack arms dealer Gang member Richard Rye, 24, will be sentenced alongside crime boss Harry Shilling, 23, who has been found guilty of gun smuggling and possessing firearms with intent to endanger life following a trial held at the Old Bailey Gang boss convicted over gun smuggling from Charlie Hebdo attack arms dealer Gang member Skipper David Payne, 43, will be sentenced alongside crime boss Harry Shilling, 23, who has been found guilty of gun smuggling and possessing firearms with intent to endanger life following a trial held at the Old Bailey Sergeant Matthew Mahl, chairman of the DC police union, told the Washington Post it was frustrating for a potentially dangerous suspect to be released when accountability for these defendants isnt always up to par. In the UK, electronic tags are given to people under enforced curfews or on condition of a court or prison order. In February, plans to increase to use of satellite tagging along with more community punishments were announced in an attempt to reduce the UKs overall prison population. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Pentagon plans to announce the repeal of its ban on openly serving transgender service members next month, US defence officials have said. The repeal would come five years after a 2011 decision to end the US military's ban on gays and lesbians serving openly, despite fears which have proved unfounded that such a move would be too great a burden in wartime and would undermine readiness. The disclosure came the same week the US Army formally welcomed its new Secretary of the Army, Eric Fanning, who is the first openly gay leader of a military service branch in US history. One of the US officials said parts of the repeal would come into effect immediately. But the plan would also direct each branch of the armed services to implement new policies, affecting everything from recruiting to housing for transgender troops, the official said. Mac Thornberry, a Republican representative and chairman of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, said Defense Secretary Ash Carter had not answered questions the panel had asked, including those about "readiness challenges" for transgender service members. Mr Thornberry said in a statement: "If reports are correct, I believe Secretary Carter has put the political agenda of a departing administration ahead of the militarys readiness crisis." Supporters of transgender rights cheered the news. Ashley Broadway-Mack, president of the American Military Partner Association, said in a statement: "Our transgender service members and their families are breathing a huge sigh of relief." Lonely road: Why school is hell for transgender pupils Show all 2 1 /2 Lonely road: Why school is hell for transgender pupils Lonely road: Why school is hell for transgender pupils 25255.bin Lonely road: Why school is hell for transgender pupils 25256.bin The National Centre for Transgender Equality estimated last year that 15,000 trans people served in the US military. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The world's media has reacted to news the UK has voted to leave the European Union in a variety of different ways, with some wishing Britain a tongue-in-cheek "good luck" and others saying "welcome to the outside". Following the news, Eurosceptic politicians in other EU member states have called for referendums of their own. Here are the front covers of some of the world's major newspapers for Saturday, 25 June: France "Good luck," the Liberation newspaper wished the UK, their front page featuring a picture of the time Boris Johnson got stuck on a zip wire while carrying two Union flags as part of the London 2012 Olympic celebrations. "Shock in the UK," it adds, "and plenty of questions among other EU nations after the Boris Johnson-backed Brexit win." Brexit reactions in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Brexit reactions in pictures Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In campaign look at their phones after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall AP Brexit reactions in pictures Leave supporters cheer results at a Leave.eu party after polling stations closed in the Referendum on the European Union in London Reuters Brexit reactions in pictures Mr Cameron announces his resignation to supporters Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Donald Tusk proposes that the 27 remaining EU member states start a wider reflection on the future of our union Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Ukip leader Nigel Farage greets his supporters on College Green in Westminster, after Britain voted to leave the European Union PA Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as referendum results are announced today Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Boris Johnson leaves his home today to discover a crowd of waiting journalists and police officers Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Leave EU supporters celebrate as they watch the British EU Referendum results being televised at Millbank Tower in London Rex Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as results of the EU referendum are announced at the Royal Festival Hall Reuters Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall PA Germany Germany's Bild said the decision was a Black day for Europe. Belgium Le Soir's front page advertised its 16-page special on "the world after the Brexit". Norway "Welcome to the outside," Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten tells Britain. United States The New Yorker ran a cartoon on its front cover suggesting Britons are silly-walking in the style of John Cleese off a cliff to disaster. The Netherlands NRC Weekend went for the muddy welly stereotype, accompanied by the headline "Now it begins". The text undernearth reads "British politics is upside-down. Europe does not know how to proceed. The [stock exchange] is red. Is this what the Brits wanted? And who will rule them now?" Portugal On a rather mournful front page, Portuguese newspaper Publico just led with "Broken" The paper described Brexit as a "great earthquake" that had been "feared" by Europe. Italy Saturday was "Disintegration Day" according to Italy's l'Unita. Poland Polish Gazeta Wyborza asks "Brexit 2016: kill us or strengthen us?" Australia In what might be the nerdiest headine of all time, the Australian Daily Telegraph thought this was a great time to make a Star Wars reference Earlier, we covered what the world's media had to say about the UK's referendum result. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Long-standing rivalry between France and the UK seems to have been fuelled by the result of Britain's EU referendum. As ministers in France push for Britains swift exit from the EU after the Brexit vote, ordinary French people have taken to social media to say good riddance to the English. When I see the s**t the English have landed themselves in by voting out Im laughing, wrote Sebastien Coicaud on Twitter. And journalist Christopher Nunes wrote: Ive always had a low opinion of the English. A nation that cant behead its Queen is not to be trusted! French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called for talks on Brexit to take place immediately, echoing demands from other EU leaders to negotiate Britains exit from the bloc as soon as possible. There is a certain urgency [] so that we don't have a period of uncertainty, with financial consequences, political consequences, Mr Ayrault told reporters. The front cover of left-leaning French newspaper Liberation on Saturday carried a picture of Boris Johnson hanging from a zipwire during the 2012 London Olympics with the headline good luck. Jean Quatremer, Liberations Europe correspondent, in a column thanked his English and Welsh friends from the bottom of my heart for their decision to leave the EU. Thank you for your sacrifice! he wrote, calling the result a vote of incredible courage, which has politically devastated and will economically weaken your country the rest of Europe can only be thankful. He blamed Britains "special status" for preventing the European Unions reform and thanked the country for having taken the risk to divide your society, for a long time to come. 5 things we learned from a night that shook Europe Some took a less tactful approach, using the hashtag #BonDebarras, meaning good riddance, on Twitter. One user called Blandine wrote these little English people, they make me laugh. And in reference to the number of people expressing their so-called Bregret after having voted to leave the EU, a user called Xavier wrote: The English already want to change their minds over Brexit. Perhaps theyre on an island for a reason. Others chose to use food-related taunts to insult the English. This will cause difficulties for English gourmets - of which there are few. It will be harder for them to choose Tomme Corse [a French goats cheese] for their cheeseburgers, wrote Jack Bastianez. Brexit reactions in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Brexit reactions in pictures Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In campaign look at their phones after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall AP Brexit reactions in pictures Leave supporters cheer results at a Leave.eu party after polling stations closed in the Referendum on the European Union in London Reuters Brexit reactions in pictures Mr Cameron announces his resignation to supporters Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Donald Tusk proposes that the 27 remaining EU member states start a wider reflection on the future of our union Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Ukip leader Nigel Farage greets his supporters on College Green in Westminster, after Britain voted to leave the European Union PA Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as referendum results are announced today Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Boris Johnson leaves his home today to discover a crowd of waiting journalists and police officers Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Leave EU supporters celebrate as they watch the British EU Referendum results being televised at Millbank Tower in London Rex Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as results of the EU referendum are announced at the Royal Festival Hall Reuters Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall PA Stop celebrating on behalf of the English! wrote one Twitter user in response to Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front party. They burnt Joan of Arc! And on top of that, their beer is disgusting. However, some posts were a little kinder, like one from Edouard Gibert, which said: Roastbeefs [a common French nickname for the English], I like your deadpan humour. But now, stop! Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The European Union's 27 other members states won't let anyone take Europe from them, Germany's Foreign Minister has said, while urging the EU not to seek "revenge" after Britain's vote to leave. Frank-Walter Steinmeier met the foreign ministers of France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg at a meeting of the six founder members of the EU in Berlin on Saturday. "I am confident that these countries can also send a message that we won't let anyone take Europe from us," he said. EU politicians must listen "to the expectations of the European governments but also to the expectations of the people", he said, adding that "it's totally clear that in times like these one should neither be hysterical nor fall into paralysis". Mr Steinmeier told the ZDF television station earlier that the negotiation of Brexit would require hard work, but he added European leaders were prepared to tackle issues raised by the UK referendum, such as high rates of youth unemployment. He advised the EU bloc to focus on building consensus in areas such as security, migration and economic growth. "We have to accept the decision that was made, and not go looking for revenge. Mr Steinmeier said political parties in some EU member states would likely push for similar popular votes, but he knew of no specific country that was seriously considering leaving the bloc. He said a majority of Germans supported continued membership in the EU. Brexit - EU leaders in quotes Manfred Weber, a representative for Angela Merkel's political party in the European parliament, said it was imperative to start negotiations with Britain soon about its departure, to ensure stability and avoid uncertainties. Mr Weber told Muencher Merkur: "We want to negotiate a new relationship, not a nasty divorce. My goal would be to wrap up the exit negotiations within about a year." Brexit reactions in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Brexit reactions in pictures Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In campaign look at their phones after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall AP Brexit reactions in pictures Leave supporters cheer results at a Leave.eu party after polling stations closed in the Referendum on the European Union in London Reuters Brexit reactions in pictures Mr Cameron announces his resignation to supporters Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Donald Tusk proposes that the 27 remaining EU member states start a wider reflection on the future of our union Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Ukip leader Nigel Farage greets his supporters on College Green in Westminster, after Britain voted to leave the European Union PA Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as referendum results are announced today Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Boris Johnson leaves his home today to discover a crowd of waiting journalists and police officers Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Leave EU supporters celebrate as they watch the British EU Referendum results being televised at Millbank Tower in London Rex Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as results of the EU referendum are announced at the Royal Festival Hall Reuters Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall PA The pound sterling suffered its biggest plunge in 30 years following Brexit, from $1.50 against the US dollar to just $1.33. Frances CAC fekk by 8 per cent and Wall Street suffered its biggest one-day fall in 10 months. The Bank of England, the European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve promised to inject the market with new liquidity if necessary, in order to prevent the Brexit turning into a new financial crisis. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Britain's European Union Commissioner Jonathan Hill has resigned from his position, following the UK's vote to leave the trading bloc. Lord Hill, the UKs most senior diplomat in Brussels, was appointed to the position by David Cameron in 2014 and was in charge of financial services across the bloc. The peer's portfolio will now be transferred to Latvia's Commissioner, Valdis Dombrovskis. In a resignation statement, Lord Hill said: I came to Brussels as someone who had campaigned against Britain joining the euro and who was sceptical about Europe. I will leave it certain that, despite its frustrations, our membership was good for our place in the world and good for our economy. "But what is done cannot be undone and now we have to get on with making our new relationship with Europe work as well as possible. "As we move to a new phase, I dont believe it is right that I should carry on as the British Commissioner as though nothing had happened. In line with what I discussed with the president of the commission some weeks ago, I have therefore told him that I shall stand down. At the same time, there needs to be an orderly handover, so I have said I will work with him to make sure that happens in the weeks ahead. "I am very grateful to Jean-Claude Juncker for giving me the chance to work on financial services, and for the opportunity to help support jobs and growth in Europe. I was also glad to have worked with other commissioners in trying to take forward our programme of reform, and to have had the chance to work with excellent officials at DG FISMA and in my own team. Prime Minister David Cameron walks into 10 Downing Street, London, with wife Samantha after he announced his resignation (PA) Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission President, said the peer's appointment had been a signal of confidence in Britain's financial services sector and its importance to the EU. "It is with great regret that I have accepted Lord Hill's decision to resign from the European Commission. Lord Hill is an experienced politician for whom I have great respect, and I want to sincerely thank him for his loyal and professional work as a member of my team," he said. "At the beginning of this commission's mandate, I wanted the British Commissioner to be in charge of financial services, as a sign of my confidence in the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union. "To my great regret, this situation is now changing. I have tried to convince Lord Hill to stay on as Commissioner. I consider him to be a true European and not just the British Commissioner. However, I understand his decision and I respect it." Under EU Treaties, each Member State has one commissioner around the bloc's top table. Despite Brexit, Mr Juncker said he was ready to appoint a new UK Commissioner on a temporary basis. A European Commission spokesperson said: "Under the EU Treaties, there should be one commissioner per Member State in the commission. President Juncker stands ready to discuss swiftly with the British Prime Minister potential names for a commissioner of UK nationality, as well as the allocation of a possible portfolio." It is not yet clear whether David Cameron will choose Lord Hill's replacement, or whether the choice will fall to his eventual successor. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Lord Hill's appointment was a symbol of the importance of Britain's financial services (EPA) The best-known story from Lord Hills political career is that during a cabinet reshuffle in July 2012, he went into David Camerons office to hand in his resignation from the government, but the Prime Minister, who was having a difficult day, did not hear him properly, and so he accidentally stayed in the post. Lord Hill has claimed the story, which gained wide currency, is not quite true. Though unknown to the general public, Lord Hill was well known in political circles as a pro-EU Tory. He joined the Conservative Research Department in 1985, and a year later, aged 26, was hired as a special adviser by Kenneth Clarke, the most pro-EU member of Margaret Thatchers cabinet. He worked with Mr Clarke for three years, before switching careers to become a professional lobbyist. Brexit reactions in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Brexit reactions in pictures Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In campaign look at their phones after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall AP Brexit reactions in pictures Leave supporters cheer results at a Leave.eu party after polling stations closed in the Referendum on the European Union in London Reuters Brexit reactions in pictures Mr Cameron announces his resignation to supporters Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Donald Tusk proposes that the 27 remaining EU member states start a wider reflection on the future of our union Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Ukip leader Nigel Farage greets his supporters on College Green in Westminster, after Britain voted to leave the European Union PA Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as referendum results are announced today Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Boris Johnson leaves his home today to discover a crowd of waiting journalists and police officers Getty Brexit reactions in pictures Leave EU supporters celebrate as they watch the British EU Referendum results being televised at Millbank Tower in London Rex Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as results of the EU referendum are announced at the Royal Festival Hall Reuters Brexit reactions in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall PA When John Major was Prime Minister, Mr Hill was persuaded to return to Number 10, first as a researcher in the policy unit, and later as head of the Prime Ministers political office. He was at John Majors side during the fraught negotiations in Europe in the run up to the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, when Mr Major successfully secured a British opt out, which meant the country retained sterling when other EU states combined to introduce the euro. After 1994, Mr Hill returned to professional lobbying for 16 years, until he was created a life peer, as Baron Hill of Oareford, by David Cameron, and appointed a junior education minister. In 2013, he was promoted to the post of Conservative leader in the House of Lords. His appointment as Britains European Commissioner in September 2014 was greeted with some surprise because he was so little known. It was reputed that better-known figures had turned the job down, and that Prime Minister Cameron did not want to appoint a sitting MP because to do so would trigger a by-election. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Holidaymakers heading to the continent this weekend are perhaps more likely to be worrying about exchange rates after the EU referendum result than the weather. But beach resorts near Venice in north east Italy have seen such miserable weather in June that some are offering tourists their money back if it rains. Two beaches in the seaside town of Jesolo, in the east of the Venetian lagoon, announced a deal that started on Friday named abbronzati o rimborsati, meaning get a tan or get your money back. A local tourist board spokesperson told La Nuova Venezia the deal was available to anyone who chose to spend their holiday in Jesolo. Were trying to make Jesolo a seaside destination thats desirable to tourists from Italy and Europe, they said. Ben Tish's Venetian recipes Show all 8 1 /8 Ben Tish's Venetian recipes Ben Tish's Venetian recipes Ben adds the flour and eggs to the potato to make his gnocchi Kris Kirkham Ben Tish's Venetian recipes He mixes well to form a medium-firm dough Kris Kirkham Ben Tish's Venetian recipes Ben cuts the dough into 4 pieces and rolls each piece into cigar lengths Kris Kirkham Ben Tish's Venetian recipes He then cuts each length into 1cm pillow shapes Kris Kirkham Ben Tish's Venetian recipes Home-made gnocchi with prawns, spices and winter kale Kris Kirkham Ben Tish's Venetian recipes Calves liver with Gorgonzola polenta and roast pear Kris Kirkham Ben Tish's Venetian recipes Sardines al soar on toast is a twist on a classic Venetian dish that traditionally would have been made to preserve fish past its best-by Kris Kirkham Ben Tish's Venetian recipes Ben tucks in to sardines al soar on toast Kris Kirkham Tourists who pay one euro extra when they rent a sun lounger will receive a full refund if their relaxing day by the sea is rained off but only if more than 3mm of rain is measured between 11am and 5pm. While nearby Venice attracts more than 20 million visitors each year, footfall in nearby resorts such as Jesolo has been affected by particularly bad weather this month, including a tornado which hit a beach earlier this month, according to The Local. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Two men have been detained in Belgium amid reports of a "planned attack" on a Euro 2016 fan zone, following anti-terror raids on Friday night. One man was arrested in Verviers, a city in the east of Belgium, and another in Tournai, close to the French boarder, a spokesperson from the Belgian prosecutors office told the AFP news agency. They added that it was too soon to talk about a terror attack, but that the men were being detained for questioning. Last week, three men were charged with "attempted terrorist murder" following raids linked to a reported threat to fans at Euro 2016. At least 12 people were arrested and 40 detained in raids launched across the country on 17 June. Belgium remains on high alert following attacks on Brussels airport and the Metro system, which killed at least 31, wounding hundreds of others. The attacks were claimed by the Islamic state. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Q Where to go in October? Mexico or Dubai? We went to Thailand last October and got too much rain. This year we would like sun. Katie OHalloran, Lincoln A With respect, you have asked two separate questions. The first is: Where to go in October for a sunny, rain-free holiday? The second is: If the choice for an October holiday is between Mexico or Dubai, which should we choose? The three candidates that provide the most sun-sure answer to the first question are Egypt, Oman and the US states of Arizona and Nevada. The south-western gateway cities of Phoenix and Las Vegas were the leaders in my analysis of the sunniest places on earth that tourists might want to go to. They offer the likely prospect of unbroken sunshine, together with the opportunity to explore wild landscapes and frontier towns. But the sea is a long way away. Assuming thats a consideration then the Egyptian Red Sea resorts of Hurghada and Marsa Alam offer reliable and good-value solutions. By October, Sharm-el-Sheikh airport may be open to UK airlines once again, and to bring business back to Egypts premier resort you can expect plenty of tempting deals to be offered. On the Arabian peninsula, Oman is more scenically and culturally rewarding than the other states. It is also reliably sunny and dry. If anything, though, it is too hot, with average October temperatures in the mid-30s Celsius (or the mid-90s Fahrenheit). Personally Id take a chance on Crete, particularly in the first half of October, for warm days, sunny skies, relaxed ambience and if you can tear yourself away from the beach extraordinary heritage. Looking at the Dubai vs Mexico question: the former is much easier and cheaper to reach, but I would make the extra effort to reach the west coast of Mexico (the eastern coast, in particular the Mayan Riviera south of Cancun, being too stormy in October). Thomson has a tempting deal for a week, departing 14 October to Puerto Vallarta, staying at the four-star Canto de Sol hotel for 925 including flights from Manchester (or, for 100 more, the following day from Gatwick). Every day, our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a readers question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder Aidan McKenna after he got his ticket An Irish fan in Lyon who clinched a ticket for the Republic's big match against France is putting his success down to "gift of the gab". Aidan McKenna, 41, from Keady, Co Armagh, spent three hours asking hundreds of passers-by in the city's fan zone. Eventually he pocketed two tickets - a 55-euro ticket which he paid 250 euro for and a 105-euro ticket which he paid 300 euro for. Mr McKenna said: "I'm shaking. Very excited. I've asked a lot of questions in the last couple of hours. "Having the gift of the gab will get you anywhere in life, especially in situations like this." His friend Aidan McGrory, 33, from Fanad in Co Donegal, already had a ticket and was supporting Mr McKenna in his quest. "I'm absolutely ecstatic to be one of the lucky Irish fans in Lyon to have a ticket," he said. Many Irish supporters are spending their day trying to get their hands on tickets ahead of Sunday's showdown with hosts France. The majority of tickets for the match were initially sold to French supporters during the general sales phase at the beginning of the year. An employee is seen walking over a mosaic of pound sterling symbols set in the floor of the front hall of the Bank of England in London FOR Irish agriculture and the agri-food sector, the consequence of the decision by the UK to vote to leave the EU is one that we would not have wished to face. With 40pc of our agri-food exports valued at 4.4bn going to the UK and a shared land border, the implications of the decisions to leave will impact greatly. However, the issue now is to look forward and tackle the main issues, both immediate and long-term, in order to minimise the disruption, economically and socially. We must also bear in mind that while the UK is our largest market, the sector has diversified its export markets hugely since entering the EU. From a position where 70pc of agricultural exports went to the UK on our accession to the EU, we now export to over 120 countries. In an extremely difficult year for farm incomes already, with low product prices across many sectors, the fall in the value of sterling against the euro is a further blow. The value of exports to the UK will be negatively impacted. It is critical that steps are taken by governments and institutions within the UK and the EU to provide the reassurances that will minimise uncertainty and stabilise exchange rates. The imposition of barriers to trade, such as tariffs, border checks and health certificates would all add to costs and undermine the competitiveness of our agri-food exports. The IFA is clear that the Government must bring the issues of concern to Irish agriculture and the agri-food sector to the forefront in the EU-UK negotiations. The top two are: Minimisation of any barriers to trade - with continued free movement of agricultural produce between Ireland and the UK Early agreement and certainty on the EU and CAP Budget up until 2020 must be a priority. Other issues that will be of importance in negotiations include: Animal Health: Agreement on the maintenance of coherent and comparable standards Agreement on straightforward taxation rules for supply of goods and services between the UK and EU, such as VAT on input supplies. Specific attention and provision made for cross-border farms, who will be uniquely affected by this change Negotiations for the UK exit will take place over the coming two years. Minimising uncertainty and setting out a clear strategy on the next steps must be the Government's priority. Rowena Dwyer is the chief economist with the Irish Farmers' Association The UK's European Commissioner has announced he will stand down from his post in the wake of Thursday's referendum vote to leave the EU. Jonathan Hill said he was "very disappointed" by the outcome of the vote and was convinced UK membership was "good for our place in the world and good for our economy". He will continue his work as commissioner for financial stability until July 15 to allow for the "orderly handover" of his responsibilities to commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis of Latvia. Irish MEP Brian Hayes said the resignation was a blow to Ireland, but added that it could not delay banking or financial reforms. As the executive body of the EU, the Commission proposed and implements EU law. Its not acceptable to me that an area like financial services has no Commissioner driving reform. We cannot forget the 35,000 financial services jobs based in Dublins docklands," Mr Hayes said. Commissioner Hill is someone I worked with closely and who had an intimate understanding of financial services from Dublins perspective. He also had a sensible view about how the real economy works, about how to get new forms of lending into the economy, and who was promoting the idea of a Capital Markets Union. We have to be realistic, Prime Minister Cameron now has no mandate to propose a new Commissioner and the European Parliament is unlikely to approve such an appointment. Financial services reform cannot be the latest casualty of the Brexit vote. Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker must reassign responsibility for financial services and Capital Markets Union among his college of Commissioners immediately. In a statement, commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said the UK remains entitled to a seat on the commission while it is a member of the EU, and made clear he was ready for "swift" discussions with Mr Cameron on a replacement. Mr Juncker said he had decided to hand the financial stability brief to Britain in 2014 "as a sign of my confidence in the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union", adding: "To my great regret, this situation is now changing." He said: "I have tried to convince Lord Hill to stay on as Commissioner. I consider him to be a true European and not just the British Commissioner. However, I understand his decision and I respect it." In a statement, Lord Hill said: "Like many people here and in the UK, I am obviously very disappointed about the result of the referendum. "I wanted it to end differently and had hoped that Britain would want to play a role in arguing for an outward-looking, flexible, competitive, free-trade Europe. But the British people took a different decision and that is the way that democracy works. "As we move to a new phase, I don't believe it is right that I should carry on as the British Commissioner as though nothing had happened." He added: "I came to Brussels as someone who had campaigned against Britain joining the euro and who was sceptical about Europe. "I will leave it certain that, despite its frustrations, our membership was good for our place in the world and good for our economy. "But what is done cannot be undone and now we have to get on with making our new relationship with Europe work as well as possible." Former PR lobbyist and Conservative minister Jonathan Hill, 55, was appointed by Mr Cameron in 2014 to take over the UK's seat on the commission from Baroness Ashton, who had served under Mr Juncker's predecessor Jose Manuel Barroso. A Downing Street spokesman said: "The Prime Minister is sorry that Lord Hill has decided to step down. He is extremely grateful to Lord Hill for his service at the European Commission in the crucial portfolio of financial stability, financial services and capital markets union. "He has done an excellent job as a commissioner - helping to focus the European Commission on measures to promote growth and jobs, in particular his proposals to increase the flow of affordable investment capital across the EU and for giving the UK a strong voice in the European Commission. The Prime Minister wishes Lord Hill well for the future." David Cameron announced his resignation as Prime Minister yesterday after Britain voted to leave the European Union, sparking a political, economic and constitutional crisis. Within hours of the surprise result, Mr Cameron made his statement in Downing Street, the Bank of England intervened in the financial markets to prevent a crash and the Scottish government threatened to hold another referendum on splitting from the rest of the United Kingdom. Expand Close Leader of UKIP and Vote Leave campaign Nigel Farage at Westminster. (Photo by Mary Turner/Getty Images) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Leader of UKIP and Vote Leave campaign Nigel Farage at Westminster. (Photo by Mary Turner/Getty Images) Boris Johnson has now positioned himself as a prime minister in waiting by urging unity across the nation and speaking of the bright future that now awaits an outward-looking Britain. "We cannot turn our backs on Europe. We are part of Europe. Our children and grandchildren will continue to have a wonderful future as Europeans, travelling to the continent, understanding the languages and cultures that make up our common European civilisation." It is now expected that Mr Johnson will stand as leader, with Mr Gove, the Justice Secretary, becoming the Chancellor in a "Brexit Government", sources claimed. It came on a day described as the most sensational in the recent history of British politics. As the financial markets crashed to a 30-year low, Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, said a second independence referendum was "highly likely" and there were calls for a united Ireland after both Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to Remain against the prevailing national mood. After a night of tension which saw the Brexit campaign score major victories across middle England and the north, it became clear shortly after dawn that Mr Cameron was going to resign. At 8.15am he gave a speech in Downing Street, flanked by his wife Samantha, who appeared tearful as her husband said it was "in the national interest to have a period of stability and then the new leadership required". Upset Sources close to Mr Johnson say he was left "extremely upset" by Mr Cameron's resignation and "felt personally responsible" as he watched an emotional Mr Cameron tell the nation that he was no longer the right person to be "the captain that steers our country to its next destination". Expand Close Jenny Watson, the Chief Counting Officer, announces the result at Manchester Town Hall. Photo: Danny Lawson/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jenny Watson, the Chief Counting Officer, announces the result at Manchester Town Hall. Photo: Danny Lawson/PA Wire While Mr Cameron called Mr Gove before making his resignation speech, he pointedly declined to make contact with Mr Johnson, only replying to a text message sent later in the morning by the former London mayor. Within minutes of Mr Cameron saying that he wanted a new Tory leader in place by the beginning of October, there was speculation about his potential successor. Although Mr Johnson is the clear frontrunner, moderates were understood to be rallying around Theresa May, the Home Secretary, who backed Remain but was praised by Eurosceptics for keeping relatively silent during the campaign. As the financial markets collapsed in the minutes after Mr Cameron's speech, Mark Carney, the Bank of England Governor, said he was prepared to take "all necessary steps" after the FTSE 100 fell by more than 8 pc - equivalent to 120bn. The markets calmed after Mr Carney said that he was prepared to inject up to pounds 250bn into the financial system to help steady the economy following the vote to leave the European Union. Eurosceptic ministers hailed the recovery of the markets as evidence that the economic warnings of Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne were unfounded. Meanwhile, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn faces a formal leadership contest within days after two Labour MPs submitted a motion of no confidence and scores more called on him to resign. Labour MPs were left furious after his lacklustre campaigning during the referendum campaign led droves of voters concerned about immigration to back a Brexit. World leaders including US President Barack Obama appeared to renege on threats made to British voters ahead of the referendum. Mr Obama had previously warned that Britain would go to "the back of the queue" in trade negotiations if it left the EU but yesterday he said the two countries will remain "indispensable partners". Mr Obama said he had spoken to Mr Cameron and was confident the UK was committed to an "orderly transition" out of the EU. British and American economic teams would work closely to ensure stability, he said. The French government said that border controls will remain in place preventing migrant camps moving to the south-east of England. Downing Street had warned during the referendum campaign that a Brexit could lead to migrant camps springing up in Kent if France refused to honour the 13-year-old Le Touquet agreement. Under the treaty, Britain is allowed to conduct border controls at French rather than UK borders. In a statement on Friday, the French Government said the agreement would continue to stand. 'Some people have become alienated: the British were first to act on it. But Britain is a loss to Europe, and to Ireland.' THE dramatic vote by the British public to reject European Union membership will have a lasting and deep impact in this country. So what exactly does it mean for consumers here? Q: Will our economy suffer? A: There is little doubt the economy will take a hit. The plans for a 1bn give-away in the next Budget due to the so-called fiscal space is likely to be shelved, despite Finance Minister Michael Noonan yesterday insisting his Budget 2017 plans were unaffected. Brexit could knock between 1.1bn and close to 3bn off gross domestic product (GDP) here. Expand Close Exchange rates displayed at a currency exchange in London / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Exchange rates displayed at a currency exchange in London Chief economist with Merrion Stockbrokers Alan McQuaid said: "From an Irish perspective, we think the negative referendum outcome will hamper economic activity here at home in the second half of the year, possibly knocking up to half a percentage point off GDP growth." Read More The knock-on effect of a UK withdrawal from the EU will be initially felt by exporters. Consumer confidence across Europe will take a hit. Brexit will not help an already shaky Eurozone economy. Sterling tanked yesterday. That will make Irish exports to Britain more expensive, but the cost of imports from Britain should fall. Trade between UK and Ireland is worth 1.2bn a week. A major slowdown, or even recession, in the UK will impact that trade. Brexit could also add to Ireland's cost of borrowing. Q: What about my pension fund? A: Stock markets went into meltdown yesterday. The fall in share prices in Ireland, Britain and on other European markets will hit pension fund savings in the short term. Markets were taken by surprise by Britain's decision to leave the European Union. Billions of euro of pension funds are invested in shares. The huge uncertainty will mean the pension funds will take a hit. Those close to retirement should have their funds invested in cash and bonds. Read More Q: I get a pension from the UK, or have savings in the UK. Is there a risk? A: Your British pension is safe. But it will be worth less when converted into euro, due to the crash in the value of sterling. British savings are covered by a protection scheme up to the value of 75,000 per financial institution. Q: Will it mean shopping over the Border and online will be cheaper? A: Border towns will be hit by the fall in sterling because shopping will be much cheaper in the north of Ireland. Goods sold online that are priced in sterling should be cheaper. Q: What impact will it have on farmers? A: A weaker sterling puts farmers at a competitive disadvantage. And Britain could do trade deals with the likes of New Zealand, Argentina and Brazil, which would weaken demand for Irish agricultural experts. The UK withdrawal will have negative implications for the Common Agricultural Policy funding as it is a net contributor to the EU budget. Q: Will Irish people still be able to work in the UK? A: There is a major risk that Britain could impose quotas on the numbers of people from EU states allowed to work there. This could impact on people seeking work in Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. Ireland and the UK have a Common Travel Area agreement, but its continued existence may now be in doubt. EUROPEAN nations have piled pressure on the UK to begin immediate talks on withdrawal from the EU after the vote for Brexit, with France's foreign minister suggesting a new British prime minister could be put in place within days. Any move to begin withdrawal talks immediately would also heap pressure on Ireland - the country remaining in the EU set to be most-drastically impacted by Brexit. Expand Close Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD speaking to media at Government Buildings, Dublin following the outcome of the UK EU referendum, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD speaking to media at Government Buildings, Dublin following the outcome of the UK EU referendum, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins Announcing his resignation yesterday, British Prime Minister David Cameron said he would leave it to the successor chosen in October to trigger the two-year process of negotiations envisaged by EU treaties. Also yesterday, in his first statement since the referendum result, the Taoiseach Mr Kenny also pushed for calm, and for a few months to consider how best to begin the withdrawal. Read More Speaking after an emergency Cabinet meeting, the Taoiseach said it was Britains prerogative to decide when to activate the so-called Article 50. Expand Close Prime Minister David Cameron walks into 10 Downing Street with wife Samantha after he announced his resignation. Photo: Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Prime Minister David Cameron walks into 10 Downing Street with wife Samantha after he announced his resignation. Photo: Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Wire He backed David Camerons approach, saying: These negotiations may not commence for some months yet, and will take a considerable amount of time to complete. In that regard, it is important to stress that Britain remains a member of the European Union until negotiations have been concluded. We must take this breathing space... and use it wisely. The Irish government arguably needs any 'breathing space' just as much as Britain as it attempts to negotiate a myriad of issues - from border control to trade deals - in light of the impending new status of our nearest neighbours. But European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said the proposed delay "doesn't make sense", and he was backed by foreign ministers of the EU's six founding members, meeting in Berlin for emergency talks on Britain's seismic vote. Expand Close Leader of UKIP and Vote Leave campaign Nigel Farage at Westminster. (Photo by Mary Turner/Getty Images) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Leader of UKIP and Vote Leave campaign Nigel Farage at Westminster. (Photo by Mary Turner/Getty Images) Germany's foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said negotiations should begin "as soon as possible" and Britain had a responsibility to work with the EU on exit terms, while his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault agreed there was "a certain urgency ... so that we don't have a period of uncertainty, with financial consequences, political consequences". Read More Mr Ayrault said that in order for the UK to proceed with its exit, "they must designate a new prime minister, which would certainly require several days". German chancellor Angela Merkel said it "shouldn't take forever" for Britain to deliver formal notification of its intention to leave under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. But she said she "would not fight over a short period of time", and played down suggestions that remaining EU states would want to punish the UK for its decision, saying there was "no need to be particularly nasty in any way in the negotiations". Mr Juncker said that Britain's departure was "not an amicable divorce" and talks should begin "immediately" on wrapping up what was never "a tight love affair anyway". But the director of the Vote Leave campaign, Dominic Cummings, said it was "unthinkable" to invoke Article 50 before a new PM is in place. Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn set his face against a second referendum to try to overturn the result of Thursday's vote. A petition on the parliamentary website calling for another vote passed 1.3 million signatures, but the Labour leader said: "A decision has been made, I think we have got to accept that decision and work out our relationship with Europe in the future." Read More Mr Corbyn made clear he would fight any attempt to unseat him by MPs blaming him for a "lacklustre" referendum campaign. Asked whether he would stand in any leadership contest resulting from the no confidence motion tabled by Labour backbenchers, he replied: "Yes, I am here." An emergency cabinet meeting of the Scottish Government in Edinburgh formally agreed to press ahead with legislation to pave the way for a potential second independence referendum, which First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said was "very much on the table". Ms Sturgeon said her administration was also entering "immediate discussions" with EU institutions and other member states to "explore possible options to protect Scotland's place in the EU". With the financial consequences of Brexit causing increasing concern, influential credit rating agency Moody's downgraded the UK's outlook to "negative", warning it was facing "a prolonged period of uncertainty" with implications for the country's medium-term growth. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon denied Mr Cameron's decision to defer his exit until the autumn left the Government a rudderless ship. Speaking during a scheduled visit to Cleethorpes with the PM, Mr Fallon said: "The Prime Minister goes on, the Government goes on until the autumn, until there's a new leader and a new government. Read More "We'll remain at our posts and we have a big agenda. We were elected only a year ago and we've set out fresh legislation which we're taking through Parliament at the moment." Mr Fallon said he had spoken to Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg and other key allies to assure them that Britain will not play a "lesser" role on the international scene after Brexit. But French president Francois Hollande said the UK's decision had implications for international relations that reach far beyond the shores of the UK. Meeting United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon in Paris, Mr Hollande said: "It is true that for the whole world there is a question mark as to what will happen. "I very much regret the vote of the UK but I respect it. It is a matter of democracy." Mr Hollande indicated that he and Mr Ban did not feel withdrawal from the EU would throw Britain's permanent seat on the Security Council into question, saying the outcome of the vote "has no impact regarding where the UK stands within the United Nations system". The comments came as a prominent Leave advocate, Tory MEP Daniel Hannan, came under fire for saying a post-Brexit Britain could still join the single market with its free movement of labour rules. Mr Hannan claimed this was not a backtrack on campaign promises as the Leave side had promised to "control" immigration, not end it. Read More As the shockwaves from the 52%-48% Brexit win continued to reverberate, Tory Remain backers were getting behind Home Secretary Theresa May as the best-placed candidate for a leadership battle with Brexit standard-bearer Boris Johnson. Former minister Sir Alan Duncan cast doubt on assumptions that the former London mayor was the inevitable choice as Mr Cameron's successor, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Do not necessarily assume that he is the darling of the Conservative Party activists. "A lot of them have loved the notoriety and the excitement. But actually, once you scratch the surface a little bit and ask the second question, a lot of them don't want a permanent ride on the big dipper." The UK's representative on the European Commission, Lord Hill, announced he will stand down on July 15. The Conservative peer said he was "very disappointed" by the Brexit vote and believed UK membership was "good for our place in the world and good for our economy". Accepting his resignation with "great regret", Mr Juncker said Britain remained entitled to a seat on the Commission and he was ready for early talks with Mr Cameron to appoint a replacement. Lord Hill's financial services brief is being passed to Latvian commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis. Mr Cameron fulfilled a commitment to visit the Armed Forces Day event in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, where he watched the main parade from the saluting platform. The British Prime Minister spent just under an hour in the seaside town, not giving any interviews or making any speeches. He stood and watched the parade alongside the Duke of Kent, who took the salute. Mr Cameron chatted to dignitaries on the platform and applauded at the section of the parade devoted to veterans in wheelchairs. As he got into his car to leave the town, he managed a brief wave to the crowds. Chancellor George Osborne has focused on ensuring financial stability since the result was announced and has been in regular talks with Bank of England governor Mark Carney, according to Treasury sources. "He has been talking to all the G7 finance minsters to reassure them that there remains a strong economy. That's where all his energies have been," they added. The scheme is currently being availed of by a growing number of parents whose children have been on waiting lists for several years in the Republic for orthodontic treatment. (Stock photo) Irish public waiting-list patients who want to avail of the European Union scheme which refunds the cost of surgery and other treatments in the EU will have to travel further for their care as a result of Brexit. Hospitals in Northern Ireland and the UK are currently favoured by patients from the Republic who avail of the scheme because of the proximity, language and familiarity. Brexit will not affect the entitlement of patients in the Republic to the scheme. However, it means they will have to incur the cost of travelling to other EU countries. Under the scheme, the cost of the procedure or specialist appointment is paid upfront by the patient but then refunded by the HSE. Other outlays such as plane costs and accommodation outside hospital are not covered. The scheme is currently being availed of by a growing number of parents whose children have been on waiting lists for several years in the Republic for orthodontic treatment. A spokesman for the Department of Health stressed that he would like to assure people that there would be no immediate changes in the area of health. "Cross-border services and health cooperation between the UK and Ireland will not be affected in the immediate term by the UK's decision to leave the EU. Arrangements are in place, building on an already completed initial risk-assessment plan, to consider any longer-term implications of the referendum result. "The terms of a British exit from the EU are unknown at this stage," the spokesman added. "It is expected to take a minimum of two years of negotiations between all EU member states, including Ireland, to agree a new arrangement between the UK and the EU, and the Department of Health will be fully involved in these negotiations. "Ensuring that there is minimum disruption in the area of health, and that essential services are maintained, will be our key priority." It is still unclear how Brexit will affect entitlements for people from the Republic who travel to the UK and need to use their European health insurance card. This gives a tourist the right to access state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in another European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland. The EHIC covers treatment that is medically necessary until their planned return home. IDA Ireland believes that the country may benefit from the UK vote. The State's inward investment agency has pointed out that Ireland's access to the Single European Market may prove to be a key selling-point in attracting business here instead of the UK. However, the IDA maintains that a 'Remain' vote would have benefited Ireland more. "IDA Ireland's view throughout this period has been that Ireland would benefit overall from the UK remaining a member of the European Union," IDA chief executive Martin Shanahan said. "However, now that there is certainty on the result, IDA Ireland will liaise directly with its 1,200-plus client companies and potential investors over the coming weeks in order to work with them on the implications of the vote." Mr Shanahan also reiterated that Ireland remained a strong, open and competitive economy. "While not what we had hoped for, the situation may present opportunity for Ireland in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Ireland will remain a member of the European Union with full market access and that will be attractive to investors. "Ireland's proposition to inward investors will continue to resonate," he said. It was David Cameron's biggest gamble and he was convinced he would win. Now, the British leader's closest rival - in the EU referendum, in the Conservative Party and in the country - is the frontrunner to take his job. Britain's decision to leave the European Union, a victory for the populist cause, may be a defining moment for Britain and the European project. The one man to ascend is Boris Johnson, the former London mayor and schoolmate of Cameron's who became the household name of the 'Out' campaign, even as the prime minister battled for 'In'. With Cameron's announcement that he will resign after the British public voted against him, Johnson is now the strongest candidate to replace him. But the moment of victory is fraught with challenges - first he will have to convince Conservative lawmakers to back him and then persuade the party's largely eurosceptic wider membership, who may challenge what his critics call a record of changing his views to suit his audience. For Cameron, the turning point came in February when Johnson, a politician who has built a broad appeal beyond the ruling Conservative Party, threw his support behind the 'Out' campaign in what several sources say was a calculated move to boost his chances of replacing the prime minister. Aides to the prime minister said Cameron believed he could have easily won the fight to keep Britain in the EU if he had had the support of Johnson, who used his position as mayor of London between 2008 and 2016 to broaden his appeal beyond the Conservative Party by supporting gay rights and immigration. The aides, and Cameron himself, had campaigned for Johnson's support, but while the prime minister and the former mayor had "always got on pretty well", their's was essentially a political relationship, a friend said. "They had a relationship when they could afford to be quite ballsy with each other because they were close," the friend said, pointing to their shared background - both were educated at the elite Eton school and knew each other at Oxford University. Like almost every politician, Johnson is ambitious, the friend said. And if his backing of the 'Leave' campaign was not entirely unexpected, it was frustrating, according to a former Cameron aide. That frustration boiled over in parliament a day after Johnson declared his hand and criticised the prime minister's new deal with the EU of a "special status" for Britain that Cameron thought should bolster his case for remaining. After rubbishing a suggestion made by Johnson and others in the 'Out' campaign that a vote to leave could prompt a deeper renegotiation of Britain's ties with the block, Cameron said: "I am not standing for re-election. I have no other agenda than what is best for our country." His aides deny it was an attack on Johnson, but for dozens of eurosceptic Conservatives and others who were undecided over which way to turn, it seemed to contradict Cameron's pledge to be respectful of those who disagreed with him. Andrew Bridgen, a senior Conservative lawmaker who campaigned for Britain to leave, described the exchange as akin to a "pub brawl" when "you hit the biggest, most dangerous-looking bloke as hard as you can and hope he doesn't get back up again". But with his party's right-wing in the ascendance, a new leader is expected to come from the eurosceptic camp, potentially putting paid to secure his legacy as a "moderniser" of the party and his much hoped for succession of George Osborne, the finance minister. Johnson, whose persona as a 'buffoon' can charm and repel in equal measure, is at the front of the pack. But his gamble - abandoning his support of immigration to win more support from the Conservative Party which will elect its next leader, and new prime minister - may undermine his wider popularity. There was evidence of that difficult road yesterday morning. As Johnson left his north London residence to make his first statement since the referendum result, he was booed and jeered by Londoners who may have once supported him. Morgan Stanley denied that it had begun moving 2,000 investment banking staff out of London just hours after the result of the Brexit referendum. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson Morgan Stanley yesterday denied that it had begun moving 2,000 investment banking staff out of London just hours after the result of the Brexit referendum. In a signal of the vulnerability of the City of London's vast financial sector following the vote, the BBC reported that the US investment bank had kicked off a process to move key investment banking jobs from Britain to either Dublin or Frankfurt. However, a spokesman for Morgan Stanley quickly denied the story. But the prospect of a massive shake-up in Europe's financial capital is real. Morgan Stanley's Irish company president, Colm Kelleher, had said so before the vote. London serves as a banking, insurance and professional services hub for the entire European Union - but when it is outside the bloc that may no longer be sustainable. Policymakers here are keen to get a slice of any activity that does leave the UK. However, Dublin's relatively much smaller market will struggle to attract the highest-value banks and financial-services firms here, the head of a major cross-border body has warned. Dublin may lack the capacity to capitalise on a City break-up, according to John McGrane, chief executive of the British-Irish Chamber of Commerce. That is related to both physical assets, such as the lack of large-scale office space here, but also skills and the size of the workforce. Dublin is "not really aligned" to providing the highest-value end of financial services but does well in midscale and middle-range areas, he said. ICTU chief Patricia King expressed fears that a 'race to the bottom' that has already driven down wages and living standards across the Border, may take hold here. Photo: Damien Eagers Unions fear that Irish workers may become victims of Brexit if "unscrupulous" employers and a far-right Conservative Party leadership begin a "race to the bottom". And Brexit Britain is likely to be a far less welcoming place for workers as social welfare benefits are set to be stripped, border controls mounted and EU employment rights law faces an uncertain future. In addition, there is little evidence that the UK's departure from the EU will push up wages, despite claims by David Cameron's likely replacement, Boris Johnson, that salaries have been driven down by immigrants. But there may be a jobs boost at home as investors that were eyeing our nearest neighbour may see Ireland as a safer bet. Siptu's manufacturing division is worried about an immediate impact on workers in the Republic who are highly vulnerable to any upheaval in business with our biggest trading partner. It warned that employers may see an opportunity in the "dangerous uncertainty" in the manufacturing industry to drive down labour costs as exports become more expensive due to the devaluation in sterling. The division's organiser, Gerry McCormack, called on the Government to immediately begin talks with the UK to stabilise the trade in which 16pc of goods manufactured here are exported to the UK. "Always, in such periods of crisis, some unscrupulous employers will perceive an opportunity to attack workers' wages and conditions," he said. The general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Patricia King, also expressed fears that a "race to the bottom" that has already driven down wages and living standards across the Border may take hold here. A total of 25,000 workers who cross the Border from Northern Ireland to work in the Republic may face passport controls, although their wages are likely to have greater purchasing power in the North, at least initially. But newcomers may lose their automatic right to work here. Anne Frawley, a senior consultant at Mercer, raised the prospect that British expats working here may face restrictions in accessing our healthcare system. Workers thinking of joining the 407,000 people who hold Irish passports in the UK may have second thoughts, despite assurances by the Leave campaigners that the Irish community will be unaffected. David Cameron had already struck a deal with the EU that migrants would not get full social welfare benefits for four years. He assured the Taoiseach that Irish nationals would not be affected, although the legal implications of this have been questioned. However, there is no guarantee that the new order will live up to that promise and more severe restrictions could be imposed. It is also likely that restrictions will be placed on the number of EU workers within the UK workforce, which will have significant implications for Irish companies with a UK workforce. There appears to be little evidence that workers in Britain will enjoy a significant wages boost if immigration dries up. One of the Leave campaigners' big arguments was that immigration was depressing wages. But Boris Johnson was caught out on this argument by former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond when he claimed that a Bank of England study had shown that for every 10pc increase in immigration, there was a 2pc reduction in wages. Mr Johnson was forced to admit he had not read the study, but even more tellingly, Mr Salmond, who said he had read it, revealed that it showed that a 10pc rise in immigration would cause a drop in wages of just a third of one pence. There may also be implications for Irish workers in Britain in terms of EU employment rights legislation. The working-time legislation, which is a Conservative bugbear, may be repealed or amended. It means that an employee's average working week should not exceed 48 hours. But there is unlikely to be an immediate 'bonfire' of the legislation as Britain will have to negotiate its future relations with the EU. The British government may decide there is little political advantage in dismantling employment rights, such as paid holidays, parental leave or legislation that forbids employers from discriminating against employees on grounds of disability, age or sex. The Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, has confirmed that the State has spent just under 670,000 on fees to date defending its position in the European Commission Apple tax case. In a written Dail reply to Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett (People Before Profit), Minister Noonan confirmed that as the case "involves a significant degree of legal and technical complexity, some 667,000 has been spent to date by my Dept and the Revenue Commissioners on legal and other services". Minister Noonan indicated that the full bill is higher when he stated: "This figure does not incorporate any further legal costs or costs for other services pertaining to the Attorney General's Office." Mr Noonan said that he was aware of speculation about a possible decision being made next month on the case. He stated: "I remain of the view that there was no breach of State Aid rules in this case and that the legislative provisions were correctly applied. He added: "In the event that the Commission forms the view that there was State Aid, Ireland is entitled to challenge this decision in the European Courts. As the Government has already indicated, we will take that course of action, if necessary, to continue to vigorously defend the Irish position. On the case, Minister Noonan stated: "This is a priority matter and Ireland has co-operated fully with the process to date and will continue to do so. My Department has engaged closely with the Commission throughout this process. "Detailed and comprehensive responses have been provided to the Commission demonstrating that the appropriate amount of Irish tax was charged in accordance with the relevant legislation, that no selective advantage was given and that there was no State Aid. " Initial findings by the Commission in 2014 said that Apple's tax arrangements were improperly designed to give the iPhone maker a financial advantage in exchange for jobs here. Apple said in 2013 it had paid an effective tax rate of less than 2pc here over the previous 10 years. Estimates of Apple's potential tax liability if the final decision goes against Ireland and Apple range from hundreds of millions or euro to a high of 19bn. However it is not clear what monies will be due to Ireland if Apple and the State lose the case. In June 2014, the Competition Directorate of the Commission announced its intention to open formal state aid investigations into tax rulings provided to a number of companies in various member states of the EU. Since last October, investigations in three other Member States have concluded with the Commission finding that the Member States granted an illegal State Aid. Aeroplane tickets to Australia and New Zealand were paid for out of charity income to the suicide bereavement organisation Console, an unpublished HSE audit has found. The HSE is seeking a full response from Console on funds totalling around 500,000 which were used for a range of items, including the flights and other expenses which appear not to be directly relevant to the charity's work. The charity, which received 855,227 from the health service in 2014, will continue to be funded and keep on with its bereavement counselling work pending the outcome of a probe into its finances by the HSE and the gardai. Founder Paul Kelly resigned as chief executive on Thursday night. His wife Patricia, also a director, resigned as well. An 'RTE Investigates' programme revealed a range of irregularities, including payments of 215,000 to its directors from 2010-2012. As a tax-exempted charity, directors are not entitled to payments. Mr Kelly, who was paid around 90,000 in consultancy fees, has denied any wrongdoing. The board has asked accountant Tom Murray and David Hall of the Irish Mortgage Holders Association to conduct an external review of the charity, which began yesterday. The charities regulator, John Farrelly, said yesterday: "Where a member of the public has a concern about non-compliance with the Charities Act, we actively encourage them to pass this information onto us. "If we believe that any charitable organisation is in breach of legislation, it is our policy to require a meeting with their trustees to seek assurances that they are in compliance with the law." However, Ivan Cooper of The Wheel, a national organisation representing 1,350 Irish charities, warned the regulator, whose office was set up to oversee the industry in 2014, is still without key investigative powers. The regulator still cannot take action against a charity based on information brought by a third party, he said. "More than 50,000 people act as trustees or voluntary directors of charities in Ireland, and together these individuals control more than 7bn of spending on services delivered by more than 11,000 organisations. It is the responsibility of trustees to ensure that any and all statements, claims and funding applications they make to support their work are true and accurate." The HSE said that a copy of its internal audit has been sent to its mental health division. In a statement, it said: "The National Director for Mental Health has considered the findings and recommendations and has engaged with Console and has asked it for any comments it may have. Once this engagement process is complete, a decision will be taken regarding future arrangements with Console." It alleged Console also named people as board members who had no association with the charity and were unaware they were being listed. They included former senator Jillian van Turnhout. Console breached Revenue Commissioners rules which state there should be a minimum of three officers, trustees or directors who are not related. The board produced a number of different accounts in the one year and on several occasions failed to disclose the directors' pay. Console received 150,000 in funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs to run its London centre. Former RTE chief reporter Charlie Bird, who pledged the proceeds of his book 'A Day in May: Real Lives, True Stories' to Console, is reviewing the decision. RTE First Dates star Daphney Sanasie will go on trial in September accused of harassing celebrity chef Dylan McGrath. The 26-year-old model, who has an address at Jamestown Road, in Dublin 8, is accused of harassment of Dylan McGrath (39) at various locations in the State from Sept. 9 until Nov. 21 last. The charge is contrary to Section 10 of the Non Fatal Offences Against the Person Act. Her case at Dublin District Court had been adjourned until yesterday to allow her time to brief her lawyers. When it resumed on Friday, her barrister Gareth Robinson told Judge Cormac Dunne a hearing date is required. He confirmed that she is pleading not guilty. Dressed in a blue dress, black high heels and gloves and clutching a Louis Vuitton handbag, Ms Sanasie did not address the court. She stood behind her barrister smiling as the judge proceeded to set her trial date. A solicitor for the DPP said the prosecution will call 10 witnesses and he confirmed that there was no CCTV evidence. The court also heard that the trial might take up to a day. Judge Dunne asked how many witnesses Ms Sanasie expected to call and Mr Robinson BL said that there would be one perhaps two giving evidence for the defence. The judge ordered that the non-jury trial will take place on Sept. 30 next. Mr Robinson said there has been complete disclosure of prosecution evidence but there was an issue in relation to a mobile phone and the defence may be asking to have it examined. The case will be listed again for mention in mid-September to confirm witnesses will be available for the trial. She first appeared at a late sitting of the court on April 15 last when evidence of her arrest was given by Garda Colm Kelly of the Bridewell station. At her previous hearing the court had heard that the DPP has directed summary disposal of the case meaning it is to stay in the district court and not go forward to the circuit court which has tougher sentencing powers. The offence, at district court level, can result in a fine and a maximum 12 month sentence. Gda Kelly has complied with an order to provide disclosure of the prosecution evidence. The South African model was known as Federica Sanasie when she appeared on hit matchmaking TV series First Dates earlier this year. McGrath one of Ireland's best known chefs was a proprietor of Mint in Ranelagh in Dublin which was awarded a coveted Michelin Star before opening the Rustic Stone Restaurant by Dylan McGrath on South Great George's Street in Dublin city-centre. He later became a judge on the Irish version of Masterchef which went on to be a massive hit. The man alleged in the High Court proceedings that he had been tortured due to his religious and political beliefs by security services in his home country between 1993 and 1995. The man authorities believe to be the foremost Irish-based "organiser and facilitator" of Isil fighters has lost High Court proceedings ultimately aimed at blocking his deportation. Mr Justice Richard Humphreys dismissed a request for orders compelling Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald to consider an application for asylum made by the man after he learned last year he was to be deported. The judge also rejected an application seeking to allow the man apply for refugee status without the Minister's consent. The father-of-four, who cannot be identified by order of the court, is to appeal the judgment. The man, a Jordanian national, has lived in Ireland since 2000 and attained residency as the father of an Irish-born child. But authorities refused to renew that residency in February last year and the following month informed him he was to be deported as he "was believed to be an organiser for Islamic State". The deportation order has yet to be executed due to the intervention of the European Court of Human Rights, which is examining the case. The man alleged in the High Court proceedings that he had been tortured due to his religious and political beliefs by security services in his home country between 1993 and 1995. In particular, he claimed to have been subjected to 'falanga', a form of torture involving the beating of the feet. He also claimed the Justice Minister had not given due weight to this and the potential for further torture in deciding to refuse to allow him apply for asylum following the notice of deportation last year. Read more: Alleged ISIL facilitator loses bid to block deportation from Ireland However, Mr Justice Humphreys rejected his arguments, saying he had not demonstrated a real risk of future ill-treatment. "Jordan is very far from the international pariah that the applicant would have the court believe," the judge said, adding the man had failed to show that the Minister's decision-making had been unreasonable. In the aftermath of the hearing, the man's solicitor, human rights lawyer Darragh Mackin, told the Irish Independent: "We have read and considered the judgment and we intend to appeal." A previous court hearing was told that gardai suspected the man was a "recruiter" of Islamic terrorists who "makes travel arrangements" for others to fight abroad in countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. He was described as "a senior operative of Isil" and its "foremost organiser and facilitator within the State". The man denies the allegations. Further hearings were told the man's son had been detained twice in the space of a year by Jordanian intelligence, but was subsequently released. The court also heard that an associate of the man was killed in the Syrian conflict. It was not made clear what faction the associate was fighting for. A Dublin man has lost a claim for victimisation against a nightclub that refused him entry after he had, on a previous occasion, "danced erratically" while preparing for TV3's X Factor auditions. Barrister Dorothy Collins said that in February 2015 staff members at Buck Whaleys, of Lower Leeson Street, Dublin, had asked Vytautas Jurksa to calm down after customers had complained about his dancing. Ms Collins, counsel for the club, told the Circuit Court that Mr Jurksa - a polish national, of St Martin's House, Waterloo Road, Dublin - had left the club "in a huff" before returning with two gardai, as he alleged he had been discriminated against. Ms Collins said Mr Jurksa, who the court heard had been dancing like Mick Jagger or Elvis and flashing his legs and arms, had also claimed the club's action had interfered with his preparation for the X Factor auditions. Circuit Court President Mr Justice Raymond Groake heard that Jurksa last year lost a discrimination claim in the District Court against Stonehead Ltd, which trades as Buck Whaleys, and legal costs had been awarded against him. He had not appealed that decision. Judge Groarke was told that Jurksa later brought another District Court claim against the club after being refused entry last January, because of his previous behaviour. He had claimed he not been allowed in the club because of his first court case and therefore had been victimised. The District Court had refused to hear his application because he had not paid the legal costs from his previous claim. The court had adjourned the case generally with liberty to re-enter, on the condition that he discharged the owed sum of 750 plus VAT. Jurksa had then appealed that decision to the Circuit Court. Following an application by Jurksa, who represented himself, to hear the claim in its entirety, Judge Groarke found he had not been victimised. Judge Groarke told Ms Collins, who appeared with Thomas Loomes Solicitors, that he was satisfied after hearing the evidence of the staff that Mr Jurksa had been refused entry because of previous behaviour. Giving his judgment, which was interrupted several times by Jurksa, Judge Groarke said the fact that the club had not responded to correspondence or that a security officer had refused to give his licence number could not constitute victimisation. The judge struck out Jurksa's claim. Dozens of Gardai along with over 100 volunteers are hoping to raise 100,000 for one of the leading homeless charities in the capital. The Cycle for Brother Kevin is currently taking place this weekend, and will see 112 cyclists along with 20 support staff take on a grueling 350km trip from Dublin to Mayo. Last year the charity cycle raised 45k with 70 participants, and the organisers are this year hoping to double that to raise much needed funds for one of the capitals busiest homeless facilities. The event began at the Capuchin Day Centre in the north-inner city on Friday, June 24, with the first day taking the cyclists on a 170km through Enfield, Co Kildare, and a brief stop at the Mullingar Park Hotel, where all fund raisers will be accommodated with a meal free of charge. Today the cyclists will again saddle up for another 180km, which will take them along the Wild Atlantic Way and near the Ox Mountains before finishing in Belmullet, Co Mayo. Garda Gary Moran, based at Mountjoy Garda Station and one of the events organiser's, said that the cycle has been consistently been raising funds on an annual basis for the Capuchin Centre. Its not just for gardai, friends and other groups can come along and join in for a very good cause. The funds go to the Capuchin Centre, which has become more than just a facility to feed the citys homeless people. The fundraiser was started by number of serving gardai in 2010, and in its inaugural year saw just eight people take part in the cycle, but the numbers have swelled over the years with 2016 set to be the largest event. The funds for the event are raised by the participants themselves as well as through the generous donations of a number of businesses. People can also donate to the cyclists by texting HOPE to 50300 and donating 2 with each text. Speaking to the Independent.ie about the charity event, Brother Kevin Crowley- who established the Capuchin Centre in 1974- described the cycle as a "tremendous success" and the work being put in as "amazing". "The centre has been open since 1969 and we serve breakfast to around 300 people, and we service dinner to more than 500 people. "We also give food parcels to around 1,700 people on Wednesdays. "We have medical clinics, doctors and dentists available to help homeless people," Br Kevin said. "People can also come and have showers in the centre. "Only for the generosity of the people we wouldnt be able to survive. "Our costs this year will be over 3m, so the generosity is fantastic. The volunteers we have are great workers.The funds we raise will be a great asset to the centre and the effort being put in is fantastic. "One of the things that bother me is the number of families with little children staying in hotels," Br Kevin added. The last day of Leaving Certificate 2016 brought a mixed bag for the estimated 4,000-5,000 candidates in exam halls. Stock Image: PA The last day of Leaving Certificate 2016 brought a mixed bag for the estimated 4,000-5,000 candidates in exam halls. Teacher Michael Purcell from Colaiste Einde, Salthill, Co Galway, and ASTI, said the Religious Education Higher Level paper would have been welcomed by candidates. However, Applied Maths Higher Level presented some challenges, according to teacher Christy Maginn of St Declan's College, Cabra, Dublin, who said the paper opened well with Question 1, and some questions continued the trend of "the refreshing new approach" evident in recent years. But, Mr Maginn said Question 5 was a bit of a "curveball" and students were a "bit perplexed by Question 10 (b)".But, overall, he said it was a well-designed paper. Hilary Dorgan, of the Institute of Education, thought that more than the usual number of questions on the Higher Level paper had "that extra twist". Question 2 would have "caused a lot of trouble to a lot of students", while Question 5 (b) had a "very unusual twist", he said. Mr Dorgan also believes too much is asked of students in the time available. "Some of the questions were very long - especially 1, 3 and 4. "If a student takes a wrong turn in one or two of the questions, there is genuinely a huge pressure to get six questions done in the available time," he said. Seamus Walshe, a teacher at Presentation College, Askea, Carlow, described the Technology Higher Level paper as more demanding than those in previous years. "The examiners are pushing out the boundaries with questions on new technologies, and students would be advised to keep up with trends," he said. He said students to whom he spoke liked to paper, "but they needed all the time they had". Meanwhile, ordinary level students were happy with a paper that included topical issues such as music streaming and drones, he added. There was little complaint from teacher Robbie Cronin about the Italian Higher Level paper, which he described as "good". He said, as usual, the articles were very interesting. His only quibble was the unseen prose, about a teenager with very demanding parents and who had no friends at school. "The language was very difficult here and students would have found it tricky," said Mr Cronin, of Marian College, Ballsbridge, Dublin. But he said the studied prose was "very good and fair" and would have been positively received by students. Mr Cronin said the written expression was a "very interesting" essay/opinion piece on Irish students and their attitude to learning languages, and there was a "very good question" on a working holiday in Italy. And he described the formal letter about either a complaint over products that had been purchased online or booking a holiday for a class reunion as a "very practical and laudable exercise". About 330 candidates also sat Leaving Cert Japanese yesterday. IRISH students studying in the UK could face a price hike in fees and problems with visas as a result of the Brexit. The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) fear the Brexit will have a negative impact for Irish students. USI President Kevin Donoghue said: The outcome of the Brexit referendum is incredibly disappointing not only for the future of Britain, but also for the future of Ireland. More than eight pc of Irish graduates pursue work opportunities in the UK, and Brexit will affect them, as well as the students who wish to study their undergraduates or postgraduates in the UK, or do the Erasmus exchange programme there. Donoghue said hes concerned that Irish students will now have to pay higher fees because the UK will be in non-EU territory. At the moment fees are free for Irish students in Scotland and around 9,000 for the UK. That could rise to 10-14,000 for undergrads and in excess of 20,000 for masters students depending on what the UK will decide to charge. The UK have a policy of trying to get as much as they can out of students. He said hes not hopeful that fees will remain their current price. Yesterdays result was a selfish vote. Irish students will now face uncertainty about fees and free movement, he said. Being just shy of his 100th birthday didn't stop Josef Veselsky from joining the other graduates convocating from Trinity College yesterday. The 97-year-old native of Bratislava, who lost his parents and a brother at Auschwitz, was conferred with an honorary Master of Arts degree. He earned it after resuming his education in 2010 after it was cut short by World War II. "I'm very proud," he said of being the college's oldest student. He then joined the graduates' procession to the Examination Hall, led by college chancellor and former President Mary Robinson. Mr Veselsky moved to Ireland in 1948 following the Czech coup d'etat, and set up a jewellery business. He was also decorated for his role in the Czech underground and Slovak national uprising movements. Nobel prize-winning physicist Peter Higgs also received a Doctor of Science. uS Vice President Joe Biden has called on Irish people to "keep the faith" in the aftermath of the Brexit vote. He said he recognised that the result of the UK's referendum "introduces some economic uncertainty" but stressed the importance of keeping the Peace Process in the North alive. "I believe the people of Northern Ireland will not allow this to prevent them going forward," he said, adding: "They've come so far." Expand Close Vice President Joe Biden stopping to pose for a picture with Mercedes McGovern and Ruth Prendergast / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Vice President Joe Biden stopping to pose for a picture with Mercedes McGovern and Ruth Prendergast He warned that the 18 years since the peace process was "just a heartbeat", adding: "Old habits of mistrust and sectarianism die hard. We've a lot more work to do. We can't rest on the laurels of past breakthroughs." Speaking at a gala dinner for the Ireland Funds at Trinity College last night, Mr Biden said we must ensure that the children of both sides in Northern Ireland "grow up side by side, never knowing the nightmare of the Troubles". Earlier, as he received an honorary doctorate at Trinity, Mr Biden spoke of the turbulent times the world is facing and admitted that a different outcome from the UK referendum would have been preferred by the US. But he moved to reassure the Irish people that the United States' relationship with Ireland and the European Union "will remain the cornerstone of its global engagement". "I must say we had looked for a different outcome. We would have preferred a different outcome and I imagine many of you here felt the same way," he said. Read more: 'Old habits of mistrust and sectarianism die hard' - Joe Biden calls on Irish people to 'keep the faith' in Brexit aftermath On the fourth day of Mr Biden's trip to Ireland, he was soaking up the atmosphere at Trinity College, Dublin and quipped that if anyone found Harry Potter in the famous Long Room library, "please let my grandson know". And he unveiled, with a flourish, yet another well-connected Irish cousin. Expand Close U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden sharing a hug with Michael Barron. Photo: Maxwells / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden sharing a hug with Michael Barron. Photo: Maxwells The conferring of his doctorate was overseen by provost Patrick Prendergast and the university's chancellor, former president Mary Robinson, who the US vice-president surprised by telling him that they were distant cousins by marriage. He spoke of the turbulent times the world is facing, saying: "What bothers you most in this period is the sense of helplessness that's often expressed when there's so much reason to be optimistic. "You've never had the potential to do so much good," Mr Biden told those graduating yesterday. Quoting WB Yeats, he said: "All has changed and changed utterly. A terrible beauty has been born. "Those words are more applicable to the world you are graduating into than they even were in 1916," Mr Biden said. Later, the newly discovered cousins crossed paths again at a gala dinner to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Ireland Funds at Trinity College, when Mrs Robinson addressed guests including Elizabeth Frawley, chairperson of the American Ireland Fund, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny, US Ambassador to Ireland Kevin O'Malley, Australian Ambassador to Ireland Ruth Adler, John Fitzpatrick and Loretta Brennan Glucksman. Before Mr Biden's arrival, Mrs Robinson conceded that the day had been "quite negative" for political and other issues, but that it was positive in its celebration of the diaspora. The flautist James Galway made a special appearance at the event. Mr Biden spent his afternoon at Dublin Castle, with a concert by The Chieftains (his second time hearing them perform on this visit), Mundy and the group Seo Linn. He told rain-drenched guests there that the entire world faced enormous challenges, which, he added, provide "fertile terrain for reactionary politicians and demagogues." Brendan Keenan: 'Better laws and foreign money needed to overcome worrying homes shortage' There is a district in Belfast known as the Holy Land. Not because of its religiosity, but because the streets - Jerusalem Street, Damascus Street and so on - are called after places in that region. Once, there were others; Little Crimea, India, and so on. Seemingly, houses were built so quickly for the city's huge expansion in the 19th century that it was too much trouble to think up original names. They eventually gave up altogether, so far as names were concerned. The Shankill area got First Street, Second Street etc, all the way up to Tenth. Premium 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. Premium What will it take to unite Ireland? Opinions are divided There are those for whom Northern Ireland is a geographical fragment of the UK holding true to empire on its western flanks, and those for whom partition is a century-old wrong that must be overturned. Somewhere in the middle are the persuadables people willing to accept either unity or union, so long as the justification is logical. One way or another, the unity conversation is in the air. Premium 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. Like thousands of others, I grew up in the shadow of one the British army's many 'observation' bases near south Armagh. The massive Cloghogue army base, on the main road between my native Newry and my mum's hometown of Dundalk, was a blight on our childhood, a pervasive and ugly symbol of division and fear. The three-mile stretch of the A1 between Cloghogue and Killeen was known as 'Bomb Alley' as it had claimed the lives of 24 people between 1971 and 1992. Rarely a week went by when we did not traverse that 'alley' with our parents or have to detour through back roads through south Armagh when there was a security incident, as there often was, on the main road and rail lines. The Cloghogue lookout post, and many others besides, generated fear and harassment as British army and then RUC officers - armed to the hilt - pored over our vehicle and its occupants, generating terrifying memories for our young minds. They also caused untold inconvenience for free trade and free movement when the bomb scares and security checks led to lengthy tailbacks and other disruptions. The menacing spy posts were installed, ostensibly, to protect the public. In the end, they served only to antagonise relations between the security forces and the communities they observed with a totalitarian oversight that would have been at home in George Orwell's fictional 'Nineteen Eighty-Four'. The Good Friday, or Belfast, Agreement in 1998 was undoubtedly the biggest achievement in modern Irish politics. But for me, it was the demilitarisation of Cloghogue and other strategic bases littered throughout Northern Ireland that was one of the key, tangible components of the Peace Process. Now you can travel from Dublin to Belfast without any hassle. And the only reason why you'll know you've crossed the Border at Cloghogue is a subtle change in the road surface and speed signs in miles, rather than kilometres. Though it is some distance away, possibly two years if not more, the prospect of the reinstatement of border controls - even minor ones - in the wake of Britain's landmark decision to leave the European Union would deliver a harsh psychological blow to the Peace Process. Demilitarisation and the breaking down of physical customs and security barriers, have helped the still-divided communities in Northern Ireland to break down the barriers in our hearts and minds. They have also helped to normalise our society and have heralded the prospect of a return to something resembling normal policing after a 30-year conflict. In all, the Troubles, which claimed almost 4,000 lives, are estimated to have created 500,000 victims, classified as people directly affected by bereavement, physical injury and trauma. Now the North, which voted to remain in the EU, is likely to become one of Brexit's biggest victims. Despite the landmark 1998 agreement, the North's political institutions and economy are not fit for purpose. One in four young people is unemployed and for those that have jobs in Northern Ireland, their wages trail behind the UK by as much as 30pc. Northern Ireland has, despite its difficulties, attracted decent levels of inward investment in recent years and is set to lower its corporate tax rate by 2018. This is a move that would help it compete with the Republic and make the island of Ireland even more attractive to investors who wish to access British and European markets. Northern Ireland also has a thriving creative economy and has won huge acclaim with the hugely successful 'Game of Thrones' series (see panel, right). We're getting there. But Northern Ireland's annual income is 13.6bn (16.6bn). And with an annual expenditure of 22.7bn, that leaves the North with an effective deficit of 9.1bn, more than the Republic of Ireland has ever had in any single year. At this time, politicians across the island of Ireland should be focussing on the impacts of a Brexit on the still volatile peace process and the need to negotiate trade agreements to protect Northern Ireland's vulnerable economy and society. Instead, we have been subjected to vague mutterings by a truly dejected Taoiseach Enda Kenny that he will do all he possibly can to protect the Common Travel Area (CTA), combined with a reckless, provocative border poll charade by Sinn Fein. The Belfast Agreement contains a provision for a border poll on Irish unity if, at some point in the future, the majority in the North desired a united Ireland. But the conditions for triggering such a border poll - one can only be called by the Northern Ireland Secretary in circumstances where there is clear evidence of a public opinion swing towards Irish unity - have not yet been met. Now, with Scotland mulling a second independence referendum, is not the time to antagonise the unionists, whose sense of vulnerability has been shattered further by Brexit. Sinn Fein, whose elected representatives have a duty under the Good Friday Agreement to protect the interests of all of the North's citizens, wasted no time in deploying its trademark cynicism by once again calling for a border poll. Yes, Brexit has raised fundamental questions about the viability of the United Kingdom. But now is the time to double down and support Northern Ireland, including the Catholic community, who also stand to feel excluded by the reinstatement of border controls. This is the time for the island of Ireland to unite, not for erecting borders that divide. UK prime minister David Cameron has resigned following the UK's Leave vote. Political and economic shockwaves are already rippling out across the globe from the referendum result following a campaign which was amongst the most divisive ever in modern British politics. Despite pre-referendum polls this week generally indicating that momentum was with Remain, the Leave camp won through with around 52pc of the vote. The result saw England (London heavily excepted) and Wales voting to leave, while Scotland and Northern Ireland voted for Remain. The vote has rattled financial markets and the UK political establishment and Cameron's decision to resign, only a year after his landmark success last May in winning the first majority Conservative government for over two decades, will only add to the uncertainty. A major reassurance effort is now under way to respond to the political trauma and financial uncertainty, with the European Central Bank, Bank of England and other central banks preparing to make potentially further significant interventions. Brussels will be centre-stage on Tuesday and Wednesday with a previously planned EU summit. The EU elite will be shellshocked, not least given fears about contagion to other countries potentially looking to leave the union in future years, and political leaders will now seek a strong, co-ordinated front to emphasise the continuing resilience and integrity of the EU. In this turbulent context, Cameron has decided to resign, despite the fact that there have been significant shows of support for him from within the Tory party, with around two thirds of its MPs who backed a Leave vote, including former London Mayor Boris Johnson and Justice Secretary Michael Gove, having signed a letter, saying that he should stay in office. A key reason Cameron decided to go is that the Tory backbenches would have become significantly more ungovernable post-referendum if he had stayed. And an internal leadership challenge against him, which requires 50 Conservative MPs to trigger, could not have been ruled out. He will also have recognised that the government's small parliamentary majority could have meant a more embattled administration as intra-Conservative tensions festered. Such political troubles would have undermined key elements of domestic policy, including the government's plans to try to secure some 30bn of spending cuts in the first years of this parliament. Favourites to replace Cameron in the leadership election in coming weeks will be Johnson and other key exit supporters, including Gove, although the prospects of some who favoured Remain, including the home secretary Theresa May and possibly the Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, could not be dismissed. However, the leadership ambitions of chancellor George Osborne, a close ally of Cameron, could now be sunk. Cameron will not trigger Article 50 of the EU Treaties, the formal mechanism for bringing about the UK's withdrawal process, at the Brussels summit or in coming weeks. Given the massive stakes in play, he has chosen to defer this momentous decision to his successor. One other possibility, suggested by some Leave campaigners, would be for the UK to leave the EU by deploying alternative legal/ legislative procedures, including by repealing the 1972 EU Communities Act. However, some lawyers and constitutional scholars have dismissed the feasibility of this and indicated that Article 50 is the most politically and legally viable route. One further option in the coming months, which cannot be completely ruled out under a new prime minister, is a second EU referendum if better terms can be secured from Brussels. Even some exit campaigners such as Johnson have advocated this in the past, despite the fact that it would infuriate many of those who voted leave on Thursday. In this context, Cameron's successor as prime minister may well seek to engineer a general election if it is believed that the outcome will be favourable to the Conservatives to try to secure a strong electoral mandate. While the current Parliament theoretically runs to 2020 under the terms of the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, the new Conservative leader would be in a good position to challenge opposition parties to support him or her in calling an early ballot, given the change of prime minister and the potential gravity of the situation facing the country. Thursday's vote will have potentially massive implications for the longer-term future of the EU and the United Kingdom. On the latter front, for instance, British exit of the EU would increase the likelihood of a second Scottish independence referendum vote. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish Nationalist Party Leader, has previously argued that the United Kingdom should only exit the EU if all four constituency countries (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) individually voted to leave, which is an exceptionally unlikely scenario. Turning to the EU at large, the Brussels-based club now faces the biggest potential reversal in its more than half-century history. As one of the more influential EU states, an UK exit would disrupt the balance of power, inner workings and policy orientations of the EU in a way that could ultimately consolidate the influence of other large states, especially Germany. Taken overall, the historic decision will set the political weather in both Britain and Brussels for months to come as political leaders scramble to come to terms with it. Decisions taken in the coming weeks will define the longer-term political and economic character of the EU and United Kingdom, with both unions now facing major stress as the implications of the referendum bed in. Andrew Hammond is an Associate at LSE IDEAS (the Centre for International Affairs, Diplomacy and Strategy) at the London School of Economics And so it begins: the painstaking work of reconfiguring the EU's relationship with the UK after it voted to leave the bloc on Thursday. I spent referendum day in two very different parts of England, beginning the day in rural Wiltshire and ending it in London. In Wiltshire, I saw how the Leave campaign's billboards far outnumbered those for Remain. I spoke to a local retired couple who were dressed up and heading to London for an event at the Imperial War Museum. They both voted to leave. Why? The man argued it was the best way to force what he called a real debate on where the EU is going, adding that he didn't think the bloc would allow the UK to leave in the long run. His wife said she was worried about immigration. "We are being overwhelmed by them," she complained, yet struggled to explain what she meant by "them". Another man chipped in, also insisting that a vote to leave would simply provoke a serious conversation about the EU and that somehow, in his view, the UK would not be adversely affected. All three seemed unaware of how their vote fitted in the bigger picture: the fact that far-right groups across Europe were hoping for a Brexit, the fact that Russia, which is funding those groups in France and elsewhere, was watching the vote with much interest. In London, a British-Libyan in his early thirties told me how much the pro-Brexit campaign had unsettled him because of the way immigration became the issue that dominated. He had watched as the Leave campaign triggered racist and xenophobic sentiment in the city in northern England where he had grown up. "It made me feel like a stranger," he said. In London too, I spoke to others - some of them British, some transplants from other European countries - in their twenties and thirties who were certain the Brexit campaign would fail, even if it was by a narrow margin. "How could people vote against their own interests?," asked one. "Impossible," said another. They woke up yesterday morning, realising what they thought impossible had just become reality. A friend shared a George Orwell quote on Facebook: "The insularity of the English, their refusal to take foreigners seriously, is a folly that has to be paid for very heavily from time to time". Many others shared a graphic showing the deep generational divide in how the vote broke down, one of the many cleavages the result exposed. It noted how the demographic that had voted most to remain in the EU - those aged under 35 - were the ones who would have to live with the result the longest. Hundreds of thousands of young Britons signed up to register online for the vote at the last minute, causing the website to crash and forcing the registration deadline to be extended. In the early stages after voting had closed on Thursday, Ukip leader Nigel Farage, at that point thinking his side had lost, tried to blame that extension. Hours later, he was euphoric. How the UK balances the dashed hopes of its youth - a globalised generation that has grown up knowing nothing but the EU - with the hard realities of what a Brexit will mean for their future is one of the many challenging questions facing the country amid the political turmoil the vote has unleashed. If the pro-Brexit camp tapped into fears about the uncertainties of our world today, then it has just forced the UK and Europe into a whole new realm of uncertainty. A major concern in Brussels now is that the UK decision could prompt a domino effect, with voters in other EU member states demanding their own referendum on remaining in the union. Earlier this year a survey published by French newspaper 'Le Monde' showed that over 50pc of respondents wanted a vote on France's EU membership. Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front, which has experienced a surge in support over the past year, called for a vote this week on what she called the "decaying" EU. "I would vote for Brexit, even if I think France has a thousand more reasons to leave than the UK," she said. In the Netherlands, far-right politicians have demanded the same and polls show a majority of voters want a referendum, with respondents evenly split on whether the country should stay in the EU or not. Italy's Five Star political movement - which recently won 10 out of 20 mayoral elections - is also calling for a vote on EU membership. Already pummelled by a number of challenges, the European Union now finds the very architecture underpinning it under threat. Yeats is handy for occasions such as this, if a little hackneyed. "Things fall apart," he didn't write of the European Union, "the centre cannot hold". "The best lack all conviction," he could have written of the 'Remain' and 'Leave' campaigns, "the worst are full of passionate intensity". The events of yesterday morning unfolded in an almost comical fashion. UKIP's Nigel Farage conceded, then un-conceded, while one Scottish government minister I encountered reminisced about Billy Joel. Political commentators are required to find the right words when something like this happens, but we're rarely in a fit state to do so, sleep-deprived and only able to form snap, and inevitably incorrect, impressions as to what's actually going on. Emotionally I feel surprisingly little, either as a Scot, Brit or European - perhaps it'll take a while to sink in. I know what I don't like, however, and that's nationalism, be it Scottish, British or even the 'banal' sort propagated by virtually every country in the world. Statements like 'make America great again', 'take back control' or appeals to superior 'Scottish values' make me flinch. And just because Brexit has been fuelled by a resurgent English nationalism doesn't mean I find the relatively 'civic' Scottish variety any more attractive. To provide some context, I grew up in a nationalist household; my father joined the SNP half a century ago, long before it became, well, a thing. My earliest memories comprise SNP jumble sales, obviously committed but slightly scary activists and anti-Poll Tax marches. So I'm of the party but far from impressed by it, indeed mention my name to any media-literature Scottish nationalist and it'll most likely provoke a pejorative response. This misunderstands, to a degree, my position. I have little quarrel, for example, with the principle of independence, rather it's the specific proposition - placed before voters back in 2014 - I find hard to take seriously, for it was fundamentally dishonest. I also dislike political utopianism, be it from 'Yes Scotland' or 'Vote Leave'; I prefer my politics to be resolutely utilitarian in nature. Nicola Sturgeon has often presented herself as a 'utilitarian' rather than an 'existential' nationalist (my dad's firmly in the latter camp), not a bad description for my unionism. This is, in part, emotional, for I have a sentimental attachment to London (where I've lived, on and off, for more than a decade) and Cardiff (where I first trained as a journalist), but it's predominantly instrumental. Although an unlovely thing in many ways, any cost-benefit analysis came down in favour of the status quo. But all that has changed, to invoke Yeats once again, changed utterly, and therefore any pragmatic unionist has to rethink their position. I've long argued for a federal UK, and were one to emerge soon (Boris Johnson used the 'f' word just last year) I'd still believe it the best, most realistic option. But it seems unlikely, for there's clearly little life left in the old, asymmetric and perhaps now fatally damaged union. There are caveats. Before Thursday's vote, Ms Sturgeon had spoken of refashioning the case for independence in a more 'realistic' way, and now she has her chance. If the next 'Yes' campaign claims that all will be well in the best of all possible worlds, then once again I'll struggle to take it seriously. But if the SNP secures a credible deal from Brussels for continuing Scottish membership of the EU and, crucially, concedes fiscal reality, then I'm all ears. Who knows, perhaps some revelation is at hand. 'David Torrance is a freelance journalist, broadcaster and author of 'Nicola Sturgeon: A Political Life' (Birlinn, 2016) Now the UK has voted to leave the EU, the first step has to be taken by the British government. It must decide what sort of relationship it wants to have, trade-wise, with the rest of the world. At the moment, that is governed by agreements negotiated for the UK by the EU. If the UK simply leaves the EU, all those agreements will fall, as will UK membership of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Agreements with dozens of non-EU countries will have to be negotiated again, at the same time as negotiating with the EU. A lot of work. Basically, the British government will have to choose between three options: 1. Leave the EU and, like Norway, apply to join the European Economic Area (EEA). 2. Negotiate a new special trade agreement, like the agreement Canada or Switzerland has with the EU. 3 Leave the EU without any trade agreement and apply, as a separate country, to join the WTO. The EEA option could be put in place quickly and would not disrupt trade all that much. The EEA is a ready-made model for external association by a non-member with the EU. It could be taken down from the shelf, so to speak. But, as an EEA member, the UK would still have to implement EU regulations and contribute to the EU budget. It would not allow curbs on EU immigration. The EEA option has been dismissed by 'Leave' campaigners, but it does involve leaving the EU, and complies with the literal terms of the referendum decision. If the UK experiences severe balance of payments problems over the summer, the EEA option may become attractive. The UK already has a big balance of payments deficit anyway and capital inflows may be inhibited by the 'Leave' vote. The EEA option would buy time, and would not preclude leaving altogether. The second option, a special trade deal, would be much more difficult. It would require a detailed negotiation on every type of product or service sale between the UK and the other 27 member countries of the EU, including across our border. Such an agreement would take years to negotiate (probably seven or eight years), because it would be subject to domestic political constraints - and political blackmail attempts - in all EU countries, each of which would have to ratify it. If it proposed curbs on immigration from the EU, the EU countries affected would make difficulties with other aspects of the deal as a bargaining counter. It is unlikely that a trade agreement would allow the UK to sell financial services into the EU. Indeed, it would be in the interest of EU countries, that might hope to attract financial services, to make sure the UK got few concessions. The third option - leaving the EU with no agreement - could come about, either because that was what the UK chose, or because the negotiations on a special trade deal broke down or were not ratified by one or two EU states. It would require the application of the EU common external tariff to UK or Northern Irish products crossing the border into the Republic. Average EU tariffs are around 4pc, but on agricultural goods the mean tariff is 18pc. The imposition of these tariffs is a key part of the Common Agricultural Policy, which protects the incomes of EU farmers. We would have no option but collect them at customs posts along our border. All forms of food manufacture and distribution within the two islands would be disrupted. The disruption of the complex supply chain of the modern food industry would be dramatic and the knock-on effects impossible to calculate. A similar effect might be felt by the car parts industry, which is subject to tariffs, and is important to some parts of England. Meanwhile, the remaining 27 countries of the EU, and the EU institutions, will have a lot of thinking to do too. They need to respond decisively to the (false) claim that the EU is not democratic. All EU legislation has to be passed by a democratically elected European Parliament, and also by a Council of Ministers who represent the democratically elected governments of the 28 EU countries. The members of the European Commission must be approved by the democratically elected European Parliament. But there is room to further improve EU democracy. I would make two suggestions: 1. The President of the European Commission should be directly elected by the people of the EU in a two-round election, at the same time as the European Parliament Elections every five years. 2. To create a closer link between national parliaments and the EU, a minimum of nine national parliaments agreeing should be sufficient to require the Commission to put forward a proposal on a topic allowed by the EU Treaties. National parliaments can already delay EU legislation, so they should be free to make positive proposals too. That said, the EU should avoid over promising, and should not allow itself to be blamed for all the problems people face in their daily lives. The EU is not an all-powerful monolith that can solve the problems caused by technological change and globalisation. It is just a loose, voluntary confederation of 28 countries, with no tax- raising powers of its own. Nor is the EU responsible for debts mistakenly taken on by its members. If the losers of globalisation and technological change are to be sheltered from misfortune, it is the member states, not the EU itself, that has the taxing power to redistribute money from the winners from globalisation to the losers. The UK has not been particularly generous in this regard. Its welfare system is modest, and its investment in productivity improvement has been poor. In some respects, UK voters have just mistakenly blamed the EU for the effects of the omissions and under performance of successive UK governments. Protest against bin charge rip-off at South Dublin County Council, Tallaght. Pictured is Paul Murphy TD taking to the media with protesters from AAA Aliance and members of the public as Simon Coveney visits SDCC. They demand of Reverse bin charges hike immediately and Reverse privatisation and return to public ownership Bin charges are to be frozen by many waste operators in County Louth, including Dundalk's main collection firm, Oxigen, after an agreement was reached earlier today between the government and the Irish Waste Management Association (IWMA) members over the introduction of the controversial pay by weight which was due to come into effect from next week, July 1. The IWMA, which says it manages three quarters of all waste produced, and includes local collectors including Oxigen, Panda and Drogheda's AES, said the agreement means that no householder disposing of the same quantities of waste will face any additional charges during that time. Over the next year, householders in Louth and around the country will also be provided with a cost comparison that will show the amount of waste they are disposing of, their current costs and the equivalent pay-by-weight charges. In addition, the IWMA said its members have agreed to 'provide a weight allowance to HSE patients supplied with incontinence wear to reduce their annual waste charges' and 'IWMA members are committed to an arrangement whereby the additional weight attributed to non-infancy incontinence wear will be collected free of charge'. It is expected that there will be an information and promotional campaign in over the next six months to explain the pay by weight system while a review of the market is would take place after 12 months. Two Louth TDs had dubbed the planned increases in 'standing charges' as 'crazy', with Fine Gael TD Peter Fitzpatrick calling on the imposition of 'maximum per kilo rate'. Mr Fitzpatrick said: 'At present the government sets minimum per kilo rates for waste collectors for environmental purposes, but no upper limit is set in the regulations. I'm now asking the Minister (Simon Coveney) to examine if this can be changed'. Sinn Fein leader, Gerry Adams, who has condemned the proposed increases in bin charges and described them as outrageous, wrote to all of the waste companies in Louth last week requesting information on their payment plans. In addition, he called on Fianna Fail 'to join the effort to scrap bin charge hikes'. He said: 'Many people are only now adjusting to the reality that Fine Gael are back in government; despite the result of the general election. The bin charges debacle has been a sharp reality check. People just cannot afford the punitive hikes in charges. Will Fianna Fail support this? 'The strength of public opinion has forced them to do so, but on other issues they have sided with Enda Kenny. Last week, they supported the refusal of the government to accept legislation that would have provided rent certainty'. A minute's silence was observed at Monday's AGM of Louth county council as a tribute to Jo Cox, the MP murdered last week. In offering condolences to her family, chairman Cllr Paul Bell said she was savagely gunned down for no other reason than being a public representative. He added it was an attack on society, an attack on democracy. Cllr Mark Dearey, chairman of Dundalk municipal district, said it is no coincidence the killing occurred at a time when discourse in quite ugly. He has written to the Labour party in Britain to express shock, sadness and solidarity. Cllr John McGahon remarked he has been struck by the language and attitudes towards politicians. 'Words and language are important, and can have a strong and unpredictable effect on people. We have a responsibility to be kinder to each other.' Cllr Kevin Callan said the killing of Ms Cox shows that public representatives have no choice but to be in the public domain. 'It is part and parcel of what we do, and often involves meeting people we don't even know.' He recalled being pursued from a council meeting in Drogheda to a hotel, and the guards having to get involved. Cllr Maria Doyle said democracy shouldn't be taken for granted, and Cllr Liam Reilly commented that the gun has been brought more and more into society. Respect for an alternative opinion seems to have been eroded, said Cllr Colm Markey. Those opinions have been met with such anger and violence, that we can't go forward as a society, he continued. Cllr Tomas Sharkey said that before becoming an MP, Jo Cox had been in Darfur and Afghanistan, and worked for Oxfam, and he likened her to other heroes of human rights. Cllr Richie Culhane said the family of Senator Billy Fox, murdered in Monaghan in 1974, should be remembered at this time US Vice President Joe Biden who will visit his ancestral roots in Cooley this Friday along with extended members of his family The freedom of Co. Louth will be bestowed on Joe Biden in Carlingford next Saturday, but councillors were split for a time on Monday before deciding to award the highest accolade to the vice-president of the United States. The distinguished guest begins a six-day visit to Ireland today, and his itinerary includes a private trip to north Louth to see his ancestral home. At the start of the annual general meeting, before he vacated his place at the top table, outgoing chairman, Cllr Peter Savage proposed a civic award be given to Mr Biden. An indication of what was to follow came when Cllr Maeve Yore interrupted to ask, 'What has he done?' Chief executive, Joan Martin said it is in recognition 'of a son of Louth who has done well' and is returning as vice-president of the United States. Mr Biden's ancestors, the Finnegans, are from Whitestown. It was agreed the proposal could take its place on the agenda. The business of the meeting also included councillors adopting a protocol for the awarding of civic honours. There is latitude in it for the districts of Dundalk, Ardee and Drogheda to do what they feel is appropriate in their areas, but only the county council can make a civic award. Ms Martin said it is also open to members of the council to initiate an honour of the freedom of County Louth, if they wish. It has not been used in the past. The chief executive explained it is really more of an internationally recognised term, with a status over and above a civic award. However, Cllr Kevin Callan said it is 'too hasty' for the freedom of County Louth, and the council 'should stick to the system we have.' Cllr Savage proposed to grant the freedom of the county to Mr Biden, adding 'let's not be small-minded about this.' 'The ink is not dry on the protocols, and we are already awarding the freedom of Co Louth,' said Cllr Colm Markey. Lodging his objection, he agreed with Cllr Callan that this is being 'done in haste.' 'I'd be wary of a situation of names being bandied about in the chamber, when these people may not get an award,' the Fine Gael representative continued. Chairman, Cllr Paul Bell disagreed, saying the council should be bestowing the 'highest available honour on our guest.' He proposed the vice-president be granted the freedom of Louth, which was seconded by Cllr Emma Coffey. Cllr Richie Culhane said it is too hasty to create an award, but the chairman replied the reason for it is Mr Biden's relationship with the county. 'Let's make a decision. Have a roll call,' suggested Cllr Marianne Butler. Cllr Callan proposed the highest existing honour be awarded, rather than 'create something new.' The chairman withdrew his proposal, remarking 'it doesn't enjoy the consensus of the chamber.' But Cllr Mark Dearey said it's in the legislation, and open to councillors to offer the freedom of the county. 'We are crackers, if we don't give him the highest honour,' said Cllr Tommy Byrne. Cllr Frank Godfrey said he did not want this 'message of division' to go out from the meeting. 'We shouldn't be afraid to go for it, but we shouldn't have to go to a vote,' he continued. Cllr Oliver Tully said the council should give the highest award it can, and Cllr Butler asked that the meeting go in committee (be held in private). However, Cllr Callan said he would withdraw his objection. 'It shouldn't have been left until today. I will support it.' The chairman, Paul Bell made the proposal again, to grant the freedom of Co Louth to Mr Biden, and it was carried without a roll call or show of hands, and he declared it a unanimous decision. The historic old gaol building provides the perfect backdrop for one of the largest exhibitions ever held in Dundalk, John Kingerlee's 'Beyond the Beyonds.' A retrospective of 167 paintings from 1962 to 2016, the extensive exhibition saw the 80 year old Irish artist, acclaimed internationally for his unique works, in Dundalk for the official launch. 'We are delighted to welcome the stunning works of John Kingerlee,' said Kay Webster, director of the Oriel Centre. She explained that the sheer volume of paintings for the exhibition saw it taking over two weeks to put in place at the centre. Although the building isn't ordinarily used for art exhibitions, Kay added that they were happy to work with the world famous artist once the request was made. Indeed, it was only after Kingerlee's close friend, the art consultant Larry Powell, had attended a concert in the old gaol building last December that the venue was highlighted. 'It's just such an extraordinary venue,' Larry told the Argus. 'Once I made John aware of it, we knew it was the perfect place. The title of the exhibition emerged from a phrase coined by Seamus Heaney when he came across John Kingerlee's work a few years ago. 'Heaney described it as being 'beyond the beyond's' which really is such a true reflection of what his paintings are.' Renowned for his environmental awareness, Kinglerlee has incorporated a 'waste free' element into his works, using all the materials he has at hand to create truly individual masterpieces. 'What makes his work so different is the complexity of each painting,' said Larry. 'At first look, you might think a painting represents one thing, but at closer look there might be a range of themes. It's what makes his work so fascinating, peeling back the layers.' Each of the works is entirely unique, and bears the Kingerlee monogram, a lone man paddling a boat. 'That's his trademark really, rowing his own boat, doing things his way.' Although a quiet character who shuns the limelight, John Kingerlee has acquired a host of famous fans including U2's Larry Mullen, former American President Bill Clinton, RTE's Sean O'Rourke, and many collectors worldwide. The exhibition is open daily from 9am to 6pm (except Saturday), and will run until Friday July 8th. While there have been huge advances in the supports available to entrepreneurs, the core business principles remain the same now as they did when Thomas McEvoy learned them at his father's knee. The late Owen McEvoy had a number of business interests in Dundalk, and from a young age his eldest son spent as much time in the office of CCO on the quay, as he did out playing. 'From the age of 12, I worked Christmas, summer and Easter holidays, in every department - finance, reception - you name it. 'You got a sense of sales and finance, and you got a sense that making a sale is one thing, making a profit is another and having the cash to do both is another issue. And until you can perform all three, you are not in business,' said the Dowdallshill man. Rather than go down the route of opening his own shop or setting up a factory, Thomas chose the path of guiding others in the world of business, as a lecturer in UL, IDA executive and, since last October, as head of enterprise with the Local Enterprise Office (LEO). It was a return to Dundalk he was happy to make, having spent most of his career far from home in various IDA roles. 'The LEO today is similar to what was the county enterprise board, but two years ago the enterprise boards were folded into the local authority structure. 'So, Louth county council, like each of the 31 local authorities has a local enterprise office, and in that office there is team providing support to small businesses. 'The brief of the office, and my brief, is to promote small business, to help start-ups, to work with existing businesses, to help them navigate through the business landscape, overcome challenges, and to target training supports that can help them,' Thomas explained. Based in the Town Hall in Crowe Street, his is a county-wide brief. There is a sub-office in Drogheda, and if anyone in the south of the county has a problem travelling to Dundalk, they can be accommodated in Drogheda. Clients are also met on the business premises, to get a better understanding of their business and how they operate. 'We try to make ourselves as accessible as possible.' It is a job packed with variety. 'That's the interesting part of it. We are a bit like a GP. Every day is different. Everybody's issues are unique. 'From my side, you need to be agile. You have to understand small business, and sometimes, it means dealing with someone who is uncomfortable making an investment decision or someone who can't actually get the finance, or needs to get different types of finance pulled together. 'It might be a technical issue, in terms of a website that they can trade on.' Having got his feet under the table, so to speak, the first major initiative of 2016 was Enterprise Week. 'From the end of last year, we were thinking about Enterprise Week in March, and trying to plan two or three months ahead.' This year's event was a notable success. 'That one week alone, we had over 600 businesses from Co Louth participate in a range of workshops, seminars and briefings. That was a great turn out.' Over the last eight months, Thomas and his team have tried to raise the profile of the Local Enterprise Office. 'We are more active online. We need to continually update our website to achieve that. We are more active on the social media platforms - Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.' He has witnessed shoots of recovery in the economy. 'There is definitely an uplift, but in small business, there are always challenges, whether it's in good times, or more difficult economic times. 'Seven or eight years ago, the challenge was getting good staff, and being competitive. 'The challenge today is more financial, getting paid on time, making sales and getting cash in on those sales. 'There are always challenges, they just change with time. 'We offer a couple of different types of support. 'People, traditionally, think of the grant. Can I get a grant for what I am doing? 'I would estimate, probably, 75%-80% of our work is outside of that. 'It's about promoting start-ups, and working with companies, from start your own business courses to specific business training.' How do I keep my accounts? How do I make a tax return? What is marketing all about, and how can I engage in social media?, are some of the questions fielded in the Local Enterprise Office. 'There is a lot of activity out there. A lot of great people with great ideas. 'If you strip it all back, and take away all the jargon and numbers, what we are trying to do is help small business, whatever way we can. 'If we can help improve how Louth businesses operate, then we've done a good job. If we can help them employ one or two local people, that has a ripple-on effect in the local economy. 'Last year, we had around 650 people participate on our training programmes,' Thomas pointed out. There are huge opportunities around the Dublin-Belfast economic corridor, increasingly most economic activity happens around the major urban centres. 'And, if you look at the three largest population catchments in Ireland, two of the three are in Co Louth, Drogheda, Dublin and Dundalk, in that order. 'We have access to the motorway, Dublin airport is on our doorstep, and developments at DkIT in recent years have greatly enhanced the area. And DkiT's strategic partnership with DCU, opens up an extension to Co. Louth, in effect. 'We have a strong base of established companies here, between the FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) companies, PayPal, eBay, ABB and so on, to the indigenous companies.' Just as Thomas learned the ropes at a young age, the LEO provides an outlet for budding entrepreneurs. 'We go into schools at primary and second level. 'The students run a mini company, and learn to operate as a team. They will deliver a product or service, sell it, take cash in, keep accounts, write a report, and a business plan. 'In the national competition finals, Louth was the only county that had a top three company in each of the three categories. We took away a silver and two bronze. 'It was a remarkable result, that bodes very well.' Thomas McEvoy spent more than 13 years with the IDA. Most recently, on a team in FDI property marketing, matching some of the larger companies coming in with property in Ireland. 'Prior to that, I was acting director of Europe, for IDA's European operations. I spent 50% of my time in Dublin, and 50% between the offices in London, Paris and Frankfurt, so every second weekend I was abroad. 'I have a family (wife, Aisling, and four children), and it didn't really fit in. At a personal level. it was difficult, getting a work life balance. He headed up IDA's press and PR department at a challenging time between 2009 and 2012 when Ireland was going through a lot of turmoil, and its international reputation was called into question. His IDA career also took him to the US for three years, and to the Dublin operations department for a number of years, where he worked with companies like Google and Amazon. 'Prior to my time in IDA, I worked with the enterprise boards in Cavan and Louth. 'I left Dundalk in the late 'Eighties, and but for a period of three years in the late 'Nineties, I either relocated or commuted up until last October. 'I am glad to be living and working locally.' Brexit will have negative impact on border region On Thursday the people of Britain and Northern Ireland will decide on whether or not to remain in the European Union, a vote which has implications for Ireland and the rest of Europe. 'I would prefer Britain to remain in Europe. A British exit will create uncertainty,' said Thomas McEvoy, head of enterprise in the Local Enterprise Office (LEO). 'If Britain decides to exit, the economic impact on Ireland will be determined by the nature of the UK withdrawal. The larger the degree of access to the EU market negotiated by the UK, the smaller the effect on Ireland. We won't know what that is until negotiations conclude, and it's estimated there will be a two-year negotiating period. 'So, we won't really know the impact until some time in 2018.' 'Whatever deal is put in place between the EU and UK it is likely that Irish trade will suffer, especially local indigenous businesses and the agrifood industry. 'If Britain exits, it will present a difficulty for the European Union which doesn't want to create a moral hazard. Letting Britain out of the EU, on very favourable terms, will only encourage others to leave the EU. 'Therefore, European negotiators will be fighting hard to implement tariffs and administrative burdens. 'Now, in that scenario, it's going to make it very difficult for Irish business. 'If you take a step back, at a macro level, it could present opportunities for FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) because the banks that go to London, who need to be in Europe, may end up looking at Dublin.' However, Thomas points out those FDI issues don't apply to the people his office caters for. 'The small business person in Co. Louth, who has a border a couple of miles north, is thinking, I've got to get my sales in in Sterling. 'What if there is a tariff, extra customs, what if I need to route through Belfast to get to Scotland or England? 'Suddenly, there are all these added barriers that could be put in place. That's not going to help the small business, particularly one that wants to export. 'So, from an indigenous and small business perspective, a Brexit is going to have negative implications.' Thomas outlines what will happen if the decision is made to leave the EU. 'Sterling is going to depreciate. It means that our exports into the UK are going to become more expensive. 'That means we are going to become less competitive in the UK, and straight off the bat, our products are going to become more expensive. And more than likely, that means less sales, and that's a problem. 'The other problem is tariffs, and the extent of those problems won't be known until the negotiations conclude. 'Europe is going to play hardball, I imagine, and that might be alright from an FDI perspective but it won't suit small businesses, especially those in a border location. 'Recent statistics show we are less and less dependent on the UK than we were before. 'But, if you strip out the FDI companies, and the larger companies that are in Dublin and Cork, and you look at the border region, and the indigenous companies in the border region, you will see that the vast majority who export are hugely dependent on the UK market, much more so than the national statistics would demonstrate. 'So, I think we are going to be disproportionately adversely impacted by a Brexit.' Nevertheless, there are lots of supports in place at the LEO to help businesses expand into Northern Ireland, or further afield. 'We are about trying to encourage businesses to look beyond the local market. 'There are a whole range of supports to help someone sell into the six counties, everything from recruiting technology graduates to sales personnel. 'We can also connect them to InterTrade Ireland.' Thomas has advice for young people interested in a business career. 'It is not as daunting as you might think. 'Talk to people who are in business, and talk to people who can help you. 'Very often, it's just about confidence, it's about an attitude. If you have a strong commitment and a good idea, and you are driven, you are most of the way there. 'It's about having the energy, dedication and commitment to give it a go. 'There are a lot of trapped entrepreneurs working for someone else, who might be better off out on their own, and our job is to make that happen.' The LEO can plug business people into the supports that DkIT and others provide. 'What we are trying to do is ensure that we can engage with as wide a variety of small businesses as possible,' Thomas added. A district court judge still has to make up his mind about whether a Dundalk man accused of having a semi-automatic pistol and ammunition in St Joseph's Redemptorist Church last year will have his case heard at the circuit court. Wayne Dullaghan, (26), 20 Crescent 1, Muirhevnamor, is accused of having the Makarov semi-automatic pistol and seven rounds of ammunition at St Joseph's Redemptorist Church on June 30 last year. Dullaghan, who is in custody on another matter, was before the district court last week after Judge William Hamill said last month he wanted to hear more details about the circumstances in which the alleged incident happened. Solicitor Conor MacGuill said it is alleged his client was found in the church with the unloaded gun and the ammunition was in a separate tin box. The solicitor said Dullaghan had explained to gardai how he had brought the gun to the church as he wanted 'to give it to an intermediary, which was not by appointment'. Mr MacGuill said there was 'precedence' in the case where Redemptorist priests at Clonard Monastery in Belfast would have received weapons and while 'we are not saying it's related to that', the alleged incident 'happened in circumstances where the weapon was being put beyond use'. Judge Hamill said the explanation is something that would 'have to have been checked out by Gardai'. Court presenter Sgt. Fintain McGroder told the judge Dullaghan had revealed how he had 'found the gun and didn't trust the Gardai and wanted to hand it over' to a priest. He said what Dullaghan had told Gardai had 'been checked through' but officers 'don't know about where he found it and there are doubts about how it come into his possession'. Sgt. McGroder said it 'couldn't be ascertained, one way or the other'. Judge Hamill said: 'I need to have some facts - quite clearly, this is not a minor offence'. Sgt. McGroder said the gun was found 'in a closed tin on the floor, away from the accused. It wasn't concealed on his person. 'He didn't hand it into the Gardai because he didn't trust the Gardai and we believe there was no harm intended to third parties, perhaps self harm. 'He was in the church and he wanted to had it over. He stated that he found it and it couldn't be proved one way or another'. Mr MacGuill said his client had told Gardai he had found the gun 'on unused ground'. But Judge Hamill said he didn't want to deal with the case 'in piecemeal fashion' and said it made Dullaghan's explanation to Gardai 'less plausible to me' if he said he found it on private property. He said he was going to consider the matters raised by both the Gardai and Mr MacGuill and would give them both a further opportunity to address him before he decided whether the case is heard in the district or sent to the circuit court. Mr MacGuill said: 'I'm taking that the court will accept that as a general principal and something understood that there has been, historically, people handing weapons over' (to priests). He said he 'may need to bring an academic journal to court to illustrate that this has happened before'. Judge Hamill said he was 'aware of this happening' but he 'expected the Gardai have to make a judgement about what they are being told'. He said the case involved a semi automatic pistol, which I was told wasn't loaded, but he had the ammunition'. The case was adjourned to July 27, when, Judge Hamill said, he would give his decision about whether he will deal with the case. With over 10 million people crossing the border every year, the impact of a 'Brexit' on this area has taken centre stage in the days before the UK referendum this Thursday. As the 'Irish4Europe' group highlight a sizeable movement of 30,000 people freely travelling back and forth across the border every day, the implications of Northern Ireland no longer in the EU are more serious in this area than anywhere else in Europe. David D'Arcy, Communications Director of Irish4Europe said: 'Brexit would not take us back to the dark days of the Troubles but it would affect the open border. The Good Friday agreement which is strongly underpinned by the EU has created peace and unity where there was hatred and division.' He added that the Irish border would become the EU's only land frontier with the UK. 'If the Leave campaign is successful in its objectives a hardening of the border is an inevitability both in terms of customs and migration checks. Last week Prime Minister David Cameron said that Brexit could mean border restrictions between Northern Ireland and the Republic and warned of the possibility that people travelling from Belfast to other parts of the UK would have to provide paperwork.' 'Irish4Europe believes an open border is vital to continued economic prosperity across the island of Ireland.' 'Customs and migration checks would risk the progress and harmony initiated by the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and supported by British and Irish membership of the EU.' Meanwhile Sinn Fein President Gerry Adam TD has urged the people of Louth to 'encourage anyone they know living in the north to vote to remain in the EU in Thursday's Brexit referendum.' 'A vote to leave the EU will have serious consequences for Louth. It will adversely impact on cross border trade, tourism and the increasingly close economic connections there are between our two parts of the island. It is vital that voters in the north use their vote on Thursday to support the significant progress that has been made since the Good Friday Agreement.' He admitted there were 'very serious concerns at the democratic deficit at the core of the European Union. However, the possibility that a part of the island of Ireland could end up outside the European Union while the other part stays in is not a situation that will benefit the people of this island, and especially the people of Louth.' The Good Friday Agreement has brought about significant changes, including ensuring that the border is now all but invisible. People who live on either side of it travel, back and forward to work, to shop, to visit relatives, to use hospital and other health facilities, often on a daily basis. Brexit threatens that important change.' Three thousand people have signed a petition against plans to build a wind farm in an area of the Lee Valley that is considered one of the most ecologically important sites in Western Europe. Residents of the Lee Valley are on the march with greater vigour than ever in their long-running battle to stop a wind farm going up near Inchigeelagh, amid fears over its impact on the famous Gearagh forest. Cleanrath Windfarm Ltd secured planning permission from Cork County Council to build six turbines at the head of the Toon River near the West Cork village earlier this month. The company does not believe the development would damage the local environment. But many residents of the Lee Valley fear otherwise and concerns are particularly keen over the impact of the project on The Gearagh - the last remnant of ancient alluvial forest west of the Rhine. Locals fear the development of the site near Inchigeelagh would lead to even more damaging flash flooding than is already being seen in the forest. The SAC Gearagh eco-system is so iconic that Cork County Council has even included images of it on its bio-diversity plan publication for the county. One environmentalist has said the Council's decision to allow the wind farm 'makes a mockery of [its] biodiversity action plan'. The nine-year-long fight by locals against the turbines is set to continue on an even sharper footing now. Locals are to appeal this latest decision by Cork County Council on the matter to An Bord Pleanala. And the 3,000 signatures they have gathered in support of the petition are to be sent to the EU Commission on Environmental Law Enforcement and Cohesion shortly. All this comes as Cork County Council takes part in meetings with the ESB, Inland Fisheries Ireland, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) over the conservation of the 1,500-acre Gearagh forest into the future. One campaigner for the establishment of an eco-tourism site on the Gearagh has said the planning decision makes 'a mockery of the Council's biodiversity action plan'. "Despite clear evidence to show that the forested islands of the unique river delta will undergo further disintegration by increased flash flooding, council planners dismissed such concerns and accepted the opposing arguments of the developer," Kevin Corcoran of the West Cork Ecology Centre said. Cleanrath Windfarm's first application for the development was rejected as invalid by Cork County Council; a second was withdrawn and the third application was refused by the authority. On that occasion the company appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanala and while the inspector recommended rejecting the appeal, the board granted permission. Locals obtained a judicial review of that decision last year, halting the project. This latest decision on the matter comes on the back of the company's fourth application. The Council granted planning for six turbines (rather than the 11 initially sought by the firm) in the light of concerns raised in an earlier Bord Pleanala report over the possible impact of the project on the environment. Cork County Council is remaining tight-lipped on the matter as the appeal is underway, a spokesperson said. The shocking murder of British MP Jo Cox last week is an appalling attack on democracy that deserves the strongest possible condemnation. It is also a symptom of the culture of spite and vicious hatred that has become a pathetic and grotesque part of our political culture. Last week was the 25th anniversary of the day the Internet arrived in Ireland, a development that was supposed to foster a new era of education and understanding in a globally connected world. To a large extent it has but thanks mainly to the growth of anonymous social media, it has also provided peddlers of uneducated hatred with a platform through which nameless/faceless keyboard warriors can freely stalk and harass everyone from popstars and politicians to the victims of rape and terror. It has brought a new and extremely unpleasant side to politics the world over. This can be seen from the vitriol and thuggery of a small minority of anti-water charge protestors in Ireland, to the persecution of gays in Russia; the demonization of Muslims and the disgusting treatment of refugees fleeing the horrors of Syria and Afghanistan. Ask yourself this. Without our new political culture of hate and mistrust would we have seen the rise of Donald Trump in the United States or the likes of Nigel Farage in the UK? The brutal slaying of Jo Cox, an act that has rightly horrified the world last week, is the latest and one of the most awful examples of our nasty new culture. Yes, the man suspected of killing the talented and respected young MP - robbing her children and husband of a mother and partner - has a history of mental illness but it seems clear he was motivated in his awful actions by fascist, lunatic ramblings he found online. What does it say about the dark depths of our new political culture when a man whose family claim he had no history of violence or even any real interest in politics, can be motivated to brutally slaughter a politician by the trash he finds online? Thankfully, Irish politics has not descended to this appalling level but there has been an unpleasant sea change in how we deal with our politicians in recent years. Joan Burton's treatment in Jobstown during the water charge protests is in no way comparable to the utterly appalling fate that befell the tragic Jo Cox. However, it is a symptom of this new, nasty aspect of political life and discourse in this country. Many of our politicians have also been the targets of horrendous and unjustified abuse - even rape and death threats - in recent years. It is a disgusting trend that badly needs to be stopped. MP Jo Cox - by all accounts a most dedicated servant of democracy and the downtrodden - was horrifically cut down as she went about her most important job, looking after the needs of her constituents. The fundamental principal of democracy is to respect the opinions and rights of all. Sadly that is something many people - most who would profess to be democrats - seem to have forgotten. It is a shameful indictment of the world we live in that it has taken a young mother's murder to remind them. The organisers of the annual Michael Collins commemoration at Beal na Blath have welcomed confirmation that Uachtaran na hEirean, Michael D Higgins, will deliver the oration at this year's ceremony. President Higgins will become the first serving president to deliver the oration which will be held on Sunday, August 21 - the day before the actual 94th anniversary of Michael Collins death in a Republican ambush in 1922. Dermot Collins, chair of the Beal na Blath annual commemoration committee, said organisers were delighted and honoured when President Higgins has accepted their invitation to give the oration. "We were delighted when President Higgins accepted our invitation. Mary Robinson gave the oration after she left the Aras so this will be the first time a sitting president will have done it.President Higgins has a great knowledge of Irish history and is an original thinker so we are really looking forward to hearing what he has to say on Michael Collins and his legacy," said Mr Collins. "It is a particular honour for us that President Higgins is giving the oration this year - the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising when Collins was aide de camp to Joseph Plunkett in the GPO." President Higgins's acceptance of the invite to speak at Beal na Blath follows in the footsteps of Enda Kenny, who in 2012 became the first serving Taoiseach to deliver the oration. Since then, broadcasters, the late Bill O'Herlihy and George Hook delivered the oration in 2013 and 2104 respectively, with Minister for Justice speaking last year. Mr Collins said it was particularly pleasing for the committee that President Higgins accepted the invitation given his own family's involvement in the War of Independence and the Civil War. "The President's father and two of his uncles fought in the War of Independence and while his father took the republican side in the Civil War, at least one of his uncles took the Free State side," he said. "Given his own family experience of the Civil War where families were divided, it will be interesting to hear what he has to say about the tragedy of the Civil War and the importance of reconciliation." According to military records, President Higgins's late father, John, a native of Co Clare, fought with the Charleville Company of the No 2 Cork Brigade of the IRA during the War of Independence. In his Military Service Pension application the late Lt Higgins revealed he was involved in attacks on Ballylanders Barracks, a raid on a mail train in Charleville station and an ambush in Ballyhea. After the Treaty, Lt Higgins took the republican side while his brother, Peter who fought with the IRA in East Clare, took the Free State side and became a sergeant in the National Army. Lt Higgins was involved in engagements with Free State troops at Frollock Cross and Boolard Cross before he was captured and interned in the Curragh from January until December 1923. The Impact trade union has warned that a controversial plan to merge the Cork city and county library services could result in some 150 staff taking industrial action in protest at the move. The merger was one of a number of amalgamation proposals within the sector mooted in the 2009 'Bord Snip' report and would see the number of library services nationwide reduced from 32 to 23. Impact spokesman Bernard Harbor said the proposal, drawn up by a Dublin-based planning group, would leave either the city or country without a head librarian and threaten the long-term services provided by both authorities as library budgets come under "increasing pressure". Mr Harbor said the report was fundamentally flawed as the planning group did not visit Cork and no cost-benefit analysis of the proposal had been produced. "The report did not take into account the different services within a vast and diverse county such as Cork, with varying local needs across urban, rural, isolated and disadvantaged areas," said Mr Harbor. He said that neither staff nor local public representatives had been properly consulted about the proposed merger, which he said had "no statutory basis" and could result in the end of local decision making on specific library services. He said staff also had concerns they could be ordered to work at locations for from their homes or current workplaces. They are currently being balloted on the merger issue, the result of which will be known early next month. That could result in action up to and including an all-out strike. Impact official Hilary Kelleher said the trade union had particular concerns about the effect the merger could have on rural library services. "Local libraries are vital social hubs in rural communities that have already lost shops, Garda stations, post offices and other local amenities. They are centres of social inclusion and for some, a warm, dry place to read a newspaper or look for a job. In some places they are the only place where internet services can be accessed," she said. "We can't allow our thriving library system to be to be further eroded on foot of a remote number-crunching exercise, which doesn't reflect local needs or the realities of rural Ireland's community life. Figures for 2015 have shown just how important the local library network is to communities across Cork city and county. There are some 28 libraries and four mobile units in Cork covering an area of almost 7,500 sq km. 1,746,119 items were borrowed. 1,611,700 visits were made to Cork libraries. 56,381 people joined a library in Cork during the year. 90,642 internet sessions were recorded in Cork libraries during 2015. The name Jim Fuller was synonymous with the races up on 'the hill' and his family will mark the 2016 meeting with a very special tribute. Jim sadly passed away recently but as part of the three-day Bellewstown race meeting (June 30-July 2), a race has been named in his honour on July 1. Jim was born, bred and lived all is life in Drogheda. He developed a love of racing early in life, through his aunt Peggy and uncle Pat who ran Duffys Newsagents in Peter St, and also through his great friend, Paddy Carr. He loved all racing, be it National Hunt or the flat, home or abroad and he was a regular attendee to racecourses throughout Ireland, the UK and the world, but as a local, he always looked forward to "going up the hill" to Bellewstown, his home track." There's a big crowd coming for the race from all around the country, Limerick/Cork/Dublin and a couple actually flying in from LA for it. Paul Bell, who has become the first Labour leader of Louth county council since the late Peter Moore in 1979, has promised to work hard for the homeless, foreign direct investment, citizens facing exclusion and tourism. He was elected chairman at the annual general meeting on Monday, after defeating Sinn Fein's Tomas Sharkey by 17 votes to 9. Cllr Bell noted that his election comes in a very historic week, as details emerge of the visit to Co. Louth by United States vice-president Joe Biden. He said it is a time to celebrate people who left our shores and achieved great things. Warm tributes were paid to outgoing chairman Cllr Peter Savage, who took the opportunity to bemoan the erosion of powers of local authorities. The existing voting pact between the other main parties and some independents held to keep Sinn Fein out of the chair, and Cllr Sharkey took up the point of Cllr Savage in speaking about a democratic deficit which exists in local governance. However, he added this democratic deficit also manifests itself with an arrangement where the largest political party in the chamber, representing nearly one-third of voters, is excluded. He thanked independent councillor, Maeve Yore for voting for him, describing it as a start to breaking the pact, and treating everyone as equals. Cllr Yore did not vote for the Sinn Fein nomination for the position of vice-chairman. She sided with Fianna Fail councillor, Conor Keelan, who beat Cllr Tom Cunningham 18-8. Councillors Edel Corrigan and Alan Cassidy of Sinn Fein, as well as Fine Gael's Richie Culhane were absent for the voting. "I am simply delighted and so honoured to be elected to such a prestigious and historic role in the Council. In my acceptance of the nomination I have reaffirmed my commitment to continue to fight and advocate for those citizens in need of a place to call home. Employment and tourism are also of paramount importance to our County in sustaining a viable economy for the benefit of all,' he said afterwards. Bell's first meeting in the chair was action packed with chairing a lively debate on the forthcoming visit of Vice President of the United States. "Yes, I have been blessed first I moved the motion to bestow the "Freedom of County Louth" on our distinguished visitor, which was unanimously endorsed by all the elected members. Of course I am also delighted to represent my County on Saturday welcoming the Vice President to his ancestral home in North County Louth. This is a duty which I am truly grateful to have entrusted to me". Confusion, more than anything, has left many householders anxious about the new bin charges, expected to begin on July 1. Householders will 'pay by weight' for their waste after that date, but with a number of companies still to outline their charges and government pressure mounting, amidst fears that it will lead to increased dumping, local political figures have urged action by all concerned. 'The new Pay-by-weight charges which are due to be introduced on July 1st are causing much confusion around the country. When first announced, a charge was to be passed on to the service user for collection of household waste as well as recyclable waste. This decision was since changed to leaving it up to the service providers to decide how they were going to charge. 'This has led to a lot of confusion, fear and uncertainty amoung the service users on future collection costs and implications,' East Meath councillor Eimear Ferguson stated. 'Already some waste management companies have announced new charges and many homes might not be in a position to pay the charges. Inability to pay could lead to increased fly tipping and backyard burning resulting in extra cost to Meath Co Council and local communities as well as being against environmental laws.' Fine Gael TD for Louth, Peter Fitzpatrick, said that maximum per kg rates for household waste collection should be introduced. "I have been contacted by many constituents who're very concerned that waste companies are imposing huge rises in bin charges. These increases by the waste companies are crazy and we need to act now. "At present the Government sets minimum per kg rates for waste collectors for environmental purposes, but no upper limit is set in the regulations. I'm now asking the Minister to examine if this can be changed." Meanwhile, Direct Democracy Ireland's Anthony Connor said the changes are the 'brainchild of the Labour Party, their last act of betrayal on the Irish people.' Connor went on to say it's alarming that waste companies have little or no competition and are in a position to charge what they like. 'We are urging people to be sensible when dealing with their general waste, but we must not allow this these companies or our elected officials away with introducing these charges without making a stand. There are many courses of action that can be taken and we would encourage people not take this these new charges lying down. 'We are very concerned about the realistic possibility of an increase in illegal dumping and we are calling on the government to step in and stop these unfair and unrealistic charges. 'In the mean time we would encourage people to contact their local elected officials and the newly appointed Labour Party senator Ged Nash and demand these charges be scrapped.' The Louth Area Branch of C.O.P.D. will meet on Friday 1st July at 2:30pm in the Conference Centre at Cottage Hospital in Drogheda. C.O.P.D. stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease which means that its hard for someone to empty their lungs. Although it is not considered a serious disease by the H.S.E., it is in fact a very serious condition that is without a cure. However, it can be treated, and the quicker its diagnosed, the more effective the treatment is. The meeting is for anyone that is affected by C.O.P.D.; whether it's someone that suffers from it or someone that cares for a person/relative with the disease. Anyone who suffers from asthma or any other illnesses that are breathing related are welcome to attend also. In Ireland there are over 100,000 people with C.O.P.D. and at least another 30,000 that aren't diagnosed because of lack of proper checks and diagnosis so the aim of the meeting is for people to find out what is available and what benefits that they are entitled to. All are welcome and there will be refreshments provided. The Dee Hub should be open for business come mid September. Based in the old credit union building on Castle Street, the centre's aim will be a youth and community resource hub for both Ardee and the surrounding area. It hopes to offer a range of services from a youth cafe to a men's shed, an advice centre for all ages, a homework club and a counselling centre for those in need of help. The idea has grown out of a lack of services in Ardee, which has played third fiddle to Dundalk and Drogheda down the years. Michael McCoy, John McGoey and Albert Mularkey are directors of the Ardee and District Community Trust, who set up the Hub. The initiative began in 2014 with a survey and it showed a lack of community infrastructure, especially for young people at risk. Now a lease has been secured on the new Hub base, donors will look after the rent and meetings have taken place with key agencies. At a public meeting in the Ardee Daycare Centre last week, it was revealed up to 900,000 will have to be raised to maintain the service over the course of the next four years. Accordingly, a number of funding channels will be targeted. Speaking at the meeting, Eimear Dolphin, who has been involved in the project for the past few years, says a lot has been done already, with community, schools and local companies backing the idea. For Michael McCoy, the real test is when the doors open. 'Only then will we really see the needs,' he stated. It is planned that counsellors will tackle subjects such as the risk of alcohol and drug abuse and mental health health concerns across the spectrum to provding a safe environment for young and older people to gather and learn everything from computer skills to how to fill out CVs. 'We want it to become a welcoming place for the whole community,' Ms Dolphin stated. The centre will have a full time co-ordinator, TUS workers, administrators and a caretaker, etc. 'We need to conscious that what we do, we do right. There are a huge amount of things that can be achieved,' Mr McCoy added. Fergus O'Dowd TD, who attended with Ardee District Cathaoirleach Dolores Minogue and Cllr Jim Tenanty, offered his support and said he would organise meetings with department officials if that was required. Replying to a question from Cllr Minogue about the goals for the centre, Mr McCoy said that it would be a 'one stop shop' for local people and a 'family resource.' Stephen McArdle, who is heading up the new Youthreach centre for the Mid Louth area in Ardee, said he would be tapping into the Dee Hub and assist any way possible. The President of Apimondia and the Prince of Monaco met for a top level discussion last week - on the subject of bees. World Beekeeping President, local man Philip McCabe, who is President of Apimondia, was invited by another local, Ardee's Mairead McGuinness MEP and Vice-President of the European Parliament, to an exchange of views with farmers and lawmakers at the 2016 European Week of Bees and Pollination, at the European Parliament, in Brussels last week. MEP McGuinness, Philip McCabe and other speakers, including EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Phil Hogan, and Prince Albert of Monaco, delivered speeches at the two day event entitled 'Bees Caring for Europeans - Europeans Caring for Bees'. "The impact of changing weather patterns, farming practices and new threats from disease need to be understood and debated. We also need to appreciate that beekeeping is a very skilled job, so education and training of the next generation of beekeepers is essential,' the MEP explained With over 10 million people crossing the border every year, the impact of a 'Brexit' on this area has taken centre stage in the days before the UK referendum this Thursday. As the 'Irish4Europe' group highlight a sizeable movement of 30,000 people freely travelling back and forth across the border every day, the implications of Northern Ireland no longer in the EU are more serious in this area than anywhere else in Europe. David D'Arcy, Communications Director of Irish4Europe said: 'Brexit would not take us back to the dark days of the Troubles but it would affect the open border. The Good Friday agreement which is strongly underpinned by the EU has created peace and unity where there was hatred and division.' Meanwhile Sinn Fein President Gerry Adam TD has urged the people of Louth to 'encourage anyone they know living in the north to vote to remain in the EU in Thursday's Brexit referendum.' 'A vote to leave the EU will have serious consequences for Louth. It will adversely impact on cross border trade, tourism and the increasingly close economic connections there are between our two parts of the island,' he said. 'It is vital that voters in the north use their vote on Thursday'. Fianna Fail's South Louth Comhairle Ceantair meeting heard calls for greater development of Drogheda's tourist industry. South Louth PRO Anthony Moore slammed Failte Ireland for its failure to give any prominence to Drogheda in its new advertising campaign for "Ireland's Ancient East". "Failte Ireland seem to look on Drogheda as a ghost town, as if we don't exist. Last year they overlooked us when they launched this new tourist trail, and now their new brochure doesn't mention Drogheda at all, despite the fact that it includes sections on visiting "Norman country," "Sacred Ireland" and historical stately homes. 'Drogheda is one of the most important Norman towns in Ireland, with a wealth of Norman-era buildings, most notably Laurence's Gate, and it beggars belief that Failte Ireland have not listed it amongst the places where tourists can experience these historical sites first-hand. 'There's no mention of St.Oliver Plunkett's shrine or Drogheda's important medieval churches or abbeys, and the brochure also fails to mention of Beaulieu House, one of the first unfortified houses to be built in Ireland and which has a fantastic history." He says 'Failte Ireland's continuous overlooking of Drogheda as a tourist attraction hinders our ability to develop our tourism industry to its full potential.' He stated that he would be discussing the matter with Fianna Fail's Louth TD, Declan Breathnach, and would raise the matter with Failte Ireland and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. "As befits a ghost town, we will haunt Bord Failte until they give Drogheda proper billing in their campaigns." A 20-year-old man who embarked on a sequence of offending over a 15-month period in order to get money for drugs, has received a ten months sentence. Cian Nulty, Scarlet Street, Drogheda, was told by a judge he was fortunate to be dealt with in the district court. The defendant pleaded guilty to all charges against him, relating to theft, burglary, criminal damage, trespass, assault and having a knife. Almost the entire of the crimes were committed in Drogheda, though an assault took place in Dundalk, when a cyclist was punched and kicked to the ground. Judge Hamill also heard that in a one-hour period, between 8am and 9am, on 1 April last, Nulty used a shatter hammer to smash windows of eight cars in Drogheda. He has been in custody since that incident. His solicitor, Paul Moore said his client has no previous convictions, and is one of four children from a family with no criminal history. He discovered 'all kinds of stupid drugs', and ended up homeless for a time before his arrest on 1 April. However, Mr Moore said Nulty is from a stable background, and his family was supportive of his decision not to apply for bail since going into custody in April. He did an addiction course over four weeks, and pleas to these charges were indicated at an early stage. There is no reality to him tendering compensation. His father hasn't worked for a number of years, due to disability. Nulty realises that such is the litany of offences, there is very little open to the court. Inspector Brendan Cadden had given details of the incidents, which covered a period from February, 2015 until 1 April, 2016. He said the majority were committed while Cian Nulty was on bail, which was granted on 27 February, 2015. Nulty was seen on CCTV taking a laptop which had been placed overhead by a passenger on the Dundalk to Dublin train. He was one of two involved in incidents at the Long Walk shopping centre in Dundalk, where windows and a fire exit door were smashed, and three phones, a laptop and camera stolen. When stopped and searched on another separate occasion at West Street , Drogheda, he said a kitchen knife found on him was for his personal protection. The court also heard of break-ins to houses at Mell Court, Oulster Lane and Drogheda resource centre, and Beaulieu Mews; while Nulty was also identified by witnesses as an intruder at two houses in Colpe Drive. He was also seen getting into a parked lorry at Sandyford Terrace, and was subsequently found with items which had been taken from the vehicle. Inspector Cadden said that the damage caused, including to the eight cars, amounted to 1,900; while the value of stolen property, which had not been recovered, came to 3,870; leaving a total loss of 5,770. Judge Hamill imposed a ten-month sentence, to date from 1 April, 2016; in addition to 230 hours community service, in lieu of 10 months. Nulty was also given a two-year probation bond. On June 10 the people of Lidice, which is in the northwest of the Czech Republic, commemorated a terrible event. On that June day in 1942 the Germans razed the little village to the ground and killed all 172 men, sent the women and many of the children to the concentration camp at Ravensbruck. Any Aryan-looking children were sent as orphans to Germany. When they had destroyed the village they sowed grass-seed to make sure the place had been obliterated. German authorities removed the name of Lidice from maps. They did it in revenge for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, who had been killed the previous month. It was a 'lesson' they wanted to teach the people. Not that anyone in Lidice had anything to do with the killing of Heydrich, who was deputy Protector of Bohemia and Moravia. Instructions for the butchery came directly from Hitler. It is often mentioned as one of the most evil acts of World War II. But the Germans replicated evil deeds right across Europe from Hitler's coming to power by means of election until German surrender in 1945. How and why did it all happen? Many historians will say that the humiliation of Germany after World War I, the vile poverty and alienation experienced by millions of Germans in the 1920s and 1930s was the perfect setting for a demagogue to arrive on the scene and promise to make Germany 'strong' again. Every day they read in the papers that the French, the Russians, the English were to blame for their pain, but above, all the Jews. So, according to government policy, bash the enemy and Germany would be back in its rightful place. Tens of millions of people lost their lives as a result. And from those ashes came the dream of a Europe working in tandem. The European Union is far from perfect and is in need of reform and change but the idea is inspirational. Think of how Ireland's accession to the Union has changed the country for the better. Surely we are far less insular in our thinking. Our students can avail of such programmes as Erasmus where they can study in other European cities. The toing and froing between the peoples of the EU States gives us all a great opportunity to see and experience other cultures and systems. The rights of workers have been improved as a result of our membership of the EU. While economics are important, it was peaceful coexistence between nations that was the driving force to create a new Europe. War is insane. The EU has brought peace to nations that have been so often embroiled in war. The European Union is all about subsidiarity and if the Germans have got too powerful then don't just blame the Germans, as the blame can be spread out among all the participants who sit around the table. For the EU to disintegrate is a shocking scenario. When politicians, wherever in the world, shout and scream about the importance of making their country 'strong' again it really is a scary thought. I can't help thinking that our world has far too many similarities with the Weimar Republic. I'm scared. Demagogues, slick merchants never solve our problems and yet far too often we think they are our 'saviours'. Dublin Airport has welcomed the launch of inaugural flights to Jamaica and Mexico by tour operator Falcon Holidays and Thomson, a member of TUI GROUP offering even more choice for holidaymakers flying out of Dublin. 'We are delighted to welcome the launch of the Falcon and Thomson service to Cancun and Montego Bay,' said Dublin Airport Managing Director Vincent Harrison. Falcon and Thomson will operate its new charter programme from Dublin with a Thomson Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which includes Premium Club. Each route will operate weekly for six weeks. 'These new services offer significant additional choice for holiday-makers who want a long-haul break and want to fly direct non-stop from Dublin,' Mr Harrison added. The addition of Mexico and Jamaica means that Dublin Airport will have 20 long-haul destinations this summer, with 17 destinations in the Americas and the Caribbean, two destinations in the Middle East and one destination in Africa. Last year Dublin Airport had a record year, with over 25 million passengers travelling through the airport. Dublin Airport has welcomed over 7.8 million passengers in the first four months of this year, representing a 15% increase, or an extra one million passengers so far this year. Dublin Airport has direct flights to over 180 destinations in 40 countries on four continents. Students from Donabate Community College supported by the DCU Faculty of Engineering and Computing tested their electric powered cars at DCU in advance of the Greenpower Car Challenge in Belfast, last week. The Transition Year students built both cars with the guidance of members of the DCU Engineering Society and academics over a two month period. Siemens, who sponsor the project, provided Solid Edge, their Project Lifecycle Management Software to DCU, allowing staff and engineers to assist the two groups from Donabate Community College. In addition, Majenta PLM which is the UK's leading PLM software solution provider was on hand to provide expert support in Solid Edge implementation. As a result of working with Majenta and Solid Edge it has enabled the University to enter the prestigious Greenpower Car Challenge on June 11th at Kirkistown motor race track, Belfast. The challenge is organised by the Greenpower Education Trust and aims to promote sustainable engineering and technology to second level students. Dr Paul Young from the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing engineering at DCU said: 'The Greenpower Challenge has been an exciting project for Dublin City University and Donabate Community College to work together on and the level of dedication and commitment displayed by the students has been fantastic. 'Projects like this are invaluable for sparking an interest in STEM subjects and careers as students get to experience these subjects in a practical way. 'We are grateful to Siemens for their support which has enabled the project to reach its full potential and for DCU and Donabate Community College to participate in the Greenpower Car Challenge in Belfast.' Gary O'Callaghan, CEO at Siemens Limited Ireland said: 'Siemens in Ireland is delighted to support the Greenpower Challenge. Projects like this are invaluable to companies such as Siemens, helping us to reach tomorrow's talent by engaging young people in engineering and science from an early age. 'By using real life applications such as the building of electric cars we hope to explain and to get young people enthusiastic about science and technology. In particular, the Greenpower Challenge to design and build an electric racing car spans the Siemens focus areas of Automation, Electrification and Digitalization. 'It complements our extensive global programme of engagement with young people around the STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) Agenda and our relationship with DCU through the Siemens Automation Cooperation Education programme.' The final three beaches affected by sewage spills since the failure and overflow of a series of pumping stations along the coast over the June bank holiday weekend, are now safe again for swimming, according to Fingal County Council. Last Thursday afternoon, swimming bans at Portmarnock's Velvet Strand, Balbriggan Front Strand and Skerries South Beach were lifted after water tests came back clear from the lab. The crisis that saw several beaches closed to bathers for periods ranging from two days up to almost two weeks appears to be over for now but has left a lot of questions and considerable anger behind it from beach users kept out of the water during one of the best water spells of the summer. Both Irish Water and Fingal County Council have issued apologies over the affair and say they are now working together to address the underlying issues that caused the series of pumping station failures and overflows over the past two weeks. Irish Water has also detailed what it plans to do to address problems, specifically in Balbriggan, Rush, Loughshinny and Portmarnock. The utility faced questions on the issue from councillors last week who have asked for a task force to be set up to look into the problem and devise ways of avoiding a repeat of the series of swim bans that disappointed sun worshippers all over the county this month. The issue made it to the floor of the Dail last week too as Deputy Alan Farrell TD and Deputy Joan Burton TD raised their concerns about what has gone on Fingal beaches in the past two weeks. Deputy Farrell said there had been 'major deficiencies in the wastewater infrastructure in the Fingal area' and that the widespread no-swim notices on Fingal beaches that resulted were 'unacceptable'. Deputy Joan Burton said it seemed 'extraordinary' that the Minister for the Environment had not spoken out about the crisis. The Fingal County Council chief executive has confirmed that the local authority would have a say in whether or not two controversial planning conditions on the new runway project at Dublin Airport should be lifted, but only if a brand new planning permission for the project is sought. The daa is seeking to have two restrictions on night-flying lifted from its current planning permission for the project while the communities most affected by the development in places like Portmarnock, St Margaret's and parts of Swords, are adamant those conditions should remain in place. In an exclusive interview with the Fingal Independent, the council's chief executive, Paul Reid addressed the issue and began by stating how important Dublin Airport is to the life and economy of Fingal as well as the broader Dublin region and the country as a whole. He said: 'First of all, Dublin Airport is a huge enabler in terms of the economic growth of the country, of Dublin and of Fingal. It is a huge enabler here in terms of the huge workforce we have employed there and it's a huge asset. 'In our case, we are hugely supportive of facilitating the growth of Dublin Airport. We are however, the planning authority so we will implement the decision of the Board in terms of the new runway. So, we are the planning authority and we are working right now, actively with Dublin Airport on the pre-commencement conditions.' He said that all 31 conditions on the project are equally important, but he acknowledged that two in particular are the subject of a lot of discussion. Asked directly if the council would have any role in amending or lifting those two night-flying conditions, the council chief executive said: 'Dublin Airport have said publicly that they have a problem with those two conditions which in essence are about the number of night time flights and the times. In terms of our role in that, it depends which route Dublin Airport takes.' He added: 'It is on public record back in 2009 I think when Dublin Airport sought from the Board, what would be the route, the Board said they could go through Fingal to amend those two conditions. So ultimately, it depends on which way they approach that and they are getting their own advice on that.' Asked how those conditions could be amended or lifted by the council as the local planning authority, the chief executive said: 'Basically, they (daa) would seek a new permission.' He said which route the daa would take was 'not certain' so for now, the council was working on making sure all of the current conditions attached to the project by An Bord Pleanala are implemented and the council's 'primary focus is on facilitating the current permission that they have'. Two public information and consultation events to provide an opportunity for local residents and community groups to view at first-hand the plans for Dublin Airport's new runway are to be held over the next fortnight. The first one will be held at Roganstown Hotel & Country Club, Naul Road, this Friday, June 24 from 1pm to 8pm and the following day (Saturday, June 25) from 10am to 6pm. A second round of meetings will be held in the Grand Hotel, Malahide on Friday, July 1 from 1pm to 8pm and on the Saturday from 10am to 6pm. One of conditions laid down by An Bord Pleanala stipulated that the total number of night-time flights at the airport cannot exceed 65 between 11pm and 7am once the new runway is built and that take-off and landing times were to be restricted to between 7am and 11pm The airport authority intends to enter a process to address these two 'onerous' conditions and to retain the operating flexibility that currently exists at Dublin Airport. As part of this process, daa will be preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and is inviting members of the public to identify matters that they would like daa to take into consideration when developing this EIS. The EIS will be the focus of a further public engagement process, which is likely to take place in the autumn. 'Given the strategic importance of this project to the country and in particular to Fingal, we would like to share information about our plans with all interested parties, most especially our neighbours in the community with whom we continue to work closely,' said Dublin Airport spokeswoman Siobhan O'Donnell. 'A team from daa, together with external experts will be available to share information in relation to the North Runway and to answer any questions that attendees may have." Details on these events and other elements of the public consultation are available on www.northrunway.ie. Communities in St Margaret's, Portmarnock and Rivervalley in Swords have already expressed concern about the potential noise impact of the new runway. Myles Caulfield, Secretary of Rivervalley Residents Association who said the residents are 'very much concerned about noise pollution emanating from the new runway and the planes using it.' 'In general we would be in favour of it (new runway) but we are very much concerned over the noise pollution. After all, it is going to be 1.6km nearer to our estate than the existing runway. And we are getting the effects from that runway.' And Portmarnock Community Association is also on the record as having concerns about any changes to the conditions laid down by An Bord Pleanala. 'We need to nail the details down before the concrete is laid, so to speak,' said Pat Suttle, Chairperson of the Portmarnock Community Association. The 320m 3,110m North Runway was granted planning permission in 2007 and will be located within existing daa lands. North Runway will facilitate the creation of 31,200 new jobs over the next 20 years, as well as contributing an extra 2.2 billion to the Irish economy. The development of the runway will allow the airport to grow for the benefit of the Irish economy by supporting additional trade, tourism and foreign direct investment in Ireland. Senator James Reilly is anxious to put the issue of the loss of his deputy leadership of Fine Gael and how he was informed of the move, behind him and get on with the business of representing Fingal in the Seanad. The former minister was deputy leader of the Fine Gael party before losing his Dail seat in the last election and was only informed he had last that role by his wife who had heard the news on the radio. Asked if he was disappointed that the Taoiseach and his party leader, Enda Kenny had called him before briefing the media on the loss of post in the party, Senator Reilly said he was 'just surprised'. He said he didn't want to 'prolong' the issue and said that it had been 'a great honour to serve as deputy leader of Fine Gael but now I will have more time to devote to constituency work'. Senator Reilly said he had 'presumed' he would lose the position in the party when he lost his Dail seat but when he read an Irish Independent report recently quoting him as the deputy leader, he rang the party's press office to clarify the situation. That call confirmed he did still have the role and that was the position as far as he was concerned until Wednesday, June 8 when the Taoiseach called him, not to talk about the deputy leadership of the party but to inform him that Jerry Buttimer would be the party's leader in the Seanad. During that conversation, Senator Reilly he said he 'mentioned the deputy leadership' and was told by the Taoiseach 'that fell with the last Government'. Senator Reilly told the Fingal Independent: 'The conversation went so quick, I couldn't rationalise it with what had been stated in public already.' But later that same week, the Taoiseach briefed media that Senator Reilly was no longer the deputy leader of the party and the news was relayed through the radio and it fell to the Senator's wife to break the news to him. Pressed on whether the Taoiseach's handling of the issue disappointed him, he said he would not use that word and preferred to say he was 'surprised'. He said: 'I do not play the victim very well.' He did however, confirm that a week after he called the Taoiseach to discuss what he called the 'communications issue', Deputy Kenny had still not replied. Senator Reilly said he now wants to get on with his work and he was speaking after a meeting with the local chamber of commerce in Swords where he was delighted to see progress on the redevelopment of Swords Castle which he said was a project that would be cntral in making Swords 'a great capital of Fingal with a great future'. He said that essential to that future was the arrival of Metro North and he said he would continue to press for that project to be advanced as well as work to bring more jobs to Fingal, particularly the north of the county. 'I'm full of enthusiasm for the job ahead. Fingal has a bright future and I want to play a role in that,' he concluded. Residents of Rush have been campaigning for an end to the discharge of sewage into the sea Some hope is on the horizon for better news on Rush and Loughshinny beaches that were also effected by recent pump failures and overflows but not until the end of 2018 or start of 2019. Irish Water has confirmed that the long-awaited contract to connect Rush to the Portrane Wastewater Treatment Plant will be signed 'in the coming weeks' and is a 'priority for Irish Water'. According to the utility, the project 'will permanently stop the discharge of all untreated sewage in the Rush area that has been ongoing for decades and will be completed by the end of 2018 at a cost of 9.7 million. In Loughshinny, Irish Water has plans to replace the old treatment plant and pump the flows to Skerries. This project will go to tender late in 2016 but the delivery is linked to a contract in Skerries which is out to tender. It is planned that the Loughshinny Waste Water Plant will be closed by 2019. Council chairman Tony Dempsey aims to make a point at the launch of the GLT gum litter education campaign last week Wexford has tightened its grip on a sticky issue with the launch of the 2016 Gum Litter Taskforce (GLT) gum litter education campaign by county council chairman Tony Dempsey. The campaign has seen huge success so far with the National Litter Pollution Monitoring System results showing an overall decrease in people dropping gum from 26% when the campaign started in 2007, to 11% in the latest results. The results of the attitudinal research carried out by Millward Brown on behalf of the GLT during the 2015 campaign saw the highest numbers to date reporting they never drop gum. This is the second year of the latest campaign, the result of a new agreement between the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government and Food and Drink Industry Ireland (FDII) representing the gum industry, to fund a national gum litter awareness programme from 2015-2017. 'It's wonderful to see everyone in the community coming together to get behind this campaign, both here in Wexford and in so many towns around the country.' 'The GLT campaign brings together the community and local authorities with a common goal to fight gum litter,' said Cllr Dempsey. Paul Kelly, Chairman of the GLT said the main goal of the campaign had always been to reduce the amount of gum litter and change people's behaviour towards littering. The GLT includes representatives of the chewing gum industry, the Department of the Environment, civic society and local authorities. This weekend sees a new History and Heritage Festival running in conjunction with traditional Byrne-Perry Summer School in Gorey. The Summer School will be opened on Friday, June 24, in the library by Mary Lou McDonald TD at 7 p.m. The weekend features talks and demonstrations from acclaimed historians and authors, and a variety of exhibitions around the town. 'This year's event is the first organised since the sudden death last year of founder member and driving force, Father Walter Forde,' said festival chairman Michael Dwyer. 'Our aim is to continue the distinguished tradition of the Byrne-Perry Summer School, while at the same time making the weekend open to wider participation by the local community. For this reason we have organised a number of once-off events which we hope will appeal to those with a casual interest in Irish history and culture, while those with a deeper personal or professional interest will be catered for by our panel of high calibre speakers.' The festival line up is as follows: Thursday, June 23, 7 p.m. Presentation to the winners of the children's art and poetry competition in Gorey Library. Friday, June 24: 7 p.m. Registration and reception in Gorey Library. 8 p.m. Opening address by Mary Lou McDonald TD. 8.30 p.m. Fr Forde Memorial Lecture by Patsy McGarry. 10 p.m. Traditional music in the Loch gCarman Arms Hotel. Saturday, June 25, in Gorey Adult Learning Centre: 9.30 a.m. Session 1: 'The Decline of the Irish Parliamentary Party. Chair: Hazel Percival. Speakers: Dermot Meleady and Greg Daly. 11.30 a.m. Session 2: 'The Rise of Sinn Fein'. Chair: Cllr John Hegarty. Speakers: Michael Laffan and Dr Ida Milne. 2.30 p.m. Session 3: 'All Changed'. Chair: Cllr Malcolm Byrne. Speaker: Dr Steven O'Connor, followed by panel discussion with all speakers. 7.30 p.m. Festival dinner in The Ashdown Park Hotel, followed by music and seisiun. Free festival events include: Saturday, June 25: The Market House: 12 noon, Walking tour of Gorey; 12 noon Philip sculpture exhibition; 2 p.m. 1916 exhibition; 2 p.m. 'Who do you think you are?' with expert genealogist John Nangle. 2.30 p.m. Sean nos singing workshop with Colm Brennan in the Upper School; 5.30 p.m. Percival Lea Wilson lecture and the Harry Clarke windows, with Willie Willoughby in Christ Church. Sunday, June 26: 10.30 a.m. Bus tour of historical sites in Croghan area. Bus leaves from The Ashdown Park Hotel. 12.30 p.m. Festival lunch in The Ashdown Park Hotel. The cost for all lectures is 40, or 15 per session; bus tour, 10; festival dinner, 25. For more see The Byrne Perry Festival on Facebook, visit www.byrneperryfestival.wordpress.com or contact 053 9421248 to book. Tickets available in the Market House or at the festival. Following the success of last year's event, the Irish National Heritage Park will bring back their popular flint-knapping workshop on June 25 and 26. Participants will be joined by lithic expert Witold Migal of the State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw for a hands-on workshop in the grounds. The course will cover how to make stone knives, tools and arrowheads from flint using various ancient methods. Witold will leave no flint stone unturned as he talks about safety, tools and raw materials. The course will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day and the cost is 100 per person. Hand tools and materials will be included in the price. Booking is required. Fact and outlandish fiction are repeatedly smudged in James Wan's stylish sequel to his 2013 supernatural horror, which dramatised one of the real-life cases of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. Like its predecessor, The Conjuring two juxtaposes archive photographs and the Warrens' taped interviews over the end credits to convince us that the spooky shenanigans orchestrated on screen are anchored in unsettling reality. Only the gullible would submit wholeheartedly to the film's gargantuan suspensions of belief. Subtlety often eludes Wan, like a blast on the soundtrack of London Calling by the Clash when the storyline moves to the capital, and he's rather fond of shooting impending doom from the point of view of an evil spirit creeping up on its victim. Artistic flourishes aside, the sequel draws inspiration from the notorious case of the Enfield poltergeist, which sent shivers down the spines of north Londoners in the late 1970s. To this day, the veracity of the haunting is shrouded in mystery. However, the four screenwriters of the Conjuring two are content to use one family's terror as a foundation for the usual array of horror tropes: creaking floorboards, a child speaking in tongues, inverted crosses, and ghostly figures emerging from the darkness. In 1976, Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga) visit the Amityville house where Ronald DeFeo Jr was convicted of killing six members of his family. 'This is as close to Hell as I ever want to get,' sobs Lorraine after she enters a trance to relive the tragic night. The Warrens go into self-imposed exile to devote more time to their teenage daughter, Judy (Sterling Jerins). The church compels the Warrens to return to active service to investigate claims from a terrified single mother, Peggy Hodgson (Frances O'Connor), that her house in Enfield is in the grip of a dark force. Ed and Lorraine travel to rain-swept England to interview Peggy and her four children, Margaret (Lauren Esposito), Janet (Madison Wolfe), Billy (Benjamin Haigh) and Johnny (Patrick McAuley). When youngest daughter Janet exhibits signs of demonic possession, Ed and Lorraine battle with the lingering phantom of an old man (Bob Adrian) for the Hodgsons' souls. The Conjuring 2 feels overlong and lacks the tight emotional bond of the first film's besieged family. Wilson and Farmiga ease back into familiar roles while youngster Wolfe is impressive, including one unsettling scene of her character shuddering with fear beneath bedsheets as a spirit hovers above her. The script dissipates tension with occasional flecks of deadpan humour, like when two police constables witness a chair moving on its own around the Hodgson home and a WPC remarks, 'This is a bit beyond us.' It's certainly not beyond audiences, who enjoy gentle jump-out-of-their-seat scares as they nervously bite nails in the dark of a cinema. Dr. Patricia Mulcahy with Niccolo Alicandri, co-founder and chief business officer of CipherTechs Inc. and CipherTechs EMEA Ltd. general manager Laurence Conroy (centre) In a big nod to a future employment growth area, the Institute of Technology Carlow has launched the country's first Bachelor of Science Honours Degree programme in Cybercrime and IT Security. The move, according to the Institute, is a response to the global talent gap for cyber professionals and one that will assist Ireland's development as a world-class cyber security practices, solutions and investment hub. And with cyber security being one of the fastest-growing sectors in the global technology industry, graduates of the programme will be highly sought after and have their choice of job offers, according to international experts Niccolo Alicandri, co-founder and chief business officer of global security monitoring specialists CipherTechs Inc. and CipherTechs EMEA Ltd. general manager Laurence Conroy, who launched the degree course. 'WHEN we studied the planned programme for this new degree course at IT Carlow it was apparent that graduates would achieve specialised in-depth expertise in the essential areas of proactive cyber threat detection and mitigation,' said Laurence. 'CipherTechs recognises that the Institute of Technology Carlow's new Bachelor of Science Honours Degree programme in Cybercrime and IT Security will be an ideal template for the security analysts and engineers of the future that we would like to hire.' The first Cybercrime and IT Security undergraduates will begin their four-year course this September. They will acquire specialist knowledge from a comprehensive syllabus that includes: advanced programming; software engineering; networking; cybercrime legislation; computer forensics; reverse engineering and malware analysis and penetrating testing (ethical hacking). Year three of the four-year programme will also include a six-month placement in industry. Career options include roles in ethical hacking, secure application development, secure network management and digital forensics. The World Economic Forum in Davos has identified cyber related threats as one of the highest of all global risks in terms of impact of events and likelihood of events occurring. According to the Centre for Strategic Studies, the annual global cost of digital crime and intellectual property theft is US$445 billion. In response, the global IT research and advisory firm Gartner estimates the global IT security spend will soar to $101 billion in 2018, and hit $170 billion by 2020, leading to a rapid growth in the cyber security sector worldwide. Ireland's digital economy contributes 5% of national GDP and provides employment for over 100,000 people. Protecting personal data, sustaining investment and ensuring the continued reliable functioning of information and communications technologies, and of the Internet, are priorities for Ireland. Application for the programme will be via the CAO under the code CW258. Sligo undertaker and 'Quirky Glamping' entrepreneur David McGowan has been invited to share his secrets of success with the Council's Tourism Committee. Councillor Sean MacManus described the Easkey native as a "visionary" and paid him public tribute for bring the world's attention to Enniscrone recently. "He's done radio interviews from Canada to Russia and all in between. You couldn't buy that kind of publicity. Most of us have a dream and many of us don't realise that dream. He fired people's imagination," said Cllr MacManus. "Thousands of people waiting in Enniscrone to see him bring in that plane is an example of that. We should recognise what he's done for Sligo," he added. Cllr Michael Clarke said he knew David McGowan for forty years and he built on his father's success. Cllr Thomas Healy said "I'm hoping people will see what he's done and take the 't' off 'can't'.We should encourage the next generation to put their faith in Ireland. He brought the community with him. It's the likes of us who should be looking at David. The Wild Atlantic Way is only as good as the likes of David." Cllr Seamus Kilgannon asked if the Council could ask David McGowan to come in and give a presentation to the Council Tourism Committee: "We could all learn a lot," he said. The praise for the 'Quirky Glamping' accommodation provider was prompted by a request from Councillor Sean MacManus for a detailed report on the County Council's efforts to promote the Wild Atlantic Way. Director of Services Dorothy Clarke said the Council welcomed and supported the recent publicity surrounding David McGowan's #planesailing campaign. She told members it helped to raise awareness of Enniscrone and Sligo as a holiday destination. Ms Clarke said the Council was involved in installing the seven 'Discovery Points' along the coast within the past year, on behalf of Failte Ireland. Sligo County Council has been "very active" in pursuing potential tourism projects such as the Coolaney Mountain Biking National Centre, the Greenway and Sligo Food Trail. Fianna Fail TD for Sligo-Leitrim Marc MacSharry has called for a review of the assessment criteria for the allocation of Special Needs Assistants to schools. Last week the Education Minister announced a 7% increase in SNA allocations for next year. Deputy Mac Sharry said: "While I welcome the additional SNA places, the numbers will only cover the current national need, rather than looking at a regional or local breakdown. The current system only focuses on how many students are in a school, rather than considering the needs of these students. This numbers-based approach is fundamentally flawed and discriminates against smaller schools. I would like to see the assessment and allocation criteria reviewed to ensure that the needs of children are at the heart of the process. Rather than focussing on the numbers of students in any given school, a consultation process involving parents, teachers and the children themselves should be examined. The current resource constraints mean that the current system gives larger, urban schools an unfair advantage over smaller rural communities." IN light of the horrific murder of British MP Jo Cox (41) in her Yorkshire hometown last week, Sligo Leitrim FF TD Marc MacSharry said there's no justification in it. He told The Sligo Champion: "Violence is the last resort of the incompetent. There is never any justification in it. The attack on Mrs Cox was shocking and my heart goes out to her family, friends and constituents," Mr MacSharry said. He added that he didn't think TDs here in Ireland should increase security in light of the brutal killing of the young woman. "In relation to increased security for politicians here, I would not be in favour of it as one of the benefits of our system is the accessibility of public representatives and I think that is necessary in our democracy. "I would not be in favour of an unnecessary escalation in security measures for politicians which would in anyway impede upon that," the Sligo/Leitrim TD pointed out. Mrs Cox, who was married with two young children, was brutally killed on Thursday. A 52-year-old man was arrested in connection with the murder of Mrs Cox, described as a rising star of Labour. Many of the smaller tourist attractions in South Sligo feel ignored and unpromoted by the Wild Atlantic Way. Councillors heard that several of the inland attractions feel that they're not reaping the benefits of the new marketing initiative. The matter came to light during a discussion on a motion by Councillor Jerry Lundy asking for extra signage to creat a "Loop of South Sligo" as an extension to the Wild Atlantic Way. "More signage would mean we'd be able to hold tourists in the county longer. There'd be a benefit to the towns and villages between Knock airport (which this council has equity in) and the Wild Atlantic Way," he told the meeting. "Tourists could miss out on attractions otherwise. The county and tourists both win, it's win-win," he added. Cllr Dara Mulvey voiced his support for Cllr Lundy. "These amenities are a little distance away from the Wild Atlantic Way - they feel that they're not reaping the benefits of it. A lot of these businesses are struggling to keep their doors open," he said. "If the tourists stay that benefits the whole town. We have to work with Failte Ireland and get our smaller towns and businesses back prospering with tourism," said Cllr Mulvey. Cllr Michael Clarke said the way to package Sligo is through www.sligo.ie. "To get all these small businesses in through there is key. Local operators should get involved with sligo.ie. That's the way to go," he said. Cllr Margaret Gormley said she had heard that attractions more than 5kms from the Wild Atlantic Way "would not be included". "The Coleman Centre feels totally ignored and unpromoted, and Eagles Flying. All these most work together and promote each other. It's important that when we get tourists in we keep them," she said. Cllr Paul Taylor said that as a member of the Sligo Tourism Group one of their aims was to get more small operators involved. Council Chief Executive Ciaran Hayes said "Sligo Tourism will be tasked with coming up with a Tourism Strategy." Cllr Hubert Keaney said he was in Drumcliffe Churchyard recently and saw eight busloads of tourists arrive to visit Yeats' grave. "We have nobody to greet these people encouraging them to visit Glencar or South Sligo. Surely we can put somebody there for a few weeks. It's a massive resource on our doorstep and we're not maximising it," he said. Farmers around Co Wicklow are being urged to think pink when it comes to wrapping their silage this summer. Glanbia Agribusiness has once again launched its eye-catching pink silage wrap which will raise money for Breast Cancer Ireland. Following on from a successful campaign last year, a donation will be made to the charity for every roll of the limited-edition Mastercrop Agristretch silage wrap sold, which will be matched by Glanbia Agribusiness. 'We are delighted to partner with Glanbia Agribusiness in this initiative and hope the '#PinkBales' campaign will raise awareness of breast cancer in rural communities,' said Aisling Hurley, CEO of Breast Cancer Ireland. 'This is a super opportunity for farmers to show their support and help our overall goal of transforming breast cancer, through research, from often being a fatal disease to a treatable, long-term illness.' A limited quantity of pink Mastercrop Agristretch silage wrap, which is used for wrapping silage or haylage, can be purchased across all Glanbia Agribusiness and CountryLife branches. Farmers are encouraged to share photos and videos of their pink bales on social media using the hashtag #PinkBales The Irish Co-Operative Organisation Society (ICOS) has welcomed a decision by Visa to reduce its fees on business debit card transactions through the Irish banks will, ICOS believes, will be of benefit to farmers and Irish co-operative livestock marts, when it takes effect from September 1 onwards. Whereas previously Visa business transactions in marts attracted a fee of 0.30%, this is now being reduced to 0.20% until September 1. After that date, ICOS has learned that the Visa debit card fee will be capped at 1 per transaction for secure payments (eg, payment using chip and pin, online security verification or by phone using the 3 digit security number, among other methods). It will be capped at 2 per transaction for non-secure payments. At least 1M was pumped into the local economy at the weekend as thousands descended on Wicklow for the weekend's festivities. The Volvo Round Ireland Yacht Race brought 63 yachts with crews of more than 600 sailors into Wicklow town, with many arriving early last week to ensure they were in peak condition for the race itself. Meanwhile, Sailfest and Taste of Wicklow drew large numbers to Wicklow town with 2,500 people attending Taste of Wicklow with an average spend of 40 per head. Wicklow Chamber of Commerce president Pascal Burke said he estimated that the town's economy had been boosted by a cash injection of over 1m as a result of the race and festival. He said: 'The pubs and restaurants did really well and every bed was booked out. Many of local shops and supermarkets benefited too.' The race was won by Musandam-Oman Sail. Security forces examine the scene after a bomb attack on Nasahablod Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia (AP) At least 14 people were killed when gunmen stormed a hotel in Somalia's capital and took an unknown number of hotel guests hostage, police and medical workers said on Saturday. Security forces hunted down the attackers and ended an hours-long assault that began with an explosives-laden vehicle blowing up at the hotel gate, a police official. Islamic extremist group al Shabab claimed responsibility for the latest in a series of hotel attacks in Mogadishu. "We have finally ended the siege. The last remaining militants were killed on the top floor," police Captain Mohamed Hussein said after security forces pursued the gunmen who had retreated to upper floors of the Nasa-Hablod hotel, setting up sniper posts on the roof and throwing grenades. Police said at least four gunmen were involved in the attack. "We have so far confirmed the deaths of 14 people. Some of them died in the hospitals," Capt Hussein said. The deaths included women who were selling khat, a stimulant leaf popular with Somali men, outside the hotel, he said. Capt Hussein said security forces killed two of the attackers. Police and medical workers said another nine people were wounded in the assault. Police said the attack began when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at the hotel entrance, ripping off its gate. Gunmen fought their way inside, and a witness said they began shooting randomly at hotel guests. Blood was splattered on the hotel floor. The bodies of two men, including one thought to be a hotel guard and an attacker dressed in a military uniform, lay on the first floor. Bullets pockmarked the hotel walls. Security forces combed through the dark hotel rooms, searching for explosives. A witness, Ali Mohamud, said the attackers randomly shot at guests. "They were shooting at everyone they could see. I escaped through the back door," he said. Yusuf Ali, an ambulance driver, told The Associated Press he evacuated 11 people injured in the attack to hospitals. "Most of them were wounded in crossfire," he said. The Somalia-based, al Qaida-linked al Shabab has been waging a deadly insurgency across large parts of Somalia and often employs suicide car bomb attacks to penetrate heavily fortified targets in Mogadishu and elsewhere. In early June, an overnight siege by extremist gunmen at another hotel in the capital killed least 15 people, including two members of parliament. Al Shabab claimed responsibility for that attack. The latest attack comes during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, during which extremists often step up attacks in this volatile East African country. "They came shouting 'Allahu Akbar' and fired bullets on every side," said a hotel staffer who escaped through the back door. He declined to be identified for fear of reprisal. "They are devils who merely care for death and blood," the staffer said. Two people were picked up by anti-terror officers in Verviers and Tournai (AP) Anti-terror police in Belgium have taken two people into custody in overnight raids. The two were picked up in the eastern town of Verviers and Tournai, in the south, according to the federal prosecutor's office. Spokesman Eric Van der Sypt said no weapons, explosives or other materials were found, and declined to say why the raids were conducted. Mr Van der Sypt said the raids had no connection to the March 22 attacks in Belgium that killed 32 people or the Paris massacres last November which claimed 130 victims. A video released by Moldovan authorities showed masked officers wrestling a man to the ground and using a Geiger counter to check radiation on a small package in his car. Stock photo: Depositphotos Security forces in Moldova have recovered an "imposing" quantity of uranium from a smuggling ring involved in a growing underground trade in radioactive substances. The Moldovan Intelligence and Security Service said the gang was seeking 189,000 for the uranium, which police recovered during arrests on Thursday. "A criminal group specialising in smuggling radioactive substances was uncovered," the service said in a statement. "Members of the group were found to be Moldovan citizens." A video released by Moldovan authorities showed masked officers wrestling a man to the ground and using a Geiger counter to check radiation on a small package in his car. The agency said it was attempting to establish the origins of the haul. It did not say exactly how much uranium had been recovered. The incident is the latest in a series of radioactive smuggling incidents in the former Soviet republic, which has become the centre of an underground trade in materials believed to have been taken from Cold War-era stockpiles across the former USSR. In February last year, Moldovan police and the FBI thwarted an attempt to sell highly radioactive caesium to Islamist terrorists, including Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil). The seller had asked 2.5m for enough of the highly radioactive substance to contaminate several city streets with a dirty bomb. Moldovan officials have said the most serious case they had encountered was in 2011, when a middle-man working for a Russian called Alexander Agheenco tried to sell bomb-grade uranium 235, along with weapon designs, to a Sudanese buyer. Moldova's interior minister at the time said the gang was seeking 22m for the uranium. Four Moldovans, a Russian, and a citizen of the unrecognised breakaway republic of Transnistria were arrested in that case, but the alleged mastermind, Agheenco, got away. Moldovan authorities said at the time that they suspected Agheenco was a member of the Russian security services. Other cases include the sale of a sawn-off piece of depleted uranium cylinder in 2010, and the attempted 12,000 sale of unenriched uranium in 2014. Isil announced its intention to acquire nuclear materials as it rose to prominence in 2014. It is believed to have seized around 90 pounds of low-grade uranium from Mosul University in Iraq after taking over the city that year, though its limited toxicity means its use would likely cause panic rather than serious harm. Experts have played down the dangers of terrorists being able to acquire serious radioactive weaponry on the black market, however, saying the gangs involved may be unable to provide the quality or quantity of materials they promise. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Michael Herr, the author and Oscar-nominated screenwriter who documented the Vietnam War through his classic non-fiction novel Dispatches and films such as Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket, has died aged 76. His death in a New York hospital after a long illness was confirmed by publisher Alfred A Knopf, which released Dispatches in 1977, two years after the US left Vietnam. A native of Syracuse, New York, with a knack for eavesdropping and a reverence for Ernest Hemingway, Herr was part of the New Journalism movement that included Tom Wolfe, Truman Capote and Norman Mailer, who advocated applying literary styles and techniques to traditional reporting. Dispatches is often ranked with Tim O'Brien's novel The Things They Carried, Neil Sheehan's A Bright Shining Lie and Stanley Karnow's Vietnam: A History as essential reading about the war. "If you think you don't want to read any more about Vietnam, you are wrong," critic John Leonard of The New York Times wrote when Dispatches came out. Herr spent much of his 20s travelling and working for magazines before convincing Esquire magazine editor Harold Hayes, in 1967, to let him travel to Vietnam and write a monthly column. He ended up staying more than a year, producing few columns at the time, but gathering the material for what became Dispatches, profane, impassioned and knowing reports that helped capture a generation's sense of outrage and disillusion. "I keep thinking about all the kids who got wiped out by 17 years of war movies before coming to Vietnam and getting wiped out for good," he wrote in a chapter prefaced with lyrics from a Bob Dylan song. "You don't know what a media freak is until you've seen the way a few of these grunts would run around during a fight when they knew there was a television crew nearby; they were actually making war movies in their heads, doing little guys and glory Leatherneck tap dances under fire, getting their pimples shot for the networks." Although he loved writing and storytelling, and as an undergraduate at Syracuse University contributed to a magazine edited by Joyce Carol Oates, Herr only published a handful of books. He struggled with depression before Dispatches and found the fame from his acclaimed Vietnam work disorienting. He moved to London, and for years travelled little and gave few interviews. "The reception (for 'Dispatches') couldn't have been better, frankly - it couldn't have been more wonderful," he told The Los Angeles Times in 1990. "It totally changed my life. But it also blew my cover." Admirers of Dispatches included some prominent film-makers, and Herr began a career in movies. He helped write the voiceover narration for Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now and co-wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay for Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. Herr became friends with Kubrick, one of the industry's most reclusive and demanding directors. "Stanley wanted to meet me because he'd liked Dispatches, my book about Vietnam," Herr wrote in Vanity Fair in 2010. "It was the first thing he said to me when we met. The second thing he said to me was that he didn't want to make a movie of it. He meant this as a compliment, sort of, but he also wanted to make sure I wasn't getting any ideas." Herr is survived by his wife, Valerie, his daughters Catherine and Claudia, and his siblings Steven Herr and Judy Bleyer. AP A fighter from the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) stands with his weapon at the western entrance to Manbij city, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria. REUTERS/Rodi Said Isil fighters are reported to have abducted more than 900 Kurdish civilians in the Syrian city of Aleppo, in retaliation for an offensive on their nearby stronghold of Manbij. Jihadists stormed homes in the Arab, Qabaseen and Nairabiyeh neighbourhoods, taking mostly men but also a number of women and children over the last three weeks, according to Kurdish officials. "Whenever Daesh [Isil] is defeated, they retaliate against civilians," said Sherfan Darwish, spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), adding that there are whole families among those abducted. Some of those taken captive have been forced to dig trenches in Isil-held areas while others are imprisoned in a detention centre The US-backed SDF, a coalition of the powerful Kurdish YPG militia and Arab rebel groups, is closing in on the strategic northern city of Manbij, once a key link on Isil's supply route between the Turkish border 25 miles away and its de facto Syrian capital of Raqqa. Backed by coalition air strikes, the SDF has made major gains this week - recapturing much of the outskirts of the city and surrounding the remaining militants from all sides. Isil had already incurred huge losses in Manbij, with at least 458 jihadists killed since May 31. ( Daily Telegraph, London) SHARE By Charmaine Smith-Miles of the Independent Mail Nikki Reid Caldwell said when she drops off her two youngest children, Law and Ruby, at St. Joseph's Catholic School, she feels like she's leaving her children with family. "Mary Ann (Wheeler), the principal, she is an administrator, but she is a loving mother, too," Caldwell said. "She is the matriarch there. I always feel like I am taking my kids to a family member. That's how Mary Ann is. She loves all the children." All three of Caldwell's children, including her oldest, 14-year-old Maddy, have been students at Anderson's only private Catholic school. Maddy started in prekindergarten and graduated from the eighth grade at St. Joseph's Catholic School. She is now a rising sophomore at T.L. Hanna High School, since St. Joseph's only goes through the eighth grade. Ruby, who is 4 years old, will be in prekindergarten, and 6-year-old Law will be in the first grade this fall, at St. Joseph's. And Caldwell's one sad note about their upcoming new school years is that Ms. Wheeler will no longer be there to greet her and her two youngest. After 15 years at the helm of St. Joseph's Catholic School in Anderson, Wheeler is leaving her post in July. A committee of school staff members, former staff members and members of St. Joseph's Catholic Church are currently reviewing the applications coming in for the new principal, she said. Wheeler said she is moving with her husband to Waynesville, North Carolina where he plans to take a new job. Wheeler spent 10 years teaching in the upper elementary and middle school classrooms at the Montessori School of Anderson. In July 2001, she started as the principal of St. Joseph's Catholic School. A member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Wheeler saw the opening for the school's principal position in the church bulletin. "I wanted to serve my church," she said. "So when I saw there was an opening for the principal, I decided to put in for the job." It turns out that this woman who seems suited to the task of teaching and nurturing children has not always been a teacher or school administrator. Wheeler was a social worker in Florida, and then for the South Carolina Department of Social Services. Here in the Upstate, as a social worker, Wheeler worked with young parents who had dropped out of school to raise their children. She worked with them to get them back into school. In that work, Wheeler said she found her calling for her new role. "I saw that teachers had a great effect on students," Wheeler said. "It could be a positive effect, or a negative effect. And sometimes, as a young person, if you don't have that positive influence, you give up." As Wheeler listened to the stories of the young parents she counseled, she thought she could be of use to a younger generation in a different way. Perhaps, she could reach these teenagers before they became parents too young and were faced with a choice of dropping out of school. The desire to help, to serve, she said, came from her parents. Her mother, who was Episcopalian, and her father, who was Catholic, taught Wheeler and her siblings to be of service to others. Wheeler's mother was a social worker later in her life. "We had always been taught to give back," Wheeler said. So that is what she aimed to do at Montessori and when she became principal at St. Joseph's Catholic School. In Wheeler's tenure at the Catholic school, she expanded the school to include the middle school grades, sixth through eighth grades. Wheeler said they added the middle school grades starting in 2010. The school includes prekindergarten through eighth grade, and has a total student body of about 75 students, Wheeler said. Her main mission, she said, has been to be that positive role model for students and to give the students under her care more than lessons in math and reading. "Our mission is to integrate faith into everything we teach," Wheeler said. "We try to show that your faith is not something you do for an hour on Sunday. It's about the way you live. We teach about love, kindness, acceptance, and social justice. We try to provide a sanctuary here for children." Wheeler said the best moments are when she sees a student, who has struggled either academically or emotionally, become more confident in their own skills and abilities. She said she remembers one student who came in, who was two to three grade levels behind. "We were told, 'Good luck with that child,'" Wheeler said. "And here, that child was never a behavior problem. And the child graduated, they finished on grade level. A fine, fine child left our school. Here, we love our children and we teach them discipline. We teach them that God loves them no matter what and that we love them." And Kari Strathern said she has seen the result of that teaching, which emphasizes faith as much as reading, writing and math. All three of the Strathern children have attended St. Joseph's Catholic School. The middle daughter, Luciana, just graduated from the 8th grade there, and in her graduation speech, she spoke of how the school's staff has shaped her. "St. Joseph's is as much a part of my family and my name," Luciana said, in her speech. "Here I have learned that each small act of love has to matter to us. This school has shaped me and cared for me. Because of St. Joseph's, I am well assured that each of us graduating today will have the courage and strength to choose good despite hardships, to soldier on in the face of adversity, to love in times of darkness and to stand strong amid fear." Follow Charmaine Smith-Miles on Twitter @Charmaine_AIM. Rev. Paul Garrett SHARE Prayer is the detonator to the explosiveness of the Christian faith. God only gets involved with earthly affairs when invited through the prayer lines of our faith. The remarkable thing is that many Christians spend as little time communicating with God as nonbelievers. Why is that? Have many lost their belief in the power of prayer? William A. Ward said, "God is never more than a prayer away from you. ... We address and stamp a letter and send it on its way, confident that it will reach its destination, but we doubtfully wonder if our prayer will be heard by an ever-present God." I think the main reason people don't spend much time praying is that they have the wrong attitude toward prayer. Some people think of prayer as something only their grandmother does. Or they think of the simple prayers of their childhood: "God is great. God is good. Let us thank him for our food. Amen," or "Now I lay me down to sleep." How often do we use prayer as nothing more than an emergency call or a cold call to God? Too often we only pray when we need or want something from God which is understandable considering the English word "pray" means to "ask or beg." But the Hebrew word for prayer tefillah means to "self evaluate." So to the Jews of the Bible, prayer was not a time when they asked God for things. It was a time when they examined themselves. They would use prayer as a way to compare their actions, behavior and attitude against God's holiness. Prayer should be the most natural thing in the world, like speaking your mind with a friend you trust. First and foremost, prayer is talking to your father in heaven and getting to know him. It's the process of developing a relationship. Think of your relationship with God as being similar to a marriage. The main difference is that God, unlike your spouse, is perfect. He loves you unconditionally, is absolutely trustworthy, and forgives you for anything and everything you do wrong past, present and future if only you ask. The good news is that God has already done the hard work in the relationship. All we have to do is be willing to communicate with him. If we can change our attitudes toward prayer and think of it as a process that builds our relationship with God, and cultivate a daily prayer time, we can become strong people of prayer. The prayer life we develop has the potential to completely transform our lives. The Rev. Paul D. Garrett is the senior pastor at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, where he has served since 2001. Amara, a dog that was shot, blinded and left for dead in Townville, is recovering at a North Carolina rescue run by Heidi Wagner (left). By Nikie Mayo of the Independent Mail Five months have passed since a dog now known as Amara was shot, blinded and left to die on a road in Townville. Just days ago, the Anderson County Council took the first steps to try to make what happened to her illegal. Amara, a 2-year-old boxer, was found Jan. 28, wandering as a stray on Mystic Cove Lane in Townville. She was significantly underweight and had sores on her head. An animal-control officer took her to the county's shelter, Pets Are Worth Saving. But it wasn't until later that a veterinarian's X-ray revealed Amara had been shot in the head. The Anderson County Sheriff's Office began an investigation after the case received media attention from the Independent Mail and other outlets. The owner of the dog told investigators he shot the boxer 19 days before she was found, according to Sheriff John Skipper. The owner told investigators that the dog became aggressive after having puppies and had bitten his pregnant wife. The owner said he tried to find someone to take the boxer, but when no one would, he made the decision to take her to a boat ramp near Apple Island, lead her to a wooded area, and shoot her. As rain poured from the sky, he left her for dead. The owner was never charged with any crime. Because of that, investigators with the Sheriff's Office have refused to disclose his identity. "We don't want what happened to Amara to ever happen to another dog if we can help it," County Councilman Tom Allen said recently. "If you don't want your dog anymore, you don't get to just take it out and shoot it." The County Council voted unanimously on Tuesday on the first reading of an ordinance that lays out stricter rules for how residents must handle their animals. Under the new regulations, a domesticated dog could only be euthanized by a veterinarian or a licensed euthanasia technician. "If the animal is unwanted, it must be taken to a certified shelter or recognized rescue shelter," the ordinance reads. "Shooting of a canine with a firearm for the purpose of euthanasia is prohibited unless the animal has been severely injured and it is the only way to prevent undue suffering." The ordinance does include exceptions, indicating the regulations do not apply "in situations where an individual is threatened by a rabid animal or where the animal is destroying livestock, poultry or other personal property." Anyone found not in compliance with the ordinance would be guilty of a misdemeanor. The ordinance has to be voted on two more times before it becomes final. The earliest that could happen is likely in August. "Enforcement, of course, is key," said Allen, who led efforts to update county regulations after Amara was shot. "We will be depending on our law enforcement officials to do what needs to be done." Skipper said Saturday that he and the animal-control officers would enforce the ordinance if it becomes final. "We would have to gather evidence to determine that someone is out of compliance," he said. "And if someone isn't doing what they are supposed to, we will enforce what is available to us." In earlier interviews, Skipper said Amara's owner likely wasn't charged because of the way South Carolina law is written. "In our statutes, a dog is your property," he said. "There is no statute that says you cannot euthanize your own dog." Magistrate Mary Frances Cole declined to press charges against Amara's owner, but some animal-welfare activists didn't just blame her. They blamed the Sheriff's Office. "I don't know what goes on in that agency, in that county, that makes this kind of thing acceptable instead of outrageous," Heidi Wagner said. "This ordinance is a step in the right direction, but, boy, they have a long way to go." Wagner is the founder of Boxer Butts & Other Mutts, a rescue organization in Arden, N.C., near Asheville. Wagner has had Amara in her care since soon after the dog was picked up in Townville. She named her Amara because, in some languages, that means "beloved." "She is a different dog now than when I first got her," Wagner said in an interview last week. "She romps and plays and runs in the backyard. What happened to her took her sight, but it didn't take her spirit. She is a survivor and is so full of love." Wagner was so upset about Amara's case that she publicly endorsed Chad McBride in the race for Anderson County sheriff. McBride defeated Skipper and Jeremy Pickens in the June 14 Republican primary. McBride said in a recent interview that when he takes office in January, he will evaluate the way animal control is handled in Anderson County. "I grew up with animals, and I have always had pets," he said. "I was taught to love them and to have respect for life. We are all God's creatures, and we have a responsibility to make sure people aren't harming animals unnecessarily. I'll be evaluating our animal-control team to make sure that we can effectively investigate cases involving animal treatment." Wagner said Amara is now thriving, and has gained about 30 pounds since she was brought to the rescue. Amara also acts as a mother toward kittens brought into the rescue, Wagner said. She became especially attached to an orange kitten named Leo, often sleeping next to him, Wagner said. "Amara still is frightened by loud noises and she still gets startled if someone or something comes up on her too fast," Wagner said. "But she has come so far. And she is safe now." Follow Nikie Mayo on Twitter @NikieMayo SHARE By Frances Parrish of the Independent Mail The Anderson County Alternative School governing board and director are one step closer to restoring the school's fund balance with a recently approved budget for 2016-17. "I do appreciate the delegation approving the budget," said school Director Randolph Dillingham. "It's been a difficult six months and my staff and colleagues are glad to have this behind us." Since January, the board has been looking at ways to increase the school's fund balance, which is money left over after all expenses are paid. After a recent audit, the board realized the school had a fund balance of $1,000 to end fiscal year 2014-15. The school serves students in sixth through 12th grade who have behavioral issues. To solve the financial crunch, the five Anderson County school districts are giving the school $95,000 from the 1-cent sales tax approved by voters in November 2014. The money will be used for capital projects and improvements. This frees up money that will help fund salary increases and other expenses, said Anderson County Board of Education Administrator Joey Nimmer. Dillingham already has a list of projects for the school, including new security cameras, computer equipment, new paint and flooring and a new heating and air unit. He is also looking into what Wi-Fi would cost for the school. However, part of the costs savings this year comes from the governing board's decision to leave two teaching positions open. The keyboarding teacher and the boot camp assistant instructor were the two positions vacant at the end of the school year and will not be filled for the upcoming year. "When it became clear we had to make cuts, one of the least painful things was to not fill the positions," Dillingham said. "That was the easiest thing to cut because no one would lose their job. I didn't want to cut boot camp or any positions." With only one boot camp instructor at the school, Dillingham said he is not sure how this will affect the program. But he and the staff are working this summer to adjust the schedule so students could still participate in boot camp three hours a week. Rep. Brian White said while he was happy the school would be receiving 1-cent sales tax money, he was concerned that the administration was not filling the assistant boot camp instructor vacancy. He said the boot camp program helps the school with its mission of getting students back on track. "I mean doesn't it seem more important to keep that mission going with an extra person than try to build up that fund balance," White said in the meeting Thursday. "I don't want to tell you what to do, but it seems like you're going backward. I don't like that part of the budget." But, filling the assistant boot camp position and leaving the other teaching job vacant would not have saved enough money, Dillingham said Friday. State Rep. Jonathan Hill had similar concerns. Hill said Friday that he questioned why all employees got a pay raise when the school lacked funding. "I think the budget had some misplaced priorities," Hill said. But Nimmer said when employees get mandated pay raises, it is customary to mirror the pay raises for other staff as well. This year, the State Department of Education mandated that teachers and bus drivers get pay raises. While the budget for the upcoming fiscal year proposes a nearly $91,000 fund balance, the governing board is looking to increase the school's funding in the future. The board is considering asking for a property tax increase in the future to have a continuing source of increased revenue. "To ensure we don't have this problem again we will have to look at changing the funding mechanism because it's difficult to operate on the same millage we have for 20 years," Dillingham said. Governing board Chairman Jay Blankenship said he is researching the possibility of creating a 501(c)(3) organization for the school. This would allow the administration to apply for more grant money as well as receive donations from community members. Blankenship said the board has a finance committee in place that includes a representative from the private sector. "We shouldn't see this issue arise again. I think this was a wake up call for many of us," Blankenship said. "The school is part of the education ecosystem for Anderson County ... The school is heading in the right direction." Follow Frances Parrish on Twitter @frances_AIM Piramal Pharma to invest Rs1,200 in UK over the next 12 to 18 months Through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions in the sectors of contract development & manufacturing services (CDMO) and complicated generics, Piramal Pharma stated that it would... October 25, 2022 | 25-10-2022 3:02 pm Markets trade lower amid volatility; Nifty below 17,700 Domestic benchmark indices trading in the red after a gap-up opening on Tuesday. Both the Sensex and Nifty benchmarks are marginally lower in the afternoon market session. Moreover, with strong... October 25, 2022 | 25-10-2022 2:00 pm SBI hits new 52-week high ahead of earnings release for Q2FY23 In Tuesday's intra-day trade, shares of State Bank of India (SBI) climbed nearly 2% to a record high of Rs580 a piece on the BSE in anticipation of excellent earnings in the September... October 25, 2022 | 25-10-2022 1:43 pm Insolation Energy receives order worth Rs1.38 crore; Stock dives 10% Insolation Energy Limited stock plunges 10% on Tuesday's trading session despite receiving major construction order. As per the filing, the company has received a Letter of Award (LO... October 25, 2022 | 25-10-2022 1:35 pm Embassy REIT to invest Rs 3,200 crore over the next 4 years According to Vikaash Khdloya, CEO of Embassy REIT, who talked to ET, about Rs 3,200 crore will be invested in the development of 7.1 million square feet over the next three to four years. ... October 25, 2022 | 25-10-2022 12:57 pm Freida said one should be strong enough to say sorry when wrong. She was asked about her take on the actor's controversy on the sidelines of IIFA. While she refused to be drawn into the issue, she did say that taking responsibility was important. 2. Shirish Kunder has rubbished all claims that he copied the plot of his short film Kriti from a Nepalese film. Kunder's film, which went virat on the internet, fell into a trap after Nepalese filmmaker Aneel Neupane said Kriti was copied from his film Bob. Kunder however, rejected all allegations. He said "That short film was released on May 12 whereas we shot Kriti in February, after which it was in post-production. How is it even possible to lift the idea, unless I was time travelling?" 3. The makers of Udta Punjab have announced that they will not release the film in Pakistan. bollywoodbubble Ever since Pakistan censor board asked for over 100 cuts, the film has come under fire one more time. But director Abhishek Chaubey finally announced that the film will not release across the border since so many cuts would make it lose its issue. He said "It would make no sense to release it with the said cuts. The film is intended to convey something and make a point." 4. Bollywood is bonding well at the IIFA Awards this weekend. Well, that's what the pictures say. Twitter While actors Deepika Padukone and Fawad Khan's adorable moment on the stage stole every heart, many other actors are making the best of the weekend get-away to Madrid, where the awards will be held. Check out some pictures. 5. B-town is raving about Shekhar Kapur's daughter, Kaveri's, first song . From Shah Rukh Khan to Hrithik Roshan, AR Rahman, Sonu Nigam and Priyanka Chopra, everyone is awestruck with the first single of the 15-year-old teenager. Daughter of Shekhar Kapur and Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, Kaveri had recorded the song "Did You Know" four years back, but it was released only now. How our babies have grown ya. Am I right you debuted with me??? This is special. Bless her.https://t.co/j9gTOuSJbZ Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) June 24, 2016 Woah!!!! Straight thru d heart. All heart. This is love. Amazing. How beautiful is she:)) big hug!! https://t.co/bAbyrCGkC5 Hrithik Roshan (@iHrithik) June 24, 2016 "These allegations are technically, factually and logically, baseless." Bollywood director-producer Shirish Kunder has outlandishly rejected claims that his latest short film Kriti has been copied. Aneel Neupane, a filmmaker from Nepal, had written on his Facebook page that Kunder's psychological thriller starring Manoj Bajpayee was a copy of his own short movie Bob and alleged that Kunder has "practically stole the plot and made it into his film." movietalkies "That short film was released on May 12 whereas we shot Kriti in February, after which it was in post-production. How is it even possible to lift the idea, unless I was time travelling?" - Shirish Kunder Neupane had written that his film was ready in October 2015 and he uploaded it on Vimeo "as a private video to share it with close friends" before releasing it on YouTube on May 12, this year. Kunder, however, had a different story. He said considering Bob was shared exclusively with the friends of Neupane, there was no way he could have seen it. About their claims of a private Vimeo link shared with close friends on October 2015: I'm not even their friend. Let alone close friend. Shirish Kunder (@ShirishKunder) June 24, 2016 "Their another claim is that they shared a private Vimeo link with their close friends in October. Now, I am not even friends with the makers and the video was private so how can I see it? I am not alleging anything against them, but it seems like an act just to gain some publicity." - Shirish Kunder However, the audience had a different opinion. Ever since the controversy broke, the internet has been abuzz with viewers sharing which side they believed in. Many took to Twitter to troll Kunder. @ShirishKunder It's clear to all the people who've seen BOB that you're nothing but a sad ripoff w/o imagination.Let it go. #KritiStoleBob Aayesha Gurung (@AayeshaRgurung) June 24, 2016 .@ShirishKunder Bhai sirf script churata hai yaa bartan vartan bhi chura leta hai PhD in Bak*****! (@Atheist_Krishna) June 24, 2016 .@ShirishKunder bhai tu to tweet bhi chori karke chepta hai movie mein creativity ka gyan pel raha hai Bittu Sharma (@ibittu1) June 24, 2016 @ShirishKunder Hey jackass! BOB was released in October! What do you have to say about that? Chor! Apology nahi ulta attitude dikhata hein! Siddhartha Pudasaini (@somthingr8inlif) June 24, 2016 A Reddit thread also received interesting comments from people. Well, there were mixed reactions! Reddit/India Reddit/India Reddit/India Reddit/India Twitter Kriti went viral hours after it was uploaded on YouTube. It was released online on June 22 amid much fanfare and actress Kangana Ranaut as the special guest. The 18-minute short film starring Manoj Bajpayee, Radhika Apte and Neha Sharma, deals with the complexities of a character's mind. The short film was met with positive response from many Bollywood personalities and the audience. The movie has also impressed because it manages to blur the lines between imagination and reality. Kunder however, feels this unexpected controversy "just spoils the fun of everything." If you're an Android user, you should be a little worried right now. A number of apps have been discovered that hold the power to meddle and exploit the devices that are running on Android Lollipop (version 5 and beyond) or older versions of Android. What's worse is that these apps can be found on Google Play, a place considered safe to download apps from otherwise. Verge The family of malware apps that are being termed as "Godless", are capable of affecting around 90% of the Android devices since most users are yet to get the chance to upgrade to Android Marshmallow (6.0). These godless apps have apparently been download in about 850,000 devices till date, harming users of Thailand, Indonesia and India the most. Even Android phones in the US have been compromised with 17,000 downloads. pexels What do they do? How can they affect us? These apps have a list of exploits they carry out once they are installed on the device. Once downloaded, it makes the malware stronger, giving it access to wreak further havoc by installing more malware without the user getting to know. Some of these viruses can even control your device remotely and worse, get full access to all our personal information along with critical information. To fool the users, these apps use hacked devices to artificially increase the ranking just so that more people end up downloading it. androidpit Is there a list of these apps? These apps would then wait until the phone screen is off before going about their nefarious activities. It has also been noticed that these viruses are becoming very difficult to remove once their process is complete. Android Central Although there isn't a list of the names of the apps released for the users, it is also discovered that many of these apps have identical apps available on the Google Play Store which are completely safe to use. But some fear that even these apps upgrade to a malicious version without the user ever finding out. It's bad, and it can be a real headache for you, or worse. So the next time you go one to download an app, read a little about it. Know what you're downloading is safe. A 35-year-old sweet stall worker murdered his wife and her three daughters, smashing their heads with an iron rod, and stayed with the bodies for two days in his Royapettah house before the crime was discovered on Thursday night, police said. BCCL/representational image After the owner of the building on Muthu Street where Chinnaraj stayed was alerted by the stench and called police, a team picked him up on the service road on Marina beach when he came to take his parked bike. During questioning, the native of Bargur in Krishnagiri district admitted to killing his wife Pandiammal, 38, and her daughters aged 19, 17 and 15 because he was not allowed entry to the tiny house for over a month. A court on Friday sent Chinnaraj to jail. news.asiaone/representational image The eldest of the girls planned to do a paramedical course, the youngest was a Class 12 student while the other girl was studying in a polytechnic, police said. Chinnaraj told police he met Pandiammal four years ago in Palani where she eked out a living selling idlis after being deserted by her husband. They soon got married, and Chinnaraj brought Pandiammal and her daughters to the tiny first floor accommodation behind the Royapettah police station. i.huffpost/representational image Soon, inquiries found, Pandiammal began fighting with Chinnaraj over the 200 sq ft house and also didn't want him in the same space as her grown-up daughters. Over the past one month, Chinnaraj had been sleeping outside the house, police said. Recently, the five went to Pandiammal's native village near Karaikudi and returned on June 20. The same night, Chinnaraj returned late, barged into the house and hit his wife with an iron rod killing her instantly, police said. i.huffpost He then killed her three daughters one after the other with the same rod and then fell asleep there. On Thursday morning, when house owner Raja Bahadur, 78, asked him about the foul smell, Chinnaraj said a rat had died in the house and that he would clean it up. He then locked the house and left. Later that night, unable to bear the stench, Bahadur informed police. A team arrived, broke the door and found the four bodies. Police said all the four bodies were found without clothes. "We will be able to come to a definite conclusion only after getting hold of the autopsy report," a police officer said. Dhrasti Vashistha from Vastrapur set an example for girls from the city when, earlier this month, she finally joined the Indian Air Force giving wings to her childhood dreams. Vashistha, along with Kevhana Shah from Vadodara are the only two young women from Gujarat to have joined the Air Force this year. She says she had been working towards her aim from the time she was a child and had joined NCC to groom herself. TOI "I felt a lack of awareness among Gujarati youths about armed forces, and hence not many cadets, especially girls wished to join them," said Vashistha who is now a flying officer posted at Bangalore and tasked with aircraft maintenance. BCCL "I wanted to do something which is not considered mainstream, and is a challenging career," she added. Her maternal grandfather, Nandlal Sharma, was her guiding force. Nandlal, who was an IAS officer, inspired her to join the government sector, she said. "I have heard of girls from the state joining the Navy. But in the last two batches that I encountered during the training, Kevhana and I were the only girls from Gujarat in the Air Force," said Vashistha adding that she will motivate Gujarati youths, especially girls to join the armed forces. BCCL A graduate in electrical engineering from LD Engineering College, Vashistha went ahead to complete masters in aeronautical engineering in pursuit of her dreams. "I was so attracted to the Air Force that I used to respond to most queries of hiring in Air Force, and finally it was in December 2014, when I was asked to join the Air Force for training." She said BCCL After completing her engineering course, Vasishtha had joined a private firm, but had kept up her efforts to pass the Air force Common Admission Test, which she started trying in her fourth year of engineering. Also Read: IAF Did Not 'Tell' Fighter Pilots Not To Have Kids, It Only Issued An 'Advisory' It was on June 3 that Vashistha's efforts finally bore fruit and she passed all hurdles to join the Air Force bringing pride to her family. Her father Sunil Sharma heads the human resources department in a private firm while her mother Bhavna is a home-maker. Also Read: IAF Identifies Three Women Who Will Become India's First Female Fighter Pilots! Times are changing and we couldn't have been happier. Gurgaon will be holding its first LGBTQ pride parade this Saturday evening at Leisure Valley Ground in Sector 29. The parade will be asking for 'freedom from sexual orientation to ensure social justice and a truly inclusive environment'. It will also look for a 'repeal of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code.' Facebook/ Gurgaon Pride 2016 'Gurgaon ab door nahin' That's the slogan for the evening as they march with pride, initiating a dialogue process and addressing the uneducated notions of the misinformed people who still believe something like section 377 should be there. tavelchannel It's backed by the organisers of the Delhi Queer Pride The parade is backed by the organisers of the Delhi Queer Pride, but the initiative of hosting it in Gurgaon was of Puja Bajad, who works for an international NGO. "I shifted to Gurgaon three months back and I realised that the city has no civic movement, well, except for the Jat agitation if you consider it as one. Also, as a development sector professional, I realised that the city does not have a very organised queer community and no real space for an open dialogue. When I got to know that there hadn't been a Queer Pride Parade in Gurgaon yet, I thought of taking steps towards hosting one," she says. Puja adds, "I met like-minded people, ran from one office to another seeking permissions, explaining to officials what the demand for 'inclusive space' meant. We will begin by reading out the pride statement. After the music and open mic session, a candle light vigil will take place to show solidarity with Orlando and Mexico massacre victims and the murdered Bangladeshi queer activists. We have been permitted to take out the march inside Leisure Valley, which is an area of 1.5 km." news18 Why you should go check it out too. The event promises music, art, dance, an open mic and a march of solidarity. It is celebrating the right to love, a cause everyone should support. It is not only the first time that something like this is happening in Gurgaon, but June also happens to be the gay pride month which makes it all the more special. gaylaxy It's not just about 377 The parade will also host a candlelight vigil for the 49 victims of the Orlando shooting, along with the unfortunate bloggers who were hacked to death in Bangladesh only because they were brave enough to speak their minds via blogs. To sum it all up What - LGBTQ Pride Parade Where - Leisure Valley, HUDA Grounds, Sector 29, Gurgaon When - Today. 25th June 2016 What time - 5:30pm to 8 pm Facebook page - Here Chennai police have released the CCTV visuals of the suspect who killed the 24-year-old techie at Nungambakkam railway station on Friday. PTI The visuals show a young man wearing a green shirt and carrying a travel bag, walking briskly with a backpack. The attacker was carrying the assault weapon, a sickle, in his bag. He had a heated argument with the girl before he attacked her. The victim, identified as Swathi, bled to death on the platform as commuters just stood watching. She had suffered injuries on her neck and mouth. Deccan Chronicle The police say Swathi had been stalked for months by a man near her workplace. Eight jawans have been killed after terrorists attacked a CRPF convoy in Jammu & Kashmir's Pampore today. times now times now Security forces shot dead two terrorists in retaliatory fire after the militants attacked the CRPF bus. times now CRPF commandant Rajesh Yadav confirmed the deaths and said 20 CRPF personnel have been injured in the attack. times now J&K-Terrorists attack bus carrying CRPF personnel in Pampore.5 jawans martyred,2 terrorists killed(visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/HwWp0AwMnj ANI (@ANI_news) June 25, 2016 According to some reports Lashkar-e-Taiba spokesperson Abdullah Gaznaw have claimed that the LeT was behind the ambush. The target of the attack was a CRPF convoy which was returning from a firing range practice. They came under attack in Pathan Chowk, close to the Army cantonment area in Srinagar, on the Srinagar-Jammu highway. This is the third terrorist attack on security personnel this month in Kashmir valley, but the biggest in terms of military casualty. Officials of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) have seized heroin worth Rs 40 crore from two Colombo-bound passengers and detained them and an airline staffer for inquiry. deidrecargo The narcotic substance was seized from the duo's suitcases in the intervening night of June 22 and 23. BCCL/representational image They had concealed the 40 kg heroin in their suitcases among packets of sugar and maida. The airline staffer had helped the men in carrying them. The three, all Indian citizens, have been detained and interrogation is on. 1. Pompore Attack: Terrorists Ambush CRPF Convoy, 8 Brave Jawans Martyred Eight jawans have been killed after terrorists attacked a CRPF convoy in Jammu & Kashmir's Pampore today. Security forces shot dead two terrorists in retaliatory fire after the militants attacked the CRPF bus. According to some reports Lashkar-e-Taiba spokesperson Abdullah Gaznaw have claimed that the LeT was behind the ambush. 2. The Bihar Exam Topper Who Couldn't Even Pronounce Her Subject Has Been Arrested Ruby Rai, the girl who topped the Arts stream in Bihar's Class 12 exam, has been arrested for cheating.She was arrested by the Special Task Force investigating the case on Saturday after Ruby, despite being given several chances, failed to appear for a re-test. She had become infamous after failing to even pronounce the word 'Political Science' which she topped in the state. Chennai police have released the CCTV visuals of the suspect who killed the 24-year-old techie at Nungambakkam railway station on Friday. The visuals show a young man wearing a green shirt and carrying a travel bag, walking briskly with a backpack. The attacker was carrying the assault weapon, a sickle, in his bag. He had a heated argument with the girl before he attacked her. 4. After Brexit Disaster, Millions Of Brits Demand Another Referendum On Leaving EU A day after they sent shock waves across the world by voting in favor of UK leaving the European Union, many now seem to be having second thoughts.Millions have signed a petition calling for a second referendum on UK's membership of the EU. "We the undersigned call upon HM Government to implement a rule that if the Remain or Leave vote is less than 60%, based on a turnout less than 75%, there should be another referendum," the petition started by William Oliver Healey demands. 5. Man Suspected Of Trying To Kidnap A Minor Girl Lynched By A Mob In Delhi A mob in Northeast Delhi beat a man to death after rumours spread that he was trying to abduct a minor girl. The incident happened on Friday afternoon, when locals allegedly spotted the man near the 4-year-old-girl. The girl's mother said she was informed by the locals that someone tried to abduct her daughter. In what can only be described as irony, a lot of Brits who voted for Brexit in the crucial referendum now say they regret their decision. After the result was announced on Friday and it was clear that UK will now have to leave the EU, many shocked 'leave' voters said they were disappointed by the result. straitstimes A student identified as Mandy told ITV News that she is 'very disappointed' by the result of the EU Referendum, despite voting for Brexit. "I was really disappointed about the results. Even though I voted to Leave, this morning I woke up and the reality did actually hit me.But if I had the opportunity to vote again, it would be to stay," she said. Many on Twitter also expressed similar opinions Much love to Adam just on BBC who voted leave but now is 'shocked' we are leaving the EU and 'unsure' about what will happen #cheersmate Renny Popoola (@renpooh) June 24, 2016 Leave voter on the BBC: "I never thought it would happen. I'm quite worried." Britain realising it's had the worst one-night stand ever. Pavilion Opinions (@pavilionopinion) June 24, 2016 Leave voter on BBC now saying he didn't think his vote would matter and now he's 'quite worried'. Jesus Christ. Sophia Deboick (@SophiaDeboick) June 24, 2016 I personally voted leave believing these lies and I regret it more than anything, I feel genuinely robbed of my vote khembe (@rambogiblet) June 24, 2016 @verityharding @SusanCarland One of my relatives was a leaver and regretted it by 8am. Vote would be very different this afternoon. Taryn Harding (@TWTaryn) June 24, 2016 I voted leave to help our economy. However the has plummeted and I immediately regret my decision . Plus Farage is a lying tosser! Ryan Richardson (@RyanRich_) June 24, 2016 If these weren't ironic enough, the top trending search on Google in the UK was "What is the EU?". Yeah, that is right. After voting themselves out now they want to know what they got out of. Jeremy Corbyn Faces No Confidence Motion and Leadership Challenge Margaret Hodge and Ann Coffey have submitted a motion ahead of Monday's PLP meeting. By George Eaton June 24, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Newstatesman " - The long-threatened coup attempt against Jeremy Corbyn has begun. I wrote several weeks ago that Brexit would be "the trigger" for a challenge to the Labour leader and his opponents have immediately taken action. Margaret Hodge and Ann Coffey have submitted a motion of no confidence in the Labour leader for discussion at Monday's PLP meeting. If accepted, it would be followed by a secret ballot of MPs on Tuesday. A spokesman for Corbyn told me in response: "It's time for the party to unite and focus on the real issues that affect peope from today's decision and hold the government to account on their exit negotiations." Any confidence motion would be purely symbolic. But Corbyn's opponents are also "absolutely convinced" that they have the backing of the 51 MPs/MEPs (20 per cent) needed to endorse a leadership challenger and trigger a contest. Delivery of the letters to general secretary Iain McNicol is expected to start this weekend. The prospect of a new Tory prime minister and an early general election has pushed them towards action. "We have to get rid of him now," a former shadow cabinet minister told me. "If we go into an election with him as leader we'll be reduced to 150 seats." Hilary Benn, Tom Watson, Angela Eagle and Dan Jarvis are among those cited as potential candidates. One MP suggested that a "Michael Howard figure" was needed to steer the party through the next election. John McDonnell, Corbyn's closest ally and another possible successor, is believed to lack sufficient support (15 per cent of MPs/MEPs) to make the ballot. Labour figures were dismayed by Corbyn's performance during the referendum and partly blame his lack of enthusiasm for defeat. Polls showed that nearly half of the party's voters were unaware of its position a few weeks before polling day. Corbyn is also charged with costing support by conceding that it was "impossible" to limit free movement the weekend before the referendum. "It simply shone a light on how utterly out of touch Corbyn and McDonnell are with many traditional Labour voters outside of London," a senior MP told me. "Jeremy made the biggest issue of concern for traditional Labour voters thinking of voting Leave - the impact of freeedom of movement - his main reason why Britain should Remain. It was a sort of political suicide of genius proportions." The rebels are seeking shadow cabinet support for their challenge to Corbyn (one spoke of a "moral responsibility") but no one is believed to have called for his resignation at today's 2 hour 45 minute meeting. In a statement relesed earlier today, Watson emphasised the need for "stability". He said: "Labour has lessons to learn and we will to continue to listen but our focus over the next few days must be to reassure voters, millions of whom are very concerned about our country's future. They should know that we will work in Parliament to provide stability in a period of great instability for our country." Earlier rumours of a letter signed by 55 Labour MPs calling for Corbyn to resign have been been dismissed as a leadership plant. "It's Damian [McBride] or someone who's read his book," one suggested. They believe the claim was a time-honoured device to weaken the rebels by creating false expectations. George Eaton is political editor of the New Statesman . Jeremy Corbyn promises to kill TTIP, will work in parliament to stop trade deal: The hugely controversial Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been hailed as incredibly important by leaders including Obama but politicians across Europe are quietly suggesting that it may be derailed Why the UK Said Bye Bye to the EU By Pepe Escobar June 24, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Sputnik " - So what started as a gamble by David Cameron on an outlet for domestic British discontent, to be used as a lever to bargain with Brussels for a few more favors, has metastasized into an astonishing political earthquake about the dis-integration of the European Union. The irrepressibly mediocre Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, posing as a historian, had warned that Brexit, could be the beginning of the destruction of not only the EU but Western political civilization in its entirety. Thats foolish. Brexit proved that its immigration, stupid. And once again, its the economy, stupid (although the British neoliberal establishment never paid attention). But serious bets can be made the EU system in Brussels wont learn anything from the shock therapy and wont reform itself. There will be rationalizations that after all the UK was always classically whiny, obtrusive and demanding special privileges when dealing with the EU. As for Western political civilization, what will end and this is a big thing is the special transatlantic relationship between the US and the EU with Britain as an American Trojan Horse. So of course this all goes monumentally beyond a mere match between a hopelessly miscalculating Cameron, now fallen on his sword, and the recklessly ambitious court jester Boris Johnson a Donald Trump with better vocabulary and speech patterns. Scotland, predictably, voted Remain, and may probably hold a new referendum and leave the UK rather than be dragged out by white working class English votes. Sinn Fein already wants a vote on united Ireland. Denmark, the Netherlands and even Poland and Hungary will want special status inside the EU, or else. Across Europe, the extreme right stampede is on. Marine Le Pen wants a French referendum. Geert Wilders wants a Dutch referendum. As for the vast majority of British under-25s who voted Remain, they may be contemplating one-way tickets not to the continent, but beyond. Show me the people Anglo-French historian Robert Tombs has remarked that when Europeans talk about history they refer to the Roman Empire, the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. Great Britain is somewhat overlooked. In reciprocity, quite a few Britons still consider Europe an entity that should be kept at a safe distance. To compound the problem, this is not a Europe of peoples. Brussels absolutely detests European public opinion, and the system exhibits an iron resistance to reform. This current EU project that ultimately aims at a federation, modeled on the US, does not cut it in most of Britain. Arguably this is one of the key reasons behind Brexit which for its part has already disunited the kingdom and may eventually downgrade it into a tiny trading post on the edge of Europe. Lacking a European people, the Brussels system could not but be articulated as a Kafkaesque, unelected bureaucracy. Moreover, the representatives of this people-deprived Europe in Brussels actually defend what they consider to be their national interest, and not the European interest. Brexit though does not mean Britain will be free from the dictates of the European Commission (EC). The EC does propose policy, but nothing can be followed through without decisions from the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers, which group representatives of all elected governments of member states. Arguably Remain, in the best possible case, would have led to some soul-searching in Brussels, and a wake-up call, translating into a more flexible monetary policy; a push to contain immigration inside African borders; and more opening towards Russia. The UK would remain in Europe giving more weight to countries outside the eurozone while Germany would concentrate on the 19-member eurozone nations. So Remain would have led to the UK increasing its politico-economic weight in Brussels while Germany would be more open to moderate growth (instead of austerity). Although Britain arguably would wince at the notion of a future eurozone Treasure Minister, a European FBI and a European Minister of the Interior, in fact the whole notion of a complete economic and monetary union. Thats all water under the bridge now. Additionally, don't forget the mighty single market drama. The UK not only will lose duty-free access to the EUs single market of 500 million people; it will have to renegotiate every single trade deal with the rest of the world since all of them have been EU-negotiated. French economy minister and presidential hopeful Emmanuel Macron has already warned that, if the UK wants a commercial access treaty to the European market, the British must contribute to the European budget like the Norwegians and the Swiss do. If London doesnt want that, then it must be a total exit. Britain will be locked out of the single market to which over 50% of its exports go unless it pays almost all that it currently pays. Moreover, London must still accept freedom of movement, as in European immigration. The City gets a black eye Brexit defeated an overwhelming array of what Zygmunt Bauman defined as the global elites of liquid modernity; the City of London, Wall Street, the IMF, the Fed, the European Central Bank (ECB), major hedge/investment funds, the whole interconnected global banking system. The City of London, predictably, voted Remain by over 75%. An overwhelming $2.7 trillion is traded every day in the square mile, which employs almost 400,000 people. And its not only the square mile, as the City now also includes Canary Wharf (HQ of quite a few big banks) and Mayfair (privileged hang out of hedge funds). The City of London the undisputed financial capital of Europe also manages a whopping $1.65 trillion of client assets, wealth literally from all over the planet. In Treasure Islands, Nicholas Shaxson argues, financial services companies have flocked to London because it lets them do what they cannot do at home. Unbridled deregulation coupled with unrivalled influence on the global economic system amount to a toxic mix. So Brexit may also be interpreted as a vote against corruption permeating Englands most lucrative industry. Things will change. Drastically. There will be no more passporting, by which banks can sell products for all 28 EU members, accessing a $19 trillion integrated economy. All it takes is a HQ in London and a few satellite mini-offices. Passporting will be up for fierce negotiation, as well as what happens to Londons euro-denominated trading floors. I followed Brexit out of Hong Kong which 19 years ago had its own Brexit, actually saying bye bye to the British Empire to join China. Beijing is worried that Brexit will translate into capital outflows, depreciation pressure on the yuan, and disturbance of the Bank of Chinas management of monetary policy. Brexit could even seriously affect China-EU relations, as Beijing in thesis might lose influence in Brussels without British support. Its crucial to remember that Britain backed an investment pact between China and the EU and a joint feasibility study on a China-EU free trade agreement. He Weiwen, co-director of the China-US-EU Study Centre under the China Association of International Trade, part of the Ministry of Commerce, is blunt; The European Union is likely to adopt a more protectionist approach when dealing with China. For Chinese companies which have set up headquarters or branches in the UK, they may not be able to enjoy tariff-free access to the wider European market after Britain leave the EU. That applies, for instance, to leading Chinese high-tech companies like Huawei and Tencent. Between 2000 and 2015, Britain was the top European destination for Chinese direct investment, and was the second-largest trading partner with China inside the EU. Still, it may all revert into a win-win for China. Germany, France and Luxembourg all of them competing with London for the juicy offshore yuan business will increase their role. Chen Long, economist with Bank of Dongguan, is confident the European continent, especially Central and Eastern European countries, will be more actively involved in Chinas One Belt, One Road programs. So will Britain become the new Norway? Its possible. Norway did very well after rejecting EU membership in a 1995 referendum. It will be a long and winding road before Article 50 is invoked and a two-year UK-EU negotiation in uncharted territory starts. Former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling summed it all up; Nobody has a clue what Out looks like. Once Occupation Ends, Resistance Will Disappear - Abbas Speech in EU Parliament Enrages Israel By RT June 24, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " RT " - The Palestinian president has asked the EU to shield his people from Israeli provocations, as he accused Tel Aviv of breeding fascism and the IDF of carrying out unlawful killings. Israel lashed out against the speech, calling it a blood libel. Israel has turned our country into an open prison, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas told the European Parliament, accusing the Jewish government of becoming more extreme and acting in a fascist manner. Israel is experiencing a tendency toward violence and extremism, and this is expressed in settler terrorism. This is in addition to the Israeli Armys criminal conduct, which carries out murderous operations against the Palestinians and holds itself above the law, forcing even Israels heavyweight politicians to criticize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu government about growing signs of fascism in Israeli society, Abbas said. The Palestinian leader appealed to EU lawmakers for their support in taming Israel, calling on Europe to help end Israels rule in Palestine, and restrict Tel Aviv from provocations. The non-existence of a Palestinian state and the non-implementation of the two-state solution prolongs the conflict and produces extremism. We are against international terror, and the way to have the terror you face come to an end, you must bring an end to the Israeli occupation, Abbas said. While claiming to be advocating peaceful solutions to ongoing hypertension in Israeli-Palestinian relations, Abbas said Israel continues to provoke violence actions from Palestinian youths and accused Israeli rabbis of calling for the poisoning of Palestinian water. Only a week ago, a number of rabbis in Israel announced, and made a clear announcement, demanding that their government poison the water to kill the Palestinians, Abbas said. While reports of an alleged rabbinical edict to murder Palestinians surfaced on Sunday, independent news sources found no evidence that such a call was ever made or the organization called the Council of Rabbis in the West Bank, which issued the edict even exists. Yet this did not stop Abbas from questioning Israeli attitudes towards Palestinians. Isnt that clear incitement to commit mass killings against the Palestinian people? Abbas asked. Over the past nine months, Israeli forces have killed at least 197 Palestinians, 134 of whom were deemed terrorists. Others were killed in clashes and protests, which resulted in the deaths of 32 Israelis and two visiting US citizens.. #Israel blames Palestinians for water shortages in West Bank https://t.co/n2MguTqk6l pic.twitter.com/ULyS1s6by9 RT (@RT_com) June 23, 2016 Calling for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Abbas said Palestinians oppose any suggestion of temporary borders or an interim agreement because it's a waste of time that doesnt lead anywhere. He once again reiterated that Palestine hopes to have a state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital. The Palestinian nation wants to live in full sovereignty [...] and the EU, being a major player, is helping to create an embryo Palestinian State, President Abbas said. The Palestinian leader again voiced his support for the French initiative to bring all conflicting parties in for talks, saying French President Francois Hollande told him France is determined to hold a conference before the end of the year. Abbas speech in Brussels, and in particular his allegations of Israel calling to poison Palestines water sparked strong criticism and condemnation from Netanyahus office, which accused the Palestinian leader of spreading a blood libel. Someone who refuses to meet with the president and Prime Minister Netanyahu for direct talks, who propagates a blood libel in the European Parliament, is lying when he says his hand is outstretched in peace, a statement issued by the Prime Ministers Office said. The statement added that Israel awaits the day when Abbas will stop spreading lies and dealing in incitement. Until then, Israel will continue to defend itself against Palestinian incitement, which motivates terror attacks. Jewish advocacy groups such as the American Jewish Committee and the European Jewish Congress also condemned Abbass rhetoric. Instead of returning to direct peace talks with Israel, Abbas abused an international platform to deliver yet another tirade full of invectives and falsehoods against Israel, said American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris, calling Abbas the great disappointer. It is unconscionable that a foreign leader proudly states a blood libel in the European Parliament and he receives a standing ovation, Dr Moshe Kantor from the European Jewish Congress said. In one short speech, Abbas reminded the world that he has no interest in peace, continues to incite against Jews and Israel, and uses the understandable fear of terrorism to rail against Israel and score political points. Rabbi Calls for Poisoning of Palestinian Water Supply: The foreign ministry of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Sunday, demanded the arrest of a Jewish Rabbi, who called on Israeli settlers to poison water used by Palestinians in hundreds of towns and villages across the occupied West Bank. Abbas says some Israeli rabbis called for poisoning Palestinian water: Abbas's remarks, in a speech to the European parliament, did not appear on the official transcript issued by his office, suggesting he may have spoken off the cuff as he condemned Israeli actions against Palestinians amid stalled peace talks. Trump Would Support Israeli Annexation of Parts of West Bank In interview with Haaretz, David Friedman, candidates co-adviser on Israeli affairs, says Trump doesn't believe Palestinian state is 'an American imperative.' He's also not concerned over possibility of binational state: 'Nobody really knows how many Palestinians live there.' By Barak Ravid June 24, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Haaretz " - If elected U.S. president in November, Donald Trump would support Israels annexing parts of the West Bank, a senior official in the Trump campaign told Haaretz in an interview this week. Trump is not worried about the possibility of a binational state, said David Friedman, the candidates adviser on Israel. Nobody really knows how many Palestinians live there, he said. As president, Trump would be unlikely to adopt the policies of President Barack Obama and his predecessor, George W. Bush, that a Palestinian state is a U.S. security interest, the adviser said. A 57-year-old lawyer specializing in real estate and bankruptcies, Friedman has worked with Trump as an attorney for 15 years. A few months ago during the election campaign, Trump announced that Friedman, along with Trump Industries legal adviser Jason Greenblatt, would both serve as his advisers on Israeli affairs. The telephone interview on Tuesday evening took place as polls showed Trump sliding and his campaign seemed racked by crisis. Friedman predicted that despite criticism of Trumps reaction to the Orlando attack, once the dust settled, his public support would grow. Things are not going downhill. Everything is fine, Friedman said. The polls are extremely fluid. They dont mean much at this point. People who study the polls tell us it is pretty even right now. There is a lot of work to do but nobody is discouraged by the polling. Trump's ambassador to Israel? A profile of Friedman published a few weeks ago by Makor Rishon describes him as the lead candidate for the job of ambassador to Israel if Trump wins the election. Friedman is involved in philanthropic activities for Israel, a large part of which has to do with settlements in the West Bank. He is president of an organization of American friends of the Beit El settlement, who have sent millions of dollars to the settlement in recent years. Since the start of his campaign, Trump has said that if elected he would try to achieve an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. But the candidate has also told the British Daily Mail that he supports unlimited expansion of Israeli settlements. Friedman said that in recent months he has given Trump a few briefings about the Israeli-Palestinian issue and that Trump is knowledgeable about the details of the long-standing conflict. Trumps positions on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, as his close aide sees it, will be welcomed by the right and the Israeli settlements lobby. If Trump wins the election, Friedman said he would carry out the policy as he, Friedman, presented it. He would in effect retreat from a policy in place under Republican and Democratic presidents alike for the past five decades. In such a situation, Trump would even be further to the right than his apparent supporter, Benjamin Netanyahu. Does Mr. Trump support the creation of an independent Palestinian state? The answer is not without the approval of the Israelis, said Friedman. This is an issue that Israel has to deal with on its own because it will have to deal with the consequences. His feeling about Israel is that it is a robust democracy. The Israelis have to make the decision on whether or not to give up land to create a Palestinian state. If the Israelis dont want to do it, so he doesnt think they should do it. It is their choice. ... He does not think it is an American imperative for it to be an independent Palestinian state. Friedman explains that the reasons for Trumps positions about the creation of a Palestinian state are due first and foremost to what he described as the Gaza experiment and the way that ended. The second reason is that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has no domestic political legitimacy in the Palestinian Authority, and therefore he has no mandate to sign a peace agreement. Finally, Friedman explains, the American interest is that Israel will live in security and therefore any step that may weaken it should be avoided. If the Israelis conclude that they need to do this [establish a Palestinian state] in order to enhance their long-term security which I think we are very skeptical about but if this is what they conclude they want to do, we will respect this decision. ... If the circumstances change ... and there is a reason to be optimistic, then great, but the current facts dont make that [Palestinian state] an American imperative at all. 'Committed to settlers' Friedman said Trumps support for building settlements stemmed from his understanding that the Israeli government has a commitment to its citizens in Judea and Samaria who moved out there with its agreement. Trump, according to Friedman, said Israel has to continue to build in the settlements because there is no reason not to do so. Israelis dont have to wait another generation for the Palestinians to hold more realistic expectations and show less hostile motivation, Friedman said. Trumps position is that we have to deal with reality and not hopes and wishes. Trumps aide said the possibility of a binational state emerging between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea doesnt worry Trump. Listening to the policy Friedman talks reminds one more than a little of the positions of Habayit Hayehudi and the YESHA council of settlements. There are always creative ways to allow people to live in peace. It is not always about the land. We dont accept the idea it is only about land. Nobody really knows how many Palestinians actually live there, Friedman said. Does he think Trump would object to Israel annexing parts of the West Bank? I think there are parts of the West Bank that will stay part of Israel in any peace deal. I am sure he wouldnt have any problem with that at all. Regarding the entire West Bank I think thats a legal issue. I dont think he will have a problem with that but he would expect Israel to continue seeking peace. He has no doubt that Israel wants peace, Friedman replied. Many ministers in the Israeli government support the annexation of at least parts of the West Bank to Israel would Trump support that? I would expect that he would, said the adviser. I havent had this discussion with him but I expect he would. Friedman revealed that as part of his job he has already met with Israeli government representatives in Jerusalem, but he wont go into further detail. He doesnt know when Trump would arrive for a visit to Israel, but says it wouldnt happen before the Republican National Convention on July 19-21. Although theres no set date at the moment, it seems likely Trump would make Israel a desired destination during the campaign, between the end of July and early November. 'Trump a willing partner on aid deal' One of the main issues on the agenda in Israeli-U.S. relations now is the security aid deal for the coming decade. Despite months of negotiations, there are still differences preventing the sides form signing an agreement. Although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he wants to close a deal while Obama is still in office, the fact he doesnt sign one raises the possibility that he prefers to wait until the next president takes office. Friedman is cautious in his response to the question of whether he would recommend that Netanyahu wait for a Trump victory and avoid signing an agreement beforehand. He says he isnt briefed on all the details of the current American proposal. But if the discussions are not completed by the conclusion of the Obama administration, you will find in Trump a very willing and enthusiastic partner who will be highly receptive to the idea of maintaining and enhancing Israels military superiority in the region, Friedman said. If Trump is the winner and there is no deal yet, they have nothing to worry about, he said. If Hillary wins, then I dont know. United States Bombings Of Other Countries By William Blum It is a scandal in contemporary international law, dont forget, that while wanton destruction of towns, cities and villages is a war crime of long standing, the bombing of cities from airplanes goes not only unpunished but virtually unaccused. Air bombardment is state terrorism, the terrorism of the rich. It has burned up and blasted apart more innocents in the past six decades than have all the antistate terrorists who ever lived. Something has benumbed our consciousness against this reality. In the United States we would not consider for the presidency a man who had once thrown a bomb into a crowded restaurant, but we are happy to elect a man who once dropped bombs from airplanes that destroyed not only restaurants but the buildings that contained them and the neighborhoods that surrounded them. I went to Iraq after the Gulf war and saw for myself what the bombs did; wanton destruction is just the term for it. C. Douglas Lummis, political scientist June 24, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - The above was written in 1994, before the wanton destruction generated by the bombing of Yugoslavia, another in a long list of countries the United States has bombarded since the end of World War II, which is presented below. There appears to be something about launching bombs or missiles from afar onto cities and people that appeals to American military and political leaders. In part it has to do with a conscious desire to not risk American lives in ground combat. And in part, perhaps not entirely conscious, it has to do with not wishing to look upon the gory remains of the victims, allowing American GIs and TV viewers at home to cling to their warm fuzzy feelings about themselves, their government, and their marvelous family values. Washington officials are careful to distinguish between the explosives the US drops from the sky and weapons of mass destruction (WMD), which only the officially-designated enemies (ODE) are depraved enough to use. The US government speaks sternly of WMD, defining them as nuclear, chemical and biological in nature, and indiscriminate (meaning their use cant be limited to military objectives), as opposed to the likes of American precision cruise missiles. This is indeed a shaky semantic leg to stand on, given the well-known extremely extensive damage to non-military targets, including numerous residences, schools and hospitals, even from American smart bombs, in almost all of the bombings listed below. Moreover, Washington does not apply the term weapons of mass destruction to other weapons the US has regularly used, such as depleted uranium and cluster bombs, which can be, and often are, highly indiscriminate. WMD are sometimes further defined as those whose effects linger in the environment, causing subsequent harm to people. This would certainly apply to cluster bombs, and depleted uranium weapons, the latter remaining dangerously radioactive after exploding. It would apply less to conventional bombs, but even with those there are unexploded bombs lying around, and the danger of damaged buildings later collapsing. But more importantly, it seems highly self-serving and specious, not to mention exceptionally difficult, to try to paint a human face on a Tomahawk Cruise missile whose payload of a thousand pounds of TNT crashes into the center of a densely-populated city, often with depleted uranium in its warhead. A terrorist is someone who has a bomb but doesnt have an air force. The bombing list Korea and China 1950-53 (Korean War) Guatemala 1954 Indonesia 1958 Cuba 1959-1961 Guatemala 1960 Congo 1964 Laos 1964-73 Vietnam 1961-73 Cambodia 1969-70 Guatemala 1967-69 Grenada 1983 Lebanon 1983, 1984 (both Lebanese and Syrian targets) Libya 1986 El Salvador 1980s Nicaragua 1980s Iran 1987 Panama 1989 Iraq 1991 (Persian Gulf War) Kuwait 1991 Somalia 1993 Bosnia 1994, 1995 Sudan 1998 Afghanistan 1998 Yugoslavia 1999 Yemen 2002 Iraq 1991-2003 (US/UK on regular basis) Iraq 2003-2015 Afghanistan 2001-2015 Pakistan 2007-2015 Somalia 2007-8, 2011 Yemen 2009, 2011 Libya 2011, 2015 Syria 2014-2015 Plus Iran, April 2003 hit by US missiles during bombing of Iraq, killing at least one person Pakistan, 2002-03 bombed by US planes several times as part of combat against the Taliban and other opponents of the US occupation of Afghanistan China, 1999 its heavily bombed embassy in Belgrade is legally Chinese territory, and it appears rather certain that the bombing was no accident (see chapter 25 of Rogue State) France, 1986 After the French government refused the use of its air space to US warplanes headed for a bombing raid on Libya, the planes were forced to take another, longer route; when they reached Libya they bombed so close to the French embassy that the building was damaged and all communication links knocked out. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 13, 1985 A bomb dropped by a police helicopter burned down an entire block, some 60 homes destroyed, 11 dead, including several small children. The police, the mayors office, and the FBI were all involved in this effort to evict a black organization called MOVE from the house they lived in. Them other guys are really shocking We should expect conflicts in which adversaries, because of cultural affinities different from our own, will resort to forms and levels of violence shocking to our sensibilities. Department of Defense, 1999 The Targets Its become a commonplace to accuse the United States of choosing as its bombing targets only people of color, those of the Third World, or Muslims. But it must be remembered that one of the most sustained and ferocious American bombing campaigns was carried out against the people of the former Yugoslavia white, European, Christians. The United States is an equal-opportunity bomber. The only qualifications for a country to become a target are: It poses a sufficient obstacle to the desires of the American Empire; It is virtually defenseless against aerial attack. The survivors A study by the American Medical Association: Psychiatric disorders among survivors of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing: Nearly half the bombing survivors studied had an active postdisaster psychiatric disorder, and full criteria for PTSD [posttraumatic stress disorder] were met by one third of the survivors. PTSD symptoms were nearly universal, especially symptoms of intrusive reexperience and hyperarousal. Martin Kelly, publisher of a nonviolence website: We never see the smoke and the fire, we never smell the blood, we never see the terror in the eyes of the children, whose nightmares will now feature screaming missiles from unseen terrorists, known only as Americans. Notes This is a chapter from Rogue State: A Guide to the Worlds Only Superpower by William Blum. FBI and Police Are Knocking on Activists Doors Ahead of Republican National Convention By Alice Speri June 24, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " The Intercept " - Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, have been knocking on the doors of activists and community organizers in Cleveland, Ohio, asking about their plans for the Republican National Convention in July. As the city gears up to welcome an estimated 50,000 visitors, and an unknown number of protesters, some of the preparations and restrictions put in place by officials have angered civil rights activists. But the latest string of unannounced home visits by local and federal police marks a significant escalation in officials efforts to stifle protest, they say. The purpose of these door knocks is simple: to intimidate the target and others in efforts to discourage people from engaging in lawful First Amendment activities, Jocelyn Rosnick, a coordinator with the Ohio chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, wrote in a statement denouncing the home visits. More than a dozen people in the Cleveland area have reported being visited this week by local police, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and Secret Service. Michael Nelson, an attorney and the president of the Cleveland chapter of the NAACP, said that police officers visited the parents of one of his clients, a young woman who was among 71 people arrested in May 2015 following the acquittal of a police officer in the deaths of two unarmed people. When the parents asked whether their daughter was in trouble and why they wanted to speak with her, the officers replied that they wanted to ask about any information she might have about anybody engaging in violence, planning violence for the RNC. Nelson and others have asked for a meeting with the agencies involved in the door knocks. Maybe we need to have a discussion about the Constitution, he told The Intercept. Last time we heard of anything like this was when Dr. King and J. Edgar Hoover were around. The FBI confirmed that visits have taken place. In preparation for the upcoming RNC, the FBI, along with our federal, state, and local partners, has been working collaboratively with members of the community, a spokesperson for the FBIs Cleveland field office told The Intercept. As part of this preparation, law enforcement is reaching out to individuals known in the community who may have information that could help ensure a safe and secure environment during the RNC. Clevelands police department did not respond to requests for comment. Maggie Rice, an organizer with Food Not Bombs, said that members of her group were visited by police but felt too rattled to speak to a reporter. The group is not planning to stage protests but has applied for permits to be in the RNC event zone in order to feed both protesters and Cleveland residents dealing with disruptions to public transportation and services like Meals on Wheels. A lot of Clevelands most vulnerable residents will be at risk, Rice said. The idea that the FBI would be coming in, knocking on our doors and asking questions of people that they know are not involved in organizing any protests and that are basically a humanitarian organization is completely unacceptable and very disturbing. One FBI agent and one plainclothes Cleveland police officer, both white men, showed up and started asking questions about other Food Not Bombs members and our activities, Rice said. I personally believe that this is an attempt to intimidate because they know we play a vital role in helping people stay out longer and have their voices heard. In other visits, officers asked about peoples previous addresses, political and social affiliation, and convention plans, according to the NLG. We are concerned these visits will chill the free speech activities of individuals wishing to lawfully protest, said Rosnick. And that individuals who are not planning to be involved in the RNC are being harassed due to their associations. The group is holding free legal training sessions for local activists and residents and has been monitoring law enforcement preparations ahead of the convention. To Cleveland organizers, the recent door knocks are just a reminder that they are being watched. Cleveland is no stranger to FBI interference and FBI entrapment, said Rice. Id say most Cleveland activists and support organizations like ours are aware that every room were in probably has an FBI agent in it. And we act accordingly. Putin Calls Out NATOs Insecurity Agenda By Finian Cunningham June 24, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " RT " - Russias repeated and rebuffed calls for security cooperation proves it is not Russia, but NATO which is the source of Europes instability and geopolitical tension. Not for the first time, President Putin this week sought to allay fears that Russia presents a security threat to Europe and the US. He was speaking on the 75th anniversary of Nazi Germanys invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. Putin boldly referred to historical similarities. He pointed to how the US-led NATO military alliance is increasingly aggressive towards Russia, with the stinging implication this development by the supposedly freedom and democracy promoting alliance takes its precedence from the Third Reich and Operation Barbarossa. The fact that NATO just completed its biggest-ever maneuvers in Poland this month Operation Anaconda involved 31,000 troops simulating an attack on Russia is not without dark historical resonance. Putin also said the serious security threat posed by terrorism required a collective, international response. But he added that Russias repeated calls for collective action have been rebuffed by Western countries. He lamented the Western attitude of maintaining bloc-like security policies as manifested in the form of NATO instead of forming an international security body. And Putin compared the complacency of Western nations today on the question of cooperating in the defeat of terrorism to a similar indifference among Western states during the 1930s towards the rise of Nazi Germany. The Russian leader told lawmakers in the State Duma: NATO is stepping up its aggressive rhetoric and its aggressive actions close to our borders In these conditions we are obliged to dedicate special attention to resolving tasks connected with heightening the defense capabilities of our country. While Russia is beefing up its defense capabilities, Moscows emphasis is unmistakably on diplomacy, dialogue and cooperation not as a partner with NATO but as a member of a genuinely multilateral security organization. The world needs a modern, non-bloc collective security system, said Putin. Russia is open to discuss this crucial issue and has more than once shown its readiness for dialogue, but, just as it happened on the eve of World War Two, we do not see a positive reaction in response. So, if the United States and its European allies are decidedly reluctant to refashion a new international security arrangement, what does that mean? The obvious conclusion is that the proponents of NATO are not primarily motivated by maintaining security through cooperation. NATO proponents are more interested in perpetuating Cold War ideological divisions in the world that revolve around a mentality of us and them. Anaconda bridge: NATO troops build floating rig over Polish river in war games (VIDEO)https://t.co/RGqrks78IG pic.twitter.com/AIiPyrNu79 RT (@RT_com) 9 2016 . The creation of blocs, camps, demarcations and divisions is connected to the necessity of certain nations being compelled to dominate others and to exercise hegemony. Lets cut to the chase: that power mindset most fittingly describes the United States which sees itself as the exceptional, superpower that must not brook any rival, meaning equal. But, surely, equality is the essence of democracy and universal human rights? That the rulers in Washington do not fundamentally share those values is the key to understanding the source of much dysfunction in international relations and rule of law. The NATO-bloc approach to international relations, also by necessity, creates external enemies when such enemies do not actually exist. At the St Petersburg International Economic Forum last week, President Putin concisely captured the nefarious logic: NATO needs a foreign enemy; otherwise it would have no reason for the organizations existence. Of course, the 28 members of NATO do have real enemies or security problems, such as jihadist terror groups and mass migration. But why NATO does not address these problems more effectively by forming a collective, international security organization, as Russia proposes is because the NATO leadership under the United States is much more concerned about maintaining its hegemony through carving out global divisions. Unfortunately for Russia, it is the foreign enemy the US and its NATO advocates require in order to perpetuate divisions, insecurities and the very existence of NATO itself. The tremendous paradox of this is that NATO is far from serving as the architecture for security in the North Atlantic and Europe that it purports to be. It is the source of instability and insecurity. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier last week admonished NATO for saber-rattling and warmongering with its provocative military exercises in Poland towards Russia. He instead called for more dialogue and cooperation with Moscow. It was a remarkably refreshing admission of reality by a senior NATO member. And it is notable how this outburst of sanity has since been ignored by other NATO states and the Western media. Steinmeiers comments corroborate what Russia has long been saying; that NATOs activities and build-up across Eastern Europe is the provocation, not alleged Russian malfeasance. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also attempted to break through the illusory NATO narrative when he said recently: Every serious and honest politician is well aware that Russia will never invade any NATO member. Russias envoy to NATO, Aleksandr Grushko, said constant NATO declarations about defending Baltic States and Poland from Russian aggression are completely absurd because they are discussing a non-existent problem. It is absurd, but from NATOs point of view it is completely logical. For in that logic, there resides the rationale for massive military spending that props up the US economy; the continued domineering political control by Washington over European affairs; and the rewarding American patronage for European politicians who conform to the NATO agenda. #Putin : Romania in crosshairs after opening NATO missile defense base https://t.co/hLGo2J5o3R pic.twitter.com/6O65eXIFIF RT (@RT_com) 28 2016 . One such politician is the former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, who became NATOs civilian titular head in 2014. He is one of the mantra-like voices warning about Russias threat to Europe and the need for NATO strength. One wonders what kind of salary Stoltenberg would obtain if he hadnt the NATO gig? Ahead of the British referendum this week on whether to stay or leave the European Union, Stoltenberg weighed in with a vigorous plea for a Remain vote. His line of argument was that Britain is an important member of NATO and the EU, and that strength and unity are vital for security. Closer to the truth is that NATOs strength and unity is the source of much of Europes insecurity. Not only has it driven Europes refugee crisis by its members interfering unlawfully in Libya, Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq; the military organization has cynically driven a dangerous and totally unnecessary cleavage between Europe and Russia. Putins inference of NATO as representing a modern-day threat following in the historical tank tracks of Nazi Germany is appropriate. NATOs record of propagating instability and insecurity is patent. When one considers the real, ulterior purpose of NATO at its founding in 1949 to keep the Russians out, the Germans down and the Americans in this baleful legacy should not be surprising. But the proof of the argument follows Russias proposal for a new collective, international security cooperation. NATOs refusal to meet this reasonable proposal betrays its real agenda of confrontation and insecurity. In that way, Vladimir Putin succeeded in calling out the true nature of NATO. Unwillingness speaks volumes. Basta Ya, Brussels! British Voters Reject EU Corporate Slavestate By Mike Whitney Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must undergo the fatigue of supporting it. Thomas Paine British voters delivered a savage deathblow to the EU corporate superstate on Thursday sending global markets tumbling and forcing Prime Minister David Cameron to announce his resignation. The narrow victory, which caught the prognosticators by surprise, is the strongest sign yet that working people across the continent are awakening to economic and political disaster that has been created in the name of European integration. Not only has the EU failed to live up to its promise of lifting all boats and widening prosperity, it has also transformed the region into a low-growth, high unemployment charnel house where bankers and their corporate allies siphon off the wealth of the weaker states to enrich high-flying speculators and voracious bondholders. And while the referendums outcome will surely be challenged in the months to come, it represents a critical turning point in the publics attitude towards a thoroughly reactionary and odious institution that is solely responsible for the abysmal state of the economy, the progressive erosion of living standards, and steady rise of right wing extremism. Heres a short clip from Raul Ilargi Meijer explaining what Brexit really means: Nobody seems to understand its not about Cameron or Nigel Farage, or Michael Gove vs Boris Johnson, its about voting for or against the EU, for or against Juncker and Tusk and five other unelected presidents having a say in ones life. And thats not all either. Its about voting to leave, or remain in, a Union that is already dead and preserved only in a zombie state. Brexit is just one vote and many more will inevitably follow. Brexit is not the first, Grexit had that honor last year. Later this month, elections in Italy and Spain have the potential to turn into preliminary Italix and Spexit votes. And then there will be more. The reason why these things are taking place, and will be, going forward, is that the economies of all these countries are fast deteriorating. The sole reason why people have accepted the rule of Brussels coming from far away over their daily lives, is the promise that it would make those lives better and more comfortable. That promise has been shattered. The EU has made things worse for most Europeans, not improved them. And when seen in that light, why should people agree to continue to be told what to do by those whove made them poorer? Theres no democratic model in which that remotely makes sense. There are only undemocratic models left. An economy in decline means the end of centralization and the end of existing political power structures. This is inevitable. (Murder, Lifeboats, an Iceberg and an Orchestra, Automatic Earth) The Brexit referendum represents a fundamental rejection of austerity for working people and subsidies (QE) for the markets. It is an indictment of the destructive policies that have thrust a broad swathe of southern Europe into a permanent depression while bankers in Paris and Berlin make out like bandits. Even now the loathsome European Central Bank continues to run up massive debts (ECB-QE is $80 billion per month) just to line the pockets of corporate CEOs who offload their toxic bonds with the clear intention of using the money to buyback their own shares further enriching themselves and their swinish shareholders at the expense of ordinary investors. This Ponzi-rip off is what passes as economic policy in the EU. Brexit threatens put an end to this hucksters swindle. Heres a little more background from the World Socialist Web Site: The EU is an instrument of the ruling classes of Europe for the imposition of brutal austerity measuresmost directly on the workers of Greece, of Spain, Portugal and Ireland, but also on workers in the UK, France and Germany.Prime minister, Cameron, has even proclaimed an Age of Austerity as his government imposes cuts of 210 billion, (263 billion), equivalent to over 10 percent of Britains GDP, at the cost of the destruction of 20 percent of all public sector jobs, millions more in the private sector and the decimation of vital services. The EU is second of all an instrument of military aggression. It is a vital ally of NATO in its escalating conflict with Russia and China as the US and European powers seek to control all of the worlds markets and resourcesincluding vital oil and gas riches commanded by the Putin regime in Moscow and the giant production platform manned by billions of super-exploited workers led by President Xi Jinping in Beijing. (The Brexit referendum and the struggle for socialism, World Socialist Web Site) Brexit is also a rejection of incoherent immigration policies whose objective is to accommodate the millions of victims of US war-making in the Middle East. EU leaders should make every effort, including economic sanctions, to stop Washington from arming and training extremist proxies that are currently fighting in Syria and who have forced roughly 4 million refugees to flee to Europe for safety. Europe shouldnt be blamed for the blowback from Americas bloodthirsty foreign policy. Even so, Brussels unwillingness to stand up to Washington on this matter has allowed radical elements to emerge whose xenophobia is fueling widespread anti-immigrant hysteria. In the US, GOP hopeful, Donald Trump has capitalized off anti-immigrant sentiment making a wall along the Mexico border a central tenet of his platform. Trump issued a statement shortly after the results of the EU referendum were announced. He said: The people of the United Kingdom have exercised the sacred right of all free peoples. They have declared their independence from the European Union and have voted to reassert control over their own politics, borders and economy. A Trump administration pledges to strengthen our ties with a free and independent Britain, deepening our bonds in commerce, culture and mutual defense. The whole world is more peaceful and stable when our two countries and our two peoples are united together, as they will be under a Trump administration. Come November, the American people will have the chance to re-declare their independence. Americans will have a chance to vote for trade, immigration and foreign policies that put our citizens first. They will have the chance to reject todays rule by the global elite, and to embrace real change that delivers a government of, by and for the people. I hope America is watching, it will soon be time to believe in America again. Trump owes his popularity entirely to the mismanagement of the US economy whichlike the EUprovides trillions for Wall Street while leaving Main Street to fend for itself. The widening of inequality is paralleled by the rise in political extremism which is hastening the dissolution of the EU superstate and the move towards war. And Britain is just the tip of the iceberg. According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, only 38 percent of people in France had a favorable view of the EU, down from 69 percent in 2004. (which is lower than the level of support in the UK). Similarly, only 47 percent of the Spanish population holds a favorable view of the EU, down from 80 percent in 2007. The EU has shown that it is as incapable of reform as it is of accepting responsibility for perpetuating a financial crisis that began 7 years ago and persists to this very day. It has also demonstrated repeatedly that it will not hesitate to inflict as much economic pain as possible on its victims unless they comply with its counterproductive edicts. Worst of all, the strict rules of the EU make it impossible for state representatives to follow the will of their people or to act in a way that serves their own national interests. Any deviation from Brussels neoliberal consensus is likely to end up before the European Court of Justice where the mega corporations have the upper hand. By leaving the EU, Britain will restore its sovereignty and strengthen its democracy. Ambrose Evans Pritchard summed it up like this: Stripped of distractions, it comes down to an elemental choice: whether to restore the full self-government of this nation, or to continue living under a higher supranational regime, ruled by a European Council that we do not elect in any meaningful sense, and that the British people can never remove, even when it persists in error. Hats off to the British voters who had the guts to reject the EU corporate slavestate and cast their ballot for freedom. Youre an inspiration to us all. Mike Whitney lives in Washington state. He is a contributor to Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion (AK Press). Hopeless is also available in a Kindle edition. He can be reached at fergiewhitney@msn.com. Policy by Waging Undeclared War Against Russia? Washingtons NATO buildup on Russias borders, its refusal to cooperate with Moscow in Syria and Ukraine, and its anti-Putin propaganda form an ominous pattern. By Stephen F. Cohen June 24, 2016 " Information Clearing House" - " The Nation " - Nation contributing editor Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussions of the new US-Russian Cold War. (Previous installments are at TheNation.com.) Cohen raises three hypothetical and heretical questions for discussion. Does the recent escalation of anti-Russian behavior by Washington, from its growing NATO military buildup on Russias western borders and refusal to cooperate with Moscow against the Islamic State in Syria to the Obama administrations refusal to compel its government in Kiev to implement a negotiated settlement of the Ukrainian civil war, reflect an undeclared US war against Russia already underway? Given that many US allies are unhappy with these developments, has Washington gone rogue? And does the recent spate of warfare media information reflect these new realities? As evidence, Cohen points to some recent examples: the emerging permanence of NATOs exercises on Russias borders on land, sea, and in the air; the Obama administrations refusal to separate physically its moderate oppositionists in Syria from anti-Assad fighters recognized as terrorist groups, despite having promised to do so; the demand by 51 State Department diplomats that Obama launch air strikes against Assads Syrian army, which is allied with Moscow, even if it might mean military confrontation with Russia; the questionable allegation that Russia had hacked files of the Democratic National Committee coupled with a NATO statement that hacking a member state might now be regarded as war against the entire military alliance; and the EUs renewal of economic sanctions against Russia without any meaningful pretext. As evidence that many US allies are unhappy with these developments, even opposed them, Cohen cites the German Foreign Ministers denunciation of NATOs buildup as war-mongering; the stated desire of several major European countries, which (not the United States) pay the economic costs to end the sanctions; the growing political and security relationship between Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu and Putin; and the relative success of the international economic conference in St. Petersburg last week, hosted by Putin, whom the Obama administration continues to try to isolate. Whether or not Washingtons behavior constitutes undeclared war, Putin, at the conference, warned that if it continues it will mean war, reinforcing Cohens impression that Moscow is preparing for the worst, bringing the two nuclear superpowers to their worst confrontation since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Batchelor asks if these warlike steps on the part of Washington will benefit Hillary Clinton in the presidential election. Cohen agrees that she has associated herself with such hardline US policies but thinks the problem is more general. A presidential election is supposed to feature the best aspects of American democracy, including full public discussion of foreign policy. But the mainstream media have largely deleted the questions discussed by Cohen and Batchelor from their election coverage. Given full media coverage, including of Donald Trumps foreign-policy views, which are quite unlike those of Clinton, especially regarding Russia, we would learn two now unknowable things: Would Trumps less hawkish positions appeal to American voters; and will those voters see through and reject establishment media cheerleading for, in effect, war with Russia? (Cohen notes parenthetically that today, already June 22 in Russia and Europe, is the 75th anniversary of Hitlers invasion of Soviet Russia on June 22, 1941. Russians, he adds, certainly have it in mind.) Stephen F. Cohen is a professor emeritus of Russian studies and politics at New York University and Princeton University and a contributing editor of The Nation . The Brexit Vote By Paul Craig Roberts June 24, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - What does it mean? Hopefully, a breakup of the EU and NATO and, thereby, the avoidance of World War III. The EU and NATO are evil institutions. These two institutions are mechanisms created by Washington in order to destroy the sovereignty of European peoples. These two institutions give Washington control over the Western world and serve both as cover and enabler of Washingtons aggression. Without the EU and NATO, Washington could not force Europe and the UK into conflict with Russia, and Washington could not have destroyed seven Muslim countries in 15 years without being isolated as a hated war criminal government, no member of whom could have travelled abroad without being arrested and put on trial. Clearly, the presstitute media lied about the polls in order to discourage the leave vote. But it did not work. The British people have always been the font of liberty. It was the the historic achievements of the British that transformed law into a shield of the people from a weapon in the hands of the state and gave accountable government to the world. The British, or a majority of them, understood that the EU is a dictatorial governing mechanism in which power is in the hands of unaccountable people and in which law can easily be used as a weapon in the hands of unaccountable government. Washington, in an effort to save its power over Europe, launched a campaign, willingly joined by presstitutes and the brainwashed left-wing, who flocked to the One Percents banner, that presented the effort to preserve British liberty and sovereignty as racism. This dishonest campaign shows beyond all doubt that Washington and its media whores have no regard whatsoever for liberty and the sovereignty of peoples. Washington regards every assertion of democratic rule as a barrier to its hegemony and demonizes every democratic impulse. Reformist leaders in Latin America are constantly overthrown by Washington, and Washington asserts that only Washington and its terrorist allies have the right to choose the government of Syria, just as Washington chose the government of Ukraine. The British people, or a majority of them, gave Washington the bird. But the fight is not over. Perhaps it hasnt really yet begun. Here is what the British can likely expect: The Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of Japan, and George Soros will conspire to attack the British pound, driving it down and terrorizing the British economy. We will see who is the strongest: the will of the British people or the will of the CIA, the One Percent, and the EU and neocon nazis. The coming attack on the British economy is the reason that leave supporters such as Boris Johnson are mistaken in their belief that there is no need for haste in exiting the EU. The longer it takes for the British to escape from the authoritarian EU, the longer Washington and the EU can inflict punishment on the British people for voting to leave and the more time the presstitutes will have to convince the British people that their vote was a mistake. As the vote is nonbinding, a cowardly and cowed Parliament could reject the vote. Cameron should step down immediately, not months from now in October. The new British government should tell the EU that the British peoples decision is implemented now, not in two years and that all political and legal relationships terminated as of the vote. Otherwise, in two years the British will be so beat down by punishments and propaganda that their vote will be overturned. The British government should immediately announce the termination of its participation in Washingtons sanctions on Russia and hook its economy to the rising nations of Russia, China, India, and Iran. With this support, the British can survive the Washington led attack on their economy. Despite the Vote, the Odds Are Against Britain Leaving the EU By Paul Craig Roberts The Brexit vote shows that a majority of the British voters understand that the UK government represents interests other than the interests of the British people. As difficult as the British know it is to hold their own government to account, they understand they have no prospect whatsoever of holding the EU government to account. During their time under the EU, the British have been reminded of historical times when law was the word of the sovereign. The propagandists who comprise the Western political and media establishments succeeded in keeping the real issues out of public discussion and presenting the leave vote as racism. However, enough of the British people resisted the brainwashing and controlled debate to grasp the real issues: sovereignty, accountable government, financial independence, freedom from involvement in Washingtons wars and conflict with Russia. The British people should not be so naive as to think that their vote settles the matter. The fight has only begun. Expect: The British government to come back to the people and say, look, the EU has given us a better deal. We can now afford to stay in. The Fed, ECB, BOJ, and NY hedge funds to pound the pound and to short British stocks in order to convince the British voters that their vote is sinking the economy. More emphasis on the votes weakening of Europe, leaving all to the mercy of Russian aggression. Hard to resist bribes (and threats) to prominent members of the leave majority and pressure on such leave leaders as Boris Johnson to be reasonable, concillatory and to maintain good relations with Washington and Europe, and to reach a compromise on remaining in the EU. Expect the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) to attribute the loss of British jobs and investment opportunities to the leave vote. Once you learn to think about how things really are and not as the presstitutes present them, you will be able to add to the list all by yourself. Remember, the Irish voted against the EU and pressure was kept on them until they reversed their vote. This is the likely fate of the British. Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts' latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West , How America Was Lost , and The Neoconservative Threat to World Order . Immediate past councilor ward 1 Abua/Odual local government Council 7th legislative Assembly and Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Hon. John Alali Morri was allegedly murdered by unknown assailants around Emughan junction as he was on his way to the village, while returning from appeal court Port Harcourt where he went to show solidarity with his colleagues and party during the ruling of the court on Monday 20 June 2016. Read statement released by Rivers Councillors Forum below; We receive with disbelief and sadness the unfortunate news of the gruesome murder of one of our former colleague Hon. John Alali Morris, the immediate past councillor Ward 1 Abua/Odual local government Council 7th legislative Assembly and Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress. Hon. John Alali Morris fondly called Alaska we hear was killed by yet to be identified assailants around Emughan junction in his native land Abua, as he was said to be on his way to the village, while returning from appeal court Port Harcourt were he went to show solidarity with his colleagues and party during the ruling of the court on Monday 20 June 2016. Our heart is heavy and we sincerely condole with the bereaved and the Abua/Odual APC family. The Rivers councillors forum of the 8th Legislative Assembly is deeply pained and devastated by the news of this devilish, shameful, devastating and barbaric act. It is our earnest prayers that the good Lord will grant the families he left behind the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss. We therefore condemn in its entirety and in the most strongest possible term this bizarre and clueless wastage of the life of this innocent and promising young Man for no justifiable reason whatsoever. This killing is to us one too many and we believe it should not have happened in a modern and contemporary times. The Forum at this moment will like to passionately call on the new commissioner of police in Rivers State to quickly swing into action with a view to bringing the perpetrators of this shocking and dastardly act to justice. For us, it is a litmus test for the new Rivers CP, as we believe it will not be swept under the carpet as was the case in the past. We sincerely trust and hope that the coming of the new police boss to Rivers State will bring renewed confidence and trust of the people on the Nigerian police uncompromising ability of discharging its constitutional responsibilities of protecting lives and properties in the state without fear or favour. We call on our party members all over the state not to be intimidated by this ceaseless and unwarranted killings going on unabated, as we know these are part of Orchestrated and desperate plans by some unpatriotic persons aimed at silencing the opposition in the state, but all that shall fail. As the Bible says; The Egyptian you see today, you shall see them no more. There time of judgement is near. Finally, we call on all well meaning citizens and residence of the state to be extremely vigilant and security conscious and to assist the police and other security agencies in curbing crimes and criminality by reporting any suspicious elements and characters in our various communities. Signed: Dae (Hon) Stephen Deegbara Chairman, State Steering Committee. Rivers Councillors Forum. (8th Legislative Assembly) Source: Trezzy blog Acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, has reiterated his commitment to prosecute any corrupt individual or institutions despite being critized heavily for selective anti-graft campaign. Mr Magu expressed worries over the involvement of banks in money laundering sounding out private banking as the vehicle for top politicians to launder huge sums of tax payers monies. He said he had already taken the matter up with the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele and other top banking executives with a view to put an end to looting. We had a discussion with the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and I insisted that this so-called private banking should be stopped. It is illegal. It is wrong. We are not only going after the personnel of the banks but also after the banks. What happens is that when a staff of the bank is involved in such activities, what the bank does is to take the person out of the system through dismissal. But now, we are going to go after the banks and the personnel used to perpetrate the fraud. It takes two to tango. In fact, very soon you will see us going after the Managing Directors of the banks. We dont care what happens because the right thing has to be done. These people have given a lot of room for the money laundering activities to thrive. They were used to hide all the stolen. However, the EFCC chairman also said there is no sparing any corrupt individual in the war, adding that any Nigerian who commits an economic crime must face the law. There is no sacred cow as far as this fight against corruption is concerned. We will go after anybody who has committed an offence. We will collect the money back, so that it will go back to the treasury and be used for the original purposes. I dont care whether youre black or white or you come from party A or Party B; the moment it can be established that you have stolen from the public treasury, we will go after you. Even right here [in EFCC], if we discover that youre corrupt, we will kick you out. And we are already doing that. So we dont go after innocent people. We are going after the thieves of state resources. A writer for a biblical prophetic website has claimed that the momentous UK referendum on the EU that occurred on Thursday, which led to a win for the leave camp, was prophesied in biblical times. Writing for the Trumpet.com, David Vejil cobbled together some vague biblical verses and some crazy conspiracy theories to arrive at his esteemed conclusion that the Bible predicted the exit of the UK from the European Union. The supposed prophecy is part of a larger ideology held by the website, which is owned by the Philadelphia Trumpet that modern Britain was formed by the descendants of Ephraim from the Bible, and the United States was formed by the descendants of Manasseh. Both are children of the biblical patriarch Jacob. He writes of Britains roots in Israel When the Assyrians were conquered by the Chaldean-Babylonian Empire, they migrated north and west to Europe. Ultimately, they became modern Germany. The Lost 10 Tribes migrated northwest as well, but they migrated even farther. Some tribes settled in France, Belgium, Holland and the Scandinavian countries where their descendants continue to today. . two tribes in particular migrated even farther: Ephraim and Manasseh. The Bible prophesied that these two tribes in particular would inherit massive national wealth (Genesis 48:14-16). Ephraim migrated to the British Isles. Manasseh settled in the United States. So now that we know two of the worlds most powerful nations roots, its time to learn how biblical prophecy foretold the UK would one day leave the European Union. God prophesied that after Ephraim and Manasseh received their promised wealth and power, if they did not turn to the God who blessed them, He would remove those blessings and punish these nations with war and captivity. He writes. Part of the punishment is the UK partnering with the enemy (Germany), who would later turn on them and enslave them. God prophesied that the British people would, at some point, partner with Germany! Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria (Hosea 7:11). Assyria is the biblical name for modern-day Germany (read Germany and the Holy Roman Empire for proof). Britain went to Germany by joining the European Economic Community in 1973, the forerunner to the EU. The British lacked heart or understanding, and joined in hopes of saving their struggling economy. Instead of turning to God, they turned to Germany for help. Because of that, God prophesied: I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down I will chastise them . Woe unto them! (verses 12-13). God brings great trouble on the British people for turning to Germany. He actually causes them to go into captivity by the very people they sought help from. That is exactly why the British voted to leave the European Union. They know the EU will only continue to rob them of their rights and independence. Decades of regulation and increasingly intrusive policy have already eroded Britains sovereignty. If the great God fulfilled His plan and purpose by bringing tremendous wealth to the British and American people, then He will also fulfill His plan to bring them into captivity in a Great Tribulation! The British no vote will not help the British escape, but if you understand these prophecies and learn Gods purpose, you can escape the disaster approaching Britain. Most will ignore this warning, but you have a choice. Will you believe Bible prophecy? Yes, I dont know what hes ranting about either. You can read the entire article HERE This article first appeared on GC Vanguard A lecturer in the Theatre Arts Department of the College of Education Oju in Benue state, Godwin Abuul, has been allegedly murdered by his wife, name withheld, in connivance with her siblings over alleged extra marital affairs. Punch The demand for immunity and life pension for principal officers of the National Assembly has put senators in the eye of the storm, The Sun THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State has raised the alarm, alleging that All Progressives Congress (APC ) is manipulating the ongoing Independent National Electoral Commissions (INEC) voter registration exercise in the state by operating parallel centres different from the official designated points. Daily Times A group of youths in in the Niger Delta under the aegies of the Niger Delta Youths Solidarity Movement (NDYSM) have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore stories of impeding coup allegedly being hatched by militant groups in the region, saying such stories are mere rumours being concorted by oil thieves and miscreants who detest the presence of navy and army in the region. Guardian The African Peer Review Mechanism is Africas good governance promotion and self-monitoring initiative and was established with a primary objective of fostering the adoption of policies, values and standard that will lead to political stability and economic growth on the continent. Daily Trust Some electricity consumers in the country have described current billing system of power Distribution Companies (DISCOs) as outrageous and disturbing. National Mirror Justice Hussein Baba- Yusuf, of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Maitama yesterday, struck out the names of the immediate past publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party Chief, Olisa Metuh and two others in the suit filed by a faction of the PDP. Justice Bab Tribune The Chief Magistrates Court 1 sitting in Kaduna has sentenced the District Head of Mahuta in Kaduna and 13 others to two years imprisonment over criminal conspiracy, trespass and intimidation. New Telegraph President Muhammadu Buhari has bemoaned economic crisis plaguing the country, saying the development may not be unconnected with acts of vandalism perpetrated by Niger Delta militants. Daily Independent When 35-year-old Corporal Christian Oboko, attached to Rivers State Police Command, was arrested for armed robbery, his colleagues were stunned United States first lady, Michelle Obama, will travel to Africa on Sunday with daughters Sasha and Malia and her mother as part of an effort to promote girls education, her office said. The upcoming, six-day trip will include visits to Morocco and Liberia. She will also visit Spain. The trip will highlight the work of Let Girls Learn, a U.S government initiative launched by U.S President Barack Obama and the first lady in 2015, Reuters reported. That project is part of a U.S governments effort to address the barriers that keep over 62 million girls around the world out of school, particularly adolescent girls, Reuters quoted the first ladys chief of staff, Tina Tchen, as saying to reporters on a conference call. Michelle Obama will be joined by actresses Meryl Streep and Freida Pinto in Morocco, where they will talk to adolescent girls on the challenges they face in getting an education, her office said. In Liberia, she will visit a U.S Peace Corps training facility and a school along with Liberian President, Ellen Johansson Sirleaf, Africas first female elected head of state and a Nobel Peace Prize winner. The U.S first ladys interest in education for young girls was heightened after the Boko Haram sect seized 276 girls from their school in Chibok, northeast Nigeria, in April 2014. She highlighted their plight through a Twitter hashtag, #BringBackOurGirls. This is a unique trip in the sense that the first lady is going to three different regions that are important to the United States: Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and Europe, Ben Rhodes, assistant to the President, told reporters on the same call. Source: TheNation Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode on Thursday received a donation of N10 million from the Lebanese Nigerian Initiative (LNI) for the State Security Trust Fund, charging the body to continue to do more for the State. The Governor, who spoke at the Lagos House, Ikeja when he received the Chairman and the directors of the LNI through the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tunji Bello thanked the group for the initiative, adding that a lot could still be done for the State in that regard. Particularly in the field of security, there is still a lot you can still do for us. Without the efforts of people like you and others in the past, Lagos would not have been where it is today in terms of maintenance of peace and security, he said. The Governor added that with the business pedigree of each of the members of the LNI, the present administration is deeply appreciative of their contribution which, according to him, is a good initiative. He said the issue of security cannot be left alone for government to handle and that this was one of the reasons that informed the clarion call to members of the organized private sector to join the State Government in ensuring that the people can sleep with their two eyes closed. Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the Lebanese Nigerian Initiative (LNI), Mr. Faysal El-Khalil said the members of the Lebanese community have been in Nigeria for over a century doing legitimate business. He said the members are, through the latest gesture, demonstrating a reassurance of their commitment to the determination of the present administration to keep criminals at bay permanently. Mr El-Khalil said the donation was about how the members of the Lebanese community can give back to the Nigerian and Lagos community which they have been operating for long. He said in addition to the security initiative, the LNI has also embarked upon a project towards investing in education by creating an endowment fund in the American University in Beirut where specified number of Nigerians would be beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the State Government, through the LSSTF, on Thursday donated 100 hundred level four bullet proof vests and ballistic helmets to the State Command of Nigerian Police. Speaking during the donation which was received by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, Executive Secretary of LSSTF, Dr. Abdulrazak Balogun said the massive support to security agencies in the State was part of the strategy of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration at ensuring a safe, secure and prosperous State. While stating that businesses and investments can only thrive in a secured and conducive atmosphere, Balogun said there was a need for the Organized Private Sector (OPS) to continue to support government, especially by complementing the sincere and genuine efforts of the present administration in the State at securing lives and property. He said: We just continue to appeal to the private sector to continue to support us. They have been doing so well. As you know, the Trust Fund is based on donor funding and so all we have been able to achieve is from the private sector and we just appeal to them that nothing is too small. As Lagos continues to grow and improve, security challenges continue to increase and we need to forestall this problem in future and we can only do that with the continuous support of the private sector. On this day in 2015; A legal luminary and founder of the only private university in Ekiti State, Chief Afe Babalola wrote the governor-elect of Ekiti, Mr Ayodele Fayose, urging him to attract federal presence to the state. The legal icon equally tasked Fayose not to disappoint the people of the state, especially the youths. Also on this day in 2014; Babatunde Fashola as a governor of Lagos State then, said 70 new roads had been approved and awarded for construction and rehabilitation in the state, even as the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, deplored the poor state of the Federal High Court in Lagos Island, saying it is in its old self. Equally on this day in 2013;There was mild drama, when the Police in Ogun State arrested a suspected robber with bullet wounds in a church in Ota, Ado-Odo-Ota Local Government Area of the state. On this day in 2013;The Federal Government, vowed to defend the interests of Nigerians, following the introduction of a new visa policy by the British government. The policy required Nigerians travelling to the United Kingdom to produce a cash bond of N730,000 (3,000 pounds, $4,600 or 3,500 euros) before they enter the UK. And on this day in 2014;No fewer than 38 persons, including women and children, were killed in separate attacks on Fadan Karshi and Nandu villages in Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Several sources are reporting that the US Ambassador has concrete evidence against three Nigerian lawmakers accused of sexual misconduct. The three members of the house of Representatives attended a course in Cleveland and were accused of accosting a hotel housekeeper. They were also accused of soliciting for sex but all three men involved have denied the charges. The three lawmakers Mohammed Garba Gololo (Bauchi APC), Samuel Ikon (Akwa Ibom PDP) and Mark Gbillah (Benue APC) have gone as far as threatening legal action against the Ambassador. The House of Reps have begun formal investigation into the allegations but have asked the ambassador to present evidence. A lecturer in the Theatre Arts Department of the College of Education Oju in Benue state, Godwin Abuul, has been allegedly murdered by his wife, name withheld, in connivance with her siblings over alleged extra-marital affairs. Saturday Vanguard gathered that Abuul who went missing about two weeks ago in Gboko was killed by his murderers who also dumped his remains in River Katsina/Ala. According to a family source who craved anonymity, the deceased two weeks ago went missing in Gboko after returning from Oju where he lectured at the state owned College of Education. Narrating the story he said, Goddy used to lecture at the College of Education in Oju. He travels weekly from here in Gboko to Oju to lecture after which he returns to Gboko to spend his weekend with his wife and two children. Unfortunately, two weeks ago he returned from Oju and said he was traveling to Katsina/Ala on a private visit, that was the last we heard of him. His disappearance was reported to the Police who since then have been combing the entire state in search of his whereabouts. Luckily, just two days ago, the cloth he wore the last day anybody saw him was found with a young man who was immediately arrested by the Police in Gboko. Upon interrogation the young man confessed to the Police how the missing lecturer was allegedly killed by his wife in connivance with her siblings. His confession triggered the arrest of several persons including the wife of the deceased and mother of his two children and all those mentioned in the saga, by the Police in Gboko, though the matter has been transferred to the Command Headquarters in Makurdi for further investigations. Continuing, the source said, already his wife has confessed all she knew about the matter to the Police. We learned that she alleged that her brothers beat her husband up because he was involved in extra marital affairs, but not with the intention to kill him. After killing him, they allegedly dumped his body in River Katsina/Ala and also went ahead to sell his Honda car to an innocent buyer for the sum of N650,000 and of that sum, the wife of the murdered lecturer was given the sum of N400, 000 as her share of the proceed. As I speak with you, the Police and local divers are still combing River Katsina/Ala to locate the remains of the Goddy (the deceased) but we very much doubt if his remains would be seen because the fishes must have feasted on it. When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Assistant Superintendent, ASP, Moses Yamu who confirmed the incident said he was yet to get full details of the matter. Yamu said, yes I know of the matter but Im yet to get the full details of the matter from the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, because the suspects are yet to arrive Makurdi. At this moment I cannot confirm that the wife of the deceased was behind his murder until the details are made available to me. Source: Vanguard Spain faces another election with major implications for the entire EU; Brazilian budget figures will reveal the headwinds facing the new administration; The pageantry of a medieval horse race in Italy Sunday, June 26: Spain heads to the polls in elections that observers predict will be a bit of deja vu: a splintered government. After Spains December elections failed to yield a new government, in May King Felipe VI issued a decree to dissolve the countrys parliament, paving the way for this latest round of polling. The ruling Partido Popular, a conservative party, is expecting to win this latest round of voting, as it did in December, and again without a clear coalition partner. For bond investors mindful of the fallout in Greece following the ascendency of the Syriza party a major question is whether the Spanish the anti-austerity party Podemos can secure sufficient seats. Tuesday, June 28: The 2016 World Economic Forums New Champions meeting in Tianjin, China winds down. This years theme is The Fourth Industrial Revolution and its Transformational Impact and will count Uber Technologies CEO Travis Kalanick among its co-chairs and presenters. In February the ride-sharing company revealed that its losses on Chinese operations totaled an annual $1 billion as it faces extreme competition from local rivals. Kalanick insists that Uber is well positioned ultimately to prevail in the market. Wednesday, June 29: Brazils Ministry of Finance releases monthly national budget balance figures stand to lend insight into the depth of the challenges facing acting Brazilian President Michel Temer. Last week his administration approved a nearly $1 billion emergency aid package for Rio de Janeiro State, as the region struggles to prepare for the Olympics in the face of dwindling public funds. Both notes from the June European Central Bank policy meeting and Eurostat preliminary consumer price index levels for June are on deck. With the ECB easing facility now actively purchasing corporate bonds, any signal that deflationary pressure remains in place may drive European yields lower across the full curve. In advance of the U.K.s vote Thursday to secede from the European Union, ECB president Mario Draghi had pledged to take any action necessary to protect the euro zones prospects for growth. Friday, July 1: Both the government National Bureau of Statistics and the private Caixin/Markit release final China PMI data for June. May data disappointed investors with weaker-than-forecast performance for the manufacturing and service sectors despite stimulus measures by the Peoples Bank of China. Despite sluggish activity signals and lower investment levels in recent quarters, last weeks INSEAD Asian Business Sentiment Index released indicated that there is a revival of optimism among corporate leaders in the region. Saturday, July 2: The Italian city of Siena plays host to the Palio di Siena, a horse race whose origins trace back to medieval times and has existed in its modern form since 1656. The ten-man, saddleless, non-purebred horse race honors the Madonna of Provenzano. Feasting and medieval pageantry add to the twice-annual spectacle; Siena hosts another Palio on August 19 in honor of the Assumption of Mary. E arrivata lufficialita, dopo una giornata di voci rincorrenti: per il triennio 2018-2021 sara lemittente Sky a godere dei diritti televisivi per trasmettere, in esclusiva assoluta, le partite non solo delle prossime edizioni dellEuropa League ma anche quelle della massima competizione continentale, la Champions. Un pacchetto da favola per il quale la tv satellitare di Rupert Murdoch avrebbe messo sul piatto unofferta giudicata piu congrua di quella presentata dalla concorrente Mediaset. A dare lannuncio dellaffare concluso e stata la stessa Sky che, in un comunicato, ha spiegato che il nuovo format sviluppato dalla UEFA ci consentira di portare ai nostri abbonati un prodotto rivoluzionario per il calcio europeo in Italia. Per la prima volta la UEFA Champions League e la UEFA Europa League saranno insieme in unesclusiva offerta integrata, che permettera agli appassionati di seguire fino a 7 squadre italiane, mai cosi tante prima dora, impegnate nelle sfide con i migliori club europei. Sky: Rafforzata leadership Anche il livello tecnico dellofferta sara altissimo ed e ancora lemittente a rivelare i dettagli: Continueremo a fare innovazione, trasmettendo le partite piu importanti anche in 4K HDR. Questofferta senza precedenti rafforza la posizione di Sky come leader della programmazione sportiva in Italia ed e anche un altro passo importante di sostegno al calcio italiano. Insomma, per i prossimi tre anni, sara unegemonia totale quella della satellitare sul calcio europeo, avendo mantenuto il pacchetto Europa League (gia sua esclusiva) e affiancandola a quello ancor piu appetibile della Champions League ad appannaggio Mediaset dal 2015 al 2018. Sfida Serie A Ora la sfida fra i due colossi delle trasmissioni sportive si spostera sui diritti televisivi della prossima Serie A, per la quale si e ancora in attesa di un nuovo bando che, come annunciato dal commissario della Lega, Carlo Tavecchio, avra le stesse caratteristiche del precedente, andato pero a vuoto: solo una delle offerte presentate per i cinque pacchetti, infatti, superava la soglia minima richiesta dalla base dasta. Niente di fatto, quindi, anche in virtu della stessa Mediaset che, in sostanza, ha disertato il bando (giudicato inaccettabile) non presentando alcuna offerta. La battaglia, anche in questo caso, sara sulle esclusive: del resto, dopo essersi vista scivolare via una componente importante come la Champions, sulla Serie A Mediaset dara sicuramente battaglia. Un ottobre da sogno per Antonio Conte: lex ct della Nazionale italiana, attualmente alla guida del Chelsea, nelle ultime quattro gare di Premier League ha collezionato solo successi, conditi da 11 reti segnate e addirittura nessuna incassata. Numeri da record che non sono certo passati inosservati alla Federazione inglese, la quale ha conferito al tecnico leccese lambito premio di Manager del mese. Unavventura oltremanica iniziata in sordina, quella di Conte, pur a fronte di tre vittorie nelle prime tre gare di campionato. A far vacillare, anche se solo per un momento, le certezze del patron del club londinese, Roman Abramovich, i risultati conseguiti tra la 4a e la 6a giornata, coincisi con un pareggio sul campo dello Swansea City e, soprattutto, con le due pesanti sconfitte subite dal Liverpool, sul terreno casalingo di Stamford Bridge, e dallArsenal. In particolare, la debacle interna coi Reds, aveva irritato non poco il numero uno russo, poiche occorsa proprio nel giorno della sua 250esima partita da presidente della societa. Come detto, solo un momento. Dopo lincontro dellEmirates, il tecnico salentino cambia modulo, adottando un piu equilibrato 3-4-3 e inserendo elementi di corsa come lo spagnolo Pedro. Una svolta totale perche, di li in poi, il Chelsea inanellera solo e soltanto vittorie: 2 gol allHull City e al Southampton in trasferta, 3 ai campioni dInghilterra del Leicester e 4 allo United in casa, con un meraviglioso numero zero nella casella delle reti subite. Un fantastico poker, ottenuto tra l1 e il 29 ottobre. Un cambio di marcia sbalorditivo, confermato dal 5 a 0 rifilato ai toffees dellEverton nel primo match di novembre, e una scalata che, man mano, ha portato i blues al secondo posto in classifica, a soli 2 punti dal Liverpool capolista. E allora, non poteva mancare il riconoscimento di migliore allenatore del mese, ottenuto surclassando tecnici del calibro di Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool), Arsene Wenger (Arsenal) e Mark Hughes (Southampton). Tanta, ovviamente, la soddisfazione: E un grande onore e voglio condividerlo con i giocatori e con la societa ha dichiarato Conte sul sito ufficiale della Premier League -. E la prima volta che lavoro in un altro Paese, con una cultura diversa, e portare la propria filosofia non e facile, ma ora sono contento di questa scelta. A completare la festa, la premiazione del fantasista belga, Eden Hazard, come miglior giocatore di ottobre. Due risultati importanti per il club, ottimo incentivo per la rincorsa al trono dei campioni, occupato dal Leicester di Ranieri. Il prossimo appuntamento per l11 di Conte sara al Riverside Stadium, tana del Middlesborough neopromosso. Il tempo di festeggiare e gia finito. The annual impact of leaving the EU on the UK after 15 years (difference from being in the EU) EEA Negotiated bilateral agreement WTO GDP level central -3.8% -6.2% -7.5% GDP level -3.4% to -4.3% -4.6% to -7.8% -5.4% to -9.5% GDP per capita central* -1,100 -1,800 -2,100 GDP per capita* -1,000 to -1,200 -1,300 to -2,200 -1,500 to -2,700 GPD per household central* -2,600 -4,300 -5,200 GDP per household* -2,400 to -2,900 -3,200 to -5,400 -3,700 to -6,600 Net impact on receipts -20 billion -36 billion -45 billion *Expressed in terms of 2015 GDP in 2015 prices, rounded to the nearest 100 Adapted from HM Treasury analysis: the long-term economic impact of EU membership and the alternatives, April 2016. Leave supporters discounted such economic projections under the label "Project Fear." A pro-Brexit outfit associated with the U.K. Independence Party, which was founded to oppose EU membership, responded by saying that the Treasury's "worst-case scenario of 4,300 per household is a bargain-basement price for the restoration of national independence and safe, secure borders." Although Leavers stressed issues of national pride, safety, and sovereignty, they also mustered economic arguments. For example, Boris Johnson said on the eve of the vote, "EU politicians would be banging down the door for a trade deal" the day after the vote, in light of their "commercial interests." Labor Leave, the pro-Brexit Labour group, co-authored a report with a group of economists in September 2017 that forecasted a 7% boost to annual GDP, with the largest gains going to the lowest earners. Vote Leave, the official pro-Brexit campaign, topped the "Why Vote Leave" page on its website with the claim that the U.K. could save 350 million per week: "We can spend our money on our priorities like the NHS [National Health Service], schools, and housing." In May 2016, the U.K. Statistics Authority, an independent public body, said the figure was gross rather than net, which was "misleading and undermines trust in official statistics." A mid-June poll by Ipsos MORI, however, found that 47% of the country believed the claim. The day after the referendum, Nigel Farage, who co-founded UKIP and led it until that November, disavowed the figure and said that he was not closely associated with Vote Leave. May also declined to confirm Vote Leave's NHS promises since taking office. Brexit Economic Response Though Britain officially left the EU, 2020 was a transition and implementation period. Trade and customs continued during that time, so there wasn't much on a day-to-day basis that seemed different to U.K. residents. Even so, the decision to leave the EU had an effect on Britain's economy. The country's GDP growth slowed down to around 1.4% in 2018 from 1.9% in both 2017 and 2016 as business investment slumped. The IMF predicted that the country's economy would grow at 1.3% in 2019 and 1.4% in 2020. The Bank of England cut its growth forecast for 2019 to 1.2%, the lowest since the financial crisis. The U.K. unemployment rate hit a 44-year low at 3.9% in the three months to January 2019. Experts attribute this to employers preferring to retain workers instead of investing in new major projects. In 2018, the pound clawed back the losses it suffered after the Brexit vote but reacted negatively as the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit increased. The currency could rally if a soft Brexit deal is passed or Brexit is delayed. While the fall in the value of the pound helped exporters, the higher price of imports was passed onto consumers and had a significant impact on the annual inflation rate. CPI inflation hit 3.1% in the 12 months leading up to November 2017, a near six-year high that well exceeded the Bank of England's 2% target. Inflation eventually began to fall in 2018 with the decline in oil and gas prices and was at 1.8% in January 2019. A July 2017 report by the House of Lords cited evidence that U.K. businesses would have to raise wages to attract native-born workers following Brexit, which is "likely to lead to higher prices for consumers." International trade was expected to fall due to Brexit, even with the possibility of a raft of free trade deals. Dr. Monique Ebell, former associate research director at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, forecasted a -22% reduction in total U.K. goods and services trade if EU membership was replaced by a free trade agreement. Other free trade agreements were not predicted to pick up the slack. In fact, Ebell saw a pact with the BRIICS (Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia, China, and South Africa) boosting total trade by 2.2% while a pact with the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand was expected to do slightly better, at 2.6%. "The single market is a very deep and comprehensive trade agreement aimed at reducing non-tariff barriers," Ebell wrote in January 2017, "while most non-EU [free trade agreements] seem to be quite ineffective at reducing the non-tariff barriers that are important for services trade." June 2017 General Election On April 18, May called for a snap election to be held on June 8, despite previous promises not to hold one until 2020. Polling at the time suggested May would expand on her slim Parliamentary majority of 330 seats (there are 650 seats in the Commons). Labor gained rapidly in the polls, however, aided by an embarrassing Tory flip-flop on a proposal for estates to fund end-of-life care. The Conservatives lost their majority, winning 318 seats to Labor's 262. The Scottish National Party won 35, with other parties taking 35. The resulting hung Parliament cast doubts on May's mandate to negotiate Brexit and led the leaders of Labor and the Liberal Democrats to call on May to resign. Speaking in front of the prime minister's residence at 10 Downing Street, May batted away calls for her to leave her post, saying, "It is clear that only the Conservative and Unionist Party"the Tories' official name"has the legitimacy and ability to provide that certainty by commanding a majority in the House of Commons." The Conservatives struck a deal with the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland, which won 10 seats, to form a coalition. The party is little known outside of Northern Ireland, judging by a wave of curious Google searches that caused the DUP's site to crash. May presented the election as a chance for the Conservatives to solidify their mandate and strengthen their negotiating position with Brussels. But this backfired. "The election served to diffuse, not concentrate political power, especially with regards to Brexit," wrote Sky News political correspondent Lewis Goodall. "Ever since election night, Brussels hasn't just been dealing with Number 10 but in effect, the House of Commons too." In the wake of the election, many expected the government's Brexit position to soften, and they were right. May released a Brexit white paper in July 2018 that mentioned an "association agreement" and a free-trade area for goods with the EU. David Davis resigned as Brexit secretary and Boris Johnson resigned as Foreign Secretary in protest. But the election also increased the possibility of a no-deal Brexit. The Financial Times predicted that the result made May more vulnerable to pressure from Euroskeptics and her coalition partners. We saw this play out with the Irish backstop tussle. With her position weakened, May struggled to unite her party behind her deal and keep control of Brexit. Scotland's Independence Referendum Politicians in Scotland pushed for a second independence referendum in the wake of the Brexit vote, but the results of the June 8, 2017 election cast a pall over their efforts. The Scottish National Party lost 21 seats in the Westminster Parliament, and on June 27, 2017, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said her government at Holyrood would "reset" its timetable on independence to focus on delivering a "soft Brexit." Not one Scottish local area voted to leave the EU, according to the U.K.'s Electoral Commission, though Moray came close at 49.9%. The country as a whole rejected the referendum by 62.0% to 38.0%. But because Scotland only contains 8.4% of the U.K.'s population, its vote to Remain (along with that of Northern Ireland, which accounts for just 2.9% of the U.K.'s population) was vastly outweighed by support for Brexit in England and Wales. Scotland joined England and Wales to form Great Britain in 1707, and the relationship has been tumultuous at times. The SNP, which was founded in the 1930s, had just six of 650 seats in Westminster in 2010. The following year, however, it formed a majority government in the devolved Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, partly owing to its promise to hold a referendum on Scottish independence. 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum That referendum, held in 2014, saw the pro-independence side lose with 44.7% of the vote; turnout was 84.6%. Far from putting the independence issue to rest, though, the vote fired up nationalist support. The SNP won 56 of 59 Scottish seats at Westminster the following year, overtaking the Lib Dems to become the third-largest party in the U.K. overall. Britain's electoral map suddenly showed a glaring divide between England and Wales, which was dominated by Tory blue with the occasional patch of Labour red, and all-yellow Scotland. When Britain voted to leave the EU, Scotland fulminated. A combination of rising nationalism and strong support for Europe led almost immediately to calls for a new independence referendum. When the Supreme Court ruled on Nov. 3, 2017, that devolved national assemblies such as Scotland's parliament cannot veto Brexit, the demands grew louder. On March 13 that year, Sturgeon called for a second referendum to be held in the autumn of 2018 or spring of 2019. Holyrood backed her by a vote of 69 to 59 on March 28, the day before May's government triggered Article 50. Sturgeon's preferred timing was significant since the two-year countdown initiated by Article 50 ended in the spring of 2019 when the politics surrounding Brexit could be particularly volatile. What Would Independence Look Like? Scotland's economic situation also raised questions about its hypothetical future as an independent country. The crash in the oil price has dealt a blow to government finances. In May 2014, it forecast 20152016 tax receipts from North Sea drilling of 3.4 billion to 9 billion but collected 60 million, less than 1% of the forecasts' midpoint. In reality, these figures were hypothetical, since Scotland's finances are not fully devolved, but the estimates were based on the country's geographical share of North Sea drilling, so they illustrate what it might expect as an independent nation. The debate over what currency an independent Scotland would use was revived. Former SNP leader Alex Salmond, who was Scotland's First Minister until Nov. 2014, told The Financial Times that the country could abandon the pound and introduce its own currency, allowing it to float freely or pegging it to sterling. He ruled out joining the euro, but others contended that it would be required for Scotland to join the EU. Another possibility would be to use the pound, which would mean forfeiting control over monetary policy. Upsides for Some On the other hand, a weak currency that floats on global markets can be a boon to U.K. producers who export goods. Industries that rely heavily on exports could actually see some benefit. In 2015, the top 10 exports from the U.K. were (in USD): Machines, engines, pumps: US$63.9 billion (13.9% of total exports) Gems, precious metals: $53 billion (11.5%) Vehicles: $50.7 billion (11%) Pharmaceuticals: $36 billion (7.8%) Oil: $33.2 billion (7.2%) Electronic equipment: $29 billion (6.3%) Aircraft, spacecraft: $18.9 billion (4.1%) Medical and technical equipment: $18.4 billion (4%) Organic chemicals: $14 billion (3%) Plastics: $11.8 billion (2.6%) Some sectors were prepared to benefit from the exit. Multinationals listed on the FTSE 100 saw earnings rise as a result of a soft pound. A weak currency was also a boon to the tourism, energy, and service industries. In May 2016, the State Bank of India (SBIN.NS), India's largest commercial bank, suggested that Brexit would benefit India economically. While leaving the Eurozone meant that the U.K. no longer had unfettered access to Europe's single market, it would allow for more focus on trade with India. India would also have more wiggle room if the U.K. was no longer under European trade rules and regulations. UK-EU Trade After Brexit May advocated a "hard" Brexit. By that, she meant that Britain should leave the EU's single market and customs union, then negotiate a trade deal to govern their future relationship. These negotiations would have been conducted during a transition period once a divorce deal was ratified. The Conservatives' poor showing in the June 2017 snap election called popular support for a hard Brexit into question. Many in the press speculated that the government could take a softer line. The Brexit White Paper released in July 2018 revealed plans for a softer Brexit. It was too soft for many MPs belonging to her party and too audacious for the EU. The White Paper said the government planned to leave the EU single market and customs union. However, it proposed the creation of a free trade area for goods which would "avoid the need for customs and regulatory checks at the border and mean that businesses would not need to complete costly customs declarations. And it would enable products to only undergo one set of approvals and authorizations in either market, before being sold in both." This meant the U.K. would follow EU single market rules when it comes to goods. The White Paper acknowledged that a borderless customs arrangement with the EUone that allowed the U.K. to negotiate free trade agreements with third countrieswas "broader in scope than any other that exists between the EU and a third country." The government was correct that there was no example of this kind of relationship in Europe today. The four broad precedents that existed were the EU's relationship with Norway, Switzerland, Canada, and WTO members. The Norway Model: Join the EEA The first option was for the U.K. to join Norway, Iceland, and Lichtenstein in the European Economic Area (EEA), which provides access to the EU's single market for most goods and services (agriculture and fisheries are excluded). At the same time, the EEA is outside the customs union, so Britain could have entered into trade deals with non-EU countries. But the arrangement was hardly a win-win. The U.K. would be bound by some EU laws while losing its ability to influence those laws through the country's European Council and European Parliament voting rights. In September 2017, May called this arrangement an unacceptable "loss of democratic control." David Davis expressed interest in the Norway model in response to a question he received at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington. "It's something we've thought about but it's not at the top of our list." He was referring specifically to the European Free Trade Association, which like the EEA offers access to the single market, but not the customs union. EFTA was once a large organization, but most of its members left to join the EU. Today, it comprises Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein, and Switzerland; all but Switzerland are also members of the EEA. The Switzerland Model Switzerland's relationship with the EU, which is governed by around 20 major bilateral pacts with the bloc, is broadly similar to the EEA arrangement. Along with these three, Switzerland is a member of the European Free Trade Association. Switzerland helped set up the EEA, but its people rejected membership in a 1992 referendum. The country allows the free movement of people and is a member of the passport-free Schengen Area. It is subject to many single market rules, without having much say in making them. It is outside the customs union, allowing it to negotiate free trade agreements with third countries; usually, but not always, it has negotiated alongside the EEA countries. Switzerland has access to the single market for goods (with the exception of agriculture), but not services (with the exception of insurance). It pays a modest amount into the EU's budget. Brexit supporters who wanted to "take back control" wouldn't have embraced the concessions the Swiss made on immigration, budget payments, and single market rules. The EU would probably not have wanted a relationship modeled on the Swiss example, either: Switzerland's membership in EFTA but not the EEA, Schengen but not the EU, is a messy product of the complex history of European integration andwhat elsea referendum. The Canada Model: A Free Trade Agreement A third option was to negotiate a free trade agreement with the EU along the lines of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, a pact the EU finalized but didn't fully ratify with Canada. The most obvious problem with this approach is that the U.K. had only two years from the triggering of Article 50 to negotiate such a deal. The EU refused to discuss a future trading relationship until December of that year at the earliest. To give a sense of how tight that timetable is, CETA negotiations began in 2009 and concluded in 2014. But just over half of the EU's 28 national parliaments actually ratified the deal. Persuading the rest could take years. Even subnational legislatures can stand in the way of a deal: the Walloon regional parliament, which represents fewer than four million mainly French-speaking Belgians, single-handedly blocked CETA for a few days in 2016. In order to extend the two-year deadline for leaving the EU, Britain needed unanimous approval from the EU. Several U.K. politicians, including Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, stressed the need for a transitional deal of a few years so that (among other reasons) Britain could negotiate EU and third-country trade deals. But this notion was met with resistance from hard-line Brexiteers. Problems with a CETA-Style Agreement In some ways, comparing Britain's situation to Canada's is misleading. Canada already enjoys free trade with the U.S. through the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which was built on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This means that a trade deal with the EU was not as crucial as it is for the U.K. Canada's and Britain's economies are also very different: CETA does not include financial services, one of Britain's biggest exports to the EU. Speaking in Florence in Sept. 2017, May said the U.K. and EU "can do so much better" than a CETA-style trade agreement, since they were beginning from the "unprecedented position" of sharing a body of rules and regulations. She did not elaborate on what "much better" looked like, besides calling on both parties to be "creative as well as practical." Monique Ebell, formerly of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research stressed that even with an agreement in place, non-tariff barriers were likely to be a significant drag on Britain's trade with the EU. She expected total U.K. foreign tradenot just flows to and from the EUunder an EU-U.K. trade pact. She reasoned that free-trade deals do not generally handle services trade well. Services are a major component of Britain's international trade; the country enjoys a trade surplus in that segment, which is not the case for goods. Free trade deals also struggle to rein in non-tariff barriers. Admittedly Britain and the EU started from a unified regulatory scheme, but divergences would only multiply post-Brexit. WTO: Go It Alone You want out? You're out. If Britain and the EU weren't able to come to an agreement about their relationship, they would have had to revert to WTO terms. But this default solution wouldn't have been straightforward either. Since Britain is currently a WTO member through the EU, it will have to split tariff schedules with the bloc and divvy out liabilities arising from ongoing trade disputes. This work has already begun. Trading with the EU on WTO terms was the "no-deal" scenario the Conservative government presented as an acceptable fallback, though most observers see this as a negotiating tactic. In July 2017, U.K. Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox said, "People talk about the WTO as if it would be the end of the world. But they forget that is how they currently trade with the United States, with China, with Japan, with India, with the Gulf, and our trading relationship is strong and healthy." But for certain industries, the EU's external tariff would have hit hard: Britain exports 77% of the cars it manufactures, and 58% of these go to Europe. The EU levies 10% tariffs on imported cars. Monique Ebell of the NIESR estimated that leaving the EU single market would reduce overall U.K. goods and services tradenot just that with the EUby 2230%. Nor would the U.K. only be giving up its trade arrangements with the EU: under any of the scenarios above, it would probably have lost the trade agreements the bloc struck with 63 third countries, as well as progress in negotiating other deals. Replacing these and adding new ones would have been an uncertain prospect. In a September 2017 interview with Politico, Trade Secretary Liam Fox said his office, which was formed in July 2016, turned away some third countries looking to negotiate free trade deals because it lacked the capacity to negotiate. Fox wanted to roll the terms of existing EU trade deals over into new agreements, but some countries were unwilling to give Britain (66 million people, $2.6 trillion GDP) the same terms as the EU (excluding Britain, around 440 million people, $13.9 trillion GDP). Negotiations with third countries are technically not allowed while Britain remains an EU member, but even so informal talks have begun, particularly with the U.S. Impact on the U.S. Companies in the U.S. across a wide variety of sectors have made large investments in the U.K. over many years. In fact, American corporations have derived 9% of global foreign affiliate profit from the United Kingdom since 2000. In 2014 alone, U.S. companies invested a total of $588 billion into Britain. The U.S. also hires a lot of Brits, making U.S. companies one of the U.K.'s largest job markets. The output of U.S. affiliates in the United Kingdom was $153 billion in 2013. The United Kingdom plays a vital role in corporate America's global infrastructure from assets under management (AUM), international sales, and research and development (R&D) advancements. American companies have viewed Britain as a strategic gateway to other countries in the European Union. Brexit will jeopardize the affiliate earnings and stock prices of many companies strategically aligned with the United Kingdom, which may see them reconsider their operations with U.K. and European Union members. American companies and investors that have exposure to European banks and credit markets may be affected by credit risk. European banks may have to replace $123 billion in securities depending on how the exit unfolds. Furthermore, U.K. debt may not be included in European banks' emergency cash reserves, creating liquidity problems. European asset-backed securities have been in decline since 2007. This decline is likely to intensify now that Britain has chosen to leave. Who's Next to Leave the EU? Political wrangling over Europe is not limited to Britain. Most EU members have strong euroskeptic movements that, while they have so far struggled to win power at the national level, heavily influence the tenor of national politics. In a few countries, there is a chance that such movements could secure referendums on EU membership. In May 2016, global research firm IPSOS released a report showing that a majority of respondents in Italy and France believe their countries should hold a referendum on EU membership. Italy The fragile Italian banking sector has driven a wedge between the EU and the Italian government, which provided bailout funds to save mom-and-pop bondholders from being "bailed-in," as EU rules stipulate. The government abandoned its 2019 budget when the EU threatened it with sanctions. It lowered its planned budget deficit from 2.5% of GDP to 2.04%. Matteo Salvini, the far-right head of Italy's Northern League and the country's deputy prime minister, called for a referendum on EU membership hours after the Brexit vote, saying, "This vote was a slap in the face for all those who say that Europe is their own business and Italians don't have to meddle with that." The Northern League has an ally in the populist Five Star Movement, whose founder, former comedian Beppe Grillo, called for a referendum on Italy's membership in the eurothough not the EU. The two parties formed a coalition government in 2018 and made Giuseppe Conte prime minister. Conte ruled out the possibility of "Italexit" in 2018 during the budget standoff. France Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's euroskeptic National Front, hailed the Brexit vote as a win for nationalism and sovereignty across Europe: "Like a lot of French people, I'm very happy that the U.K. people held on and made the right choice. What we thought was impossible yesterday has now become possible." She lost the French presidential election to Emmanuel Macron in May 2017, gaining just 33.9% of votes. Macron has warned that the demand for "Frexit" will grow if the EU does not see reforms. According to a February 2019 IFOP poll, 40% of French citizens want the country to leave the EU. Frexit is also one of the demands of the yellow vest protesters. When Did Britain Officially Leave the European Union? Britain officially left the EU on Jan. 31, 2020, at 11 p.m. GMT. The move came after a referendum voted in favor of Brexit on June 23, 2016. What Were the Reasons Behind Brexit? There were many reasons why Britain voted to leave the European Union. But some of the main issues behind Brexit included a rise in nationalism, immigration, political autonomy, and the economy. The Leave side garnered almost 52% of the votes while the Remain side received about 48% of the vote. How Many Countries Are Part of the EU Post-Brexit? Britain's departure from the European Union left 27 member states. They are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden, The Bottom Line The European Union was established in November 1993 with the Maastricht Treaty. The original members included Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Fifteen other countries would gain membership in the union. Rising nationalist sentiment, coupled with concerns over the economy and British sovereignty led the majority of voters in the U.K. to leave the EU. Britain left the union at the end of January 2020 in what is commonly called Brexit. But the move didn't come without challenges. It required two years of negotiating a deal and a year-long transition period before everything became final. Vice-President Joe Biden has expressed his regret at the British majority vote to secede from the European Union but he pledged at the same time that the US would continue to maintain its very good relations with both the United Kingdom and the EU. The Vice-President mentioned the referendum vote at different events in Dublin. The first was a ceremony in Trinity College and the second was a public address he gave to a large crowd at Dublin Castle. Speaking at Trinity College Dublin, Joe Biden says America's 'special bond' with the UK will endure #Brexithttps://t.co/h1VajW0hx9 RTE News (@rtenews) June 24, 2016 In his address at Trinity College, he said: "We would have preferred a different outcome. And I imagine many of you here felt the same way." But he went on to re-affirm the continuing friendship of the United States with both the UK and EU. At Dublin Castle, he said: "As longstanding friends of the United Kingdom the United States respects their decision. It's not how we would have preferred it to be, but respect their position." "Our relationships with the United Kingdom and our allies across Europe are indispensable for America's economic as well as national security. "So, as the leadership in London and Brussels determines what this new relationship will look like we will continue to work with our partners to navigate a new road ahead while continuing to promote stability, security and prosperity around the world." He was preceded at the Dublin Castle event by the Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Enda Kenny who said Mr Biden was "a truly outstanding son of Ireland". He added that, "for his entire political life, Vice-President Biden has been in the forefront in leading America on key civil rights and societal changes. I applaud his determination and his leadership to combat domestic and sexual violence, gun crime and his stand for marriage equality". Kenny pointed out that, just over a year before, the passage of the Irish constitutional referendum to legalize same-sex marriage had been celebrated at the same location of Dublin Castle. Irish and American flags were distributed to the crowd of about 2,000 members of the public prior to the Biden speech and a recording of U2's "Beautiful Day" was played on the loudspeakers as he approached the microphone. He quipped that the Taoiseach was "going to be so happy when I go home" because Kenny had been with him virtually on a "24/7" basis. He recalled that, a few days earlier, three generations of his family had walked along the street in Ballina, County Mayo - "a town that once was home to my great-great-great-grandfather Edward Blewitt and his son Patrick, my great-great-grandfather". In 1851, Patrick and his family had sailed to the US via Liverpool on a ship called the Excelsior. As they walked together in Ballina, his descendants wondered "what it must have been like to leave everything behind". They imagined the "American Wake" that must have taken place: "The last time you'd see your family, your friends, the soil that you loved". The Vice-President said that, next day, he and his relatives would make a similar trip to the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth where another Irish branch of the family originated: "We'll visit the church where my great-great-grandfather Owen Finnegan and his family were baptized. Neither the Blewitts nor the Finnegans ever forgot where they came from: "Every time I walked out the door, my Grandfather Finnegan would say, 'Joe, remember, the best drop of blood in you is Irish'. He'd never been to Ireland!" In Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1909, his grandparents Ambrose Finnegan and Geraldine Blewitt met and married. He said that pride in their Irish roots "has been passed down in every generation in our family". On the links between Ireland and the US, he said: "Everything between us runs deep, literature, poetry, sadness and joy, but most of all resilience. "Despite everything, we've never stopped being dreamers. I think the Irish are the only people in the world who are actually nostalgic about the future!" He criticized "reactionary politicians and demagogues" who fomented public sentiment on mass migration: "We see it in Europe, we see it in other parts of the world and we see it in my home country, where some politicians find it convenient to scapegoat immigrants instead of welcoming them, to play to our fears rather than, as Abraham Lincoln said, 'appeal to our better angels'." Sounds like Joe Biden is taking on Trump at Dublin Castle pic.twitter.com/96VkL68iiP Jackie Fox (@jackiefox_) June 24, 2016 Biden highlighted the participation of the US and Ireland "in the 66-nation coalition" to defeat and ultimately destroy ISIL. Ireland and the US were also working to address "the largest humanitarian and refugee crisis since World War Two". Closing, he thanked the 2,000-strong crowd for their welcome and, finishing on a humorous note, he said: "I don't know why the hell my ancestors ever left." Internationally-renowned group, The Chieftains were among the musicians who performed at the event which was compered by TV and radio presenter Ryan Tubridy. Crowds await @VP Joe Biden in central Dublin.. pic.twitter.com/HzeJwQqjFb Brian Hutton (@magicbathtub) June 24, 2016 Earlier in the day, the Vice-President was award an honorary degree as Doctor in Laws by Trinity College Dublin, said to be the first such degree he has received from a university outside the United States. The degree, in recognition of his contribution to world politics, was presented by the university's Chancellor Mary Robinson, a former president of Ireland, in the presence of the Trinity Provost and President, Dr. Patrick Prendergast. Biden was also presented with a gold medal by the Philosophical Society of the university, one of the oldest student debating societies in the world. In his speech at the ceremony, the Vice-President informed Mrs Robinson, who also has Mayo roots, that as a result of genealogical research he had ascertained that the two of them were related: "I am not joking, we are distant cousins by marriage." He said he was proud to join the ranks of Americans who had visited Trinity College, including President John F. Kennedy and his brother Senator Edward Kennedy, as well as Woodrow Wilson before he became president and, back in 1771, Benjamin Franklin. On this day, June 25, in 1891, one of Irelands most famous couples married. Charles Stewart Parnell, the Irish political hero and Katherine Kitty OShea tied the knot after a tumultuous start, to say the least. After a stupendous political career, a massive public scandal of a shameless affair a divorce the pair was finally married, however, just months later Parnell was dead. In the 19th-century Charles Stewart Parnell, originally from Cork city, was known as the uncrowned king of Ireland. A brilliant politician he held great power and influence and campaigned for the rights of the Irish people who were living under British rule. Representing Ireland in the House of Commons, in London, he showed great intelligence and skill in mobilizing his followers. The members of parliament even gave Parnell a standing ovation after he cleared his name when The Times newspaper made false allegations against him. At the height of his power and influence, everything he had built for himself, came crashing down all because he met Katherine the wife of a member of parliament, Captain William Henry OShea. His reputation was destroyed when it was publically revealed that Parnell had been having a relationship with Katherine (Kitty) and the Irish politician was named as co-respondent on the couples divorce. Parnell and OShea had been seeing each other for years in plain sight and had children together. Their relationship was called the worst kept secret in London. The Captain had kept quiet about the relationship as he was waiting to receive his cut of an inheritance from one of Kittys aunts. However, when it was clear the inheritance was not going to appear he proceeded with the divorce. At the time divorce was almost unheard of. It became a national scandal. Read more Frederick Douglass was quickly captivated by Daniel O'Connell in 1845 Ireland Despite the fact that Parnell knew what kind of damage the scandal could cause to his career he was not prepared to give up Kitty. He allowed all proceedings to go ahead in public and the effect on his career was massive. The Irish Party called a meeting to decide if Parnell could stay on as leader. Many turned against him because of the affair. The British Prime Minister William Gladstone told Parnell that if he did not resign the alliance would be finished along with the prospect of Home Rule for Ireland. Parnell was ousted from the party and his career was destroyed. However, on June 25, 1891, Parnell and OShea were married in a registry office. They had failed to get permission to have the wedding at a Church. He was also denied support for those in Ireland, those who had previously supported him so passionately. Parnell died in Kitty OSheas arms in October of that year, just four years after their wedding, at the age of 45, having succumbed to pneumonia. It was reported that 200,000 people attended his funeral. OShea lived the rest of her life in relative obscurity. IrishCentral History Love Irish history? Share your favorite stories with other history buffs in the IrishCentral History Facebook group. After his death, OShea wrote her reminiscence of when she first knew she loved Parnell. It was the autumn of the year 1880. They had met earlier that summer and carried on an affair even though she was married. On the platform for Eltham at Charing Cross (train station) stood Mr. Parnell. As our eyes met he turned and walked by my side. He did not speak. He helped me into the train and sat opposite me. "I leant back and closed my eyes and could have slept but that the little flames deep down in Parnells eyes kept flickering before mine though they were closed. Read more Irish invented the boycott because of English land agent who died on this day "He took off his coat and tucked it around me but I would not open my eye to look at him. He crossed over and leaning over me to fold the coat more closely around my knees he whispered, I love you and I slipped my hand into his and I knew I was not afraid. If their tale doesnt melt your heartconsult a doctor. Update 5.30pm: The Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister have spoken by phone for 12 minutes in the wake of the UK vote to leave the EU. Enda Kenny and David Cameron have agreed to initiate immediate talks between Ireland and Britain on key issues such as the Common Travel Area and the border with Northern Ireland. At an emergency Cabinet meeting earlier, the Taoiseach said he was very sorry that the UK had voted for a Brexit. The Dail will be recalled on Monday to discuss the Brexit and the issue will top an EU summit in Brussels next week. Update 1.15pm: The Government's contingency plan for a Brexit was prepared over "many months", the Department of the Taoiseach said, and includes on the economic front: An information campaign by Enterprise Ireland including explainers and guides, online information and webinars, an updated UK market access guide and regional seminars in Ireland and the UK. Intensified international trade missions by Enterprise Ireland for the rest of 2016, including tonorthern Europe, the US, China, India and other high growth markets. Enterprise Ireland will also host an International Markets week in October in Ireland, to provide Irish exporters with access to its overseas market advisors. Enterprise Irelands UK office, based in London, will provide advice and support on the implications of Brexit such as improving competitiveness, reducing supply chain costs, accessing funding, employment regulations and legal issues, as well as identification of key business opportunities. Enterprise Ireland will intensify its work with clients exporting to the UK to improve their competitiveness in the market through its management capability and development programmes and can provide international funding supports to client companies for evaluating new market opportunities. The planning process identified the following priority issues: UK-EU negotiations, British-Irish relations, Northern Ireland, trade, investment, North-South border impacts, competitiveness and macroeconomic issues, research/innovation funding and energy. Update 1pm: The Taoiseach has said there is no evidence to support calls for a border poll on Northern Ireland joining the Republic. The call from Sinn Fein comes as the north voted in favour of remaining in the European Union along with Scotland. The Scottish First Minister has already said a vote for independence is now firmly back on the table as a result of the Brexit vote. And the Taoiseach Enda Kenny gave this response when asked if he'd support a vote on a united Ireland: With regard to a border poll, that is contained in the Good Friday Agreement, provided that the secretary of State of the day considers that there could be a serious movement of a majority of people to want to have a situation where they want to join the Republic. There is no such evidence. There are much more serious issues to deal with in the immediate term and that is where our focus is. Earlier: Taoiseach Enda Kenny spoke for the first time since the Brexit referendum and has said he respects the UK's position on voting to leave the EU. No immediate change to flow of goods and people between both countries, says Kenny #brexit #iestaff Juno McEnroe (@Junomaco) June 24, 2016 He said the Irish Government has prepared for this eventuality and there will be no immediate change to the freeflow of people, goods or services between Ireland and the UK. He said the Government would be working hard to minimise any possible disruption of the flow of goods and services in the coming months. The Taoiseach also said he was acutely aware of the concerns of the Irish people regarding this decision and he also reiterated Irelands intention to remain in the EU which he described as an issue of profoundly International interest. "I want to assure them that the Irish Government will also have their interests in our thinking as we approach the forthcoming negotiations. It is important to remember that the position of Irish citizens within the EU will be unaffected." Read: Read More: Live: What Brexit means for Ireland He says there will be a number of key actions and the government will work to protect and advance this country's interests. Ireland of course will remain in EU, adds Taoiseach #brexit #iestaff Juno McEnroe (@Junomaco) June 24, 2016 "After more than 40 years of membership, we have built up strong bonds of partnership with all the other member states, and with the European institutions, that will continue to serve us well. We must now begin a period of reflection and debate on how we can renew the Union of 27 and equip it for the challenges ahead." 'Acutely aware' of concerns felt by thousands of people here and in Britain, says Kenny #brexit #iestaff Juno McEnroe (@Junomaco) June 24, 2016 Mr Kenny finished his speech by offering his best wishes to David Cameron who he described as a friend and a supporter at EU level. "Finally Id like to reiterate that while Irelands future lies within the European Union, Irelands strong and close relationship with the UK will remain." The Dail is being recalled on Monday for a special meeting to discuss Brexit. Kenny expresses best wishes to Cameron & both have worked closely together, he says. A good friend, a supporter at EU level #Brexit #iestaff Juno McEnroe (@Junomaco) June 24, 2016 Answering questions after his speech, the Taoiseach defended his decision to campaign in Britain where efforts were made to persuade Irish people there to vote to remain. Additional reporting from Irish Examiner Political Correspondent Juno McEnroe A fire which took place in the early hours of this morning has gutted a home on the north side of Cork city writes Kelly OBrien The blaze, which started at around 3:30am, destroyed the interior of a house at 23 Hollywood Estate, Blarney Road. The European Union must hear "the expectations of the people" on issues such as migration and unemployment as it responds to Britain's vote to leave, Germany's foreign minister said. Frank-Walter Steinmeier has been meeting with top diplomats from the EU's five other founding nations in Berlin for hastily arranged talks following Britain's referendum. The German foreign minister invited his counterparts from France, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium and Luxembourg to the government's Villa Borsig mansion on the outskirts of Berlin. As he was heading into the meeting, Mr Steinmeier implied it is important for leaders to better connect with the EU's more than 500 million citizens and react to their worries. He said now is the time to find out what the 27 remaining EU countries want for the future of the union. He said they also needed to listen to the EU's citizens and hear "the expectations of the people". Mr Steinmeier mentioned the refugee crisis, high unemployment among young people in southern Europe and security concerns following the terror attacks in France and Belgium as important issues where people had the right to expect better answers from EU policy makers. However, he cautioned against making rash decisions. "It's totally clear that in times like these, one should neither be hysterical nor fall into paralysis," Mr Steinmeier said. He added that "I'm certain that countries that have something to say will not allow that their Europe will be taken away." Despite the union's current crisis, Belgian foreign minister Didier Reynders said they would "try to go further now with the European integration". "We need to discuss with the UK the way out, but we need also to discuss how it is possible to do more with some partners or with 27 member states in different concrete fields," Mr Reynders told reporters. Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders said it was very important for the foreign ministers to look for "constructive, innovative European cooperation". Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said a second Independence referendum is very much on the table. Scotland is to enter immediate talks with the EU in order to ensure it remains part of the union. We dont know yet what the end result will be, the UK will need to both negotiate their exit from the EU and re-negotiate their future trade relationship with it. It is too early to surmise what this treaty will look like, they may possibly be able to negotiate a deal whereby they can trade tariff-free, possibly including goods and services. There could be the free movement of people, there may or may not be border controls but there would be a price for this both financial and in terms of abiding by the rules, and as we have just seen this price is too expensive. Both Scotland and Northern Ireland voted in favour of remaining part of the EU and it will remain to be seen how the UK government will deal with the fact that these countries are being taken out of the EU effectively against their will. The possible re-introduction of a border between the Republic and Northern Ireland would be devastating to the 30,000 commuters per day that cross the border, not to mention the potential effects on cross-border trade, and the effect on growth from being cut-off from access to EU structural funds. The Irish Exporters Association (IEA) campaigned hard for a Remain outcome. I am not going to downplay the serious implications this decision could have for Ireland. The UK is our single biggest trading partner and this is not the result that we had been hoping for but, with such a high voter turnout, we do respect the sovereign rights of a nation to make a democratic decision on its future. There is no fixed timeframe for the negotiations on a future trade relationship between the EU and the UK. Until such time as the terms around this agreement are finalised, Irish business will face a prolonged period of uncertainty. Ireland benefits from having one of the worlds most open economies. According to the World Bank, 113.7% of our GDP derived from exports of goods and services in 2014. Ireland has proven itself to be an adaptable nation with a strong open economy. Now is the time to take stock of the situation at hand and strategically put a plan in place to weather this storm. We will continue to have a strong bilateral trade relationship with the UK, albeit with potentially more costs and complications. The most immediate concern for Irish business will be the fluctuation of sterling and its effect on Irish exporters cost competitiveness. Overnight on Thursday, sterling had fallen by 10% against the euro and with the prospect of the UKs AAA sovereign debt being downgraded, coupled with the potential of the UK entering recession during the second half of the year, we can foresee a further decline in the currency. My advice to exporters dealing in trade with the UK is to talk to your local banks or financial service providers about viable opportunities to hedge your currency risk. The long-term effects of this seismic decision are yet to reveal themselves. A lot will depend on the exit that the UK negotiates with the EU, whether this will take the full two years allowed for under the Treaty on European Union or whether, as some exit campaigners would have it, the process begins now and the exit happens earlier. There is also the negotiation of a potential new trade agreement between the UK and Europe and all that this would entail. It is crucial that Ireland carves out a special status within any EU-UK trade deal with regard to our relationship with the UK given the close bi-lateral relationship between the two countries. It would also be important for the UK to have this special status. In the long-term, possible risks that we are facing include the increased cost of doing business in Ireland from tariffs and customs, to increased administration and delays if borders are introduced. Theres a long way to go to the final denouement of this debacle. Underlying the early call today from four of the five EU presidents for the UK to begin the exit process, sits the message that the EU will most likely take a hard-line on any future trade negotiations with the UK, making the ratification of such a deal by Westminster unpalatable. Is it possible that there may just have to be a second referendum in the UK at some point over the next few years. IEA president Paschal McCarthy has reiterated that the organisation will continue to support Irish exporters through this transitional period and will continue to work with the Irish Government to support business in Ireland. We will continue to lobby government on a regional, national and international level on the issues that affect Irish exporters. The decision by the UK to leave the EU highlights more than ever the need to support Irish exporters in the diversification of their export markets so that an over-reliance on any particular single market does not have the potential to put our economy under a similar threat in the future. The British Irish Chamber of Commerce called for a trade agreement between Ireland and the UK to be put in place as swiftly as possible recognising the unique relationship between the two countries. Chamber Director General John McGrane also said the Common Travel Area between Britain, Ireland and Northern Ireland must continue. In a Dail reply to People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett, Mr Noonan said as the case involves a significant degree of legal and technical complexity, some 667,000 has been spent to date by my department and the Revenue Commissioners on legal and other services. This figure does not incorporate any further legal costs or costs for other services pertaining to the attorney generals office, Mr Noonan said. Mr Noonan said he was aware of speculation about a possible decision being made next month and said it would strongly defend Irelands position. In the event the commission forms the view that there was state aid, Ireland is entitled to challenge this decision in the European Courts. As the Government has already indicated, we will take that course of action, if necessary, to continue to vigorously defend the Irish position. Mr Noonan described the case as a priority matter and said Ireland has co-operated fully with the process to date. Detailed and comprehensive responses have been provided to the Commission demonstrating that the appropriate amount of Irish tax was charged in accordance with the relevant legislation, that no selective advantage was given and that there was no state sid, Mr Noonan said. Initial findings by the commission in 2014 said that Apples tax arrangements were improperly designed to give the iPhone and iPad maker a financial advantage. Estimates of Apples potential tax liability if the final decision goes against Ireland and Apple range from hundreds of millions or euro to a high of 19bn. However, it is not clear what level of monies will be due to Ireland if Apple and the state lose the case. In June 2014, the Competition Directorate of the European Commission announced its intention to open formal state aid investigations into tax rulings provided to a number of companies in some EU member states. It turns out very! When Trump stated back in January that he could stand in the middle of 5th avaenue and shoot somebody without losing any voters, it turns out, he might have been telling the truth. Jimmy Kimmel sent members of his team out on the streets to meet a number of Trump voters and ask them what it would take to lose their vote. Some of the answers and responses are just downright scary. Yeah.. speaks for itself really doesn't it? Let's just hope it doesn't come to any of that... Financial markets across the globe plunged yesterday in the wake of the result, which led to the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron, who advocated for Britain to remain in the EU. Britain voted to leave by a margin of 52% to 48%. Here, business and political leaders were united in their disappointment and expressed concern at what the victory for the Leave campaign will mean for Ireland. In the wake of the results confirmation, Taoiseach Enda Kenny convened an emergency Cabinet meeting and the Dail will convene on Monday to debate the implications of the referendum. The Government published a series of contingency plans to deal with the Brexit result in a bid to calm the crisis. At his press conference, Mr Kenny said Ireland will take some breathing space in order to consider the result. Ministers and government figures confirmed the potential cost of Brexit is about 2% of Irelands GDP, which would equate to 3.2bn. Taxpayers were also hit by the fallout from the UKs referendum decision as more than 260m was wiped off the value of the States stake in Irish banks. Shares in Bank of Ireland and Permanent TSB took a hammering on the markets, slumping to high double-digit falls. Bank of Ireland shares finished down almost 21%, while shares in PTSB fell by more than 19.5%. Finance Minister Michael Noonan moved to allay fears, but conceded there are several downsides to the result for Ireland. He insisted the Central Bank is playing a central role to ensure there is sufficient liquidity in the system. None of the high street banks or the Central Bank in the late afternoon expressed any concern whatsoever, he said. He also said European wishes to reinforce the external borders of the EU, which is now the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland, would present difficulties for the Government. Our border 60km north of Dublin with the UK out would be seen as an external border of the EU and I think that is going to present a particular difficulty for us, he said. Opposition parties here are now at odds over whether there should be a border poll in the wake of the Brexit vote. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said Mr Cameron was reckless and irresponsible to hold a Brexit referendum. He said he does not believe there will be a second Brexit referendum and the UK will now remain outside the EU for a very long time. However, he ruled out a border poll which Sinn Fein suggested after Northern Ireland voted to remain within the EU. Sinn Fein deputy leader Mary-Lou McDonald said a vote on Irish unity is now required. In Brussels, EU Commission president Jean Claude Juncker called on Britain to give effect to the result as soon as possible. We now expect the United Kingdom to give effect to this decision of the British people as soon as possible, however painful that process may be. Any delay would unnecessarily prolong uncertainty, he said. US vice president Joe Biden, speaking in Dublin, said Ireland will still remain a cornerstone of US international policy. Dr Justin Sinnott, an expert on English nationalism, said the old traditional Labour towns across Britain turned their backs on staying in Europe, saying this is a massive victory for Nigel Farages Ukip party. Towns and cities like Sunderland, which have been staunchly Labour voted overwhelmingly to leave. The old abandoned working class who voted to leave were what swung this, he told the Irish Examiner. Democratic Unionist leader Arlene Foster, who campaigned for an EU exit, said she was absolutely certain the constitutional status was secure and claimed the union was stronger after the Leave vote. Her comments come after Sinn Fein, the DUPs partners in the power-sharing government, said the result of the referendum should trigger a border poll. In Northern Ireland 440,707 (56%) people voted to Remain and 349,442 (44%) to Leave. Of the regions 18 constituencies, 11 voted Remain and seven voted Leave. A border poll can only be called by the regions secretary of state in circumstances where there is clear evidence of a public opinion swing towards Irish unity. Northern Ireland secretary Theresa Villiers said she did not believe the criteria for triggering a border poll had been met. Ms Foster rejected the Sinn Fein demand, saying: The call for a border poll was as predictable as the flowers in May. We knew it would come but the test has not been met so therefore I dont believe it will happen. The DUP leader added: I think we are now entering a new era of an even stronger United Kingdom. I am very much looking forward to working with our colleagues in our national government to build a very strong, outward-looking UK moving forward and of course Northern Ireland as a very key constituent part of that. The renewed focus on Northern Irelands constitutional position comes as Scotlands first minister Nicola Sturgeon said a second referendum on Scottish independence was highly likely. Stormont deputy first minister Martin McGuinness said the people of Northern Ireland must have a say on their own future. The Sinn Fein veteran said the region is in unchartered waters and he would seek urgent talks with the Irish and Scottish governments and EU institutions on how we move forward in the best interests of all of our people. Taoiseach Enda Kenny said there was no evidence of a shift in the Northern Ireland electorate for a border poll on a united Ireland. That [provision for a border poll] is contained in the Good Friday Agreement, provided that the secretary of state of the day considers that there would be a serious movement of a majority of people to want to have a situation where they would join the Republic, he said. There is no such evidence. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said British prime minister David Cameron was reckless and irresponsible to hold a Brexit referendum. He said the UK will now remain outside the EU for a very long time. However, he ruled out a border poll which Sinn Fein suggested yesterday morning after Northern Ireland voters backed the campaign to remain within the EU. Sinn Fein deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald said a vote on Irish unity is now required. The Northern Secretary can call a referendum if there is clear evidence of a swing in public opinion towards Irish unity. We find ourselves now in a position where not only is Ireland partitioned, but we now find ourselves with an Ireland that is at once inside and outside the European Union. I dont think anyone will argue that is a sustainable position, she said. Northern Secretary Theresa Villiers said she did not believe the criteria for a border poll had been met. Mr Martin said the Good Friday Agreement is the way to work towards better relationships on the island of Ireland. The Sinn Fein call is a distraction. Given that we have such instability and uncertainty whats required now is to focus on the negotiations that are going to take place in relation to Britains withdrawal from the European Union and to ensure that we get the best deal possible. Mr Martin was critical of David Cameron: We know from our own referenda, we have learned lessons that one has to prepare over the long term for such an event and I just got the sense that they almost stumbled into the referendum. Labour leader Brendan Howlin said he was extremely disappointed by the outcome adding In time I think it will be seen as a tragedy for its people. He said: Our first obligation will be to minimise the negative impact on the people of this island and my party will support the Irish Governments efforts in that regard. Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said the outcome was a huge blow but the EU must allow time for reflection before Brexit negotiations start. Stephen Donnelly of the Social Democrats said: It is imperative that the existing close relationship between the UK and Ireland is maintained. The Anti-Austerity Alliance/ People Before Profit (AAA-PBP) which had supported a leave vote in the referendum said the Brexit result was a kick in the teeth for the European Commission. AAA-PBP TD Paul Murphy said the vote to leave was proof of the increasingly massive disconnect between EU institutions and the general population. Ruth Coppinger said in the lead up to the vote the arguments made by the left were not heard but said they would be heard now. Up to seven priests are to move from their positions following the resignation of Midletons vicar general and parish priest, Rev Msgr Eamon Goold. He will continue as vicar general of the diocese. The former diocesan secretary, Jim Killeen, will become Midletons parish priest and vicar forane at the Midleton Deanery. Blarney parish priest and former child protection delegate, William Bermingham, is to take time out to complete studies on sabbatical. Buttevant parish priest, Fr Michael Fitzgerald, will take over his position in Blarney. Fr Eugene Baker, who was on study leave, will take up a parish priest role in Buttevant, while Fr John Ryan, parish priest at Aghinagh, will move to Midleton. Canon Donal Roberts will continue as administrator of Aghinagh Parish. Midleton curate, Fr Gerard Cremin, is to take time out to study. Bishop William Crean urged the people of Cloyne to pray for those who are currently in a time of transition in their ministry. Last month there was controversy in Cloyne when a Social Democrats election candidate was removed from Cobh Cathedrals rota of Church readers due to his stance on abortion. At Mass, Ken Curtin discovered that he would no longer be allowed to read in St Colmans Cathedral due to his partys pro-choice policies. Bishop Crean met with Mr Curtin in the days afterwards, but the decision, made by Fr John Mc Carthy, was not reversed. The 17-year-old, who is a member of the Travelling community, was due before Judge Bridget Reilly in Tallaght Court. The teenager, with an address in Rathfarnham is charged with burglary at an address in Rathfarnham on January 6, 2016. Judge Reilly had previously accepted jurisdiction in the case. Mr Crosbie claimed a gross injustice has been done to him because Nama failed to honour an agreement that certain personal assets would not be part of the enforcement of a judgment against him for the 77m commercial debt. Nama said there was no concluded agreement. He appealed a High Court decision granting the judgment to Nama company, National Asset Loan Management Ltd (NALM) claiming he had a full defence to the claim. He also counterclaimed against NALM. In two separate judgments yesterday a three-judge Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal. His case centred on an August 2014 letter from Mr Crosbies solicitor to Namas solicitors in which the businessman agreed to the disposal of certain assets. These included the proceeds of the sale of a site in Dublin Port by a company called Storecom and the sale of Mr Crosbies property in the port. The letter stated Mr Crosbie agreed to have no further engagement with Dunnes Stores or with Dunnes chief executive, Margaret Heffernan, concerning ongoing litigation over the Point Village in Dublin. He also agreed to endeavour to sell a 50% interest in a property in Eze, France. The letter stated Nama would, on or before March 1, 2014, release its charge and any claim to Mr Crosbies home at Hanover Quay, Dublin, and over his son Simons home at Booterstown Avenue, Blackrock, Dublin. Mr Crosbie argued that this letter was a comprehensive agreement with Nama which was understood to preclude Nama from taking enforcement proceedings against him; suing for judgment; or having him declared bankrupt. The High Court found the letter was not a binding agreement and, even if it was, it was no longer in force because Mr Crosbie had not fully performed it. It could not give rise to any real defence against Namas claim. In his judgment on the appeal, Mr Justice Michael Peart agreed with the High Court decision. It was fair to say Mr Crosbies appeal was focused not so much upon denial of liability for the debt but that the August 2012 letter from his solicitor must be construed as an agreement, Mr Justice Peart said. Mr Crosbie argued this meant he was entitled to pursue a counterclaim whereby he might obtain certain declarations as to the scope and effect of the 77m judgment against him. Mr Justice Peart said the gravamen of the appeal, by way of his counterclaim, was that Nama should be precluded from enforcing the judgment against his personal assets. The judge said Mr Crosbie should not be allowed to use the counterclaim to determine whether enforcement steps can be brought. The decision of the High Court in refusing to permit this by way of counterclaim was correct, he said. Judge Olann Kelleher told Andrew Hurley he could do that community service work instead of spending five months in prison. Furthermore he imposed a jail sentence of six months which he suspended. The sentence was suspended on the basis that Hurley was on a waiting list for a rehabilitation programme. The matter will be back in court in September to verify that he has taken up the place on the programme. Fine Gael Cllr Des Cahill, 45, said his journey over the last two years is an example of how things can turn around for people in financial difficulty. None of it could have been achieved without friends and family, he said. Talking about it is the only way out of this kind of trouble. I would encourage people who find themselves in similar difficulty to open up a bit more, to talk about it. It is tough, and you have to be tough, but you can come through it. Positivity will be the mantra of my year. Id like to instil confidence back in the city, to emphasise the best of Cork at all opportunities. Mr Cahill, from Ballintemple, and who represents the south-east ward, was nominated by Fine Gael Cllr John Buttimer and seconded by Fianna Fail Cllr Terry Shannon. He was described as an honest, outspoken and straight-talking politician who calls it as it is, despite the political consequences. He defeated the only other nominee, Anti-Austerity Alliance Cllr Marion OSullivan, 20 votes to three. Speaking afterwards, he praised outgoing mayor, Cllr Chris OLeary, and called on the developers of the citys stalled events centre to resolve the outstanding issues which are preventing construction work from starting. Mr Cahills wife, Ankie, who is from Maastricht, Holland, and their children, Isabel, 14, and David, 12, as well as relatives of his late parents, Bob and Dina, Housing Minister Simon Coveney, and Senator Colm Burke, were among about 80 guests who watched from the public gallery as he was elected. But Mr Kenny has dismissed suggestions that a border poll for a united Ireland should be held in the north and here in the wake of referendum, saying there was no evidence of support for such a vote. Mr Kenny said he was sorry that Britain had voted to leave the union and later had a phone conversation with British prime minister David Cameron, who has said he will step down in the coming months. Speaking following an emergency Cabinet meeting at Government buildings, Mr Kenny said: I want to assure the Irish public that we have prepared to the greatest extent possible for this eventuality. There will be no immediate change to the free flow of people, goods and services between our islands. There is debate about whether border posts will be reinstated following the Brexit vote or whether movement between the two countries will be restricted. Mr Kenny said the main concern is the potential impacts for trade and the economy, for the North, for the common travel area and for the union itself. Future negotiations about Britains exit will also take account of the concerns of Irish people living across the water, said the Taoiseach. Mr Kenny is due to attend an EU leaders meeting next week, at which Brexit will be discussed among the union members. I will clearly set out our national position at that meeting and I will ensure that our particular national interests are fully respected as we prepare to enter the next phase of negotiations, he added. Despite Brussels yesterday insisting that a quick Brexit was needed for Britain, Mr Kenny said he supported British prime minister David Camerons decision to postpone triggering an exit until at least after his successor takes over later this year. There is some breathing space now which should be used wisely, he said. Mr Kenny was asked about calls by Sinn Fein and others for a border poll or united Ireland referendum, as is allowed under the Good Friday Agreement. This has been raised especially given the fact that the north actually voted to remain in the EU, even though the overall vote in Britain was to leave. Mr Kenny said that under the terms of the agreement, there can only be a border poll if the norths secretary of the day considers a majority of people want such a vote. There is no such evidence, there are much more serious issues to deal with in the immediate term, thats where our focus is, he told reporters yesterday. The Taoiseach also said it is up to Britain to implement Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which essentially triggers an exit. I respect that fully, he said. Contingency plans drawn up by departments also include a review now of plans for the budget as well as the monitoring of borders, migrants and dealing with any loss of funding for the North. The Dail is expected to hear more of the emergency plans on Monday in a debate on Brexit. The plans also look towards the period in two years when Britain will leave and how this will impact on the border region or what security issues the exit will have. Mr Biden said upon hearing the news of a Brexit, that he would have preferred a different outcome. He said his country fully respects the decision they have made, adding that Americas special bond with the UK runs deep and will endure. Mr Biden was speaking at Trinity College Dublin, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate. The vice president was joined in Trinity by members of his family, including his five grandchildren, who have accompanied him on his visit to Ireland. It is the first such honorary doctorate the vice president has received outside of the United States. The ceremony was held in Trinitys Public Theatre, where the chancellor of Trinity College and former Irish president Mary Robinson, and college provost Dr Patrick Prendergast, welcomed Mr Biden. Speaking at the event, Mr Biden said it was an enormous privilege to receive the honorary doctorate. Addressing the crowd of graduating Trinity doctorate students seated in the hall, Mr Biden said: I am honoured to have the opportunity to speak today. You are preparing to add your intellectual talent to the world. We are at an inflection point in world history; weve never had as much potential to do so much good. You are graduating into a world that can make change. Our world is infinitely more complex. That complexity holds opportunity. You can do a hell of a lot. You are put in a moment in history that makes it possible. Go and do good. Mr Biden was also awarded a gold medal by the Trinity Philosophical Society, and was taken by the Trinity provost and president Mr Prendergast to view the Book of Kells. That is according to new figures provided by Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald who confirms there are 397 sex offenders locked up at this time. The figures provided by Ms Fitzgerald in a written Dail reply to Green Party leader Eamon Ryan also show that there are currently 448 killers behind bars for a variety of homicide offences including murder and manslaughter. The figures show that convicted thieves are the largest group in Irish prison numbering 792 while those convicted of threatening to kill total 575. The minister also confirmed there are 417 in jail for drug offences and 374 in prison for burglary and related offences. The number convicted of robbery, extortion and hijacking offences total 126; while 138 people have been convicted of weapons and explosives offences. The minister also confirmed that the numbers convicted for offences against the State and organised crime total 68; while 43 are in jail for kidnapping and related offences. The numbers in jail for road and traffic offences total 59 while 50 people are currently incarcerated for public order and social code offences. The number of convicted fraudsters in prisons total 65; while there are 80 in jail for damage to property and the environment; and a further 100 in jail for committing dangerous or negligent acts. The 397 sex offenders are serving sentences for a variety of sex crimes including rape and sexual assault and possession/distribution of child pornography. Throughout this year, 104 sex offenders will be released from Irish prisons with a dedicated treatment programme for those sex offenders in the prison system costing 96,000 each year to operate. Currently, there are 3,762 prisoners serving sentences in Irish prisons. According to the minister, the cost of available staffed places in the Irish prison system last year declined marginally from 68,959 to 68,628. The cost of accommodating prisoners in Portlaoise prison is much higher due to it being the States only high-security prison. On the numbers in Irish jails for the non-payment of fines, Ms Fitzgerald told Eamon O Cuiv: The number of such persons held in prison for the non-payment of fines at any one time is a tiny fraction of the overall prison population. In a written Dail reply to the FF deputy, Ms Fitzgerald said: To illustrate this point, on June 17, 2016, 3 people or 0.08% out of a prison population of 3,795, in custody fell into this category. On the same date there was no person in prison for the non-payment of debts. According to the minister, the new Fines Act represents a very significant change in the way justice is administered by the courts. She said: As well as introducing an option for persons to pay fines by instalment, there are also changes in the way those who fail to pay fines are dealt with, as the Act provides a range of options available to judges including recovery orders, attachment of earnings, community service and ultimately imprisonment. OBrien, aged 54, with an address at Monkstown Grove, Monkstown, Co Dublin, had pleaded guilty to 14 sample counts of making a gain or causing a loss by deception or theft of around 8.5m between 2003 and 2008. He was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to seven years imprisonment, by Judge Patricia Ryan on October 8, 2014. OBrien had an appeal against sentence dismissed last December, the Court of Appeal holding that adequate consideration was given to the mitigating factors, and while the sentence was substantial, Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan said seven years was appropriate. During case management procedures in the Court of Appeal yesterday, Barry Murphy, counsel for OBrien sought legal aid to pursue an application to the Supreme Court for leave to appeal his unsuccessful appeal against sentence. In May, lawyers for Joe OReilly sought legal aid to pursue a similar application to the Supreme Court to appeal the Court of Appeals dismissal of a bid to have his conviction declared a miscarriage of justice. Mr Justice George Birmingham, who oversees the procedural management of cases through the court on his own, indicated in May that three judges would have to deal with OReillys application because it was the first such legal aid application to come before the Court of Appeal under new jurisdiction. Mr Justice Birmingham had said there wasnt an automatic right of appeal to the Supreme Court, as there had been before the Court of Appeal was established. Counsel for the DPP in OBriens case, Lorcan Staines, referred to the OReilly case yesterday and said three judges would have to hear OBriens application. Mr Justice Birmingham said the OBrien matter could be listed for mention on the same date as OReilly when there will be a court of three judges, on July 22. All I want to know is that my husband, Gino, is getting the best care possible, said Kelli Appezzato yesterday. Gino Appezzato underwent complex surgery at St Vincents University Hospital in Dublin to remove a tumour four weeks ago. He has been under the care of an oncologist, Dr Alexia Bertuzzi, but Kelli Appezzato is concerned that the consultants contract will not be renewed when it expires next week. Dr Bertuzzi has been the go-to consultant for patients with sarcoma a rare cancer that affects around 250 people in Ireland annually, said Ms Appezzato. Consultant oncologist at the hospital, Prof John Crown, left a brief message of support in response to Kellis email yesterday. The former senator wrote: For the record, I strongly support the renewal of Dr Bertuzzis contract. This was an unwise decision. Gino and Kelli, who are from Australia, have four children. They came to Ireland 16 years ago, and had been happily living in Kilkenny until their lives were upended earlier this year. Mr Appezzato was diagnosed with sarcoma in January the malignant tumour growing in connective tissue was found the day after his 44th birthday. One night we were out celebrating his birthday with our four kids, and the next day were in absolute shock after being told there was something in his abdomen that shouldnt be there. He was a self-employed electrician for over 12 years, and the business closed overnight when he became ill. When Mr Appezzato first met Dr Bertuzzi, the pain caused by the tumour was so bad he could not walk, feed or clean himself. The consultant arranged a course of chemotherapy for Mr Appezzato that shrank the tumour enough to allow a surgeon to operate on his abdomen. Having spent more than 10 hours in surgery, and five days in an induced coma, he was discharged from a hospital last weekend and was home in time to celebrate Fathers Day with his children. Even though his tumour was removed, the cancer may return so he will have to be carefully monitored. A spokesperson for the hospital responded: Patients ongoing care and management will be undertaken by the multidisciplinary team in St Vincents University Hospital, which has all the relevant specialities including surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, radiology, and pathology for the care of patients with sarcoma and other cancers. Mr Appezzato is one of several sarcoma patients under the care of St Vincents University Hospital who have expressed a wish that Dr Bertuzzi would remain in her position in the hospital. They set up an online petition this week and it has already received around 6,000 signatures. Their petition on www.change.org reads: We as a group of sarcoma patients, under the care of St Vincents University Hospital, are pleading with you to please take a moment to sign our petition, requesting that sarcoma services are maintained to the high level that is currently being achieved. Ms Appezzato said her husband was doing as well as expected considering what he had been through: He is fighting a battle against cancer, but he is not well enough to fight for the best of care. That is why I am fighting on his behalf. Ian, what can we expect to be the immediate effects of the Brexit vote? The most significant immediate effect is currency volatility and trying to predict what will happen with sterling over the next few months. However, the world of business is well used to volatility. Right now, [11.45am yesterday morning] sterling is at 0.81 and it has been considerably worse than that in the recent past. In the early years of the eurozone, it traded typically between 0.65, and 0.70. Then in late 2008, at the height of the financial crisis, it went as low as 0.96. At that time, there were photos in the newspapers of people from the Republic stuck in traffic jams en route to shopping in Newry. But thanks to quantitative easing in the eurozone, the euro is also weaker and the difference with sterling is not half as bad now as it was in 2008 to 2009. Are there other immediate effects? Yes, if share values drop, it will impact on both companies and individuals, for example, if a company operates a defined benefit pension scheme, it may have a responsibility to top up pension funds. Individuals with a defined contribution scheme will find the value of their pension funds falling and may need to plan increased contributions. What are the more medium-term effects? There are a number of core issues, one of which is what will happen at the border with Northern Ireland and whether we will see the introduction of customs and passports. Will we have to queue to show passports? Are there products or services that in the event of the UK not being in the single market will be subject to tariffs? Will we see articulated lorries queuing for an hour and a half to get through border posts? Will we have a scenario where drivers are asked What is in the truck? and depending on the goods, they may be taxed. If hard borders are to be imposed, at this stage we do not know where they will be, whether they will be between north and south of the island or if they will be across the Irish Sea. We dont know if ultimately people travelling from the north will require a passport to visit Manchester. How have other countries in Europe who are not part of the EU approached issues such as membership of the single market? There are various methodologies. For instance Norway is not in the EU but is part of the European Economic Area (EEA) and has full access to the single market. To obtain this access, they make a very substantial contribution to the EU every year but cannot influence regulations and directives. This seems to have been a big issue in the Brexit campaign that the UK was paying 350m (431m) a week to the EU and getting nothing back. But that is not the case. Part of what they were paying for was their businesses to get access to the single market, which is similar to a benefit-in-kind in that what you get back is revenue from exports, jobs created, taxes paid, and so on. Also in this EEA model they would have to comply with but no longer have the ability to influence the standards and regulations that apply to goods traded in the single market. But if the UK does not go into the single market and the regulatory standards the EU applies to medicines and medical devices differ from the UK for example, will a company have to go through two separate processes to get approval for a drug or device driving up costs? How will Brexit impact on tourism between the two countries? Again that predominantly comes down to currency and the impact of whether you are in recession or growth. If sterling is of low value, then it will be more expensive for UK visitors to take a weekend break in Dublin than in Manchester. (The UK accounts for approximately 40% of overseas visitors and is our largest source of inbound tourists.) What about the impact on our export market? If sterling remains weak, exports into the UK will be more expensive and less competitive but it will be cheaper for us to import goods. (Farming and agri-food exports are particularly exposed; 52% of Irish beef goes to the UK, 60% of cheese exports, and 84% of poultry. Enterprise Ireland said yesterday that companies should, as a first step, seek financial advice relating to hedging and managing associated risks.) Are there any other opportunities? Absolutely. Because Ireland has consistently said it will remain in the EU, we may be more attractive to certain foreign direct investment than the UK, for example, financial services companies that can passport their services across the EU there is the potential for them to migrate over here rather than establish or remain in Britain. Could Britain offer a more attractive corporation tax rate than the 12.5% on offer here? There is nothing to stop them undercutting our rate even while in the EU. They had already planned to reduce their rate to 18% by 2020. Of course once they leave the EU, they may decide to tax foreign companies differently under EU rules the same rates must apply to both domestic and foreign taxpayers. It may also decide it is possible to offer state aid to companies, which is not allowed by the EU. Brexit and Health Separately, the Medical Independent reported yesterday that the Department of Health confirmed nothing would change in the short term vis-a-vis extensive cross-border health projects such as services in Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry, deep-brain stimulation treatments in Belfast on an all-Ireland basis, the Institute of Public Health in Ireland and active co-operation between hospitals on both sides of the border on paediatric congenital heart disease care. Complied by Catherine Shanahan As the married father of one, 41, took the chain of office, his older brother, TD Michael McGrath, and other family members proudly looked on. His election was assured due to a pact between Fianna Fail and Independents. Fine Gael didnt put forward a candidate and abstained from voting. Sinn Feins leader on the council, Des OGrady, said the position of mayor should be decided directly by the people of the county. Mr McGrath took over the office from outgoing mayor John Paul OShea (Ind), who said he was honoured to have served in the position for the past year, during which time he visited many projects which the council was involved in, including the development of Spike Island and Mallow Castle as tourist attractions. Mr McGrath was co-opted onto the council in 2007 when his brother was elected to the Dail and was leader of Fianna Fail on the council for the past two years. The new mayor, who has a batchelor of commerce degree from UCC, said hes glad to have strong support from his family, which will help him do the job. Mr McGrath said the council is now engaging with the public more than it ever did and is providing more diverse services, which are widening its relevance in terms of economic development and tourism. He said the most pressing issue was the housing crisis and he would do anything he could to help get it resolved. The position of deputy mayor went to Kevin Conway (Ind). His election was uncontested after both Sinn Fein and Fine Gael said they wouldnt be putting up candidates. The Prison Visiting Committee reports for 2015 highlight a range of good and improving practices across the Irish prison system. However, issues around drug taking, violence and overcrowding persist. In Cloverhill, the visiting committee noted that the introduction of yard hubs at the prison does not protect prisoners as serious assaults have occurred. There is concern that the use of the hubs will lead to further serious incidents occurring, notes the report. The committee also expressed its disappointment that the passive drug detection dog is not used during the week, while there was a substantial increase in the number of prisoners requesting protection on committal. The lack of a psychologist in the prison was also noted, with the committee expressing its opinion that there is an urgent need for a full-time one. Problems noted in previous reports on Dochas were raised again namely overcrowding; drugs; imprisonment of mothers; homelessness; and difficulty in accessing addiction or counselling services on release. The Committee noted that the centre is designed to accommodate 105 prisoners but on random checks undertaken the numbers regularly reached 120. It expressed concern that this pattern of regular overcrowding will continue. The issue of homelessness and accommodation on release as well as the difficulty in accessing supports and help post-release was also cited as an issue which needed to be addressed. In Mountjoy prison, the visiting committee noted that it is frequently at 98% or 99% of its capacity. The committee commented on the dedication of staff and said it would be helpful, and in the interests of prisoner welfare and rehabilitation, if additional staff were allocated to the prison. The number of protection prisoners rose in 2015, with more than one in four prisoners under a restricted prison regime. Concern was expressed for the mental health of prisoners in the protection system and the committee called for this situation to be reviewed as a priority. Commenting on the reports, Tanaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald addressed the issue of homelessness for offenders on release: The Irish Prison Service has been actively working through the Regional Homeless Consultative Fora as well as working directly with the Departments of Environment and Social Protection to provide an appropriate in-reach service to ensure that prisoners are assisted to find accommodation before release. Ms Fitzgerald praised the work of the committees in ensuring the quality of accommodation, catering, medical, educational, welfare and recreational facilities. Janice OLeary stood up once the Toyota Hiace taxi stopped outside her home at East Avenue, Laurel Brook, Lehnaghmore, Togher, Cork, and she testified yesterday that it moved again as she was leaving causing her to fall. Edwin Long, the driver of the mini-bus for K-Cabs of Barrack Street, Cork, denied that the fall occurred. Judge Sean O Donnabhain said at Cork Circuit Court, On the balance of probabilities the van moved and caused the fall. Her account is more consistent. She suffered a nasty injury (fracture to her coccyx). She could have taken more care for her own safety by holding on. The judge assessed damages at 12,000 minus a quarter for contributory negligence. The plaintiffs barrister, Eoin Clifford, put it to Mr Long that he was annoyed at having to wait for an hour in Macroom before everyone was on board and ready to travel back to the city. Mr Long said, I was upset a tiny bit but what can you do? Mr Clifford said Mr Long drove at speed from Macroom to Cork. Mr Long said he did not and the journey took one hour when it would normally take half an hour. Mr Long said that Ms OLeary did not fall at all. She said something to me. I said, Youre a disgrace, girl. She was locked. Ms OLeary said she was not drunk and had not drank that much as she was helping out in the kitchen at the party. She said she had three or four bottles of Coors Light that night and that the fall occurred at 3.30am that morning, February 16, 2013. When I went to move, he moved the bus and I fell to my bottom. I got very upset. I asked him why he moved the bus, Ms OLeary said. Her sister corroborated evidence that the plaintiff was not drunk. Her husband, who was minding the children at home, said his wife was very upset and she rang K-Cabs and rang the gardai when she got home. When the judge was told that the gardai were called on the night in relation to the disputed fall in the Hiace, he asked, Did the armed response unit come out? From flapper to hipster, each generation has its own tribes and the buzzwords to describe them. These words, initially impenetrable to exclude the squares and the olds, quickly become absorbed into the mainstream lexicon and our dictionaries so that very soon we are all on the same slangy page. Except were not, because the purpose of slang is to continually mutate and evolve, as kids invent new terminology to keep the rest of us at arms length. You hip to the jive, daddy-o? Sick, bruv. A new book, From Skedaddle to Selfie: Words of the Generations by US academic Allan Metcalfe, looks not just at how some words go from slang to dictionary staple, but also at their generational context. This is Professor Metcalfes pet subject a forensic linguist, he has also written an entire book on the origins of ok (it first appeared in the Boston Morning Post on March 23 1839, as a jokey misspelled abbreviation for all correct so now you know). But what about YOLO, FOMO, LOL, ROFL, NSFW, friend / unfriend, Netflix and chill, meh, sexting, flashmob, occupy, hashtag, and the rest of Millennial-speak? Remember how naff David Cameron looked when he admitted hed thought LOL stood for lots of love? This is the entire mission of slang to create an in crowd and an out crowd. And most of us are part of the latter. Dont worry, theres a glossary at the end. Suzanne Harrington with her 15-year-old daughter, Lola and 12-year-old son, Felix. Millennials are the generation born between 1982 and 2004. But many oldies Generation X, born between 1961 and 1981 tend to know what the more high profile of these words mean, thanks to the internet and the fact that many of us share our households with teenagers, and have been forced to learn how to speak basic Millennial if we want to communicate with them, particularly with those under the age of 18. (Older Millennials tend to make more of an effort to communicate in standard English, especially when they want something). So when your 12 year old says that his link was taxed for bare p on the way home from school and it was well peak, what on earth is he talking about? In the absence of Google Translate, allow me: the object of the 12 year olds prepubescent desire was involuntarily relieved by a third party of all their bus money on the way home from school, which was terribly bad form. Youre welcome. Do not, however, assume that you now speak Millennial this is a local dialect, and most likely differs from the dialects where you live. Thats the thing. Not only does slang evolve and morph from day to day, but also from place to place, as any plukey radge who has ever picked up an Irvine Welsh novel will attest. This means that the current slang listed in Skedaddle to Selfie is already dated, even though the book was only published five minutes ago. But we wont know the slang of the generation which started in 2005 for another few years, because half of them are still in kindergarten; Metcalfe calls this upcoming lot the Homeland Generation, born post 9/11, and three years after the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security in the US. An alternative name for the upcoming generation could be Post-Millennials, for the millions born outside the US after 2005 Metcalfes book is entirely Americentric. (Such is the dominance of American film and TV culture in the UK, British youth refer to police as feds.) Whats interesting is how slang reflects change in cultural attitudes. Sex, for instance. From going steady and necking and petting (is it just me, or does that last term have worrying zoological connotations?) to hook-ups and booty-calls, our unofficial language reflects the relaxing of puritanical attitudes to sex over the generations, particularly highlighted by the mainstreaming of the F word. Pre Boom Generation - those born 1943 to 1960 - the word fuck was taboo, even though it was first officially noted in the English language in 1568 (its thought to predate that, but nobody seems quite sure by how long). Anyway, the Boomers reclaimed the word as a straightforward sexual term, and also via the literature of the era like Abbie Hoffmans 1967 book Fuck The System. The word finally made its way into the dictionary in 1969, but remained banned from the pages of The New Yorker until 1985. By the time it reached Sex & The City, it was risque but normalised. Many ordinary words in common usage today began life as slang deadline, transcendental, scallywag, hot dog, fan, sweatshop, adolescent, sexy, jazz, hip, slacker, boyfriend, girlfriend, doggie bag, senior citizen, babysitter, teenager, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, tooth fairy, hippie, groovy, streaking, lifestyle, self-esteem, gay, single parent, fast food, junk food, helicopter parent. Thats before you ever consider the Generation X slang, which gave the world terms like McJob, slacker, hacker, geek, nerd, dork, grunge, road trip, and like, whatever. We know all of these. Many modern sounding words are far older than we think, yet remain in daily use, having been absorbed from American English into the wider language. Like dude. Dude comes from the Progressive Generation, born between 1843 and 1859 specifically from a dude called Robert Sale Hill, an Irish-born poet living in New York, who overnight in 1883 gave America a new term for foppish young man. The term stuck. The Lost Generation born between 1883 and 1900 gave us adolescents. The term, like the F word, existed long before this (you could find it in 15th century dictionaries) but until the very early 20th century, it was not a well known concept. The idea of a stage between childhood and adulthood was novel the word (and idea of) teenager would not arrive for another two generations. By the time the beatniks and hipsters of the Silent Generation (born 1925 to 1942) had developed into teenyboppers and hippies of the Boomers, youth culture was firmly embedded. Ironically, Millennials have been revisiting the hipster idea via extravagant facial topiary, man buns and flat whites, although the original hipsters and beatniks would not have been caught dead on a skateboard. They were too busy doing heroin and writing angry poetry. If you go back as far as the generation born between 1742 and 1766, you get words like gerrymander and inalienable. The generation after that, born between 1767 and 1791, gave us pioneer and wilderness. As a writer, I want to know where deadline came from; turns out its a bit gruesome. It was an actual line in the ground at a prison camp, writes Metcalfe. A prisoner who crossed the line would be shot dead. This was in the mid 1800s but by the 1920s, it had been appropriated by newspaper editors to denote a time limit, perhaps in hope of intimidating reporters with dire consequences for failing to meet those deadlines. Yikes. From Skedaddle to Selfie: Words of the Generations by Allan Metcalfe, Oxford University Press 17.70 Your guide to millennial slang Bronz - Im sad Soz - Sorry on fleek- perfect BAE- before anyone else prinks - pre going-out drinks YOLO -You only live once FOMO - Fear of missing out especially if YOLO LOL Laughing out loud, formerly ha ha ROFL Rolling on floor laughing, formerly HA HA AF - as f**k squad - friends basic - average, run of the mill eg she is SO basic bible - Gods honest truth ship - relationship OOTD - outfit of the day OOTM - outfit of the night NSFW -Not suitable for work dont open it, theres sex Friend/unfriend- A verb invented by Facebook Netflix and chill -Sex Sexting - Netflix and chill on your phone Occupy - A group of activists in a public place Meh - As it sounds Hashtag - A Twitter thing SNAFU - Situations normal all fucked up FUBAR - Fucked up beyond all recognition THE burly, blonde barman, painted from head to toe in Smurf blue handed over the beers in large plastic beakers. Close by, what looked like a woman dressed as a dinosaur, waltzed between the rows of tables with a bearded man in a string vest, grabbing her a little too close for comfort. At one of the tables, a topless guy was struggling to make an impression in an arm wrestling content, while in the next seat another of the party tried to stuff a foot long hot dog into the back pocket of an unsuspecting stranger, bun and all. All around us grown men were covering themselves in a collage of heavy duty make-up as bystanders laughed and clapped along, eager to get in line. Inside the massive marquee, the opening riff of Bon Jovis Living on a Prayer sent the craziness up a notch and all at once, what seemed like most of Denmark, jumped on the tables, the whole place resembling a cross between a drunken, rowdy Euro Song Contest, Geordie Shore, and a Scandinavian version of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. Camping in style. A McLaren 675LT parked by a tent at Porsche Curves We had arrived at Le Mans. For a week, the oldest and most famous 24-hour race transforms the sleepy French city into the heaving epicentre of world motor sport as much an endurance test for 400,000 fans off the track as it is for the skilled drivers on it. We got a sense of the madness that awaited us hours earlier when we landed in Paris on Friday afternoon. Optimistically we planned to make the 210km drive to the track in a little over three hours. Two-and-a-half hours after picking up the car, we had travelled 42km city traffic bumper to bumper, the Sat Nav finding more devious ways of taking us off the beaten track. When we finally arrived close to six hours later our path to the campsite was blocked by throngs of race fans. Lining both sides of the road like a scene from Mad Max, they rocked cars as they passed, spraying drivers and passengers in beer and water, baying for more wheelspins and donuts. Safely inside the compound, we only had the crazy Danes to contend with. Our stamina finally waned shortly after 2am and we tip-toed our way through the mud back to the tent dizzy and dazed and nothing at all to do with alcohol. Race day Actor Jackie Chan, FIAs Endurance Commission, FIA president Jean Todt, and official race starter Brad Pitt wave before the 84th Le Mans 24-hours endurance race. Picture: Jean-Francois Monier/AFP/Getty Images The first helicopter circled overhead just after 6am. I was already awake the disadvantage of camping with three others. I packed the backpack and headed out into the dawn sunshine. Walking around, I began to get an idea of the scale of the site, and the realisation that this was camping but not as I knew it. At the top of our row of tents sat a white Audi R8, not far from that a Maserati Quattroporte, then a Porsche GT3, another Porsche, then another. Two rows back, an Audi R8 V10, a Lamborghini, a Ferrari California, an Audi RS5, a RS6, a few RS7s, a black Mercedes C63 AMG, then a silver one, and a bright orange McLaren 675LT to name but a few. It was a playground for boys and their toys very expensive toys. Shortly after 7am, the turbo engines cracked into life, the guttural roar of the V8s rolling over the hills. I made my way to Porsche Curves to get my first glimpse, the noise building as the Ferrari 458s and Corvettes approached Arnage Corner, glided through the Curves, sweeping across the bridge and back towards the main grandstands. The warm-up had begun. Its hard to describe the noise at Le Mans its constant, echoing around the 13-mile track, which circles the dozens of campsites. After a while, you begin to distinguish the cars by the sound the jet-like whistling of the hybrid LP1s, the angry growls of the LP2s, the rumble of the V6s and the thunderous burbling of the V8s. Then theres the music, the in and out of tents, the barbecues, the beer and food tents, the tyre burns, the car horns, the incessant buzz of helicopters overhead, the hordes constantly on the move, the traffic, the sirens, the thousands of tiny radios tuned into the track broadcasts, the sanitation trucks, the mopeds. A spectacular view of Ford Chicane and main grandstand straight during the Le Mans 24 Hour race. Picture: Ker Robertson/Getty Images We headed on the 30-minute walk to the main grandstands at about 9.30am. The souvenir shops, beer halls, display stands, and corporate areas were already busy, with the start still hours away. Tiring of the crowds, I headed to the paddock and working pits for a nose around. It was smaller than I expected garage crews, suits, VIP guests, company types, groupies, gofers and paying punters fighting for limited space. TV crews grabbed drivers for a quick interview. Models mingled and posed for selfies. Drivers fulfilled corporate commitments, and star-struck spectators tried to get a glimpse of a-listers such as Keanu Reeves, Jason Statham, Jackie Chan, Patrick Dempsey and the official race starter Brad Pitt. Just before 1pm, we were herded through the gates for the famed pit walk a unique chance to get up close and personal with the men and machines that would undertake the ultimate challenge. I took a few pics, grabbed a few words with Corks own Matt Griffin who was lining out for Ferrari and then made my way back to the stands for the main event. With an hour to go, the skies opened, but not even the rain could dampen the excitement. Then the roar went up, and they were off the 60 cars filing past the stands on the first lap of their 24-hour odyssey. After an hour, we made our way to the hospitality area eager to soak up some of the atmosphere. But with the queues at the bar six-deep, and watery pints at 9 a pop, the novelty soon wore off and we wound our way back to the campsite and the welcome arms of our Danish compatriots. Food sorted, we drew up plans. It was 7pm and there were 15 hours of racing still to go. An Audi R8 parked at the campsite. I headed back to Porsche Curves, eager to catch some more racing, but away from the maddening crowds. The lads opted for a few hours sleep, planning to get up in the early hours and sample the magic of Le Mans by night. I lasted till about 10, didnt really sleep, and got up again about 6am. The site was quiet, except for the continuous soundtrack of the cars circling the track. I grabbed breakfast at one of the 24-hour tents and made my way back to the embankment. Some of the hardcore fans had stayed up all night. Others still slept, wrapped in waterproof blankets, oblivious to the din. The regulars were lined up in their fold-out chairs, coffee pots on the go, long lens cameras and binoculars at the ready. I joined them. Taking one of the spare chairs, I sat for a few hours and watched the ultimate test of man and machine unfold. At 10, I started the journey home. The tram to Le Mans was empty. The silence unsettling. Outside, thousands were making their way back to the track for the finale. Back to savour the greatest roadshow on earth. The UK electorate has voted to leave the European Union. Time will tell as to the full extent of the turmoil and uncertainties that will emerge. Many Irish businesses will need to deal with a new set of circumstances in the years ahead in terms of economic, political and social relations with the UK. Irish businesses need to consider the implications of Brexit and plan accordingly. Any assessment of the potential implications needs to reflect the uncertainties created by the vote, but in the context that Ireland remains part of the EU with direct access to the huge market that this presents Irish businesses. Our economy is performing at well over the average eurozone GDP growth rate and the majority of Irish CEOs have recently confirmed to us in our 2016 CEO Pulse Survey that they plan to grow revenues in the year ahead. It is important to remember that the terms of both the exit negotiations and the UKs future relationship with the EU are likely to take several years to reach a resolution. In the meantime, businesses should continue with their growth plans while developing strategies to manage the range of uncertainties that are expected. The exact nature of the consequences of the vote and the length of time it will take to fully understand the shape of a new European trade landscape is unclear. What is clear as a result of the Leave vote is that many businesses will need to consider a range of issues and take steps to minimise the impact of the following uncertainties: Sterling volatility and its impact on their cost base, especially in the short to medium term. Regulatory changes with consequences around regulatory capital and costs, primarily in the financial services sector. Changes in business models, for example, location, branches and subsidiaries. Customs and trade and new administration, for example, new customs requirements. Supply chain arrangements, physical and virtual including routes to market. For example, sourcing alternative suppliers and / or importing from other states. Tax and legal entity structures across the UK and other European locations. Taxation changes across corporation tax, VAT and duties, as well as cash flow implications of upfront VAT payable at point of importation of goods from the UK. Legal issues for example, invalid contract clauses. Intellectual property and data privacy are also areas that may be impacted. In the longer term, workforce mobility and freedom of movement of people, including work permits and educational qualifications, may also be impacted. A bilateral agreement with Britain giving Irish citizens special status in the UK is by no means certain and would need approval of the European Union. Business systems may also have to change or at least to be capable of coping with change. This is because continued trading with the UK, once the exit negotiations have been agreed, will require businesses to manage new administrative requirements when either importing or exporting goods or services from/to the UK. If the existing systems are not likely to be adaptable for those changes, plans and budgets for further capital expenditure may be needed. But many questions may remain unanswered for a long time such as what will the new trade arrangements look like? What new tariffs or borders will apply? Will Irish educational qualifications be recognised in the UK? What new administrative burdens will result? How will Irish regulated financial services businesses conduct operations in the UK? The UK will cease to be part of the European Union following what is expected to be a lengthy period of negotiation. While article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon provides for a two- year period at the end of which the UK (or any other departing member state) would leave the European Union, it also provides for an extension to the negotiation period which most commentators believe will be necessary. It is likely that a separate parallel negotiating track will be used to establish a new relationship between the UK and the EU and the UK and Ireland. Any prolonged negotiations will cause uncertainty for businesses and for Irelands economy. And as one of Irelands largest trading partners, Irish businesses have very particular strategic, economic, and political interests in the outcome of these negotiations. We have been supporting our clients with their readiness plans for an exit and will continue to work with them to ensure relevant steps are taken. Businesses should plan for every scenario and be prepared to manage new operational models and the systemic changes that may occur. PwC will continue to work with its clients to help minimise the risks and inevitable disruption the vote will bring to ensure they continue to have successful businesses into the future. Irish people have faced numerous challenges since independence and we have shown a fortitude to respond to adversity. The response to Brexit should be no different. Twenty years hence it is possible to imagine Irish companies having fully embraced the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit already evident in our recovering economy and significantly adapted business models. Ireland will continue to establish itself as a tech and fintech (financial technology) hub and a European gateway for US business. Irish businesses will continue to trade with the UK. International businesses will also continue to seek out new markets with Ireland acting as a strategic single staging post for Asian and Middle-Eastern business seeking to enter both the US and EU markets. Many Irish businesses have come through the worst recession in decades and have shown great resilience. I have no doubt that, with the right strategy and help, Irish businesses will navigate these uncertain waters and emerge stronger than before. Feargal ORourke is the managing partner of PwC Ireland THE United Kingdoms referendum on whether to leave the European Union created odd bedfellows and some odder adversaries. As Tory turned mercilessly against Tory, the schism in the Conservative establishment received much attention. But a parallel (thankfully more civilised) split afflicted my side: The left. Having campaigned against Leave for several months in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, it was inevitable that I faced criticism from left-wing supporters of Brexit, or Lexit as it came to be known. Lexiteers reject the call issued by DiEM25 (the radical Democracy in Europe Movement, launched in Berlin in February) for a pan-European movement to change the EU from within. They believe that reviving progressive politics requires exiting an incorrigibly neoliberal EU. The left needed the resulting debate. Many on the left rightly disdain the easy surrender of others on their side to the premise that globalisation has rendered the nation-state irrelevant. While nation states have become weaker, power should never be confused with sovereignty. As little Iceland has demonstrated, it is possible for a sovereign people to safeguard basic freedoms and values independently of their states power. And, crucially, Iceland, unlike Greece and the UK, never entered the EU. Back in the 1990s, I campaigned against Greeces entry into the eurozone, just like Britains Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, campaigned in the 1970s against joining the EU. Indeed, when asked by friends in Norway or Switzerland whether they should support their countries entry into the EU, my answer is negative. But it is one thing to oppose entering the EU; it is quite another to favour exiting it once inside. Exiting is unlikely to get you to where you would have been, economically and politically, had you not entered. So opposing both entry and exit is a coherent position. Whether it makes sense for leftists to advocate exit hinges on whether a nation-state freed from EU institutions provides more fertile ground for cultivating a progressive agenda of redistribution, labour rights, and anti-racism. It also depends on the likely impact of an exit campaign on transnational solidarity. As I travel across Europe, advocating a pan-European movement to confront the EUs authoritarianism, I sense a great surge of internationalism in places as different from one another as Germany, Ireland, and Portugal. Distinguished Lexiteers, like Harvards Richard Tuck, are prepared to risk quashing this surge. They point to pivotal moments when the left took advantage of Britains lack of a written constitution to expropriate private medical business and create its National Health Service and other such institutions. A vote to stay within the EU, Tuck writes, willend any hope of genuinely left politics in the UK. Similarly, on immigration, Tuck claims that, despite the insufferable xenophobia dominating the Leave campaign, the only way to overcome racism is to let Britains people feel sovereign again by returning control of their borders to London. Tucks historical analysis is correct. The EU is inimical to projects such as the NHS and nationalised industries (though it was the British nation-state, under prime minister Margaret Thatcher, that gave the EU its neoliberal cast). And perhaps the loss of control over immigration from Europe inspired greater xenophobia. But once locked into this EU, a political campaign to exit it is unlikely to steer national politics in the direction of leftist goals. Most likely, it will result in a new Tory administration that tightens the screw of austerity further and erects new fences to keep despised foreigners out. Many leftists find it hard to fathom why I campaigned for Remain after EU leaders vilified me personally and crushed Greeces Athens Spring in 2015. Of course, no truly progressive agenda can be revived through the EU institutions. DiEM25 was founded on the conviction that it is only against EU institutions, but within the EU, that progressive politics has a chance in Europe. Leftists once understood that the good society is to be won by entering the prevailing institutions in order to overcome their regressive function. In and against used to be our motto. We should revive it. Another critic of DiEM25, Thomas Fazi, believes that, given the current make-up of the European Parliament, Greece would still have been crushed, even if the parliament were more democratic. But DiEM25s view is not simply that the EU suffers a democratic deficit; it is that the European Parliament is not a proper parliament. Creating a proper parliament, able to dismiss the executive, would destroy the European Parliaments current make-up and usher in a democratic politics that would prevent official creditors from crushing countries like Greece. Fazis fellow economist Heiner Flassbeck likewise argues that the nation state, not some airy-fairy pan-European terrain, as DiEM25 purportedly suggests, is the right place to push for change. In fact, DiEM25 focuses on both levels and beyond. The left, once upon a time, understood the importance of operating simultaneously at the municipal, regional, national, and international levels. Why do we, suddenly, feel the need to prioritise the national over the European? Perhaps Flassbecks harshest criticism of DiEM25s radical pan-Europeanism is the charge that we are peddling left-wing TINA (there is no alternative) to operating at the level of the EU. While DiEM25 advocates a democratic union, we certainly reject both the inevitability and the desirability of ever-closer union. Today, the European establishment is working toward a political union that we regard as an austerian iron cage. We have declared war on this conception of Europe. Last year, when Greeces official creditors threatened us with ejection from the eurozone, even from the EU, I was undaunted. DiEM25 is imbued with this spirit of defiance: We will not be forced by the prospect of the EUs disintegration to acquiesce to an EU of the establishments choosing. In fact, we believe it is important to prepare for the collapse of the EU under the weight of its leaders hubris. But that is not the same as making the EUs disintegration our objective and inviting European progressives to join neo-fascists in campaigning for it. The philosopher Slavoj ?Zi?zek, a DiEM25 signatory, recently quipped that socialist nationalism is not a good defence against the postmodern national socialism that the EUs disintegration would bring. Hes right. Now, more than ever, a pan-European humanist movement to democratise the EU is the lefts best bet. Yanis Varoufakis, a former finance minister of Greece, is professor of economics at the University of Athens. www.project-syndicate.org Ireland, the UK and the EU now face a period of great challenge. The Government has been working on contingency measures for some time. Considerable work has already been undertaken right across government to prepare a contingency framework to address the sectoral issues that will arise. This contingency framework, a summary of which was published yesterday, is based on contributions from Government departments which identify the key strategic issues which now arise. This framework will ensure that the Government is able to focus on the key policy areas/issues to be addressed in the exit negotiations which will take place in the coming months. Priority issues identified include the UK-EU negotiations, bilateral British-Irish relations, Northern Ireland, trade, investment, North-South border impacts, competitiveness and macroeconomic issues, research/innovation funding and energy. I and my department are playing a central role in this work, in partnership with the Taoiseach and colleagues across government. As work gets underway immediately in line with this framework, I want to set out some core principles guiding me as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. The first of these is that Ireland will remain in the EU and in the eurozone, while we will also do everything to protect our political, economic and people-to-people links to the UK. Also, as part of the Governments contingency framework for the UK exit, I will ensure that our diplomatic resources are utilised to the full in the important period ahead in Ireland, the UK, in Brussels and elsewhere. Secondly, a key priority for me will be the ongoing work to support stability, reconciliation and prosperity for the people in Northern Ireland. The UKs exit from the EU will bring changes, but the Irish Government has emphasised all along with EU partners, the UK government and the parties in Northern Ireland that the Northern Ireland and all-island dimensions will be an area for priority attention in all post-referendum negotiations processes, including in relation to the status of the border. In contacts Ive already had in the last 24 hours with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland political leaders, and with a number of European foreign ministers, I have emphasised the importance of this for Ireland. Thirdly, it is important to recognise that the UK is not leaving the EU immediately and that all arrangements, rights and facilities linked to EU membership still apply in full. A negotiation process will get underway and will take a minimum of two years prior to a UK exit. During that time the UK remains an EU member state and participating in the workings of the Union. There will be further actions too. I have asked Irish Ambassadors from key EU capitals to travel to Dublin to discuss next steps, which will include high level political contacts with the EU. On Thursday, polling day for the EU referendum, I addressed all EU Ambassadors to Ireland and outlined the governments priorities for both possible outcomes of this referendum. We will also work with all stakeholders, including with Irish employers representatives who trade with the UK, and with whom I discussed contingency planning in recent weeks when I convened the Governments Export Trade Council. Irish Embassies and Consulates will work closely with state agencies to continue to develop all of Irelands dynamic trading relationships, including of course the hugely valuable business links with the UK. I wish to highlight the importance to the government of the Irish community in Britain, many of whom engaged with energy and determination in the referendum debate over recent months. I fully intend to maintain the outreach and engagement with the community to ensure their concerns are addressed as the negotiations process moves forward. As I said at the start, the UK exit from the EU will present us with a challenge, but Ireland and its people have dealt with major challenges before. While the outcome of the UK referendum is clearly disappointing, the Irish government is determined to ensure that the peace, stability and prosperity achieved over recent decades is protected and sustained. Charlie Flanagan is the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade THE sun has risen but darkness falls. Divorce is rarely a pleasant experience and the kids always suffer most. In the grand divorce of Britain and the rest of Europe, it will be Ireland which is impacted most by the decision of the British people to leave the EU. The ones actually who stand to lose most ironically are not the British, but the Irish, according to former British Conservative MP Edwina Currie yesterday. The significance of the decision to exit the EU by a ratio of 52% to 48% will not become immediately clear, but there is no doubt the implications for Ireland are immense. It was right that an emergency Cabinet meeting took place here in Dublin yesterday in the wake of the result being confirmed and the Dail will sit on Monday especially to debate the crisis. Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his ministers who campaigned vigorously for Britain to remain, have a lot of soul-searching to do. I want to assure the Irish public that we have prepared to the greatest extent possible for this eventuality. There will be no immediate change to the free flow of people, goods and services between our islands, he said at a hastily-arranged press conference. Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster speaking at Stormont Castle yesterday on the Brexit vote in the European Union Referendum on membership of the EU. Plunged into a new era of uncertainty, Currie is absolutely right to say Ireland stands to lose considerably. By the mere fact of Britains decision to leave, Ireland will stand diminished at EU level. We have lost our closest neighbour in the club of Europe and without them our voice at the table immediately becomes more marginalised. I think we will have to have a new deal with Britain and a new deal with the EU, said Fine Gael MEP Brian Hayes yesterday, referring to the grave uncertainty that now hangs over us. Former taoiseach John Bruton took a more bullish attitude, saying it is now time for us to let them go and look after ourselves: The British have made their decision, let them go. It is time to look after our own interests. The sad reality of the result is that having just emerged from the eight-year financial crisis, we are now consumed again by a fresh crisis as to our standing at European level. Given the decision, there is an inevitable reality that a scorned Europe will have to punish Britain for leaving, primarily to discourage any other itchy members from thinking of following suit. The beginnings of the break-up emerged yesterday as EU Commission president Jean Claude Juncker told Britain to get out, and get out fast. He said they want to negotiate its exit plan as soon as possible, however painful this process will be. After a shaky start to his speech as shockwaves reverberate around Brussels, the Eurocrat said: Personally I am very sad about this decision but of course we have to respect it. This is an unprecedented situation, but we are united in our response. French President Francois Hollande also said Paris wants the Britain to start its exit package negotiations with the EU as soon as possible. German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her great regret after Britains historic decision and urged for calm. German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks to the media following the result. Picture: Carsten Koall/Getty Images Those also have to make it clear to Britain that having decided to leave, Britain cannot expect to enjoy the benefits of the EU club and negotiations on trade deals are now about to commence. The great fear is little old Ireland will get walloped in the crossfire. We have deep scars as to how we were treated by Europe during the financial crash, which has fed much of the scepticism in the political establishment in this country and in Europe. The socialisation of scores of billions of toxic bank debt and the deep resistance from the European Central Bank (ECB) to Irish Government demands to burn bondholders in Anglo Irish Bank only furthered that cynicism. The legacy of that cynicism took its toll on Fine Gael and Labour here and led us into the realm of minority government for the foreseeable future. Enda Kenny spoke about the strong bonds of that Union and how Ireland stands to benefit from them, but such claims ring somewhat hollow given what we have been through. He said we will take some breathing space to consider the verdict. Given that recent trauma, it has been made very clear that Irelands needs come way down the pecking order and if those needs conflict with the views of Germany and France, well we know how that will go. But back to the deal that Brian Hayes now says is necessary, having conceded that Brexit will knock 3bn off our fiscal space. That is 3bn less to spend on new classrooms, teachers, nurses, doctors, roads, or gardai. Just how can we be spared the impact of Europes isolation of Britain while we remain within the fold? Just what will happen to the border between the two Irish states on this island? Are we looking at the breakup of the United Kingdom as we know it, given renewed calls in Scotland for a second independence referendum? Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and and Northern Irelands Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness speak during a press conference outside Stormont Castle in Belfast, yesterday. Picture: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images The Guardian aptly described the events of yesterday morning in pithy headline: Financial chaos, economic crisis, the likely breakaway of Scotland and possibly Northern Ireland: quite the mornings work for the Bullingdon Club. The reference to the elitist all-male club at Oxford University of which both David Cameron and Boris Johnson were members does bring into light the future of the now outgoing prime minister and the man who has long harboured ambitions to replace him. In a most dignified and honourable resignation speech, in which he became visibly emotional, Cameron said a new captain is needed to steer the ship into these new waters: I will do everything I can as Prime Minister to steady the ship over the coming weeks and months but I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination. This is not a decision Ive taken lightly but I do believe its in the national interest to have a period of stability and then the new leadership required. Moving forward, as we stand to lose most, Ireland must now make sure it is central to any discussions between Britian and the EU as to what form the break-up will take. If we do not, we must then consider our own position within Europe. Im worried that by the time my column is published, all of the think pieces will be written, everyone will have moved on and my article will seem dated and, well, boring. Its the nature of the modern news cycle we are outraged by something and then quickly forget about it as soon as the next atrocity occurs. But I have to write about what happened in Orlando last weekend. You know the horrifying details a nightclub, a rain of gunfire, 49 innocent people murdered. Im sure your Facebook walls have been flooded with damning indictments of Americas gun laws and, sadly, theres probably been a few Islamaphobic comments creeping in too. (Unfriend those people immediately.) No matter how much coverage has already been given to the Orlando shooting, I feel I need to write this article because in ten days time, American gun laws will still need to be reformed. Religious bigotry will still exist. In ten days time, homophobia will still be an insidious undercurrent in our society. Because really, when it comes down to it, the Orlando shooting was an attack on LGBT people, no matter how much the media attempts to dismiss that. A man walked into a gay nightclub with the full intention of killing gay people. How could that be construed as anything but an assault on the LGBT community? Most rational people are horrified by the Orlando Shooting and will rightfully condemn it but its time for straight people to acknowledge our role in allowing a culture to exist in which something like this could even happen. Instinctively we go on the defensive, denying that we could somehow be any way at fault. We wouldnt buy a gun. We wouldnt murder anyone. This is not our problem. And yet we continue to allow our children to use the word gay as an insult. We say that we have no problem with gay people but why do they have to be so in your face with their sexuality? Why do they need a Pride March? Why did they need to get married, couldnt they have been happy with civil partnerships? Is it really so difficult to understand that these throwaway comments might be contributing to a mindset that fears homosexuality, that sees it as something so unnatural that it should be forbidden? Is it such a stretch to imagine that the man at the centre of the Orlando Shooting had probably been hearing such comments for most of his life? He was not born hating gay people. He was taught to do so. The only gay people I knew growing up were my ballet instructor (whom I thought for ages was having an affair with a friends mother) and a hairdresser (whom I thought was just very good friends with another men). When I moved to Dublin to study English at Trinity, I started going to gay bars with my friends and I was shocked to discover how uncomfortable I felt. It was so jarring to see two people of the same sex kissing because I had never seen it before; not on TV, not in movies, not in real life. Thats why exposure is so important the more I went to LGBT spaces, the less shocking it became. (I have an arts degree and I worked in fashion. I went to a lot of gay bars.) One of the most bizarre elements of the Marriage Referendum for me was the obsession with gay sex (newsflash! straight people have anal sex as well) and this depiction of a gay lifestyle as something utterly different to what the rest of us are doing, as if gay men and women were hanging off chandeliers while straight people were stuck at home doing their taxes. Gay people have to do their grocery shopping, they clean their bathrooms, they watch Netflix and hang out with friends and bring their kids to school and go for a quick drink after work and walk their dogs, and, yes, do their taxes. Were all equally as boring as each other. After the devastation of the Orlando shootings, what kept me awake at night was wondering how many times I had heard people say that they didnt have a problem with the gays but only as long as they stuck to their own pubs and clubs. I wont even try to unpack the implications of wanting to ghettoize an entire section of society. Instead, Ill ask you to remember that thats exactly what the people at Pulse nightclub were doing that night. They were in their safe space. Maybe it was the first place where they learned that it was okay to be truly express themselves. Maybe it was at Pulse nightclub that they learned that love is love, no matter what your gender or the gender of your partner. On Sunday, June 12, Omar Mateen tried to take that away from them. He tried to take that away from all LGBT people around the world. Whenever I argue with homophobic people for being intolerant, they counteract that by telling me that I need to be more tolerant of them. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, apparently, and should respect their right to free speech. I would like to tell those people that they might be entitled to their opinion but if their opinion is tinged with hatred, with bigotry, with disdain for another human being just because of whom they decide to love; then their opinion is dangerous. Their opinion is hurting people. Their opinion is causing LGTB teenagers to take their own lives out of desperation and fear. Their opinion is responsible for brutal assaults on gay men and woman. Their opinion is killing innocent people in nightclubs in countries far away from Irish shores. Its no longer just an opinion. If your opinion is causing gay people to take their own lives, or killing innocents in nightclubs, it is no longer just an opinion. Mr Johnson said the Brexit vote gave the UK a glorious opportunity for a brighter future, and insisted that Britain would remain a greater European power outside the future Union of 27 nations. He was speaking shortly after Mr Cameron visited Buckingham Palace to formally inform the Queen of his decision to hand over the premiership to a new Conservative leader by October. The Prime Minister announced his decision outside 10 Downing Street hours after Leave secured a shock victory in the historic referendum, and minutes after the markets opened with carnage in the City of London. More than 100 billion was wiped off the Ftse 100 as the index fell more than 7%, while the pound also crashed 8% against the US dollar. But the markets regained some of the lost value after Bank of England governor Mark Carney pledged to intervene to shore up the markets. Flanked by wife Samantha as he delivered an emotional statement outside Number 10, Mr Cameron said he accepted the decision of the electorate, which voted by 52% to 48% to quit the EU. The British people have voted to leave the European Union and their will must be respected, he said. The will of the British people is an instruction that must be delivered. He said that while he would do everything he could to steady the ship over the coming weeks and months, he was not the right person to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination and would hand over to a new leader by the time of the Conservative Party conference. His announcement will trigger a battle for the Conservative leadership and the keys to Number 10 likely to feature Brexit standard-bearer Mr Johnson taking on figures such as Home Secretary Theresa May, who kept a low profile in the referendum campaign. Mr Cameron said he would leave it to his successor to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which kicks off the two-year process of negotiating a new trade relationship with the UKs former partners. In a press conference at Vote Leave headquarters in London, Mr Johnson said there was no need for haste or for invoking the Article, but said work should begin to extricate this country from the supernational system. The former London mayor said: I believe the British people have spoken up for democracy in Britain and across Europe and I think we can be very proud of the result. He insisted that the Brexit vote doesnt mean that the UK will be in any way less united, nor indeed does it mean we will be any less European. Senior EU representatives said the UK should implement Brexit as soon as possible, however painful that process may be, warning that any delay would unnecessarily prolong uncertainty. Mr Cameron has summoned the Cabinet to meet on Monday, the day before he goes to Brussels for a summit where he will explain the decision the British people have taken and my own decision to leaders of the remaining 27 member states. Announcing his resignation after six years as PM and just 13 months after securing an absolute majority for the first time was not a decision I have taken lightly, said Mr Cameron. But he said it was in the national interest to have a period of stability and then new leadership. A clearly emotional Mr Cameron said he stood by his assertion that the UK could find a way to survive outside the EU. Now the decision has been made to leave we need to find the best way and I will do everything I can to help, he said. Minutes after the PMs statement, Mr Carney announced he was making 250 billion available to support markets as he pledged that the Bank of England will not hesitate to take additional measures as required as markets adjust and the UK economy moves forward. Mr Camerons defeat was a humiliating turnaround which he can never have imagined when he first announced plans for a referendum to see off the electoral threat of Ukip in 2013 or when he named the date following a renegotiation of Britains membership earlier this year. Even as polling stations closed on Thursday night, most observers, pollsters, and bookmakers were expecting victory for Remain, albeit by the narrowest of margins. Ukip leader Nigel Farage even came close to conceding defeat, admitting he believed that Remain had nicked it and vowing to fight on for withdrawal from the EU, while senior pro-Brexit Tories including Mr Johnson and Michael Gove signed a letter calling on the PM to stay on regardless of the result. But emphatic early victories in cities such as Sunderland and Swindon made clear the momentum was all on the Brexit side. As dawn arrived, there was no doubt that Leave had secured enough support in the English shires and former Labour strongholds in the North, Wales, and Midlands to sweep aside strong Remain performances in London, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. With net migration the difference between the numbers of people arriving and leaving running at record levels of around 330,000 a year, intense scrutiny has fallen on EU freedom of movement rules. Tensions over the issue flared repeatedly, with statistics providing some of the major flashpoints in the weeks before the poll. In May, figures showed net migration had risen to the second highest level on record, with arrivals from the EU adding 184,000 annually to Britains population the joint highest figure on record. The Remain camp argued that if Britain withdrew from the EU but stayed in the single market, it would still have to accept free movement of labour. Home secretary Theresa May argued that exiting the bloc is not a silver bullet that suddenly solves all our immigration issues. But Leave campaigners argued that being in the union means that Britain has hardly any control over who enters the country and who can be removed. The question of how the country approaches immigration from the EU is likely to be one of the most fraught of the exit process and is shrouded in uncertainty. Currently, EU-passport holders generally have the right to move freely and live, work or study in another member state. Britain is not signed up to the Schengen agreement, so passports are checked at borders. Options discussed for a post-Brexit system include adopting an Australian-style points-based approach or extending restrictions that currently govern non-EU immigration to those arriving from the bloc. The campaign has seen the spotlight fall on whether leaving the EU would help the governments controversial aim of reducing net migration to the tens of thousands. In analysis published before the vote, the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford said net migration would not have been below 100,000 even if net EU migration was zero, adding: There is therefore no reason to believe that the Australian-style system or any other set of policies introduced to regulate EU migration could guarantee such reductions. If free movement came to an end, fundamental questions such as whether and how to satisfy demand for migrant labour in low and middle-skilled jobs would need to be resolved, the analysis said. The Leave camp has stressed there would be no change for EU citizens who are already living in the UK. The spotlight may also fall on the juxtaposed controls which allow British border force officers to carry out checks on French soil. These operate under bilateral agreements separate from EU membership and there is no prospect of any immediate change, but there have been suggestions the relationship could be affected. Following what many consider to be the biggest blow to European unity since the start of the last century, what happens now? When will Britain leave? That depends on when the British government pulls the trigger and activates Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon. That lays out the rules for exit from the EU of any of the member states none have left before. What will happen when Britain activates Article 50? The formal activation of the article starts a two-year countdown. Once those two years elapse, Britain will no longer be subject to the treaties which govern EU membership. Who will pull the trigger? Not outgoing British prime minister David Cameron. He has insisted it will be up to the next prime minister to decide when Article 50 should be activated. Cameron has said he is staying for the coming weeks and months to steady the ship. That new prime minister is unlikely to be in situ until the autumn, most likely after the Tory party conference on October 5. Leave campaigners have insisted there should be no rush to start the departure. They first want informal discussions with other EU members and some are talking of an exit by 2020. What does the EU think of that? Cameron is likely to come under a lot of pressure from his (for now) fellow EU leaders when they gather in Brussels next week for a European Council summit. After a meeting of European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker, parliament president Martin Schulz, and council president Donald Tusk yesterday, they released a statement calling for Britain to give effect to this decision of the British people as soon as possible, however painful that process may be. Any delay would unnecessarily prolong uncertainty. European leaders are already worried they are likely to face pressure from anti-EU parties for referendums in their own jurisdictions. What will the negotiations on the exit entail? A decision on the scale to which Britain divorces itself from the EU and what it keeps in the break-up. There are a huge number of strands to the process. The political separation is unlikely to be straightforward, but the multitude of economic and social considerations will be even more complex. A large percentage of Britains MPs were in favour of Remain and it is expected they will put pressure on for the UK to stay in the single market. The terms of exit will be negotiated between Britains 27 fellow members, and each will have a veto over the conditions. Can Britain change its mind? People are already asking if the referendum can be re-run, while others are simply seeking the best possible damage- limitation. However, once Article 50 is triggered, there is no way back for Britain into the EU unless by unanimous consent from all other member states. What now for Anglo-Irish relations? Ireland has more to lose than any other member state from a Brexit, with far-reaching implications for its trade, economy, security of energy supplies, and peace in the North. Irish exporters will be the first to suffer, as the pound weakened significantly against the euro, making their euro-priced goods more expensive. Ireland will have to consider taking steps to assist firms exporting into Britain, Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan has said. It is a historic moment but for sure not a moment for hysterical reactions, said European Council president Donald Tusk, who chairs the summits of EU leaders and will steer the blocs exit talks with the UK. I always remember what my father used to tell me: What doesnt kill you, makes you stronger. The surprise result, which blindsided those in Brussels and beyond, will have major repercussions for the EU, according to Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. Austrian chancellor Christian Kern said Europe will lose status and significance in the world as a result of the vote, which French President Francois Hollande called a tough test for Europe. The decision will shift the balance of power in Europe, ceding political ground to France and Germany, and robbing northern European countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, and the Netherlands of an important ally at the EU negotiating table. This is a major problem. Weve lost an enormous economy, one of the only five triple A countries, and weve lost a net contributor to the EU budget, said Fine Gael MEP Brian Hayes. Mr Hollande will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Monday to discuss the fallout from the British referendum ahead of an EU summit in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday. EU parliamentarians, who will have to approve a future UK exit deal, will also meet Tuesday. A British exit, or Brexit, will have far-reaching consequences for Ireland, given the 1.2bn worth of trade exchanged with Britain each week, and border and policing issues in Northern Ireland. Global financial markets took a hammering yesterday, and the International Monetary Fund acknowledged the risks for Ireland were tilted to the downside. The vote in the UK to leave the EU, if accompanied by a marked slowdown in the UK and in the rest of Europe and a surge in financial market volatility, would have a significant adverse effect on Ireland in light of the strong trade and financial linkages with the British economy, the IMF said in a statement. The fate of the economy will depend on whether Taoiseach Enda Kenny can convince EU negotiators to treat Ireland as a special case in any post-Brexit deal. Minister of State for Europe Dara Murphy, who was at an EU ministers meeting in Luxembourg yesterday, said his EU counterparts recognised Irelands special position. After the UK we would be the most affected country, he told the Irish Examiner. Theres a strong sense and a strong acceptance that Ireland has individual issues that need to be addressed. However, it is still unclear when that deal would be done. The EU is now playing a waiting game, as the UK has refused to make an official application to leave the bloc, pending a Tory leadership battle and a UK parliamentary vote on the referendum result. Until the UK officially applies to leave, it remains an EU member, subject to the same obligations it has accrued since it joined the then-EEC in 1973 alongside Ireland and Denmark. Under EU law, It can take up to two years or more to conclude an exit treaty, and only then will the UK be able to start extricating itself from EU laws and renegotiate access to the blocs single market, which experts say could take up to a decade. EU officials tried to prod British premier David Cameron into action yesterday, saying they expect the United Kingdom government to give effect to this decision of the British people as soon as possible, however painful that process may be. The Brexit vote puts an end to three-and-a-half years of institutional navel-gazing, after a speech by Mr Cameron at a Bloomberg event in which he first announced his intention to hold an in/ out referendum on Britains EU membership. However, the result has prompted an outpouring of grief among UK natives living in Brussels, with some British EU officials in tears and fearful for their futures. This is not what anyone envisaged or wanted, nobody saw it coming, said Irish MEP Marian Harkin. It is a shocking thing to have happened, from the UKs perspective, from our perspective and for the EU globally. The motion was filed by senior Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge and seconded by Ann Coffey. Corbyn has been urged to reconsider his position as Labour leader as his party was plunged into bitter recrimination after voters backed Brexit. Labour MP Angela Smith insisted Mr Corbyn must accept his share of the responsibility at the forefront of the Labour In campaign, with traditional voters for the party turning their backs on appeals to vote Remain. Former Labour minister and EU commissioner Lord Mandelson also said the referendum campaign showed Mr Corbyn cant cut it as leader. But Mr Corbyn, a long-time eurosceptic, defended his conduct amid criticisms that he offered no more than lukewarm support for Remain, blaming Government austerity cuts for alienating voters. His allies also sought to strengthen his position by stressing Mr Corbyns natural scepticism for the EU left him well-placed for the challenges ahead. Mr Corbyn said Britons voted to leave the EU because they were angry about their treatment by successive governments. Many communities are fed up with cuts, fed up with economic dislocation and feel very angry at the way theyve been betrayed and marginalised by successive governments in very poor areas of the country, Mr Corbyn said. Ms Smith said: I think my feeling is Jeremy Corbyn needs to bear his share of the responsibility for the way in which he led the EU referendum campaign from a Labour perspective. The former shadow minister said: He really ought to consider his position. Her comments were echoed by Vote Leave chairman and Labour MP Gisela Stuart, although she did not name the Labour leader. Ms Smith said she did not want to put a time frame on when Mr Corbyn should come to a decision, although she said a lot of her colleagues in parliament will feel disturbed by the referendum result. Cher first became aware of 29-year-old Kavaans plight when pictures of the elephant in chains with only a dilapidated shed for shelter and a small, dirty pond to play in spread on social media. Cher sent her representative, Mark Cowne, to Islamabad to check up on Kavaan, who has been kept chained for 27 of his 29 years at the Maraghazar Zoo in Islamabad. Mark got Kaavan Water, Shade & Unchained. MARK IS TRYING EVERYTHING TO FREE HIM, Cher tweeted after Mr Cowne visited the zoo. Mr Cowne told Pakistans Dawn newspaper Cher would soon launch an international campaign to help elephants in captivity. Kavaans caretakers last week said they had never heard of Cher or her music but were grateful for her help. We hope this will change things for him, said Kavaans caretaker, Muhammad Jalal, as another caretaker sprayed the animal with a high-pressure hose while he bathed in a pond of muddy water. Zoo management did not respond to calls seeking comment but told reporters last month that they were trying to get a new mate for Kavaan from Sri Lanka. Kavaan was given to Pakistan by Sri Lanka in the 1980s. His only companion died in 2012. Mice, mice baby ENGLAND: Rare hazel dormice are being released into the Yorkshire Dales national park as part of efforts to stem declines in the species. Some 38 dormice, a native British mammal, are being released at an undisclosed location in woodland near Aysgarth by the Peoples Trust for Endangered Species and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. The once common hazel dormouse has suffered from the loss of woods and hedgerow habitat and changes to countryside practices in the last century. Warning signs SOUTH KOREA: Seoul is installing 300 street signs to warn pedestrians about the dangers of walking while engrossed in their smartphones . The first signs have been installed at five locations in the hope that they will stop smartphone zombies in their tracks, the Korea Times reports. One sign at a major traffic intersection shows a person staring at a handheld device, oblivious to their imminent collision with a car, the BBC reports. While some signs are attached to traffic light poles, others have been plastered on to pavements in order to attract the lowered gaze of those distracted by their gadgets. But some locals are not sure that signage is the solution. One man points out that most people who are peering at their phones on the street arent going to be able to see them. Ducking out USA: One New Jersey restaurant has duck on its menu and ducklings jumping off its roof. Seven ducklings hatched on the roof of the Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten in Asbury Park, then wanted to follow their mother to the ground. Office manager Adria Alfro says workers spotted the nest several weeks ago and shielded it from customers. Ms Alfro says when her boss, Jennifer Lampert, arrived on Thursday, the mother duck was on the ground quacking. Then she felt something brush by her and realised the ducklings were jumping. The sous chef used his hat to catch two of the ducklings, and Ms Alfro stopped traffic so the family could cross the street and enter a lake. Burma Kachin Warlord Loses Parliamentary Seat in Post-Election Tribunal The election commission has decided in favor of cases filed against a Kachin militia leader alleging intimidation and violence during the campaign period. Veteran Kachin militia leader Zahkung Ting Ying will have to forfeit his seat in the Union Upper House, according to a decision reached by a post-election dispute tribunal under the Union Election Commission (UEC) in Naypyidaw on Friday morning. Zahkung has the option of appealing the tribunals decision, although it is not currently clear whether he will do so. Zahkung was defending two cases involving intimidation, defamation and alleged violence during the election campaign period last year. The cases in question were filed by rival independent candidate Yaw Na and a National League for Democracy (NLD) candidate, San Wai Khaung Lwan, who competed in another constituency in the same area of eastern Kachin State. As an independent candidate in the November election, Zakhung won the Upper House seat of Kachin State-5, covering Chipwi, Tsawlaw and Injingyang townships, a sparsely populated area home to fewer than 20,000 people, according to the 2014 census. He was lawmaker also under the previous government, from 2011. Zahkungs NLD competitor, Kyaw Kyaw Oo, who was among those targeted by the alleged intimidation and violence, did not file a tribunal case himself out of fear for his safety, according to his colleagues. This prompted his party colleague San Win Khaung Lun to do so on his behalf. As was reported previously by The Irrawaddy, Zahkung sent a letter to NLD candidates on Sept 22, early on in the election campaign period, forbidding them from campaigning in Kachin State Special Region 1an area coinciding with his electoral constituency controlled by Zahkungs own militia, the New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K), which is firmly allied with the Burma Army and became a Border Guard Force in 2009. Although the Kachin State Election Sub-Commission negotiated a settlement between Zahkung and the NLD, allowing the latters candidates to campaign in the area, on Oct 12 the NLD candidates abandoned a planned campaign event in Chipwi Township after its members were attacked by around 30 men allegedly linked to Zahkung and the NDA-K. Zahkung issued two more threatening letters on Oct 21 and Nov 1, calling the NLD invaders and public enemies, and personally attacking Aung San Suu Kyi for betraying her people by marrying a foreigner. Copies of the letters were available for public view outside the UEC during the tribunal sessions. The UEC tribunal on Friday ruled in favor of the two cases against Zahkung Ting Ying, citing his breach of Article 66 of the Upper House Election Law, which outlines electoral malpractices including creating violence, making false accusation or writing, creating public unrest to a party or person for the purpose of electing a [parliamentary] candidate. San Wai Khaung Lun, who filed one of the cases, told The Irrawaddy: The commission ruled that Zahkung Ting Ying committed malpractices in the election. So, we won. Zahkung Ting Ying has been recalled from Constituency 5 [of Kachin State] and will be replaced with U Yaw Nar, Tin Tun Thein, a lawyer representing the NLD at the tribunal session told The Irrawaddy, since independent candidate Yaw Nar was the runner up in the poll with around 3,000 votes to Zahkungs approximately 5,000. The lawyer representing Zahkung Ting Ying, who was absent at the tribunal session, said he would discuss with his client whether or not they would appeal the decision. In another UEC tribunal decision on Friday, Zahkung Ting Yings son Zahkung Ying Sengthe winning candidate for Chipwi Township (2) in the Kachin State parliament for the Unity and Democracy Party of Kachin Statesuccessfully defended a case brought against him by Kaw Baung of the NLD. Although the accusations of intimidation linked to the NDA-K militia were similar to the cases filed against his father, his culpability was purportedly less clear. We lost the U Zahkung Ying Seng case. He will remain the lawmaker, said NLDs lawyer Tin Tun Thein. The Friday tribunal session at the UEC, attended by The Irrawaddy, was open to the public and had an audience of around 30. There were no indications of bias, or restrictions placed on the individuals pursuing or defending the electoral dispute cases. Due to Zahkung Ting Yings close allegiance with Burmas military and his clout as a local power broker in Kachin State, this tribunal case was a test of the fairness of the UECs post-election dispute resolution process. That the case was decided against him will likely bolster confidence in Burmas election commission, after it administered a general election widely perceived as free and impartial. The tribunal process falls short of international standards in lacking structural independence from the UEC. Tribunal judges in all cases have been senior members of the UEC; although they had the option to appoint independent legal experts as judges, the UEC chose not to do so. Appeals against tribunal decisions go only to the UEC, whose decision is final. There is no judicial or parliamentary oversight. Forty-five tribunal cases were filed with the UEC against winning candidates in the November election, 26 of which were filed by the Union Solidarity and Development Party, the former ruling party that lost heavily in the election, and eight by the NLD, which won by a landslide. Cases involved 14 Union Lower House seats, six Union Upper House seats and 25 seats from state and divisional parliaments, with the largest number coming from Shan and Kachin states. Allegations vary between intimidation, polling station staff misconduct, defamation and misuse of religion. Only a minority of tribunal cases has been settled so far. As with tribunals after the 2010 electiongoverned by the same frameworkindividual cases have extended over many sessions since the process began in December. For a brief period, tribunal sessions were moved out to state and divisional capitals, to facilitate testimony from a substantial number of witnesses. The cost of traveling repeatedly to Naypyidawincluding from remote areas of Kachin Stateand hiring lawyers over a period of many months has been substantial for those pursuing or defending cases. Those filing cases also had also to pay a fee of 500,000 kyats (US$420) at the outset, which reportedly deterred some individuals from filing. Earlier sessions of the cases pursued against Zahkung Ting Ying revealed a complex backstory to the feud between the militia leader and the NLD. According to witnesses questioned during tribunal sessions in the Kachin State capital Myitkyina, NLD members competing in the townships concerned were linked to a faction that broke away from Zahkungs NDA-K militia, and later engaged in hostilities with the NDA-K with the help of the Kachin Independence Army. Due to devastating rates of drug addiction among Kachin youth, Zahkung Ting Yings alleged involvement in opium production has earned him the enmity of members of Kachin civil society as well as Pat Jasan, an anti-drugs vigilante group in Kachin State backed by the Kachin Baptist Convention. In February, hundreds of local Kachin protested outside Zahkungs house in Myitkyina as well as the offices of the Kachin State government, after an attack by armed opium farmers on Pat Jasan volunteers undertaking poppy-eradication in Waingmaw Township. Burma Suu Kyi Strikes Agreements With Thailand On Labor and Borders After reaching agreements that could improve conditions for Burmese migrants in Thailand, Suu Kyi stressed the need for jobs for returning refugees. BANGKOK, Thailand Burmas State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi has told Burmese migrant workers in Thailand they would be protected under new agreements signed between the two countries. She also said jobs would be created in Burma for thousands of Burmese refugees in Thailand who stand to be repatriated, and that the two countries would cooperate over border issues. Suu Kyi was speaking at a joint press briefing with the Thai Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha in Bangkok on Friday. After a bilateral meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing by respective ministers of agreements on cross border affairs and the employment of workers, and a memorandum of understanding on labor cooperation. These may help address the vulnerabilitiesand lack of adequate legal protectionfaced by what is estimated to be several million Burmese migrant workers in Thailand. Suu Kyi said, I am confident that, because of mutual understanding between us, we will be able to address all the issues and problems of our people in the right way through consultation and through constant contact between decision makers. She guaranteed the protection of Burmese migrant workers rights, which would also help them to contribute to the host countrys economy. She said, I recognize that we in [Burma] are responsible for our people here. We will never neglect them. Suu Kyi on Thursday went to meet with Burmese migrant workers from all over Thailand in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon province. Tens of thousands showed up to demonstrate their support for her and to share experiences of labor exploitation. Her visit to Thailand has not all gone to plan. At Mahachi, she was permitted by Thai authorities to meet with less than 500 workers, leaving thousands disappointed. Also, her trip to the Tham Hin camp for Burmese refugees on the Thailand-Burma border in Ratchaburi province on Saturday was cancelled on the grounds of her security. Job creation for refugee return Despite being unable to visit the refugee camp, Suu Kyi stressed her appreciation of Thailands support to Burmese refugees over decades. She said, Of course, what we all want is for people displaced from our country to come back to us. But, she said, it was not enough say to come backjobs have to be created for them. Job creation is of the greatest importance for the country. On every trip I have been on in [Burma], people talk about the need for jobs, she said. Our people want work. They dont want charity. They want to have the opportunity of standing on their own two feet and feeling proud, they said. Thai Prime Minister Prayut said they had achieved concrete results on bilateral affairs, including the protection and promotion of the basic rights of Burmese migrant workers in Thailand, a three-year development cooperation framework (2016-18) for border areas, and issues of connectivity and economic cooperation. They also touched briefly on Thailands continued support for Burmas peace process, as well as the development of the Dawei special economic zone in Burmas Tenasserim Division, which the leaders agreed would creates jobs and further connectivity (and which has received substantial Thai pledges of investment). Kavi Chongkittavorn, a senior fellow at the Institute of Security and International Studies in Chulalongkon Univeristy, told The Irrawaddy that Thailand supports Suu Kyis peace initiative with ethnic armed groups in Burmanow branded the 21st Century Panglong Conferencebut they agreed not to discuss the matter [during Suu Kyis trip] because it is too sensitive. Thailand, as you know, supports the peace process fully. Education key for Asean On Friday morning, Suu Kyi , who is Burmas Foreign Minister as well as State Counselor, met with the Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, before giving a lecture to Thai students at the ministry office, which emphasized the importance of education. During Suu Kyis lecture, Myanmar, Asean and the World: The way forward, she received questions on economic and social issues, drugs and Burmas peace process, students told The Irrawaddy. Sasicha Chaiphanonwit, an International Relations student from Chulalongkon University, said, it was good to learn [Burmas] policy on Asean. Over 200 Thai students from a variety of universities and some international students from Burma, Cambodia and Bhutan expressed clear excitement at meeting with Suu Kyi. Mu Sel, a Burmese student from Rangsit University who attended, said, She questioned us on what we want to be in in the future and how we can contribute, while talking about further connectivity and networking in the region. Kavi Chongkittavorn told the Irrawaddy that Thai-Burmese relations were of great importance to Southeast Asia. For some 50 years, he said, Thailand did not have normal relations with Burma because of mistrust. Business The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (June 25, 2016) Burma among top investment destinations; Hong Kong traders see manufacturing growth; Myanmar Brewery to sell Kirin Ichiban; JetStar adds Singapore flights. Burma Makes UN List of Top Investment Destinations Burma is one of the top 15 prospective destinations for investment among the executives of companies operating globally, a survey by a UN agency has found. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, or UNCTAD, released its annual World Investment Report this week, which included the results of a survey of multinational enterprises (MNEs). Reflecting increasing interest in Burmas economy, the country featured among the 15 top prospective host countries for investment for the first time. The survey found that 4 percent of MNE executives who responded to the survey selected Burma among their three most promising countries for future foreign direct investment (FDI) for the years 2016-18. Burma was the eighth ranked developing economy in the list and the 14th ranked out of all countries. The United States was ranked first, followed by China, which was first in last years survey. Burma also featured elsewhere in the UNCTAD report, which refers to the massive growth of in FDI approvals the country has seen. The government reported that approved projects in the last fiscal year, from April 2015 to March 2016, were altogether worth US$9 billion. That included a last-minute rush of deals signed by the outgoing administration, some of which may be reviewed by the new government. According to UNCTAD, which looks at the foreign exchange records and other sources to analyze FDI, the actual inflow of investment was $3 billion during 2015 (the report looked at calendar years), an increase of almost 200 percent compared with the previous year. UNCTAD also predicted positive things for investment in Burma in the future. In August 2015, the Governments of [Burma] and Thailand signed an agreement to develop the Dawei Special Economic Zone in the former, for a total investment of $8.6 billion, to be implemented in two phases, the report said. FDI flows to [Burma] are therefore set to continue performing well, as the construction of such foreign-invested industrial zones will help boost FDI into both infrastructure and manufacturing. Reuters reported earlier this month that new FDI approvals had been on hold since the transfer of power to the new government at the end of March. A fresh Myanmar Investment Commission had now been formed, however, and its secretary, Aung Naing Oo, told the newswire that about 50 foreign investment proposals worth a total of around $2.3 billion had been submitted during the commissions downtime. Hong Kong Trade Body Sees Manufacturing Potential Improving political conditions in Burma could make the country more attractive to firms in southern China looking to move manufacturing to Southeast Asia, a Hong Kong trade body has said. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council said in a statement that a delegation of researchers visited the country recently to study the potential for production. Facing rising wages for Chinese workers, manufacturers in the Pearl River Deltaa sprawling conurbation that includes the cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhouare relocating their production lines to Southeast Asia, it said. The researchers said the transfer of power to the National League for Democracy-led government in late March should usher in national policy reforms and lay the groundwork for the development of the countrys manufacturing sector. The governments commitment to reform could make Burma Aseans next low-cost manufacturing powerhouse, a hotspot increasingly drawing the attention of international sourcing companies, the statement said. On the plus side, Burma has plentiful and cheap labor, the statement said, noting a ready pool of young workers for manufacturing industries including garment, footwear, timepieces and food processing. However, training and skills were lacking, and the water supply, sewerage and power supply they found in Burma were poor, HKTDCs researchers warned. In terms of infrastructure, the country is still at a starting point compared with more advanced Asean countries. The market expects that the receding of political risks and the smooth transition of government will attract a new wave of investment from overseas, Dickson Ho, HKTDC principal economist for Asian and emerging markets, said in the statement. During our fact-finding trip, both government departments and private companies that we met were invariably quite optimistic about the economic prospects of the country. Myanmar Brewery to Sell Kirin Ichiban Beer Brand As competition increases among beer producers to tap the Burmese beer-drinking market, Myanmar Brewery Limited will begin bottling and widely distributing the Japanese beer brand Ichiban in the country, according to a report. European brewers Heineken and Carlsberg both started making beer in Burma last year, entering a market dominated by the military-linked Myanmar Beer brand. Also last year, Japanese company Kirin reportedly paid US$560 million for a 55 percent stake in Myanmar Beers producer, Myanmar Brewery, after Singapores F&N offloaded its share following a legal dispute with the local shareholder, Union Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (UMEHL). The conglomerate was founded by the Burmese military and recently became a public companyalthough most shares in UMEHL are expected to remain in the hands of serving or retired military personnel. Nikkei Asian Review reported that Myanmar Brewery and Kirin will produce canned and bottled Ichibanthe Japanese companys signature beer, whose name means Number One. It said the beer would be a premium offering in Burma, selling for prices comparable to Heineken. With a target of having 200 retail stores carry Ichiban by the end of the year, Kirin will step up marketing to supermarkets and other businesses in urban areas, the report said. Thai Lion Air Gets Approval for Busy Rangoon Route Thai-Indonesian low-cost airline Thai Lion Air has now received approval to begin flights on the already competitive route between Bangkok and Rangoon, according to reports. Trade publication Routes Online said the new flights would begin on July 22. It said there would be two flights daily each way between Bangkoks Don Mueang airport and Rangoons international airport. The airline had jumped the gun and announced it would begin flying in May, before being censured by the Thai government for advertising tickets for flights on the route before it was approved by Burmas Department of Civil Aviation. The Bangkok Post on Wednesday cited insiders who said the delay was the result of attempts by Burmese airlines to oppose the entrance of a foreign competitor. The route is already well served, with Thai AirAsia, Bangkok Airways, Thai Airways, Thai Smile and Nok Air, as well as Myanmar Airways International and the Burmese flag carrier Myanmar National Airlines currently connecting the two cities. JetStar Adds Singapore Flights After Visa Move Singapore-based budget airline JetStar Asia will increase its number of flights on the Rangoon-Singapore route to 13 per week when a new visa rule comes in, according to The Straits Times. From Dec. 1, Singaporeans and Burmese will be able to visit each others countries for 30 days without a visa. JetStar Asia CEO Bara Pasupathi reportedly said three new flights between Singapore and Rangoon would be added to the airlines schedule at that time. The announcement of a visa waiver for travel between the two countries is indeed welcome news for boosting further tourism and more convenient business travel, Pasupathi told The Straits Times. We have served a million customers on this route thus far, and our additional services will cater for the expected increase in people flow between Singapore and [Rangoon]. The United Launch Alliance is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and The Boeing Company, which offers launching services to the US government. It generally services the National Reconnaissance Office, NASA and the Department of Defense. In fact, the ULA just recently launched the Atlas V rocket into space for the US Navy. According to Ars Technica, the Atlas V rocket is the world's most reliable one. Including its recent mission, it has been launched into space a total of 63 times - each of them successful. In its most recent flight, it launched the MUOS-5 some 31,000 kilometers above the Earth. This was done for the US Navy and was the final in a five-satellite constellation. All in all, the series of satellites are meant to provide soldiers with a more stable and generally better communication. "We are honored to deliver the final satellite in the MUOS constellation... that provides our warfighters with enhanced communications capabilities," said Laura Maginnis, who is the Vice President for Custom Services in the ULA. She also went on to say that the project will aid soldiers to conduct their missions all around the globe, despite how remote the area is. There is, undoubtedly, a cost that comes with launching a rocket like the Atlas V. Its liquid oxygen/liquid kerosene main engine, called the RD-180, is purchased all the way from Russia. Following the rising tensions with Russia, the ULA has until 2022 to switch suppliers and end its dependency on the Russian engine. ULA shares that the launch of MUOS-5 is its fifth this year, and one-hundred and eighth since its founding in 2006. The ULA has another scheduled launch for the Atlas V on July 28. This time, it will be for the National Reconnaissance Office. The launch will be from the Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Get unlimited access to all content and features at ivpressonline.com with our Full Online Access Subscription. Read our E-Edition, the digital replica of the print newspaper online, access content in exclusive sections including Family, Teen, Business, Databases, Farm and more. This option does not include daily home delivery of the Imperial Valley Press newspaper. For home delivery service, please select Premium or Premium Plus. The latest Britain E.U. referendum results prove that a "Brexit" from the politico-economic group seems to be the best for most. The people have spoken and they want out. Early, partial Britain E.U. referendum results showed a lead for "Brexit" or Britain's exit from the European Union. According to CNN, the polls closed on Thursday in the historic vote for the country's future with the group. About 46.5 million paper ballots were counted by hand throughout England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland as well as Gibraltar. The Britain E.U. referendum results were collected in 382 local authorities and were sent to 12 regional counting centers. This is the first time that a country has left the EU. This comes after months of heated campaign for the hearts of registered voters. BBC reported that the Britain E.U. referendum results showed that the "Leave" advocates were ahead by 500,000 votes with 14,356,533 over the Remain's 13,409,611 votes. The English shires and Wales garnered the most votes for "Brexit." "Dare to dream that the dawn is breaking on an independent United Kingdom," UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage said. Farage is a leading "Leave" supporter. The publication added that Scotland and Northern Ireland seemed to have voted for Remain. London has "voted emphatically" to stay in the European Union. The Britain E.U. referendum results were counted by the overall number of votes cast for Leave or Remain. Prof. John Curtice, a polling expert, has said that the Leave votes were "undoubtedly the favorites" to win the referendum. "If the predictions are right, this will be a victory for real people, a victory for ordinary people, and a victory for decent people," Farage said at a Brexit party. "Let Jun. 23 go down in our history as our independence day." TIME noted that there was a surge in Google searches about what happens after U.K. leaves the E.U. with the early Britain E.U. referendum results in favor of Leave. There was a 250 percent spike in searches for the question "What happens if we leave the E.U.?" The site is on top of Alliant Energy coal-ash landfill at the Rock River generating station. Credit: Michael Sears Plugged In Thomas Content offers insight on changes in the world of energy, climate change and efforts to build a greener economy. SHARE By of the The largest solar project built to date in Wisconsin is generating power, Alliant Energy Corp. said Friday. The project, installed atop a coal-ash landfill in the Town of Beloit, was built by Hanwha Q Cells for about $5 million. Alliant will buy electricity from the project for 10 years and has an option to purchase the solar system after that. Until this week, the state's largest solar project has been located at Epic Systems' global headquarters in Verona. That project generates 2.2 megawatts of power. The Alliant/Hanwha project includes more than 7,700 solar panels and will generate 2.3 megawatts of electricity. That's enough to power 500 homes, according to Alliant. Alliant agreed to do the project as part of its settlement of litigation with the Environmental Protection Agency concerning pollution from its coal-fired power plants. To see recent photos from when the project was under construction, check out this photo gallery from Journal Sentinel photographer Michael Sears. After this project and Epic, other leading projects generating solar power in Wisconsin include: Half Moon Ventures solar project in Jefferson, 1 megawatt. Forest County Potawatomi solar systems in Crandon and Milwaukee, 922 kilowatts. Eau Claire Energy Cooperative, Eau Claire, 858 kilowatts. Central Storage & Warehouse, Madison, 741 kilowatts. Convergence Energy, Delavan, 660 kilowatts. In Wisconsin, as in every state, the public economic development toolbox includes an assortment of hammers, screwdrivers, saws and wrenches. Knowing what tool to use can be tricky, especially when it comes to building a sturdy "home" for start-ups and emerging companies. The ongoing debate over choosing the right tools for the job was evident recently when the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee voted 11-4 to approve a plan by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. to reallocate $8 million from the state's Early Stage Tax Credit program to its Business Development Tax Credit sleeve. Republican members of the budget committee voted for it; Democrats voted against it. To most outsiders, such a move would seem ministerial and nuanced. After all, both are state tax credit programs and both are aimed at enhancing economic growth, so what's the partisan fuss? The answer lies in the larger discussion about what works and what doesn't when it comes to building a robust state economy. Wisconsin's Early Stage Tax Credit program has been a model for other states since it took effect in 2005. It provides 25% state tax credits to private investors who invest in "Qualified New Business Ventures," which are young companies with innovative technology and the kind of growth potential that often attracts angel and venture financing. For angel and venture capitalists who invest in such companies, which apply for QNBV status through WEDC, every $4 invested produces a tax credit of $1. It's an incentive that has helped Wisconsin grow from about $61 million in total angel and venture investments in 2004 to about $210 million in 2015, with that latter amount spread over 128 companies. Wisconsin spent $7.6 million on Early Stage Tax Credits in 2010 and the total grew to $18.3 million in 2015, a sharp rate of growth that indicates more companies are qualifying for credits and more state investors are claiming them. Even with the growth in use of the Early Stage credits, the annual pool of $30 million hasn't been depleted. That's why WEDC requested moving $8 million to the relatively new Business Development Tax Credit, which was created this year by combining two previous programs. Similar shifts of Early Stage Tax Credits have taken place four times in the past, twice under the former Department of Commerce and twice under WEDC. The good news: The Business Development Tax Credit program is working, too. Because it runs by calendar year vs. the normal state fiscal year (which ends June 30), WEDC officials estimated they could run out of credits by July, leaving the rest of the year uncovered. In its first five months of 2016, WEDC Secretary Mark Hogan noted in a memo to legislators, Business Development Tax Credits were used 26 times to create or retain about 3,500 jobs. Opponents of the credit shift described it as a slap in the face to Wisconsin's early stage business climate. They argue that because almost all net new jobs in the United States are created by young companies (5 years old or younger), taking tax credits from a proven program doesn't make sense. Proponents said they would prefer that all Early Stage Tax Credits are used every year, but state law allows such transfers when it's necessary to balance the mix. Wisconsin ranked poorly in a recent study by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation that measured how quickly companies grow once they're started. The Business Development Tax Credit is aimed at helping such firms grow. The larger question is whether Wisconsin has invested enough across the spectrum to help start-ups and scale-ups, whether by using existing credits to their maximum advantage or other means. Some examples: Lawmakers have twice rejected proposals to raise the per-company cap on Early Stage Tax Credits from $8 million, a ceiling that has existed since 2005, to $12 million. The increase would target companies that have proven they can grow and add jobs at a faster clip. Lawmakers also voted last year to phase out a loan program aimed mostly at young companies, even though 45 other states offer some version of loan programs. The overall budget for WEDC has been consistently squeezed, in part because of legislative reaction to high-profile mistakes when the agency was created. That means less money is available for grants and other investments in the growth economy. Not every problem is a nail, and not every tool is a hammer. Wisconsin lags in both start-ups and growth companies, so the state's toolbox deserves a collection that ranges from micro-loans to grants to sufficient tax credits to accommodate growth. That's a good do-it-yourself project for the next state budget. Tom Still is president of the Wisconsin Technology Council. Its Wisconsin Innovation Network meets in Wauwatosa. Contact him at news@wisconsintechnologycouncil.com. Brooks trial: DA, victims' families hail verdict, seek 'much healing ahead' Jurors around 9:45 a.m. Wednesday reported they had reached a verdict. Court will reconvene at 10:45 for the reading of the verdict. By of the Earlier this year, Apple Inc. announced that the number of its iPhones, iPads and other devices in use around the world had reached 1 billion. And that's just Apple. "There's a proliferation of devices that desire and require access to the internet," said John Krause, senior equity research analyst in the Appleton office of Thrivent Investment Management Inc. "And all of this requires rich and pervasive networks." Zayo Group Holdings, Inc. (ZAYO), Boulder, Colo., provides bandwidth infrastructure for the communications industry in the U.S. and Europe, and is one of this country's largest providers of dark fiber. Zayo trenches in and leases fiber to customers such as AT&T and Verizon, schools and universities, hospitals and other customers. The company typically signs up an anchor tenant on its fiber lines, then sells additional space to other customers over time. After a period of heavy investment, Zayo is poised to produce accelerated growth and higher cash flows, Krause said. Anything that increases the need for greater connectivity and higher capacity from 5G, which needs bigger pipes, to the growing movement to the cloud of radio access networks (C-RAN) is driving Zayo's future growth, he said. Zayo's large portfolio of fiber assets, obtained through its own builds and through acquisitions, helps it achieve one of the highest profit margins in the industry, he said. "Zayo looks attractive relative to other service providers and infrastructure players, given its growth prospects and higher margins," he said. Zayo continues to make complementary acquisitions that support its network. At some point, once its growth phase is completed, the company, with its high cash flows, is likely to become a real estate investment trust, or REIT, Krause said. The biggest risk here is that Zayo has a relatively high level of debt that it needs to carry to fund its growth, he said. These shares have a 52-week trading range of $19.59 to $29.62. They could reach as high as $35 in the next 12 to 18 months, Krause said. Ciena Corp. (CIEN), Hanover, Md., provides equipment, software and services that support communications networks. Service providers are in the process of upgrading their fiber optic networks to 100G. There are even plans to upgrade to 200G, even 400G, in certain cases, Krause said. Ciena is very well-positioned to sell into this build-out, he said. "They're a leader, they've got a good road map and they've been winning deals," he said. Ciena's results demonstrate that the company is capitalizing on the fiber upgrade trend by taking share, and progressing toward higher profitability and improving cash flow, Krause said. The biggest risk here is that Ciena is a more cyclical name, due to its dependence on the service providers' upgrade cycles, he said. These shares have a 52-week trading range of $15.62 to $26.50. They could reach as high as $32 in the next 12 to 18 months, he said. Arista Networks, Inc. (ANET), Santa Clara, Calif., supplies data center networking software and equipment to customers around the world. Arista has a flexible operating system that's highly programmable, scalable and high speed, Krause said. It is used by large cloud titans like Microsoft and Facebook, financial services and high-tech enterprises and service providers in their data centers. The company is well positioned to benefit from the bandwidth upgrades service providers are making, Krause said. Arista is also gaining share and introducing products that expand its addressable market into routing, he said. The biggest risk here is the legal tussle that Arista is involved in with Cicso Systems. Cisco has filed four lawsuits against Arista, two in California courts and two with the International Trade Commission. Such lawsuits are "generally resolvable," with resolutions that are not onerous, and any related stock price weakness could provide a good opportunity to accumulate shares, Krause said. These shares have a 52-week trading range of $52.51 to $88.25. They could reach as high as $92 in the next 12 to 18 months Krause said. About This The Journal Sentinel focuses on one Wisconsin money manager or analyst in this weekly feature, looking at a trend that helps investment pros make their decisions. SHARE By of the Industry clusters, workforce training and a new, competitive grant for organizations assisting start-ups are the biggest winners in what is essentially a flat 2017 budget proposal by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. WEDC's budget, the first that top executive Mark Hogan has overseen since taking the helm in October, was approved by the agency board's finance committee earlier this month. It will be presented to the full board in July for approval. Under the proposal, about half of WEDC's expenditures for services delivered around the state $18.2 million would go to businesses and communities for redeveloping contaminated sites, job creation and job and workforce development. Another 20%, or $7.3 million, would go to entrepreneurship and innovation efforts. The rest of the spending is divided among advancing key industries (19%, or about $7 million), building export capacity (9%, or $3.5 million) and attracting businesses to the state (3%, or just under $1 million). "WEDC recognizes the need to balance investments in the state's historical industry strengths with support for next-generation companies," said Hogan, secretary and chief executive officer. The largest funding shifts in the proposed budget are: WEDC's Targeted Industry Projects Grants program will gain $1.4 million of funding, bringing its budget for fiscal 2017 to $4 million. The increase will support three new centers of excellence, physical spaces that anchor a cluster around research and development, investment and company attraction. The new centers are: Aerospace and Aviation, Oshkosh; Advanced Composites, location not yet determined; and Food and Beverage, Milwaukee. There is funding available for one more center of excellence that has not yet been determined, WEDC officials said. WEDC already funds three other centers of excellence: Global Water Center, Milwaukee; Energy Innovation Center, Milwaukee; and StartingBlock, a planned entrepreneurial hub in downtown Madison. The WEDC's Workforce Training Grants program will receive an additional $550,000 of funding, bringing its new budget to $1 million. The increase is intended to help companies expand and maintain manufacturing jobs in the state. The WEDC is taking $500,000 out of its Capital Catalyst program, which provides funding to organizations that support start-ups, and using it to fund a new Capacity Building grant. This competitive grant will be available to organizations that provide professional service or technical assistance to emerging companies. "We're using the flexibility we have as an agency to redirect dollars to what we think are priorities," Hogan said. Hogan's first budget proposal comes at a time when many around the state are concerned about Wisconsin's ability to grow enough to support a future that matches past economic strengths. As with past WEDC budgets, many of its programs focus on expanding and retaining jobs in manufacturing and other traditional industries. Yet those are not the industries that the world views as having the most future economic potential. WEDC identifies six industries as Wisconsin's strengths: aerospace manufacturing; biotechnology; energy, power and controls; food and beverage; manufacturing; and water technology. Only two of them biotech and energy, power and controls have consistently attracted venture capital investments over the past 20 years, according to a PriceWaterhouse Coopers MoneyTree report. Venture capitalists invest in the industries they believe have the highest economic potential. Wisconsin has struggled to produce start-ups that traffic in the technologies of the future. The state ranked last for start-up activity in the most recent Kauffman Foundation's annual Index on Start-up Activity released about a year ago. Most areas of Wisconsin were relatively ineffective at creating start-ups after the most recent recession, according to a study by the Economic Innovation Group, a bipartisan think tank in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately for the state, start-up businesses account for nearly all net new job growth in the United States, according to a 2013 study led by John C. Haltiwanger of the University of Maryland, which echoes what the experts at the Kauffman Foundation have found. The bottom line: A knowledge economy like the one Milwaukee's manufacturers, with their superior engineering, built a century ago drives future economic growth and wealth creation. One way to prod high-potential growth would be for WEDC to sharpen its focus and identify specific areas of clusters where the state is more competitive, said Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council. "I don't think as a state we can or need to compete in every area of bioscience," Still said. "Where we've shown we have expertise, emerging companies and international acclaim would be regenerative medicine, for example." It would also be helpful if the state would raise the amount of Early Stage Business Investment Tax Credits an individual company can access to $12 million from the current $8 million cap, an idea that is the subject of a Tech Council white paper, Still said. "That would immediately increase the use of the tax credits and help the growth companies the ones that already have traction and want to add jobs at a rapid rate," Still said. Since the early-stage credits are not all being used, a legislative committee earlier this month approved moving $8 million from the early stage program per WEDC's request to one that is aimed at more established firms. The WEDC also needs to figure out how to take better advantage of the $1.3 billion research engine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the $300 million of research in southeast Wisconsin, said Dan Steininger, president of BizStarts Milwaukee. On the positive side, Hogan and his team are doing site visits and trying to better understand the entrepreneurial community's challenges, Steininger said. "They're taking the time to understand the problem before jumping to solutions," Steininger said. "That's a rare approach both in government and business, where the usual tendency is 'shoot, ready, aim.'" The vehicle Jay Anderson was shot in is seen as Milwaukee County Chief Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern (center facing) investigates the area. Credit: Mike De Sisti By of the The family and friends of Jay Anderson, who was shot and killed by a Wauwatosa police officer, are calling for a comprehensive investigation into his death. Anderson, 25, was shot about 3a.m. Thursday at Madison Park. "If it was just him being in the park, how did it go so wrong so fast?" Shawn Moore, a family friend, said Saturday. Wauwatosa Police Chief Barry Weber provided initial information on Thursday at the scene, saying officers were investigating a suspicious vehicle in a parking lot and saw it was occupied by a person with a gun. The officer "fearing for his safety discharged his own weapon striking that person," Weber said. Wauwatosa police referred the case to Milwaukee police to fulfill a state law that requires a team of at least two investigators from an outside agency to lead investigations of officer-involved deaths. Wauwatosa and Milwaukee police have not released further information about the shooting death since Thursday. Anderson was identified publicly by his family and friends. Moore and others gathered at the park, 9800 W. Glendale Ave., Friday evening to call for a thorough investigation into the death of Anderson, who leaves behind a fiancee and a young son and daughter. "They want to see the dashcam, first and foremost," Moore said. "That should shed some light on what took place and how it got so out of hand so fast." Family members said Anderson often fell asleep near the park, which was a peaceful place, Moore said. "If he's asleep and he was startled and he reached for a gun and (an officer) shot him, there needs (to be) some accountability on this from the Wauwatosa Police Department," Moore said. Moore grew up with Anderson's dad, and he said the father and son had just started their own landscaping and lawn service company. Anderson also was planning a Fourth of July party to celebrate his birthday, Moore said. "This kid had a lot to live for," Moore said. "He wasn't out here carjacking, he's never been to prison. We want some answers and justice." Presumptive Republican nominee for president, Donald Trump, speaks to the press Friday at his Trump Turnberry Resort in Ayr, Scotland. Credit: Getty Images SHARE By With Britain's vote to leave the European Union, did Donald Trump just win the presidential election? On the surface, this may seem an odd question, but the concerns that led a majority of Brits to vote "leave" on Thursday are similar to those that have catapulted Trump to the Republican nomination immigration, refugees, underemployment. Also similar have been reactions to Brexit and to Trump's political rise. Analysts and market speculators were shocked that the prediction models they used were wrong. Overnight, the political playbook seemed to have become a relic of some distant past. The biggest gambler of all was Prime Minister David Cameron, who held the referendum despite his preference to "remain." His resignation essentially marked the death of the establishment and a rebirth of people who have risen in protest of a world they refuse to accept. The populist, anti-establishment movement we've been witnessing in the U.S. isn't purely local. Other countries, especially in Europe, are feeling similar stresses to their psychic as well as their material infrastructure, leading to renewed calls for nationalism. Already, other nations are queuing up to join merry old England on the exit ramp. The ground has shifted and, with it, global markets. Immediately, the pound plunged along with stock values. Rattled investors tried to regain their equilibrium. The world gaped in breathless wonderment as a new, upside-down landscape took shape. All, that is, except for Trump. Conveniently in Scotland to visit his Turnberry resort, the brand-brandishing baron of bombast opined that Brexit was "a great thing." Never mind that the "Scotch," as Trump recently referred to his Scots heritage, voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU and likely will hold a referendum soon to separate from Britain. What matters is that Trump saw in Brexit an opportunity to profit. Because that's what Trump does. One impoverished fellow's home foreclosure is Trump's business opportunity. One nation's lost cause is his tourist bonanza. You probably thought Brexit was about national independence, didn't you? Trump thought it was about him. The pound's decline, he explained, could mean more travelers to his resorts and what could be better than that? Trump further explained that it was great the British people are taking their country back, just as Trump supporters are hoping to do in November. Indeed, in many respects, Trump is America's "Trexit" a ticket to leave the establishment and entrenched bureaucrats whom Trump's admirers and Britain's leavers see as responsible for their respective nation's problems. This message, though we've heard it a thousand times, has taken time to penetrate the minds of commentators and analysts who now humbly acknowledge that they didn't see "it" coming neither Brexit nor Trump. It was easier to name the manifestations xenophobia, racism, sexism, "fear of the other" than it was to recognize the root causes, which, distilled, amount to a looming sense of lost identity. The smartest thing Trump has said during his campaign was in a speech last week. Citing Hillary Clinton's slogan "I'm with her," he said his slogan is "I'm with you, the American people." Brilliant. When Trump frames things this way, he wins. When his critics point to his xenophobia and racism, legitimate though these observations may be, he wins again. To his fans, the critics don't get it. When Trump supporters hear post-Brexit analysts say the "leavers" suffered "fear of the other," they hear fools ignoring the realities of unsecured borders, possible terrorists posing as refugees and illegal immigrants demanding entitlements. A majority of Brits apparently heard the same thing. Their retreat isn't only away from the European Union and, inferentially, from globalization, concubine of the New World Order. It is rather a turning back toward home, the idea as well as the place. Home is who we are, the values we share, the traditions we practice and the one flag to which we all pledge allegiance. Those who miscalled Brexit haven't or hadn't fully grasped the gravity and intensity of the identity imperative. Trump, love him or hate him, grasped it, embraced it, gave it a helicopter ride and promised to respect it in the morning. He placed all bets on the power of nationhood and on his unique power to harness and reinvent globalization in his own image. Clinton would do well to heed these identity concerns lest she become America's Cameron to Trump's Trexit. Kathleen Parker is a columnist for The Washington Post. Email kathleenparker@washpost.com Twitter: @KathleenParker Israeli soldiers stand guard as Palestinian Muslims try to climb through a barbed-wire-enforced barrier fence near the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Credit: European Press Agency SHARE By We, Lutheran pastors serving the Milwaukee community and an American-Israeli rabbi, celebrate the call to justice for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation that was passed by the Greater Milwaukee Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at its Assembly on June 4. The 200,000 members and supporters of Jewish Voice for Peace applaud the church's principled position on behalf of Palestinian human rights. In so doing, the Greater Milwaukee Synod has followed in the footsteps of its communion partners, the United Church of Christ, the Presbyterian Church and the Methodist Church, joining millions of Christians standing for justice in the Holy Land. Elana Kahn and Michael Pollack's criticism of Resolution 4 of the Milwaukee Synod ("Choosing simplistic solutions for complex problems," Crossroads, June 12) is woefully ill-informed. The article faults the Lutheran resolution for opposing "Israel's right to exist." But the concise resolution explicitly supports the State of Israel. It unequivocally endorses the same "two-state solution" that the authors support. We are clergy who are bound together through our faiths' deep shared interest in the Holy Land. The stories of our religions are written into this ancient tract of land. We maintain deep ties with our co-religionists who live in Israel and Palestine and who are a part of current events. Israel-Palestine, the Holy Land, occupies a special place in our hearts. As we heard at the Synod Assembly, life for Palestinians living for half a century under military occupation is unbearably complex. Simple, everyday acts such as going to the doctor or getting to work take many hours, and involve humiliation and the real threat of physical violence. Increasingly, and with shocking regularity, Palestinians have been executed in broad daylight by Israeli soldiers and, we are sorry to say, Jewish militiamen. The article pleads for nuance. Of course, every society in the world embodies a rich array of complexity and diversity. Israeli and Palestinian society are no different. It is also true that even the victims of oppression make mistakes. They are human beings, not saints. And yes, the heroic efforts of individual Israelis and Palestinians to overcome their grief and anger are inspiring and worthy of our support. But none of the topics raised by Kahn and Pollack address the issue at hand. There is no serious debate in the United States about the cruelty and basic unfairness of the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank. Rabbi Davis lived in Israel for 20 years and served in the Israeli army for three of those years. Anybody who has spent any time on the West Bank can testify to the demeaning, heartless and violent treatment of Palestinian men, women and children. The article accuses the Greater Milwaukee Synod and Jewish allies of simplistic thinking. We believe it is simplistic to conflate a stand for justice with attacking Israel. We care about human rights. We have seen Palestinian suffering and we cannot turn away from the Palestinian call for justice. More than 100 Palestinian organizations representing civil society have issued a call to the world for help. They have asked that we, people of good conscience in the United States and across the globe, disassociate ourselves from the companies and forces that imprison them. The Greater Milwaukee Synod of the ELCA has answered this call with: Yes! The 200,000 members and supporters of Jewish Voice for Peace have said, Yes! Rev. Joe Ellwanger is pastor of Hephatha Lutheran Church of Milwaukee; the Rev. Jonathan Jacobs is pastor of Ascension Lutheran Church of Milwaukee and Rabbi Michael Davis serves on the Rabbinical Council of Jewish Voice for Peace. Carla Allison (right) welcomes a customer while waiting on Amerikus Luvene last week at The Readers Choice, 1950 N. King Drive in Milwaukee. Allison, who runs the citys only black-owned and operated bookstore, will close later this year. Credit: Mark Hoffman Carla Allison loves books, especially those written by African-American authors or those that deal with the African diaspora. She's read thousands of books, and her passion for reading is just as strong today as when she opened Reader's Choice bookstore in the heart of Milwaukee's inner city nearly 27 years ago. When she opened her first location in the 3800 block of N. 20th St., she did so because she wanted to dispel myths about African-Americans and books. The biggest myth she heard is that blacks don't read. The second rumor is that blacks don't support black businesses like hers. Both of these were proven false. Allison said blacks read all the time, from the Bible to poetry. She does acknowledge, however, that black people are descendants of an oral tradition of call and response. "We would much rather have a story told to us and our response is typically 'where did you hear that?'" she said. When Africans were slaves, reading was not allowed for the majority of them. Slaves had to hide the fact that they knew how to read just to avoid punishment. When I visited Allison last week, she told me that her time of running the state's only black-owned and -operated bookstore will soon come to an end. She is selling her two-story building at 1950 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and moving to Texas with her husband. She said running the bookstore has been rewarding and gratifying. The truly satisfying times occurred when teachers would come into the store looking for reading materials to keep their students engaged. She also loves it when a young person discovers a new author and gets hooked. She's hosted dozens of authors at her bookstore, giving them a chance to sell books and make a name for themselves. The troubling times come when people want the "hook up" on books and reading materials. When a book is marked at $10 and a customer wants to know if she can sell the book for $8, that can be a bit frustrating. Newsflash: If you want black-owned businesses to stick around, you must support them. You can't go into the barbershop or Barnes & Noble looking for the "hook up" because it's not going to happen. "I would say to some of them the moment We Energies gives me the hook up on my gas and lights is the time I will give you the hook up," she joked. The bookstore is filled with books, games and black Greek paraphernalia that you can't find under one roof anywhere else in the city. At it's peak, Allison said her store became the one stop African-Americans had to visit when they came to town. She said people would come from as far as Racine, Kenosha and Madison just to show support. Over the years, things have changed and she said she would not classify the city as a literary town anymore. Reading isn't taught in schools the way it used to be taught and younger people, especially young black boys, don't pick up books and read the way they used to. It's probably why black boys in Wisconsin have some of the lowest fourth-grade and eighth-grade reading scores in the country. Allison has worked for Milwaukee Public Schools as a speech pathologist and has taught psychology at Milwaukee Area Technical College. She said reading and education are the tools that can break the chains of poverty. But she says when it comes to adults who have trouble reading, whites are typically diagnosed with having dyslexia and blacks are usually considered "lazy" or "stupid." Allison and her husband of 54 years, Robert, have pretty much operated the business by themselves for the entire time that they have owned it. They do have some help from their 9-year-old grandson Miles, who you can usually catch reading a book on the weekends. Allison said it is through Miles that she can see what reading to a child early on can do for the child's vocabulary. Miles is at the top of his class in both reading and math, she said. "When you read to your child young, they can pick up on the rhythm of reading and the different sound patterns and not to mention their vocabulary increases, too," she said. Her hope is that the building can have a second life as an updated bookstore. "It would be a shame for this to just go," she said. "I would love it if someone young can come in and keep the tradition going that we started." I hope so, too, because losing a bookstore in a neighborhood that needs that resource will hurt for years to come. James E. Causey is a Journal Sentinel editorial columnist and blogger. Email jcausey@journalsentinel.com. Facebook: fb.me/james.causey.12 Twitter: twitter.com/jecausey U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson speaks with reporters in Green Bay ahead of the Wisconsin Republican Party convention in May. Credit: Associated Press Politicians love sneaking controversial amendments into larger, less problematic bills where they hope they'll simply be overlooked. It's a good strategy for passing a new rule that might otherwise face a real challenge if presented on its own merits. It's not necessarily a great thing for healthy debate and democracy. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) is employing this strategy for his battle to support private schools that receive public money in their quest to be free of pesky public oversight, specifically when it comes to their apparent desire to shrug off the Americans with Disabilities Act. Last week, Johnson introduced an amendment to the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Act of 2016 that would specifically forbid the Department of Justice from enforcing the ADA for those private schools receiving public funding. What does this mean and why did he do it? The DOJ had been investigating Wisconsin's voucher school program (the probe ran from 2011 and was closed quietly in early 2016), which provides public money to private charter schools by way of vouchers that lower income parents may use to enroll their children. The ACLU filed a lawsuit against that program, citing evidence that several of those private institutions had openly discriminated against students with various disabilities, forcing them into already underfunded and understaffed public schools. Johnson frequently has criticized DOJ efforts to hold private schools accountable for how they treat children with disabilities. He went so far as to hold a committee hearing on the issue in Milwaukee. He was the only member of his committee to attend and all the speakers were hand-picked by Johnson. I'm certainly not opposed to private schools (I have direct experience with a few particularly great ones), nor to the idea of helping people with lower incomes access them. The problem comes when we begin to provide public money to those institutions without strings and by strings, I mean accountability for how they're using that money, and whether they're abiding by basic standards such as the ADA. If a private institution does not wish to abide by those standards, or to make its practices transparent, then it doesn't need to take public money. Simple as that. That Johnson has chosen this particular hill to fight and die on strikes me as extremely odd. You can support a voucher system with better checks and balances without trying to pass laws that hamstring oversight. I can see no other reason to do something like this than to hide wrongdoing. And the thing is, most of the students using the Wisconsin voucher system already attend private schools. Seventy-five percent of those who applied for taxpayer-funded subsidies, in fact, were already enrolled in private or religious schools. On top of that, several voucher schools already have proved to be nothing more than scams. The state paid out $139 million to schools that were eventually barred from the program for failing to meet standards related to finances, accreditation, student safety and auditing. Other schools closed abruptly in the middle of the school year, leaving parents and kids in the lurch, after taking public money only to show extremely poor results. One in Milwaukee had just one student who scored proficient in reading, had dwindled to 66 students total, and shut its doors in the middle of the night all after taking about $200,000 in taxpayer-funded money. Not all private schools are shady, of course, but the system of oversight to ensure that is so convoluted and difficult to enforce that it's often impossible for parents to make an informed decision. The bigger problem, of course, is the systematic underfunding and destruction of the public school system in Wisconsin by Johnson's conservative allies. We have a system that demonizes public school teachers, cuts their pay, forces them into rigid teaching systems that don't accommodate the varying ways in which kids learn and that underfunds special education programs. It's not surprising that many parents would like to find better opportunities for their children. The answer shouldn't be to prop up an unaccountable and potentially discriminatory private system. We should be putting that money into building our public system so that every kid has access to a great school. And we certainly shouldn't be passing laws that hamstring one of the last lines of defense for our most vulnerable. Emily Mills is a freelance writer who lives in Madison. Twitter:@millbot; Email:emily.mills@outlook.com People hold candles during an evening memorial service for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shootings, at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, Fla. Credit: Getty Images SHARE By The Orlando shooting has sparked a wide range of discussions on race, religion, sexual orientation and violence in America. There has been a continuous flow of media coverage of what many people believe is the awakening of a new society that is darker and more sinister with more deadly consequences. But when news of the shooting broke, I was a bit confused by the characterization of the tragic event as the "worst mass killing in American history." Unfortunately, it is not, and this reality is historically well-documented. For too long, the United States has been a nation with reoccurring instances of mass killings focused on the poor and vulnerable. We need only look at our legacy of white supremacy as an example of how perverted beliefs can lead to the loss of human life and suffering. So the events last week represent a legacy of violence and intimidation that, while horrific, are connected to the past. In surveying the continuum of violence in America, it is difficult to isolate one factor as the sole explanation for unjustifiable mass killings. Like most things, the causes are multifaceted. But I am drawn to the years after the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans as the deadliest period in American history. Newly freed blacks found themselves in the midst of a long slumber of indifference toward their humanity. It is during this period that untold numbers of African-Americans were the victims of mass killings not only in the South, but in other parts of the nation as well. Ida B. Wells-Barnett, a prominent African-American journalist and activist of her time led an anti-lynching crusade throughout her life and wrote extensively about the untold killings of African-Americans. Wells-Barnett captured these underreported events in a series of books, pamphlets, papers and speeches. Some of her notable works include, "Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases," "The Red Record: Tabulated Statistics and Alleged Causes of Lynching in the United States" and "The Arkansas Race Riot." Ida B. Wells-Barnett stands as a powerful witness on behalf of the unintelligible voices of untold numbers of black people. In fact, the Oct. 1, 1919, mass killings of African-Americans in the rural community of Elaine in Phillips County, Ark., is the worst incident in American history. It is documented by individuals writing about the Elaine incident at the time that African-American deaths range from 20 to 856; if accurate, these numbers at the high range would make it by far the most deadly mass killing in the nation's history. My analysis of various sources reveals that the number of black deaths likely exceeds 200, but the actual number may never be accurately known. As a nation, we must acknowledge a dark and ugly reality that has been in place since the failure of Reconstruction after the Civil War. What happened in Orlando represents a continuation of the past. The underlying question is whether anyone has a right to kill or treat you differently based on who you are as a person. From a legal standpoint, this question was resolved by the ratification of the U.S. Constitution and its amendments. However, the public discourse and politics have greatly influenced events as in the past leading some in our community to adopt a rationale that justifies the wholesale use of violence. There is no doubt that the murder of 50 innocent people is a tragedy that should cause everyone to pause. However, as I reflect on the incident, it is important that we not distort history or engage in hyperbole and confront the extraordinary brutality of what took place through the lens of truthfulness. Steven A. Anthony is a doctoral student in history at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. State Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills): Far too many students in MPS are trapped in failing schools. Parents should be able to send their kids to a quality school no matter where they live in our state. Credit: Mike De Sisti SHARE By In the last school year, roughly 28,000 students in Milwaukee Public Schools attended a school that fails to meet expectations. That's about the population of Stevens Point. Last year, there were two MPS schools with zero students proficient in math. Zero. More than 30 MPS schools have 90% or more of their students who are not proficient in math. Ten percent or less of students are not proficient in English language arts in a dozen MPS schools. As Milwaukee goes, the rest of the state goes. I refuse to give up on the students in these schools. Far too many students in MPS are trapped in failing schools. Parents should be able to send their kids to a quality school no matter where they live in our state. Taxpayers send more than $1 billion to Milwaukee Public Schools. They deserve a better return on investment. Our state counts on our largest city to help drive our economy. When our schools fail the students, it's very difficult for them to find good-paying, family-supporting jobs. This isn't a new problem. Many Milwaukee public schools have been failing generations of students. It's time to stop that trend. In the last state budget, I helped to create a path for success for not just students in MPS, but their families as well. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, schools suffered physical damage while students and faculty were displaced. Officials in Louisiana wanted to quickly reopen schools and an innovative approach called "Turnaround Schools" was introduced to deal with the crisis. The state created a new school district that transformed local public schools into public charter schools. Charter schools are public schools, but they have more freedom in how they operate. The change created a closer alignment with the students and parents. The impact of Turnaround Schools was significant. Before Hurricane Katrina, the high school graduation rate was 54%. By 2013, the graduation rate increased to 78%. In 2013, 57% of students performed at grade level in math and reading. The turnaround model delivered a more than 200% increase from the 2005 level of 23% proficiency. The City of Memphis is already seeing success with a similar approach. Since kids only spend part of their day in school, we also focused on their communities. Our plan creates public-private partnerships to help deliver "hand-ups" instead of "hand-outs" in the Zip code around the turnaround school. State agencies such as the Department of Workforce Development, the Department of Children and Families and others will coordinate existing services that improve health, safety and employability of students and their families. Our state can't afford to give up on Milwaukee's children and I won't. Whether it's through improving public schools, school choice or creating turnaround schools, I am committed to making sure every kid in the state and especially Milwaukee has a chance to succeed. Alberta Darling, a Republican from River Hills, is a state senator. This undated file image shows Orlando shooter Omar Mateen. Credit: Associated Press SHARE By In the wake of the Orlando, Fla., nightclub atrocity, President Barack Obama has admonished us to "do some soul-searching" about how "easy" it is in this country to obtain firearms. Just so. But if we are to do an honest examination of conscience, we must begin with the facts. Omar Mateen, the Orlando jihadist, slaughtered his victims with a Sig Sauer MCX rifle, an AR-15-style rifle, and a Glock handgun. Contrary to mainstream media hysteria, neither is a machine gun, a category of weapon that has been illegal to purchase or possess since 1934. Each is, instead, a semiautomatic firearm, i.e., one pull of the trigger fires but a single round of ammunition. From that standpoint, as a matter of substance as opposed to cosmetics, the Sig Sauer MCX is not different from the millions of semiautomatic rifles that Americans have owned and possessed since the early 1900s. While the Sig Sauer may look like a military-grade machine gun, it is not. Think of it as a Volkswagen Beetle dressed up to look like a Maserati. This is not to deny that Mateen was able to cause tremendous mayhem using these semi-automatic weapons. They are most certainly dangerous implements capable of spreading death and carnage. But they are no more dangerous than any other semiautomatic gun. How was Mateen able to obtain such dangerous weapons? He bought them at a gun store. Commercial sales of firearms are regulated by federal and state law. A firearms vendor must hold a license issued by the federal government and must in conjunction with federal law enforcement authorities conduct a background check of anyone attempting to purchase a gun. A purchaser must verify in writing and under penalty of law that, among other things, he is not under criminal indictment; a convicted criminal; a fugitive from justice; a drug addict or user of controlled substances; an adjudicated mental defective; a former inmate of a mental institution; someone who was dishonorably discharged from the armed forces; or subject to a court order restraining him from stalking, harassing or threatening his child or "intimate partner." He must also verify under oath that he has never been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, has never renounced his U.S. citizenship and is not an illegal alien. All of the foregoing sworn information is then checked against the FBI's records. If the purchaser is cleared by the FBI, then the sale may be completed. The seller, however, may also decline to make the sale for any reason up to and including the purchaser's looks, behavior or demeanor. Moreover, in the Orlando case, Mateen held a concealed weapons license issued by the state of Florida. To obtain that, he had to be fingerprinted and photographed and to undergo a background investigation by Florida authorities. Also, in a bit of stomach-churning irony, he was required by Florida to undergo firearm safety training. Since he purchased his handgun in Palm Beach County, he was subject to a five-day waiting period before he could take delivery. Finally, Mateen was a security officer employed by a private firm that holds contracts with the Department of Homeland Security. Presumably his employer took additional measures to determine Mateen's fitness for duty and possession of a weapon, but, as of publication, the nature and extent of that vetting have not been made public. In light of these facts, it is fair to ask what further safeguards, procedures or restrictions on the purchase, ownership or possession of firearms would have prevented the Orlando carnage. For example, advocates of what they call "common sense gun control" argue that anyone on a terrorist watch list should not be permitted to legally buy a gun. Fair enough, but would such a prohibition be effective? Or would a determined terrorist such as Mateen simply resort to using a straw purchaser, a practice that has been used successfully by felons, drug users, wife beaters and others to evade existing legal restrictions? Should we follow Europe's example of banning possession of firearms by civilians? If so, isn't it fair to ask how the Paris jihadis were able to gun down and murder 129 infidels and wound another 368 at the Bataclan nightclub in November? Putting aside the mandate of the Second Amendment, we must recognize that there are 90 million law-abiding Americans who legally possess an estimated 300 million firearms and who pose no demonstrable threat to their fellow citizens. Are they to be turned into outlaws by legislative or executive fiat? And are these newly minted criminals then to be stripped of their weapons? If so, how would that be done? By force of arms? These are but some of the questions that must be answered. To ignore them is to engage in magical thinking whereby the very real threats posed by armed terrorists and criminals can be defeated by simply passing a law. If only life were that neat and easy. George Parry is a former state and federal prosecutor practicing law in Philadelphia. Email: LGParry@dpt-law.com Cory Groshek is the fitness guru and video blogger Low Carb Cory on YouTube. SHARE By , Green Bay Cory Groshek thought he'd caught a big fish, and he wasn't afraid to say it. In January 2015, Groshek sent a 2,300-word missive to representatives for Time Warner Cable, threatening to sue for violations of a consumer-protection law called the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The message relayed Groshek's confidence that he could win a huge verdict at trial "think upwards of $5-10 million," he wrote unless the company paid him a six-figure settlement to go away. "Make no mistake about it," wrote Groshek, 33, of Green Bay. "I have all of the leverage in this situation and TWC has none." Within a recent 18-month stretch, Groshek applied to 562 jobs, including one at Time Warner Cable. But it doesn't appear he had any intention of keeping a job long-term. Instead, his aim seems to be to catch companies violating the law during the hiring process, so he can threaten a class-action lawsuit and demand a settlement. Based on newly filed court records, his plan is working. Documents show Groshek has used the tactic to extract at least $230,000 in legal settlements from businesses across the country. Groshek has admitted to threatening more than 40 companies including about 15 headquartered in Wisconsin with class-action lawsuits, leading to claims that he is extorting businesses for technical violations of the federal law. The full extent of Groshek's efforts largely remained in legal shadows until late May, when Time Warner Cable's lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the case. In the motion, the company's lawyers wrote that Groshek admitted during a deposition that he has applied for hundreds of jobs, hoping to initiate the background check process that could lead to an FCRA violation. Under the law, companies wishing to obtain an individual's consumer credit reports a routine part of the hiring process must make a "clear and conspicuous disclosure" of their intention to do so. In the deposition, Groshek said he has taught himself to spot when companies fail to properly make that disclosure, burying it in fine print or several pages of forms. If Groshek sees the violation, he threatens to sue on behalf of all recently hired employees. Each employee could be entitled to up to $1,000, giving Groshek leverage to negotiate a personal settlement. So far, Groshek has threatened to sue at least 46 companies that performed a background check on him. About 20 companies paid relatively small settlements between $5,000 and $35,000 to cut off the threat, Groshek said. Three companies didn't settle and have been sued in federal court by Groshek. Those cases are all pending. Lawyers representing some of the companies say Groshek is taking advantage of a technicality, unable to prove he suffered any harm. Officials at Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation, a Madison-based student loan nonprofit, said Groshek's lawsuit against them "comes down to a one-sentence liability waiver" in a disclosure form. "There is absolutely no indication that anyone was harmed or confused by the sentence," company officials said in a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The company has agreed to a preliminary settlement of $267,600, with Groshek getting $7,200 and nearly 900 prospective employees getting $300 each. Lawyers for Time Warner Cable have gone further. In a motion to stop Groshek from leading a class-action lawsuit, they argued Groshek doesn't care about the company's other employees, as evidenced by his demands for settlements paid only to him. "Here, there is not just a risk that (Groshek) will try to sell out the class he has already tried to do so," lawyers for Time Warner Cable wrote in a motion filed last year. The technique, Time Warner Cable's lawyers wrote last month, has become "a very successful business for Groshek." Lawyers and business officials who work in employment law believe there's a growing cadre of plaintiffs looking to take advantage of FCRA violations. According to WebRecon, a Michigan-based company that tracks consumer litigation, nearly 400 FCRA class-action lawsuits were filed in 2015, almost double the number filed in 2014. So far, the plaintiffs seem to be winning. Federal judges have routinely refused to dismiss FCRA lawsuits. Unable to get the cases tossed, several companies across the country have paid out seven-figure settlements in lawsuits just like the ones filed by Groshek. A 'professional plaintiff' Groshek didn't return multiple telephone calls and emails seeking comment. When reached at his home in the shadow of Lambeau Field, he accused the Journal Sentinel of stalking him and questioned how a reporter found his email address. (It's published on one of his Facebook pages.) "It's litigation where we're on the precipice of a decision going one way or another, and it hasn't happened yet," Groshek said. "So really, in my opinion, there is no big story." He referred questions to his lawyers, who didn't respond to multiple phone and email messages in the past two weeks. Little in Groshek's background would portend his sudden evolution into a prolific litigator. According to his Time Warner Cable job application, which is included in his complaint, Groshek graduated from Stevens Point Area High School in 2001 and earned an associate's degree from Mid-State Technical College in Wisconsin Rapids in 2003. He spent about 71/2 years working as a customer service representative for WPS Health Insurance, then left in 2012 for a similar job at Lands' End in Stevens Point. In the meantime, Groshek had several side gigs, largely based on his self-burnished image. He's the rapper Cory Crush on Facebook, the fitness guru and video blogger Low Carb Cory on YouTube, and the author of scary stories published online under his legal name. Then, in early 2014, Groshek learned about FCRA. According to a Time Warner Cable motion, Groshek admitted in his deposition that he "discovered the potential to bring FCRA claims after talking to an attorney" and "educated himself on the requirements of the FCRA." Groshek left Lands' End in May 2014 and became what Time Warner Cable's lawyers termed a "professional plaintiff." In the October 2015 deposition, Groshek said he would scour online employment websites, such as Career Builder and Indeed, and apply for hundreds of open positions. When companies expressed interest in him and asked permission to perform a background check typically after he received a conditional job offer Groshek would watch to see if they violated the FCRA's disclosure requirements. Groshek believed the FCRA required a separate, single-page disclosure of a company's intent to obtain consumer credit reports. Some companies, Groshek found, included the disclosure in other documents. Some companies included it in an online application program. Even if he got the job, Groshek would fail to show up for work or quickly quit, then make his settlement demand, according to the court documents. During the deposition, Groshek conceded that he didn't lose out on a job with Time Warner Cable because of a faulty background check. Still, Groshek said his legal rights were violated and that he should be compensated. "And so in that regard," Groshek said, "I do believe that I did suffer, potentially, damages that could be remedied, that's granted in a court of law." The full transcript of Groshek's deposition is under seal, leaving many details of his process unclear. Excerpts of the deposition were included in recent court filings. The legal battles In court records, Groshek said he has threatened to sue companies as big as Target and Starbucks. He's threatened to sue Goodwill Industries and a small business that helps veterans get jobs. He's threatened to sue outfits in Milwaukee and Stevens Point and Appleton and Oshkosh. He's threatened to sue six companies in Brown County, including a resort located two miles from his house, which records show he bought in December for $140,000. Groshek settled nearly every case without filing a lawsuit. Time Warner Cable didn't settle, and so when Groshek filed a class-action lawsuit, the company's lawyers could depose him and publicly disclose some documents including his demand for a settlement. The demand email shows that Groshek, who was offered an $11-an-hour job with Time Warner Cable, threatened to file a class-action lawsuit on behalf of all of the company's recent hires. It also shows Groshek willing to abandon that plan if the company paid him a settlement. In the email, Groshek trumpeted his knowledge of the FCRA, and that he had two law firms "which intend to work in tandem to promptly sue" Time Warner Cable if the company didn't immediately settle. "I understand that you may be tempted to try to make this issue disappear for a token payment of, say, $500 to $2,500, but I will have you know that such offers would meet my definition of 'lowball' offers, and thus will be rejected immediately," Groshek said. In court records, Time Warner Cable's lawyers have argued Groshek shouldn't be allowed to sue because he intentionally initiated any alleged violations. They've also alleged Groshek violated state extortion laws. The email, they wrote, "confirms that he may try to duplicitously use their rights as 'leverage' to line his own pockets." Groshek's lawyers counter that Time Warner Cable continues to "attack and vilify Groshek ...to avoid discussing the real issue its violation of the law." They disputed the allegation that he's a "professional plaintiff," noting he's filed only three lawsuits. Law on his side? Time Warner Cable's claim that Groshek broke the law was met with skepticism by Milwaukee-based U.S. District Judge Rudolph Randa, who is presiding over the case. In a July 2015 order on Time Warner Cable's motion to deny class-action status, Randa wrote he "doubts that the Milwaukee County District Attorney would devote time and resources to prosecuting Groshek on the tenuous theory that a pre-suit settlement demand qualifies as extortion." Randa also noted that any pre-suit settlement wouldn't have stopped other Time Warner Cable employees from suing the company. And as Madison-based U.S. District Judge James Peterson, who is presiding over the Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation case, wrote in a November 2015 order, the courts have been split on the merits of such FCRA claims. He wrote that "a substantial majority of cases that have considered the issue have gone Groshek's way." Indeed, several companies across the nation have received unfavorable rulings and ended up settling class-action FCRA cases. Swift Transportation paid out $4.4 million. Home Depot shelled out $3 million. Domino's settled for $2.5 million. Melissa Sorenson, executive director for the National Association of Professional Background Screeners, said the settlements have emboldened plaintiffs and their lawyers, leading to a notable increase in FCRA class-action lawsuits in the past several years. "As soon as you have settlements in the millions of dollars, it certainly opens up interests in class-action lawsuits," Sorenson said. "And it's opened up an entire area of practice." She added that companies often settle because it's cheaper than taking the case to trial, with the risk of a jury, particularly if the business has insurance to cover the costs. No future court dates have been set in Groshek's case against Time Warner Cable, which is preliminarily scheduled for trial in February. Judging by his email to Time Warner Cable's lawyers, Groshek has little doubt that he'd prevail should his case ever reach a jury. "I would prefer that we avoid what could be a multi-year trial," Groshek wrote. "But if TWC wishes to be combative and fight a losing battle, I am more than willing to do whatever is necessary to see that justice is served in this situation." What is the FCRA? Enacted in 1970, the Fair Credit Reporting Act is a consumer protection law that sets out rules for credit reporting agencies. The law promotes accurate reporting and dissemination of consumer report information, such as credit histories, and gives citizens certain privacy rights. In part, the law restricts employers from obtaining the credit reports of individuals without their consent. It also gives citizens the right to dispute information contained in their credit report and requires credit reporting agencies to change incorrect information. The part of the law that is cited "... A person may not procure a consumer report, or cause a consumer report to be procured, for employment purposes with respect to any consumer, unless a clear and conspicuous disclosure has been made in writing to the consumer at any time before the report is procured or caused to be procured, in a document that consists solely of the disclosure ..." A look at the legal filings In recent years, Corey Groshek of Green Bay has threatened to sue at least 46 companies that performed a background check on him. About 20 companies paid relatively small settlements, according to documents filed in federal court. Three companies didn't settle and have been sued in federal court by Groshek. Those cases are all pending. Companies that have been sued: Alliance Hospitality Management Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation Time Warner Cable Wisconsin-based companies threatened with a lawsuit: Alta Resources (Neenah) Ardor Agency (Greenfield) Associated Bank (Green Bay) Bay Event Marketing (De Pere) Eastbay (Wausau) ImproMed (Oshkosh) Lands' End (Dodgeville) Ministry Health Care (Milwaukee) Shopko (Green Bay) Team Schierl Companies (Stevens Point) Total Med Staffing (Appleton) Travel Guard (Stevens Point) Tundra Lodge (Green Bay) Wisconsin Auto Title Loans (Green Bay) Yanda's Distributing (Green Bay) Notable national companies threatened with a lawsuit: Burlington Coat Factory Goodwill Industries hhgregg Humana Nielsen Sherwin-Williams Starbucks Target Toys R' Us U.S. Cellular Reddit Email 0 Shares By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | The oil-rich Gulf Cooperation countries may see additional buying opportunities in the British market after Brexit. BBC Monitoring reports: Political analyst for regional issues and Gulf Cooperation Council Hamad Ahmad Abdul Aziz al-Amer says in Saudi pro-government Ukaz that the Britains leaving the EU might lead to successful talks with the Gulf Cooperation Council to reach distinctive partnership as the dropping of the British sterling will lead to increasing Gulf investments in Britain . . . In general, former British colonies often feel they have a special opportunity for trade and investment with the UK, with which EU commitments sometimes interfered. They now hope to step in to fill the vacuum left by UK departure from the EU. A senior aide to Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said that Brexit offered Iran a historic opportunity. Countries that had been informally colonized by the UK are afraid of European power, and anything that weakens the former is seen as a great good thing. Meanwhile Turkey seems to be offering itself to the European Union as a substitute for the UK. Turkeys officials said that they hoped the EU would now become more inclusive. Turkey has been in a queue for EU membership since the late 1990s, . Related video added by Juan Cole: TRT World: Turkeys EU minister Omer Celik addresses Brexit JURIST Guest Columnist Nicholas M. Wooldridge discusses judge Aaron Perskys sentencing of convicted Stanford sex offender Brock Turner Brock Allen Turner was convicted of three felony counts related to his digital penetration of an unconscious victim behind a dumpster at a frat party and sentenced to a short six month period of imprisonment. Turners sentencing generated public outrage, especially after the long, visceral and rambling 7,400 letter by the anonymous victim read to Turner in court went viral. Deeming Brocks sentence too lenient and faulting the judge for considering the severe impact of imprisonment on Brock, self-proclaimed social justice activists launched petitions on Change.org, seeking the sentencing judges recall. Members of Congressboth right and lefthave chimed in proclaiming that the punishment for rape should be longer than a semester in college. Leading the charge to remove Judge Persky is none other than a tenured Stanford University Law Professor, Estelle Freedman, a self-proclaimed progressive, who seems far more interested in gaining national attention for herself than the fundamental principles of due process and progressivism, which she brushes aside, because, well, sexual assault cases, at least to Prof. Freedman, are different. But before we get to the substantive discussion, lets start with the not-so-pleasant facts of Brocks case. A jury convicted Former Stanford University swimmer, Brock Allen Turner, in March of assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated woman, sexually penetrating an intoxicated person with a foreign object (his finger) and sexually penetrating an unconscious person with a foreign object (his finger). The first offenseassault to commit rapecarried a mandatory prison sentence. But Judge Aaron Persky, citing Brocks youth, lack of a criminal record, the fact that alcohol was involved in the January 2015 assault, said that sending Brock to prison would have a severe impact on him, that he did not believe that he would be a danger to others and sentenced him to six months in the Santa Clara County jail followed by three years of formal probation. With good behavior, Brock may have to serve only three months of his sentence. However, he must also register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and participate in a sex offender rehabilitation program. Brocks unquestionably lenient, yet legally sound sentence under California lawand the visceral response to the sentenceunderscore whats wrong with criminal justice policy in the United States at large. First, public scrutiny of judicial decisions is a good thing and uncontroversial, especially, where the judge, like Judge Persky, is elected. However, if a single decision by a judge, no matter how wrong, is reason enough to remove that judge, then why stop there? Should other judges or members of the other two branches of government be removed from office for a single decision, even a very poor one? As noted by one sitting federal judge, Hon. Mark Bennett of the United States District Court for the District of Iowa,[i]snt it wiser to judge a public servant on their whole body of work rather than a single decision one disagrees with? The fact that a Stanford law professor is leading the charge is all the more remarkable because Prof. Freedman, of all people, should know better: what if a tenured law professor could be removed for one poor decision? As noted by Judge Bennett, [n]o one would be left on law school facultiesor anywhere else for that matter. Second, there is increasing occurrence, in fact, an expectation, that prosecutors and judges must respond and reward populist punitiveness, whether it is a sex crime or any other crime, without regard to the effectiveness of a penal policy in a given case. However, the aims and purposes of punishment and the governments authority to punish are not to satiate the retributive lust of a mob, even a mob composed of the putative offenders victims. As noted by numerous contemporary commentators, throughout history, several explanations have been used to explain the aims and purposes of punishment. A citizen may demand: [f]irst, get them off the streets; keep them away from us. Make them suffer: they deserve it. Teach them a lesson they will not forget. And let their pain and sufferings be an example to others. Maybe then, having been punished, someday, somehow, these criminals will feel remorse, change their attitudes, and productively reintegrate into society. Drawing upon concepts and perspectives implicit in the Bible and the works of, amongst others, Plato, Hobbes, Beccaria, Kant, and Bentham, legal scholars have explained the aims of punishment as reinforcement of sovereign authority, incapacitation, retribution, deterrence, and rehabilitation. Each of these aims suggests a distinct normative foundation for punishment used to justify various strategies of response to criminal behavior; however, none of them permit or allow mob justice to determine a defendants sentence. Judge Persky sat through a lengthy trial. He heard every piece of evidence, not just the small snippets of evidence reported in the media, which on more than one occasion erroneously depicted the victims rape as sexual intercourse, including penile penetration, not that it lessens the impact on the victimbut the popular and frequent use of term rape has lost all meaning. Judge Persky meaningfully considered the need for retribution, deterrence (both specific and general), and the need for rehabilitation. Again, none of the factors include mob justice or satisfying his electorate. In the end, despite the woefully inarticulate, misguided, self-serving and dumb letters of support and statements from both Brock and his father, the judge determined that the purposes of retribution, deterrence, incapacitation and rehabilitation were amply served by the sentence of six months, followed by three years of probation, sex offender treatment, and lifetime registration as a sex offender. This could be because academic studies and courts have realized the need to be realistic about the incremental deterrent effect [if any] of extremely long sentences. Based on analysis by the independent probation officer, Judge Persky found that there was little to no risk of recidivism by Brock. In other words, there was a limited need for incapacitation to protect the public from future offending by Brock. Next, in sentencing remarks that could have been better phrased and explained, Judge Persky stated that sending Brock to prison would have a severe impact on him. This observation, which drew enormous criticism in the media, is, in fact, not only true but also an understatement. What does severe impact mean? As observed recently by a distinguished and well-respected federal judge, Hon. Frederic Block of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, there are more than 1,200 collateral consequences for a felony conviction in the United States. For sex offenses involving sex offender registration, there are an untold number of consequences, and they are permanent. They include public disclosure, exclusion from most educational programs, restrictions on movement, including visitation of certain areas, occupational restrictions, residency restrictions, as well as travel restrictions outside of the United States due to recent legislation passed by Congress requiring the passports of certain convicted sex offenders be marked to notify even anyone outside the United States that an individual is a sex offender. It is not unusual or inappropriate for a sentencing judge to take into account the magnitude of a defendants fall from grace in fashioning an appropriate sentence. For example, in several high profile cases, including, Mark Fastow (the former CFO of Enron), John G. Rowland (former Governor of the State of Connecticut), Robert Bob McDonnell (former Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Jack Tarpley Camp, Jr. (former federal district judge for the Northern District of Georgia), the sentencing judge departed downwards from the agreed upon or recommended guideline range because of the severe impact on their future. Unfortunately, punishment in the U.S. is only measured in terms of the number of months or years an offender is sent to prison to the exclusion of everything else. Brock will pay a very serious pricea lifelong price. Just as the victim was violated from within, he will be violated from the outside in until the day he dies without any possibility of restoration to the position he was in before he committed his offense. Brock is unlikely to ever complete his education, whether at Stanford or elsewhere, or even obtain a joba crucial predictor of recidivism. Unless, Brock stands to inherit a sizeable fortune from his family, he has a pretty bleak life ahead of him. On the other hand, the victim may eventually heal. She will get to work. She can live wherever she wants without restrictions. She will be able to move wherever she wants without restriction. She will be able to get an education. The victim can eventually have kids. The victim can and will do anything she wants the rest of her life without interference of the criminal justice system. Of course, the victim may also never heal, but she will have that chance. On the other hand, Brock cannot. His sentence is lifelong. He will not be able to do any of those things. Ever. His punishment will not end when he is released from his six-month jail sentence. Viewed from this angle, Brock has suffered a severe impact, arguably even a disproportionate impact, and any more would have simply been greater than necessary to fulfill the purposes of punishment. Third, the widely lauded victim impact statement Brocks victim read during the sentencing hearing underscored the detachment between what victims expect from the criminal justice and what the criminal justice system is designed to deliver. Her victim impact statement was an attack on the systemshe wanted a trial where Brock admits his guiltthats not what happens in an adversarial system. A trial is a contact sport with a binary outcome: guilty or not guilty. The victim expected something from the criminal justice system that it was never designed to provide outside of the movies, at least, so long as fundamental principles such as the presumption of innocence or due process are to have any meaning. The victim is very much entitled and has a right to expect some responsibility, accountability, remorse and perhaps understanding and support from her attacker (by not having put her through the trial process in the first place)but the criminal justice system is a blunt force tool not designed to provide any of the things that she desires. And, even after conviction, many defendants choose to appeal, so to expect a confession at that point, is a non-starter. In a restorative justice system, primarily used in domestic abuse and violence cases in Australia, the victim may have received exactly what she was looking forunderstanding by the perpetrator, an apology, an explanation and less exposure or dissection in the public spherebut the trade off would have been even less jail time for Brock and far fewer collateral consequences. I am glad the victim wrote an extraordinarily powerful letter and glad so many millions have read and been moved by it. But it had absolutely no place in the courtroom. None. As noted by numerous commentators, and highlighted above, victim impact statements introduce a massive amount of emotion into the proceedings and inject arbitrariness into a sentencing process that should be a product of logical reflection. The prosecutor, the probation officer, as well as the judge should have done a better job in managing the victims expectations in this case. Brock Turner has been punished and the nature of his punishment ensures that he will suffer permanent and irreversible consequences for the rest of his life that will have a severe impact on him. If anything, Brocks punishment is hardly an eye for an eye and will have a disproportionate impact on him. For those who focus on the short duration of the prison sentence, whether the sentence was six months or six years is of no moment and misses the wood for the trees: a prison cell is not the exclusive domain of punishment and would not have met the expectations or demands of the victim in this case. Calls to remove Judge Persky, especially by Stanford Law Professor Freedman, for no other reason except that the judges sentence did not satiate the retributivist lust of the public or penal populism, highlights a willingness to jettison progressive principles in a profoundly misguided effort to stop sexual violence and cannot justify unraveling the most cherished safeguards of our criminal justice system. I wonder if instead of championing childish online petitions and fueling populist punitiveness, Prof. Freedmans time would be better spent exploring alternative mechanisms or modes of justice and punishment, such as the restorative justice pilot programs being tried in Australia. Nicholas Wooldridge is a prominent criminal defense attorney in Las Vegas, NV, as well as the founder of LV Criminal Defense. An expert in federal crimes defense and white-collar crime, Nicholas is also a published author and frequent media contributor. Suggested citation: Nicholas Wooldridge, Sex, Lies, and & Severe Impact: In Defense of Judge Aaron Persky, JURIST Professional Commentary This article was prepared for publication by Dave Rodkey, an Assistant Editor for JURIST Commentary service. Please direct any questions or comments to him at commentary@jurist.org [JURIST] The UN human rights experts on cultural rights and on freedom of expression, Karima Bennoune and David Kaye [official websites], called Friday for the release of artists [press release] jailed by the Islamic Republic of Iran. In particular, they called upon Iran to release two musicians, Mehdi Rajabian and Yousef Emadi, and a filmmaker, Hossein Rajabian, charged with insulting Islamic sanctities, propoganda against the State and conducting illegal activities in the audiovisual affaires including through producing prohibited audiovisual material and performing an illegal and underground music site. The three artists, after appeal, were sentenced to three years in prison and fined $50 million Rial each. While they acknowledged that their prison sentences had been reduced, the experts called the sentences unacceptable and in complete violation of international human rights law binding on Iran. Much international pressure has been directed toward Iran in recent years for its human rights abuses. In March UN rights experts expressed concern [JURIST report] over the overwhelming number of juvenile executions in Iran. Last October UN human rights experts condemned [JURIST report] Irans execution of a juvenile offender convicted of murdering her husband whom she was forced to marry at the age of 16. She was executed despite several reports of flaws in her trial and appeals process. Also in October an Iranian Revolutionary Court convicted [JURIST report] Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, who was later released. In May of last year UN human rights experts condemned [JURIST report] the growing number of executions in Iran in recent years. According to the Special Rapporteurs on the situation of human rights in Iran and on extrajudicial executions, Iran had executed approximately six people per day between April 9 and April 26 and 350 total up to that point. 93 Shares Share Diagnostic tests such as CT scans are not perfect. A test can make two errors. It can call a diseased person healthy: a false negative. This is like acquitting a person guilty of a crime. Or a test can falsely call a healthy person diseased: a false positive. This is like convicting an innocent person of a crime that she did not commit. There is a trade-off between false negatives and false positives. To achieve fewer false negatives we incur more false positives. Physicians do not want to be wrong. Since error is possible, we must choose which side to err towards. That is we must choose between two wrongness. We have chosen to reduce false negatives at the expense of false positives. Why this is so is illustrated by screening mammography for breast cancer. A woman who has cancer which the mammogram picks up is thankful to her physician for picking up the cancer and, plausibly, saving her life. A woman who does not have cancer and whose mammogram is normal is also thankful to her physician. The doctor does not deserve to be thanked as she played no hand in the absence of the patients cancer. But instead of thanking genes or the cosmic lottery, the patient thanks the doctor. How about the false negative: the cancer missed on the mammogram? A common reason doctors get sued is missing cancer on mammography. The false negative is not a statistic but a real person. We promised her early detection of cancer, but we failed. It is not surprising that she sues us for breaking our promise. Now consider the false positive. She doesnt have cancer. The mammogram flags a possible cancer because of a suspicious finding. Abnormalities on mammograms are seldom binary. There are shades of gray. Because the shade of gray is a suspicious shade, she has an ultrasound and then a biopsy. She is waiting for the results of the biopsy. Her heart is pounding with anxiety. The physician breaks the news to her no cancer, your biopsy is negative. Imagine her relief. Far from being angry with the doctor for taking her into a rabbit hole, she is grateful. That the possible abnormality in her mammogram was not ignored shows that her doctor cares. You can never care too much. You can never be too safe. Better safe than sorry. This reminds me of the Stockholm syndrome a curious phenomenon first described in a bank robbery. This is when hostages develop positive feelings for their captors, and have an exaggerated appreciation for acts of unexpected kindness. Is the gratitude of the false positive the medical variant of the Stockholm syndrome? Doctors are thanked by the false positives but can be sued by the false negatives. Our choice is a no-brainer. Better thanked than sued. Doctors havent stopped being wrong. We just make more tolerable mistakes. But we are not alone. We live in a society obsessed with safety. Precaution is the new morality. False positive is precaution by another name. Saurabh Jha is a radiologist and can be reached on Twitter @RogueRad. This article originally appeared in the Health Care Blog. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 70 Shares Share Get a group of health policy experts together and youll find one area of near universal agreement: We need more transparency in health care. The notion behind transparency is straightforward; greater availability of data on provider performance helps consumers make better choices and motivates providers to improve. And there is some evidence to suggest it works. In New York State, after cardiac surgery reporting went into effect, some of the worst performing surgeons stopped practicing or moved out of state and overall outcomes improved. But when it comes to hospital care, the impact of transparency has been less clear-cut. In 2005, Hospital Compare, the national website run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), started publicly reporting hospital performance on process measures many of which were evidence based (e.g., using aspirin for acute MI patients). By 2008, evidence showed that public reporting had dramatically increased adherence to those process measures, but its impact on patient outcomes was unknown. A few years ago, Andrew Ryan published an excellent paper in Health Affairs examining just that, and found that more than 3 years after Hospital Compare went into effect, there had been no meaningful impact on patient outcomes. Heres one figure from that paper: The paper was widely covered in the press; many saw it as a failure of public reporting. Others wondered if it was a failure of Hospital Compare, where the data were difficult to analyze. Some critics shot back that Ryan had only examined the time period when public reporting of process measures was in effect, and it would take public reporting of outcomes (i.e., mortality) to actually move the needle on lowering mortality rates. And, in 2009, CMS started doing just that publicly reporting mortality rates for nearly every hospital in the country. Would it work? Would it actually lead to better outcomes? We didnt know and decided to find out. Does publicly reporting hospital mortality rates improve outcomes? In a paper released on May 30 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, we led by the brilliant and prolific Karen Joynt examined what happened to patient outcomes since 2009, when public reporting of hospital mortality rates began. Surely, making this information public would spur hospitals to improve. The logic is sound, but the data tell a different story. We found that public reporting of mortality rates has had no impact on patient outcomes. We looked at every subgroup. We even examined those that were labeled as bad performers to see if they would improve more quickly. They didnt. In fact, if you were going to be faithful to the data, you would conclude that public reporting slowed down the rate of improvement in patient outcomes. So why is public reporting of hospital performance doing so little to improve care? I think there are three reasons, all of which we can fix if we choose to. First, Hospital Compare has become cumbersome and now includes dozens (possibly hundreds) of metrics. As a result, consumers brave enough to navigate the website likely struggle with the massive amounts of available data. A second, related issue is that the explosion of all that data has made it difficult to distinguish between what is important and what is not. For example: Chances that you will die during your hospitalization for heart failure? Important. Chances that you will receive an evaluation of your ejection fraction during the hospitalization? Less so (partly because everyone does it the national average is 99 percent). With the signal buried among the noise, it is hardly surprising that that no one seems to be paying attention and the result is little actual effect on patient outcomes. The third issue is how the mortality measures are calculated. The CMS models are built using Bayesian shrinkage estimators that try to take uncertainty based on low patient volume into account. This approach has value, but its designed to be extremely conservative, tilting strongly towards protecting hospitals reputation. For instance, the website only identifies 23 out of the 4,384 hospitals that cared for heart attack patients as being worse than the national rate about 0.5 percent. In fact, many small hospitals have some of the worst outcomes for heart attack care yet the methodology is designed to ensure that most of them look about average. If a public report card gives 99.5 percent of hospitals a passing grade, we should not be surprised that it has little effect in motivating improvement. Fixing public reporting There are concrete things that CMS can do to make public reporting better. One is to simplify the reports. CMS is actually taking important steps towards this goal and is about to release a new version that will rate all U.S. hospitals one to five stars based on their performance across 60 or so measures. While the simplicity of the star ratings is good, the current approach combines useful measures with less useful ones and uses weighting schemes that are not clinically intuitive. Instead of imposing a single set of values, CMS could build a tool that lets consumers create their own star ratings based on their personal values, so they can decide which metrics matter to them. Another step is to change the approach to calculating the shrunk estimates of hospital performance. The current approach gives too little weight to both a hospitals historical performance and the broader volume-outcome relationship. There are technical, methodological issues that can be addressed in ways that identify more hospitals as likely outliers and create more of an impetus to improve. The decision to only identify a tiny fraction of hospitals as outliers is a choice and not inherent to public reporting. Finally, CMS needs to use both more clinical data and more timely data. The current mortality data available on CMS represents care that was delivered between July 2011 and June 2014 so the average patient in that sample had a heart attack nearly 2 1/2 years ago. It is easy for hospitals to dismiss the data as old and for patients to wonder if the data are still useful. Given that nearly all U.S. hospitals have now transitioned towards using electronic health records, it should not be difficult to obtain and build risk-adjusted mortality models that are superior and remains current. None of this will be easy, but it is all doable. We learned from the New York State experience as well as that of the early years of Hospital Compare that public reporting can have a big impact when there is sizeable variation in what is being reported and organizations are motivated to improve. But with nearly everyone getting a passing grade on website that is difficult to navigate and doesnt differentiate between measures that matter and those that dont, improvement just isnt happening. We are being transparent so we can say we are being transparent. So, the bottom line is this: If transparency is worth doing, why not do it right? Who knows, it might even make care better and create greater trust in the health care system. And wouldnt that be worth the extra effort? Ashish Jha is an associate professor of health policy and management, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA. He blogs at An Ounce of Evidence and can be found on Twitter @ashishkjha. Image credit: Shutterstock.com (Kitco News) - While pretty much all financial markets were roiled Friday in reaction to Britain voting in favor of leaving the European Union, the biggest loser was the British Pound. Not only did the pound see its biggest loss in 30 years as prices dropped to a low of $1.3230 against the U.S. dollar, but it also saw its biggest intra-day move in history. Analysts noted that the price action completely surpassed the last significant price action seen in 1992 when famed investor George Soros shorted the pound and earned the title: The man who broke the Bank of England. Adrian Ash, head of research at Bullion Vault, said in an email to Kitco News at within the last 24 hours his company has seen crazy demand from its U.K. clients as they have bought a combined total of 1 billion in gold bullion. U.K. residents now hold more gold than most of the worlds central banks, and more than all but the worlds 11 largest ETPs, he said. "Of course a billon [pounds] isn't what it once was," he added in a follow up email. While the pound lost more than 8% against the U.S. dollar, its losses against gold were even more astounding. In Fridays peak, gold was up around 19% against the pound. Kitcos Gold-Currency charts show just how much gold has gained compared to other fiat currencies like the U.S. dollar. Currently, in spot markets, gold is up 14.08% against the pound, last trading at 962.29 an ounce. Although gold has already seen unprecedented demand in such a short period, sentiment is not expected to shift any time soon as investors will continue to digest the implications of the Brexit vote. Even though the situation is likely to calm down gradually following the first reaction, the Brexit issue is bound to preoccupy the markets for some time to come, said analysts at Commerzbank. In our opinion, the uncertainty as to what will happen next in the political arena should lend solid support to gold over the next few months. Currency analysts at BNP Paribas said even after making historic lows, they see more weakness for the pound in the near-term. Four factors are set to weigh on the GBP: uncertainty; financial market stress; foreign direct investment (FDI); and other capital flows. We expect that GBPUSD is likely to decline as low as 1.30, the analysts said in a report Friday. The yellow metal made broad gains in the global currency market following the release of the referendum results. The market uncertainty caused gold to hit a record high against the Aussie dollar. Currently, gold is up almost 6.5% against the Aussie dollar, last trading at $1,761.48 an ounce. Looking at other Kitco currency charts, gold is up more than 7.5% against the euro, up almost 7% against the Canadian dollar, and more than 6% against the Swiss Franc. Golds worst performance was against the Japanese yen as it is only seeing gains of 1.2%. By Neils Christensen of Kitco News; nchristensen@kitco.com Follow @Neils_C SHARE By Christina Henry of the Kitsap Sun PORT ORCHARD The South Kitsap school board on Monday will take a first step toward replacing outgoing Superintendent Michelle Reid, who will become superintendent of Northshore School District. The board will vote on a contract with Northwest Leadership Associates, the same headhunting firm the district used to hire Reid three years ago. The firm will conduct searches for both an interim superintendent and permanent hire, board President Greg Wall said Friday. The timing of Reid's recent announcement precluded permanently filling the position before the new school year starts. "We are looking for an interim, and hopefully we'll have one on board by the end of July," Wall said. The search for a full-time superintendent will begin in September or October, a more favorable time for finding candidates, according to Wall. The board has an agreement with Reid that she will work part-time in South Kitsap beyond the July 1 end of her contract year to ease the transition. Wall said the district is neither considering nor discounting internal candidates for either the interim or permanent positions. "There is no shortlist," Wall said. "At this point there is no list. Anyone can apply, so if we have an internal candidate who wants to apply, they'll get the same consideration as everyone else." One person Wall does not expect will apply is Bev Cheney, the former SKSD superintendent who served as interim before Reid was hired. "We love Bev, but I think she wants to stay retired," Wall said. Wall said the district has a "solid" administrative team that will help carry through the change of command. The board recently approved a new teachers' contract with a raise in pay so there's not a lot of unfinished business on the table this summer. "I expect a smooth transition," Wall said. "We're definitely going to miss Michelle, but what are you going to do?" The East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad dashed into Knoxville June 22, 1855, the first passenger train to come to Knoxville. Its arrival was a milestone; the city decided to celebrate the event on Independence Day that year. The train's June arrival was noted by The Knoxville Register newspaper, which published a few days after the event. The story described the arrival by saying the "swift passenger train darts up to our very city and the omnibuses carry their load of passengers." That first passenger train was a changing moment for the city, its businesses and citizens. Horses and wagons weren't the only way that citizens could travel now. The Register, in its June 28, 1855, article, noted that the train cars "have reached their long-waited destination," proclaiming "a new era for Knoxville has arrived." That first train wasn't all about celebration. For one Knoxville family it was a funeral train. Knoxville merchant Charles Hector Coffin, 51, was visiting a relative in Columbia, Tenn., when he unexpectedly died on June 18. Coffin's body was returned to Knoxville on the June 22 train. "That first arrival," The Register said, "brought the lifeless body of Mr. Coffin who died in the full vigor of a most honorable and useful life ..." The newspaper story noted Coffin was a railroad supporter, although it did not detail if that meant he'd helped it financially. The article noted that Coffin was "wide open to its (the E.T. and Ga. Railroad) wants; his time and his exertions were always subject to its demands ..." And the fact that his body would ride on the first train, the newspaper noted, was "a singular and melancholy coincidence." SHARE The YWCA Knoxville is accepting nominations of deserving women or groups of women for the YWCA Knoxville's 32nd Annual Tribute to Women event scheduled for Sept. 15 at the Historic Bijou Theater. Nominate a woman or group of women you admire by June 30. Visit www.ywcaknox.com to fill out a nomination form for the inspiring women in your life. "Tribute to Women is one of my favorite events because the women in our community individuals or groups; young or old; professionals, students or volunteers all have a chance to be recognized and applauded for being role models to others, successful in their field of work or dedicated to what truly inspires them," YWCA Knoxville CEO Marigail Mullin said. "Honorees represent a variety of backgrounds, interests and careers, and they also exemplify the mission of the YWCA Knoxville by helping to support diversity, promote racial justice and empower women." The YWCA Knoxville will honor women in five categories: Arts and Education; Business and Professional Leadership; Community Service and Government; Health and Human Services; Technology, Research, and Innovation. Honorees will be selected by out-of-state judges. The 2016 honorees will be announced and all finalists will be honored at the awards event on Sept. 15. Sponsorships and tickets for Tribute to Women are also available at the YWCA Knoxville website or by calling Karlyn Brown at 865-523-6126. SHARE By News Sentinel Staff DANDRIDGE Authorities continue to search for a missing boater thought to have drowned earlier this week in Douglas Lake. John King, 74, of Englewood, Fla. was aboard a pontoon boat Tuesday near Henderson Island at 11:30 a.m., according to a news release from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Witnesses said three children were swimming near the boat when the wind began to separate the boat from them, prompting King to enter the water to assist them. The children wore life jackets. When King began to struggle, one of the children attempted to help him, but he went underwater and never resurfaced, according to the release. Rescuers from Jefferson County and surrounding areas have assisted in the search for King, which entered its fifth day Saturday. More details as they develop online and in Sunday's News Sentinel. SHARE Members of the East Tennessee Regional Medication Collection Coalition, with help from the Knoxville Police Department, will assist residents today in disposing of unwanted medications safely. The disposal will take place at the Food City in Fountain City, 4805 N. Broadway from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Residents who wish to dispose of unwanted medicine and cannot make it to today's event are encouraged to dispose of their medicine at the police department's Safety Building, 800 Howard Baker Jr. Ave., where medication can be dropped off at any time. The disposal, a collaboration between the coalition, the police department, Knox County and the city of Knoxville, is focuses on curbing prescription drug abuse and overdoses. According to the coalition, children are particularly at risk for accidental drug overdoses and account for more than 1 million poisonings each year. The coalition warns against disposing of medication in the trash, as drugs can be stolen and abused by others. Improperly disposed-of medicines also pose an environmental danger. Flushing drugs down the toilet, for example, can pollute the water supply. Substances that will be accepted for disposal include prescription medications, antibiotics, steroids, cold and flu medications, vitamins, herbal supplements, pet medications, medication samples, medicated ointments and lotions, and unused needles (including epinephrine pens and pricking devices). The coalition will not accept business waste or used needles. Residents should dispose of used needles by placing them in sealed plastic containers in their household waste. Valeria Tanco, right, poses with her wife, Sophy Jesty, at their home Thursday, June 23, 2016, on James Island, S.C. The couple were among the plaintiffs last year in the U.S. Supreme Court case that upheld same-sex marriage and recently moved from Knoxville to the Charleston area. (ALEX HOLT/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL) SHARE Valeria Tanco, left, and Sophy Jesty are pictured at home with their 2-year-old daughter, Emilia, on Thursday, June 23, 2016, in Johns Island, S.C. Tanco and Jesty were among the plaintiffs in last year's U.S. Supreme Court case that upheld same-sex marriage. They recently moved from Knoxville to the Charleston area. (ALEX HOLT/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL) Valeria Tanco, left, and Sophy Jesty are pictured at home with their 2-year-old daughter, Emilia, on Thursday, June 23, 2016, in Johns Island, S.C. Tanco and Jesty were among the plaintiffs in last year's U.S. Supreme Court case that upheld same-sex marriage. They recently moved from Knoxville to the Charleston area. (ALEX HOLT/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL) Valeria Tanco, left, poses with her wife, Sophy Jesty, at their home Thursday, June 23, 2016, on James Island, S.C. The couple were among the plaintiffs last year in the U.S. Supreme Court case that upheld same-sex marriage and recently moved from Knoxville to the Charleston area. (ALEX HOLT/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL) By Megan Boehnke of the Knoxville News Sentinel No one recognizes Valeria Tanco anymore. No one recognizes her wife, either. A year after the Knoxville couple won a landmark case at the U.S. Supreme Court, when the justices ruled 5-4 that Tennessee and every other state must respect their marriage, the veterinarians now live in coastal South Carolina. Last month, they returned for graduation at the University of Tennessee, and a woman approached them. Her sister had told her about the couple's role in the case that legalized gay marriage across the country, and she wanted to thank them. "My eyes filled up with tears," Tanco recalled recently. "We'd moved away and we're not in the public eye, and we're not at UT anymore. That brought me back. "We were part of it. We were a big part of it, and my name is on that case." None of the three couples who sued Tennessee still live in the state where they fought for their marriages to be recognized. Ijpe DeKoe,a full-time Army reservist, was transferred to New Jersey, where he lives with his husband, Thomas Kostura. Matthew Mansell and Johno Espejo, who married in California but moved to Tennessee in 2012 after Mansell was relocated for his job, received an opportunity to return to their home state. But that mobility the ability to go to any state in the U.S. and not worry about whether their rights will remain intact was exactly what they fought for. "We had long ago decided that we were not going to move to another state without marriage equality," Jesty said. "It would be too risky for Emilia." Jesty and Tanco joined the case in the first place because of their 2-year-old daughter. Tanco was just four months pregnant when they filed suit in Nashville in October 2013. But even though fighting for legal recognition of their family feels like a monumental victory, there's more to do even if they aren't the ones at the forefront of the movement, Jesty said. "In a lot of states, LGBT people are still permitted to be discriminated against," Jesty said. "The bathroom bills it's really hateful. So there's still a lot of work to be done before our community is truly integrated." Following the Supreme Court decision on June 26, 2015, county commissions across the state began bringing up anti-gay marriage resolutions including measures defeated in Blount and Washington counties. In the General Assembly, lawmakers proposed bills on issues LGBT advocates say targeted their community. Two of those bills became law: One that defunded the University of Tennessee's diversity office and another that allows, among other things, for counselors to refuse to treat people whose lifestyle they oppose. Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project, said he expects some of the other bills to return next year, including one that would regulate which bathrooms transgender people may use. "There was a massive reaction to the marriage decision," Sanders said. "There is still a lot of misunderstanding and hate and discrimination on the ground in Tennessee that we have to work on." Nashville attorney Abby Rubenfeld said she receives a phone call once a week from someone who has suffered from employment discrimination either because they are gay or because someone thinks they are gay. Last month, Rubenfeld, who was the architect of the Tanco vs. Haslam case, joined the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee to file a complaint against Sumner County Schools over access to bathrooms for a transgender student. "We still have to buckle down and keep working," Rubenfeld said last week. "We can all revel in the victory, but after we celebrate, we need to put back on our work boots and get going." Rubenfeld, who has spent 37 years as a civil-rights attorney fighting for the LGBT community, said she could not have imagined the progress she's seen when she started her work in the late 1970s. "Honestly, I never thought marriage would be an issue we would deal with in my lifetime," she said, although she never let it discourage her. "Every time I could keep custody for a lesbian mother or prevent a judge from using pejorative terms for gay people, or just little things, it started to get better." Now, people show her wedding photos and tell her stories about friends who married after decades together. While she acknowledges a lot is left undone, Rubenfeld said she's really proud of what she and others have accomplished. "I got to meet great people, and I got to go to the Supreme Court that's a highlight of a career," she said. "And we won!" Rubenfeld will celebrate today by gathering with other attorneys on the Tanco vs. Haslam legal team, who, along with the plaintiffs, became tight-knit through the two-year case. When Knoxville-based attorney Regina Lambert's father died a few weeks ago, several of the team members came to his funeral, Lambert said. "That's the kind of thing that just continues to take your breath away," Lambert said. "I think we had the most cohesive team." Lambert, who has spent her entire career as a corporate lawyer and had never taken on an advocacy case, said she's started working with some transgender families. Most of her work in the LGBT community has been as an advocate, rather than taking on cases, she said. Meanwhile, Jesty and Tanco, who call themselves "accidental plaintiffs," said they also plan to continue to support LGBT issues as members of and ambassadors for the community. They have no plans to return to the spotlight, though. With their family protected, the couple has settled into domestic life in Charleston and hope to add to their family. They traded their historic Victorian home in Knoxville's Parkridge neighborhood for a newer, elevated house on the water near Folly Beach. They are tackling projects around the house, building furniture and learning to paddleboard. Next summer, the family plans to take on surfing lessons. The couple left Knoxville to pursue a less-demanding career in private practice, something that was unrealistic for specialized veterinarians in a city with a major university animal hospital. They chose Charleston after visiting friends and falling in love with the area. "I have less fear of Emilia going to school and people coining her family as something bad," Tanco said. "They might point her out as something different, but not something bad." Jesty agreed. "Every time there's a legal win for our community, there will always be this fight back," she said. "But I think the overwhelming trend will always be toward inclusion in our society." Jon Coffee, left, and Keith Swafford a year after marriage at their home on Thursday, June 23, 2016. The two were the first same-sex couple to be married in Knoxville after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage last year. (SAUL YOUNG/NEWS SENTINEL) SHARE Jon Coffee, left, and Keith Swafford with their cat, Cookie, at their home on Thursday, June 23, 2016. The two were the first same-sex couple to be married in Knoxville after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage last year. (SAUL YOUNG/NEWS SENTINEL) Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero marries Terry Vanderplas, left, and Steve Backiel in her office on Friday, April 1, 2016, at the City County Building. Rogero has married seven same-sex couples since gay marriage was made legal in Tennessee by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on June 26, 2015. (DAVID LUTTRELL/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL) By Megan Boehnke, megan.boehnke@knoxnews.com The blood tests had come back abnormal, and the doctors wanted to follow up with an MRI. So Jon Coffee sat in a hospital waiting room in October, filling out paperwork. Emergency contact? "Keith Swafford," he wrote. Relationship? "Husband." "I was already emotional because it was a scary time but to realize, in that moment, at least on paper, it meant something," Coffee, 27, recalled recently. "That if something happened to me, Keith well, they'd have to respect our relationship. That was a powerful thing for me." Coffee and Swafford, 26, had married four months earlier, a year ago Sunday. The ceremony changed nothing about their relationship, and yet it changed everything. "Our relationship in and of itself isn't any different with us being married beyond just the feeling of it and being able to call someone your husband," Swafford said "But there is power and weight to it." Their hasty wedding in the sanctuary of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church six hours after the ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court made Coffee and Swafford one of the first gay couples to marry in Knoxville. There's no way of knowing how many couples have followed. Knox County Clerk Foster Arnett Jr. said the state does not require local clerks to report whether marriage licenses are issued to same-sex or opposite-sex couples. But, he said, there have been no problems since the new law went into effect a year ago. In the week after his wedding, Coffee, who is training to be a minister, performed 11 ceremonies for other couples. University of Tennessee law professor and former dean Doug Blaze officiated a wedding for a couple he knew through the school. Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero has married seven same-sex couples in the past year, most of whom were personal friends. Some of the unions were forged in her office on the sixth floor of the City County Building, overlooking Fort Loudoun Lake. Others were performed in wedding venues around town. Each was special, the mayor said. "Recently I did a ceremony for two men who had been together 49 years," Rogero said. "I kind of joked with them, 'Do they think it's going to last? You don't want to rush into anything.' "Whether it's opposite-sex or same-sex, if it's somebody that I know, it's an honor to be the one to perform that ceremony. I always have them write their vows and write the ceremony, so every one is different and every one is very personal." Rogero, who was elected in 2011, shepherded an anti-discrimination ordinance for LGBT city employees in her first year in office and expanded domestic partner benefits for city employees to same-sex couples in 2013. When the Supreme Court ruling came down on a Friday last year, the city held a rally at World's Fair Park. On the following Monday, city officials changed the color of the lights on the Henley Bridge to a rainbow. Rogero said she returned from Nashville that evening to see people all along the waterfront taking photos of the local landmark illuminated in a symbol of gay pride. The Tennessee Office of Vital Records revised the state's marriage certificate and the application for a license to include boxes each applicant can check for "bride," "groom" or "partner." The department has no plans to change birth certificate forms, and instead the registrars typically strike the "mother" and "father" identifiers and insert appropriate titles, said department spokesman Woody McMillin. Chris Sanders,executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project, described the rollout of same-sex marriages in Tennessee as "excellent" in the first few days after the decision. When local officials proved difficult, a call to the state agencies typically corrected the problem immediately, he said. "The central offices and state agencies were very helpful in making sure people did get the memo," Sanders said. "The governor and the attorney general really helped set the stage for that." In Sevier County, a conservative county with a booming wedding industry, the Rev. Lee Bennett estimates same-sex unions make up about 5 percent of the 1,800 weddings performed at his company's venues in Gatlinburg. Nearly a fifth of all Tennessee marriages take place in Sevier County, according to the state. While most of the more than 100 chapels in the area don't offer services for same-sex couples, Bennett and his business partner actively court them. They took out a two-page ad in Knoxville's PrideFest program last weekend and created a Facebook page and website called "Gatlinburg Rainbow Weddings." "We thought there would be a big rush at first, but I think the big rush went to judges and people who would do them quickly," said Bennett, who is also president of the Wedding Chapel Association of Gatlinburg. "There aren't a lot of chapels that will do them." One of the first couples Bennett married was Brett Rich and Mike Moles, a couple originally from northern Indiana who gathered with 18 friends in the chapel on the 25th anniversary of their first date. "We thought it's not going to change anything, but we both feel like it's deepened our love," said Rich, who now lives with Moles in Maryville. "We know it's just a piece of paper, but it's equality, and we're equal to everyone else." After more than two decades of carefully guarding their interactions when together in public, last weekend they walked side by side in Knoxville's PrideFest Parade. "We held hands in public," Rich said. "We'd never done that together in nearly 26 years." SHARE There seems to be a never-ending debate about the terms democracy and republic. The usual assertion is that the United States "is a republic but not a democracy." The problem is that people insist on considering these two terms as a dichotomy, when in fact they do not exclude one another. The fallacy is akin to saying something like: He drives a truck, not a vehicle. A republic is a form of government that is not based on monarchy; there is the dichotomy to be found. There is no person in whom political power is vested by means of heredity and/or divine sanction. A democracy is a form of government where people vote for stuff. To be a real democracy, naturally, the votes have to actually count. Democracy does not imply that there are no structures of government in place to facilitate the decision-making needed to govern. (We could, in theory, restrict the term democracy to governance by the vote of every citizen, but what would be the use? No such society is possible, beyond an island with 10 people.) The word republic has a historical resonance that has faded over time. The term comes from Rome, where they used the phrase "res publica" (a Latin idiom that is literally "public thing") to describe their form of government before the Roman Empire. Rome was a republic governed by a senate. After a century of violence and civil war, Rome yielded its republic to an autocratic emperor and became an empire. This change occurred right around the birth of Christ. The history of Rome, of which the Founding Fathers were well aware, helps to explain the use of the term republic. This history informed Benjamin Franklin's reply to someone's question about what they had created: "A republic, if you can keep it." In the 18th century when the United States was born, there were real monarchies in important countries, and the distinction between a republic and a monarchy was a vital one. Today there are far fewer true monarchies. Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy, because it still has a monarch who is the titular head of state. But in a realistic sense, Great Britain is not truly a monarchy. It is governed by Parliament, headed by a prime minister. Here are some examples: n A republic, but not a democracy: China, Cuba. n A democracy, but not a republic: Sweden, Great Britain. n Neither a republic nor a democracy: North Korea, Saudi Arabia. n A republic and a democracy: United States, France. What the republic-but-not-a-democracy people are getting at is not at all clear. Unless they are just word nerds insisting on correctness, which I can respect. Mark Carringer lives in Knoxville. SHARE Allow me to respond to two recent letters. One questions whether troops returning from Vietnam were actually spat upon by protesters. Let me assure you that they were. I know. I was there. It happened to me personally. I was proud to have served and was ill prepared for the hostile reception upon my return in 1969. I am still proud of my service and object to revisionist history. The second writer says owning automatic weapons is like owning a race car to drive to the store. Automatic weaponry has been banned from civilian possession and use since the early 1930s. A very few people pay thousands and thousands of dollars for licenses, permits and background checks to be allowed to pay many more thousands for an automatic weapon to add to a collection. The writer should research his narrative. Ben Pack, Seymour Beacon Center releases new corporate handout watchdog website JUNE 24, 2016 at 4:47 p.m. The first step in the Beacon Center's efforts to eliminate corporate welfare in Tennessee. - Beacon spokesman Mark Cunningham NASHVILLE The Beacon Center of Tennessee released a brand new website this week, EndCorporateHandouts.com, which aims to expose all of the taxpayer handouts to big businesses in Tennessee. This website is the start of a large public awareness effort on corporate favoritism the Beacon Center will run over the next couple of years. The website features an interactive map that tracks which businesses received handouts from the state and local governments. Nashville, Chattanooga, Clarksville, Memphis, and Charleston round out the top five areas for private businesses receiving taxpayer money. The site also features a brand new video on corporate favoritism and a ticker with the Tennessee businesses that have received the most taxpayer money over the past decade. Beacon spokesman Mark Cunningham explained that this website is just the first step in the Beacon Center's efforts to eliminate corporate welfare in Tennessee. "This is a really exciting start in our effort to educate the public on the unfair and unethical practice of giving the tax dollars of hard-working Tennesseans to multi-million dollar corporations. Ending corporate handouts is an issue that those on both sides of the aisle can come together to support. This isn't an issue of right and left, it's an issue of right and wrong." Cunningham went on to note, "It is not the government's job to pick winners and losers. A recent poll conducted by the Beacon Center with the help of icitizen showed that a whopping 70% of Tennesseans do not believe it is the government's job to give handouts to select businesses. Many people will be surprised to know that their tax dollars are going to private businesses, and this website will serve as a resource for those taxpayers to see exactly what businesses they are funding through taxes. Ultimately, businesses should succeed on the value they provide consumers, not who they know in government. We look forward to making that case to Tennesseans in the upcoming years." The Beacon Center of Tennessee empowers Tennesseans to reclaim control of their lives, so that they can freely pursue their version of the American Dream. The Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and independent organization dedicated to providing concerned citizens and public leaders with expert empirical research and timely free market solutions to public policy issues in Tennessee. Published June 24, 2016 Shin Dong-joo The chief of Korean business group Lotte won the support of the Japanese shareholders of Lotte Holdings, the group's de facto holding company, in a vote on Saturday, cementing his grip on the retail giant currently embroiled in a slush fund scandal in Korea. The shareholders' meeting was held at the request of Shin Dong-joo, the former vice president of Lotte Holdings and the elder brother of the incumbent chief. The first son of Lotte founder Shin Kyuk-ho has repeatedly called for the dismissal of Dong-bin and Lotte Holdings President Takayuki Tsukuda from the post of company director over the past year. Dong-joo has claimed himself as his 93-year-old father's hand-picked successor, but Dong-bin has argued that his father, who is now hospitalized for various illnesses, is unable to make reasonable judgments due to mental health problems. Dong-bin prevailed in two previous shareholders' meetings, including one in March that cemented his hold on Lotte in a power struggle with his elder brother. "It is regrettable that my proposal (to sack Dong-bin) did not made it through the shareholders' meeting," Dong-joo said after the gathering, adding he will seek to win in a future shareholders' meeting. Dong-bin's landslide victory came as Lotte, Korea's fifth-largest conglomerate, has come under a high-profile investigation over allegations of illegal slush funds and other shady business practices. The snowballing probe has hampered Lotte's major business projects, prompting cancellation of the initial public offering of Hotel Lotte, one of the group's key affiliates, initially slated for June along with a series of mergers and acquisitions. The IPO of the hotel and duty-free operator was the key reform pledge the Lotte chairman has made to improve the murky governance structure of the business empire following an acrimonious succession battle with his elder brother. Its bid to renew the license for the duty-free outlet in the 123-story Lotte World Tower also stands on shaky ground, as senior Lotte officials are under suspicion of receiving kickbacks in return for giving space to a local cosmetics company. Industry watchers said shareholders gave support to Dong-bin based on his previous performance, giving him a chance to ride over business setbacks stemming from the ongoing investigation. "The shareholders of Lotte Holdings are aware of what will happen if the group's management faces volatility amid the current crisis. This made shareholders unite tighter," a Lotte sources said. "Shin Dong-bin will cooperate with the prosecutors' probe and also focus on normalizing the management," another official from Lotte added. (Yonhap) By Choi Sung-jin Global solar energy companies are competing to expand their investments in research and development. Bloomberg recently estimated worldwide construction of photovoltaic complexes will reach or exceed 60 giga watts (GW) this year, more than three times larger than nuclear plant construction. Global investment in photovoltaic research and development is on a sharp rise amid the forecast that "grid parity" a point when the power generation cost of renewable energy becomes the same as that of fossil fuels -- may come in 2017, industry experts say. "The solar energy market grew 41 percent a year on average from 2000 to 2015," said Tony Seba, author of "Energy Revolution 2030," at an energy forum held in Seoul on June 8. "As the technological development has sharply enhanced price competitiveness of renewable energy, grid parity' of solar power will likely come next year." A local expert agreed. "This year, the construction of photovoltaic stations will come to 60 GW, three times larger than that of nuclear power plants and 1.5 times more than that of coal-fired stations," said Lee Woo-hyun, president of OCI, a special chemical company. "At stake is whether and how much the existing power grid and electricity network can accept energy variability." Global companies are now focusing their investments on energy storage systems (ESS) and big data. Yingli Green Energy, a solar cell module maker in China, spent $63.8 million, or 4 percent of its total sales last year, on research and development. Hanwha Q Cells also invested $48.3 million, the second-largest investment among solar cell module makers, last year. The company, the merger of Q Cells of Germany and Hanwha Solarone of Korea, increased its R&D investment last year more than three times from that of 2014. About 200 researchers are working at the company's laboratory in Germany, the single largest such research center in the world. "Global demands are rising for a comprehensive solution that can sharply raise the efficiency of solar energy," said Cha Mun-hwan, CEO of Hanwha Q Cells. "To enhance solar energy efficiency, we are also developing technology for the fusion of solar light and batteries as well as analyzing data from cells." Even major oil companies are jumping on the renewable energy bandwagon, breaking away from petroleum, industry sources say. ARAMCO, Saudi Arabia's state oil company, has recently announced an economic reform plan, making clear its intention to give up "oil addiction." Royal-Dutch Shell has taken over BG (British Gas) Group for $53 billion, while establishing a unit responsible for hydrogen, bio fuel and wind power. Total, the third largest oil company in Europe, decided in May to acquire battery maker Shaft for $1.1 billion. It plans to jump into the business of storing wind and solar power in the energy storage systems made by Shaft and supply them to consumers. ExxonMobil has also set aside $300 billion for large-scale mergers while BP has set up a renewable energy department as part of its "de-oiling" strategy. GE signed a contract with the Saudi government last year to invest $1 billion in aviation and desalinization and $400 million in energy and marine manufacturing, the sources said. It is urgent for other Korean businesses to pay greater attention to renewable energy, not to lag behind in the future industry, they added. Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, second from left, pledges allegiance along with others attending the 66th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War held at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, Saturday. / Yonhap By Ko Dong-hwan Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn condemned North Korea's latest test of mid-range missiles earlier this week in his speech commemorating the Korean War that began on June 25, 1950, saying that the test proves Pyongyang's offer to hold inter-Korean dialogue is "deceiving." "North Korea's reckless provocations show how deceiving its offer is to hold inter-Korean dialogue," said Hwang at Jamsil Indoor Stadium. "The government will protect the peace of the Korean Peninsula against North Korea's provocations based on thorough preparations and cooperation with the international community." Hwang said during the speech that commemorated the 66th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War that although years have passed since the ceasefire, Korea's security "remains unstable as a divided country," The two Koreas technically remain at war to this day, since the war ended in a ceasefire, not a peace treaty. By Choi Sung-jin Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said the city will work to put data related with the "comfort women" on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register, "if the central government will not." "The central government has allocated some spending for the project in this year's budget but said it would not tackle the job," the Seoul mayor said appearing on an SNS broadcast Thursday. "I think we must register the comfort women-related records and materials with the Memory of the World program. If the central government shies away from this, the city government will take it up." Park, while noting that the project does not need a lot of money, said, "It is the central government's job. But if it refuses to carry it out, someone else has to do it." The mayor from the opposition Minjoo Party of Korea said the municipal government has managed records related with the former sex slaves of the Japanese imperial army, including the victims' recorded remarks, films and historical material. "We will push for putting them on the UNESCO register," he said. Charles Hay Britain's relationship with South Korea will not change in the near future despite the British people's decision to leave the European Union, London's top envoy to Seoul said Saturday. Ambassador Charles Hay's remark came a day after Britons voted to leave the EU in a landmark referendum, becoming the first nation to abandon the 28-member bloc. "Britain outside the European Union will, I think in many ways, look very similar to Britain inside the European Union with respect to our relationship with our friends and allies like South Korea," he told Yonhap News Agency at his residence in Seoul, speaking in his first interview with the South Korean press since the vote. "Nothing will happen very soon, so nobody needs to be alarmed about anything to do with the British economy or the British relationship with the European Union, because we will continue to be a member of the European Union until such time as we leave." The referendum result does not mean Britain's immediate exit from the bloc it joined in 1973. It will first have to inform the EU of its intention to quit, initiating a two-year or longer process to settle the divorce. "During that period, agreements, for example the (EU's) free trade agreement with Korea, will continue in force, so nothing will change with respect to the relationship between the U.K. and Korea," Hay said. The ambassador admitted, however, that his top concern has become the impact Brexit may have on bilateral trade and economic ties. South Korea's ruling and opposition parties on Friday expressed concerns over Pyongyang's latest launch of missiles and called on the communist country to put its priority on improving the livelihood of its people instead of making threats against the world. On Wednesday, North Korea fired off what is believed to be two Musudan mid-range missiles from near the city of Wonsan on its eastern coast. The latest launches follow four failed launches involving the Musudan missile since April. "The safety of the country and people, along with national defense and security, are top factors that politicians must take into consideration," said Kim Hee-ok, the ruling Saenuri Party's interim leader. He made the point in a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Defense. Woo Sang-ho, the floor leader of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea, echoed the view, adding that the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a mistake by firing off missiles. "It is lamentable that North Korea is only focusing on the development of weapons even when the anniversary of the Korean War approaches," Woo said. "I must warn Pyongyang that nukes or missiles won't help them maintain their system." Woo added that North Korea cannot buy respect from the international community if it continues to focus all its efforts on the development of weaponry. (Yonhap) The advanced U.S. missile defense system THAAD is believed to be capable of intercepting North Korea's intermediate-range ballistic missiles if it is deployed in South Korea, Seoul's defense chief said Friday. North Korea claimed Thursday that it has succeeded in test-firing its mid-range missile, boasting of its capacity to hit U.S. forces in the Pacific region. "The deployment of THAAD will help South Korea's move to counter (the North's missile threats)," Defense Minister Han Min-koo told reporters. The minister said that more information is needed to check THAAD's capability to intercept the North's mid-range missiles, but generally, the system is believed to be up to the task. Seoul and Washington have been discussing the potential deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in South Korea, where about 28,500 American troops are stationed. The allies' move is aimed at countering the North's evolving missile threats amid concerns about the technical progress of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. On Wednesday, the North fired off what is believed to be two Musudan mid-range missiles, marking its fifth and sixth launches since April. The Musudan missile, with an estimated range of some 3,000 to 4,000 kilometers, could theoretically reach any target in Japan and fly as far as the U.S. territory of Guam. The North's first five attempts to test-fire the missile failed, but the sixth one flew about 400 kilometers after being launched at a higher angle Wednesday. The North's latest move raises concerns about advances made in the country's nuclear and missile capabilities. Pyongyang is seeking to develop a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of hitting targets on the U.S. mainland. South Korea's military said that it is too early to conclude the North's test was a total success, but experts said that if the North did not launch the missile at a higher angle, it could have traversed on a normal trajectory. Han said that North Korea could test-fire an ICBM or a submarine-launched missile in a bid to show off its military prowess. "We do not rule out the possibility of an additional nuclear test by North Korea," he said. The minister said that Seoul is gearing up for a possible North Korean provocation, while at the same time seeking to develop the defense system with its own technology. South Korea is speeding up the development of the indigenous Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system. A pre-emptive missile destruction system, the so-called Kill Chain, is also under development to detect and strike North Korea's missile and nuclear facilities. The North conducted its fourth nuke test in January and launched a long-range rocket in the following month, drawing international condemnation. The country is banned from using ballistic missile technology under relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions. (Yonhap) Since their arrival June 15, the U.S. Navy detachment supporting four EA-18G Growler airborne electronic attack aircraft officially begin their daily operations here June 20. The Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 138 expeditionary detachment will conduct operations that include training with Armed Forces of the Philippines FA-50 aircraft pilots and providing support for routine operational missions that enhance regional maritime domain awareness. VAQ-138s presence here is part of a U.S. Air Contingent established by U.S. Pacific Command with the approval of the Government of the Philippines and planned and executed by Headquarters Pacific Air Forces. The detachment is composed of about 120 Sailors from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash., with additional Air Contingent security and coordination support provided by U.S. Marines and Airmen. Maintaining a joint aerial presence throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific is vital to ensuring regional stability, said Brig. Gen. Dirk Smith, PACAF Director of Air and Cyberspace Operations. By enabling this Air Contingent in the Philippines, we are securing excellent opportunities for Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines to hone their capabilities and strengthen ties with their counterparts in the Philippines. U.S. Navy CDR Aaron Tabor, the VAQ-138 commanding officer, said the units deployment to Clark is an example of how the U.S. and the Philippines are committed to maintaining credible combat power throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. Our presence here demonstrates our ability to work effectively with regional allies, Tabor said. We are building upon the strategic and lasting partnership between the U.S. and the Philippines. VAQ-138 Command Master Chief Rene Liban said coming to the Philippines has been a great opportunity for the VAQ-138 members and Filipino counterparts to learn from each other. Our Sailors are combat-proven and resilient, and wherever we deploy Im confident we will get the job done, and get the job done right, Liban said. While leadership has been here to provide support, its the members of the unit who have really put in hard work to make all of this happen, and for that I thank them for their dedication to the mission. Liban added that the Philippine people have been attentive and helpful hosts. The hospitality weve received from the Filipino people has been phenomenal, Liban said. This mission has helped open the doors of opportunity for the U.S. and the Philippine government. The first temporary Air Contingent here in April was comprised of five U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt aircraft, three HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters and approximately 200 personnel deployed from multiple Pacific Air Forces units. The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary Read more PRESS RELEASE 16th Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit Highlights Russian, Chinese Leadership June 24, 2016 (EIRNS)The 16th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, which concluded today, included intense discussion among the members, and in many bilateral meetings, on the positive role the SCO can play going forward, both in terms of economic development and security coordination. President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping provided crucial input in all the discussions. The SCO welcomed two new members, India and Pakistan, and Syria, Egypt and Israel are also interested in joining. This summit did not approve Irans membership, but that is expected to happen in the not-too-distant future. As President Putin pointed out in his speech to the SCOs Council of Heads of State expanded session, there are now 18 countries which take part in the SCOs work: six founding members, six observer states, and six dialogue partners. Together, these account of more than 16% of global GDP, and 45% of the worlds population. "Among our most significant education projects," he pointed out, is the SCO University, which links 80 universities from participating countries into a single educational network. Putin also stressed that "ensuring security throughout the SCO area" is a top priority, and that efforts must be made to develop the potential of a "regional anti-terrorist structure." It is crucial, he said, to accelerate work on drafting the SCO convention on combatting extremism. He also proposed that talks start on linking the Eurasian Union and Chinas Silk Road Economics Belt, a point that Xi Jinping made in his own speech. "I am sure," Putin said, "that involving all of the SCO member states and the CIS countries in this integration process will pave the way for developing a broad Eurasian partnership." New financial institutions, such as the BRICS New Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Eurasian Bank, will help ensure "successful implementation of multilateral economic projects within the SCO framework." In his meeting with Putin, Xi pointed out that this year marks the 15th anniversary of the China-Russia good-neighborly treaty of friendship and cooperation and the 20th anniverary of the two countries strategic partnership of coordination. Thus, he said, Putins visit to Beijing, beginning tomorrow, is of special significance. China, he underscored, is willing to join hands with Russia to "carry forward their friendship from generation to generation, consolidate political and strategic mutual trust, and strengthen support for each other." China is ready to work together with Russia, Xi emphasized, to play a positive role in the SCOs "steady and healthy development." Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will help boost the economy before either of them get into office. At the very least, they are expected to help the hospitality industry in the two cities that are hosting the Democratic and Republican conventions next month. As expected, the hotel occupancy levels and nightly rates have already jumped for the dates of the conventions in Philadelphia for the Democrats and Cleveland for the Republicans. What is unusual is that those high occupancy levels and rates are not dropping dramatically after the conventions, which suggests that delegates and others attending the political shindigs may be hanging around for a few days for some tourist activities. Advertisement John Hach, a senior industry analyst for the travel consultancy TravelClick, said that data from dozens of properties show that occupancy rates for the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia have already jumped 125.6% while daily rates are up 38.6% to about $182 per night. For the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, he said, occupancy levels are up 158.6% and daily rates have jumped 109% to about $141 per night. But instead of dropping back to normal after the political events, hotel rates are easing back gradually, suggesting that some delegates and attendees may be adding a few days of travel to their visits to the City of Brotherly Love and the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Hach attributes this to a strong travel demand nationwide and good weather expected in both cities. Its a good time of the year to visit these Northeastern cities, Hach said. hugo.martin@latimes.com To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter. ALSO Faraday Future driverless cars to hit California highways Uber is making surge pricing more transparent but a little less obvious Brexit means traveling to the U.K. will likely be much cheaper this summer If you rent out your home or apartment through an online rental site like Airbnb, you could be a greater risk of being a victim of identity theft. That is the warning from the identity monitoring firm LifeLock, which conducted a survey of about 1,000 American adults and found that 41% said they have snooped through the private items of homes they have visited or rented. That rate is higher, 57%, among millennials, who are most likely to use rental sites like Airbnb. Advertisement Identity theft and short-term rentals are phenomena that have grown in the digital age. But there is yet no data to show a direct link between the growth of identity theft and the surging popularity of short-term rentals. Still, Paige Hanson, chief of identity education at LifeLock, said home sharing increases the risk of identity theft because it gives travelers access to private homes and personal data, a problem that doesnt exist when travelers stay at hotels. There will always be those bad actors who use those services to find victims, she said. Airbnb, the largest home-sharing business, advises people who rent out homes through their website to lock up their personal papers and stop their mail when renters are in the homes. But if an Airbnb host has his or her identity stolen, Airbnb spokesman Nick Shapiro said, the company will pay for the services of Allclear, an identity repair and protection firm. hugo.martin@latimes.com To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter. This Spanish estate, built in 1926, has the Saltillo tile, artful risers and decorative wrought iron characteristic of the California style developed by architect to the stars Wallace Neff. Facing the Jack L. Warner estate on Angelo Drive, the gated residence was once occupied by film director and choreographer Busby Berkeley and his then-wife, character actress Esther Muir. The details Location: 1800 Angelo Drive, Beverly Hills, 90210 Asking price: $7.98 million Year built: 1926 Architect: Wallace Neff House size: 5,000 square feet, five bedrooms, five bathrooms Lot size: 0.3 acres Advertisement Features: Saltillo-tiled floors; wrought-iron railings; staircase with decorative tile risers; living room with fireplace and beamed ceilings; formal dining room; modern Boffi kitchen; master suite with sitting area; media room; outdoor dining area; swimming pool; cabana About the area: In May, 28 single-family homes sold in the 90210 ZIP Code at a median price of $3.1 million, according to CoreLogic. That was a 22.5% decrease in price from May 2015. Agents: Linda May and Guy Levy, (310) 492-0735, Hilton & Hyland, an affiliate of Christies International Real Estate Stunning photos, celebrity homes: Get the free weekly Hot Property newsletter >> To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, send high-resolution color photos via Dropbox.com, permission from the photographer to publish the images and a description of the house to homeoftheweek@latimes.com. neal.leitereg@latimes.com Follow me at @NJLeitereg. A photographer takes on teen girls. A performance artist rewrites famous novels. And a longtime Los Angeles artist shows that creativity still flows at 90. Plus: A show about boundary-pushing prints and a screening about labor in Tijuana. Here are five events to check out in the coming week: Deanna Templeton, What She Said, at Little Big Man Gallery. The Huntington Beach photographer has a one-woman show that explores the nature of moody female adolescence gathering works that show images of teens looking both demure and defiant. Says Templeton in her exhibition statement: I see my own struggles, disappointments and bravery in these girls. Opens Saturday. 1427 E. 4th St., Unit 2, downtown Los Angeles, littlebigmangallery.com. Tim Youd, 100 Novels, at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions. As part of this long-running project, Youd retypes novels by famous authors in locations connected to the works using the same typewriters employed by the writers. At LACE, he is retyping John Rechys infamous hustling novel City of Night on an Underwood Model S (the typewriter Rechy rented to write his book). Youd also makes related sculptures and paintings that tie in with these performances. He is typing City of Night from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. through July 1 at the gallery. He then will retype Rechys novel Numbers at the Fern Dell entrance to Griffith Park starting July 6. The sculptures will be on view at LACE through Aug. 14. 6522 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, welcometolace.org. Ed Moses, Moses@90: Phase Two / New Works, at the William Turner Gallery. The L.A. painter has been marking his 90th birthday with various exhibitions and events. After an initial phase ending Saturday that includes works from throughout his career, he is presenting new work at his Santa Monica gallery abstracted self-portraits and other works, many of which have never been seen. Opens at 5 p.m. Saturday and runs through July 30. Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., Ste. E-1, Santa Monica, williamturnergallery.com. Division: Reflections and Shadows, with Los de Abajo Printmaking Collective with guest artists, at SPARC. Organized by curator Marietta Bernstorff, this exhibition consists of a series of new works by the L.A.-based collective, along with pieces by friends and colleagues, that push the genre while exploring the nature of borders, both physical and imagined. Opens at 2 p.m. Saturday and runs through Aug. 20. 685 Venice Blvd., Venice, sparcinla.org. A screening of Maquilapolis, at the Hammer Museum. A documentary by Vicky Funari and Sergio De La Torre looks at the appalling working conditions of maquiladora factories in Tijuana. The show will be preceded by a screening of an episode of Labor Link TV, a project by artist Fred Lonidier that gave visibility to issues affecting labor unions. Funari and Lonidier will have a discussion after. On Wednesday, June 29, at 7:30 p.m. 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood, Los Angeles, hammer.ucla.edu. FINAL WEEK Advertisement Morgan Fisher and Karina Nimmerfall, Past Future Housing, at the MAK Center. This exhibition brings together two artists one German, one from Los Angeles who look at the question of mass-produced housing in the United States. This includes the creation of a fictional prototype for a new Utopian city inspired by historic development plans for Los Angeles. Through June 25. Mackey Garage Top, 1137 S. Cochran Ave., Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles, makcenter.org. Peter Opheim: Fables of the Eleven Rooms and Six Houses, at Zevitas Marcus. Opheim paints clay renderings of bulbous Venus of Willendorf-ish figurines that are charmingly grotesque. The show includes 11 paintings as well as a series of sculptures made from the discarded clothing of friends and family members. Through June 25. 2754 S. La Cienega Blvd., Culver City, zevitasmarcus.com. Wallace Berman, American Aleph, at Kohn Gallery. This is the first comprehensive Los Angeles retrospective for the pioneering Southern California assemblage artist in roughly four decades. The artist, who also was the publisher of the influential arts and literary magazine Semina, had an international influence. The exhibition gathers works from the 1940s to his death in 1976, including numerous examples of his Verifax collages, photocopied and painted assemblages that play with the tropes of popular culture. This is one not to miss. Through June 25. 1227 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, kohngallery.com. Ed Moses, Moses@90, at William Turner Gallery. To celebrate the prominent L.A. painters 90th birthday, this survey exhibition gathers works from throughout his career. This includes drawings from the 1950s to the 1970s, his more gestural paintings from the 1990s, as well as a slew of recent works. Through June 25. Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., E-1, Santa Monica, williamturnergallery.com. Making Waves: Japanese American Photography, 1920-1940, at the Japanese American National Museum. In the early 20th century, groups of Japanese American photographers all along the Pacific Coast launched photography clubs, through which they published and exhibited their work. Their striking imagery ranging from abstract compositions to scenes of everyday life drew the attention of artists such as Edward Weston and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy. Unfortunately, much of their work was destroyed or lost when Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps by the U.S. government during World War II. Some examples remain, and JANM has gathered more than 100 of these prints for a show that explores the history and legacy of the clubs. Through June 26. 100 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles, janm.org. Olayami Dabls, Flags Erotic Rights, at Henry Taylors. An artist, historian and curator from Detroit, Dabls is known for his extensive collection of African beads, textiles and other cultural objects. But he is also an artist, and for his Los Angeles exhibition, he is showing three bodies of work created over three decades. This includes his flag paintings from the mid-1980s, a series devoted to civil rights from that same era and an African erotica series from the mid-2000s. Through June 30. 810 E. 3rd St., downtown Los Angeles, facebook.com. Jake Longstreth, Carbon Canyon, at Ltd. Los Angeles. In his first solo exhibition at the gallery, the Los Angeles-based artist is presenting a series of paintings that capture that space where landscape meets sky (especially when seen through hazy California air). Seven new large-scale works riff on the nature of land and air and that nebulous particulate layer in between. Through June 30. 7561 W. Sunset Blvd., #103, Hollywood, ltdlosangeles.com. ONGOING EXHIBITIONS Salomon Huerta, at Christopher Grimes Gallery. A new series of works by the Los Angeles artist features his watercolor portraits of celebrated boxers, including Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano and Mike Tyson an intimate look at the hyper-masculine figures of one of the worlds most brutal sports. Opens at 6 p.m. Saturday and runs through July 1. 916 Colorado Ave., Santa Monica, cgrimes.com. John Humble, DTLA, at Craig Krull Gallery. Humble has been shooting Los Angeles since 1979, capturing its asphalt, signage and its buffed graffiti. His show at Craig Krull explores downtown Los Angeles, with a focus on the neighborhoods wild contrasts in architecture and its overlapping cultures. There will also be a show of paintings by Dan McCleary, as well as prints by Javier Carrillo, Roberto Ortiz and Jairo Perez of the Art Division Print Collective. Through July 2. Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica, craigkrullgallery.com. Helen Rae, at Good Luck Gallery. Rae produces drawings that take fashion magazines as a point of inspiration for bright scenarios that channel the otherworldly. In each piece, something familiar remains, but coupled by elements that feel inventively sci-fi. Through July 2. 945 Chung King Road, thegoodluckgallery.com. Refenestration, at Tif Sigfrids. A group exhibition inspired by the window, from the opening on a wall to the computer program of the same name, features works by key photographers such as John Divola, Uta Barth and Jeff Welling, who have used the object or the idea of the object in wildly experimental ways. Through July 2. 1507 Wilcox Ave., Hollywood, tifsigfrids.com. Urbanature, at the Alyce de Roulette Williamson Gallery at ArtCenter College of Design. A group exhibition looks at the increasingly fraught ways in which the urban intrudes on natural world and the ways in which nature has adapted to this new human-centric reality. Through July 3. 1700 Lida St., Pasadena, artcenter.edu. C.O.L.A. 2016, at the L.A. Municipal Art Gallery. Every year, the Municipal Art Gallery features work by the winners of the City of Los Angeles (C.O.L.A.) Artist Fellowships, which honor a dozen mid-career artists from around the city one of the rare municipal programs to directly fund artists in the United States. This year, the visual arts winners include Paolo Davanzo, Marsian De Lellis, Keiko Fukazawa, Megan Geckler, Won Ju Lim, Sarah Maclay, Blue McRight, Sandeep Mukherjee and Christine Nguyen. A separate public event in Grand Park will honor C.O.L.A.s three literary winners: Sarah Maclay, Claudia Rodriguez and Lynne Thompson. The art exhibition runs through July 3; 4800 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, lamag.org. Sam Gilliam, Green April, at David Kordansky Gallery. An exhibition of large-scale works by the Washington, D.C.-based painter focuses on pieces from the late 1960s and early 70s many of which have never been exhibited. This includes his so-called slice paintings (in which he folds a canvas with wet acrylic paint in half to create an abstracted imprint) as well as his drape paintings, stretcher-less canvases that he suspends from the walls and ceilings of an exhibition space. Through July 9. 5130 Edgewood Place, Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles, davidkordanksygallery.com. Andrea Bowers, Triumph of Labor, at Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects. Bowers is an artist who has long been interested in questions of politics and labor. Here, she looks into different types of labor activism. This includes a series of drawings inspired by historic political graphics of women, photographs she has taken at labor rallies and her photo-realistic drawings of activists. A final gallery displays two sculptures that explore the dilemma of low wages and high tuition in higher education. Through July 9. 6006 Washington Blvd., Culver City, vielmetter.com. Marilyn Minter: Pretty/Dirty, at the Orange County Museum of Art. The New York-based painter and photographer has long played with the tropes of feminine beauty in works that seamlessly stir the alluring with the mildly grotesque. Through July 10. 850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach, ocma.net. Alex Israel, at the Huntington. In 2012, the San Marino library and museum unveiled the first of its contemporary interventions with low-key works by Ricky Swallow and Lesley Vance. Now the museum is getting bolder, with a series of installations by painter Alex Israel, whose pop-inspired canvases and objects touch on topics such as celebrity, glamour and power. Through July 11. 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, huntington.org. Fred Reichman and Eleanor Ray, at the Landing. Artists from opposing coasts (he from postwar San Francisco, she from contemporary New York) produce paintings that ruminate on mundane settings. Reichman depicts spare backgrounds and quiet scenes: A sleeping figure, a brooding cat, an open window. Ray, in the meantime, depicts quiet studios and fragments of urban settings. Through July 16. 5118 W. Jefferson Blvd., West Adams, Los Angeles, thelandinggallery.com. Jose Montoya, Abundant Harvest: Works on Paper / Works on Life, at the Fowler Museum. Throughout his life, activist, poet and painter Jose Montoya drew on whatever was at hand: napkins, hotel stationery and notebooks. And in those drawings he recorded the quotidian aspects of Mexican American life in the United States: dogs and children, women and sailors, pachucos and pachucas, the architecture of low-lying Central Valley neighborhoods, industrial warehouses and agricultural settings, as well as the glamorous profile of lowrider cars. It is the first comprehensive look at this vital Chicano artists drawing practice. Through July 17. UCLA, 308 Charles E. Young Drive N., Westwood, fowler.ucla.edu. Deanna Thompson, at Kayne Griffin Corcoran. The California painter has a posthumous exhibition (she died last year) that brings together images of isolated desert homesteads and paintings of cars. They are simple works that emanate a vibrating intensity. Through July 30. 1201 S. La Brea Ave., Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles, kaynegriffincorcoran.com. Robert Mapplethorpe, The Perfect Medium, at the L.A. County Museum of Art and the Getty Museum. A two-part exhibition spread over a pair of L.A. museums explores the photographic legacy of an artist who brought as much grace to images of flowers as he did to S&M. The LACMA portion features early drawings, collages, sculptures, Polaroids, still lifes and archival material. The Getty will present his more formal portraits, along with the infamous X Portfolio, with its elegant S&M imagery. The LACMA show runs through July 31. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, lacma.org. The Getty exhibit also runs through July 31. 1200 Getty Center Drive, Brentwood, Los Angeles, getty.edu. Royal Hawaiian Featherwork: Na Hulu Alil, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. For centuries, long cloaks, capes, and other attire were painstakingly layered with the bright plumage of birds. Today, fewer than 300 examples of these exquisite garments exist which makes this show of feather works, once donned by Hawaiian royals as far back as the late 18th century, a rare treat. Through Aug. 7. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles, lacma.org. Routine Pleasures, at the MAK Center. Michael Ned Holte, who served as curator on the last Made in L.A. biennial at the Hammer, has put together a group show that focuses on artists who value focus and process over producing shiny objets termite art as opposed to white elephant art. This includes works from L.A. artists such as Harry Dodge, ceramists Magdalena Suarez Frimkess and Michael Frimkess, sound artist Steve Roden and others. Just the antidote to overheated art market shows. Through Aug. 14. Schindler House, 835 N. Kings Road, West Hollywood, makcenter.org. Sam Maloof Woodworker: Life/Art/Legacy, at the Maloof Foundation. The foundation is celebrating the centennial of the birth of the renowned Southern California woodworker, whose elegant objects and furnishings are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the L.A. County Museum of Art and the Smithsonian. The exhibition will feature more than 60 objects from throughout the artists life, including furnishings, drawings, photographs and other ephemera. The show is part of a years worth of events that will celebrate Maloofs life and work. Through Aug. 27. 5131 Carnelian St., Alta Loma, malooffoundation.org In Focus: Electric! at the Getty Museum. Electricity: It powers your home, it powers your work and it powers the phone on which you are likely reading this post. This photographic exhibition at the Getty gathers historic images that showcase the allure of light and power. Through Aug. 28. 1200 Getty Center Drive, Brentwood, Los Angeles, getty.edu. Art of the Austronesians: The Legacy of Indo-Pacific Voyaging, at Fowler Museum. A look at the legacy of Austronesian-speaking peoples gathers art and artifacts from the Philippines, Indonesia and other points in the South Pacific. This includes nearly 200 works, from wood sculptures to ceremonial textiles to canoe prow ornaments. Through Aug. 28. 308 Charles E. Young Drive N., Westwood, fowler.ucla.edu. Duchamp to Pop, at the Norton Simon Museum. Drawing mostly from the Norton Simons permanent collection, this exhibition looks at the influence Duchamp likely had on generations of artists, from assemblagists to pop painters figures who have appropriated elements of the everyday world and transformed them into art. Through Aug. 29. 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, nortonsimon.org. Revolution in the Making: Abstract Sculpture by Women, 1947-2016, at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel. The debut exhibition at the citys newest gallery tackles more than half a century of sculpture by women, featuring key works by important international figures (Louise Bourgeois, Lee Bontecou) and key California artists (Ruth Asawa, Clare Falkenstein). Pieces range from the ethereal (Lygia Papes golden threads) to downright hilarious (Lara Schnitgers lacy/cat/fur assemblage sculptures). Altogether, the show offers an alternative to the narrative of the macho man postwar painting scene that has so dominated the story of 20th century art. Through Sept. 4. 901 E. Third St., Los Angeles, hauserwirthschimmel.com. Gronks Theater of Paint, at the Craft and Folk Art Museum. The Los Angeles artist Gronk (born Glugio Nicandro) is widely known for his career as a painter, conceptual artist and for his work with the inventive 1970s collective Asco. He is also a longtime set designer, one who has built and painted elaborate sets for performances, plays and avant-garde operas, including works by the celebrated director Peter Sellars. This exhibition that tracks a long-running practice that melds art and architecture with the theatrical. Through Sept. 4. 5814 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles, cafam.org. Claire Falkenstein: Beyond Sculpture, at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. The 20th century California artist, whose name has is circulating once again after being included in the debut exhibition at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, is now the subject of her own retrospective, tracking her entire career, from the 1930s to the 90s. (She passed away in 1997.) The artist, who worked in San Francisco and Los Angeles as well as Paris produced prints and murals, among other works, but she is best known for her sculpture: in particular, her often gritty assemblages made out of wire studded with chunks of glass. Through Sept. 11. 490 E. Union St., Pasadena, pmcaonline.org. Hito Steyerl: Factory of the Sun, at the Museum of Contemporary Art. A video installation by the German artist takes the viewer into a dystopia where the movements of workers are harvested to create artificial sunshine. The piece, which debuted at the Venice Biennale in 2015, is a mash-up of contemporary communication, told as video game, news report documentary film and Internet video. Through Sept. 12. MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, moca.org. Reflections on the Self, at the California African American Museum. Drawn from the museums permanent collection, this wide-ranging exhibition looks at the representation of the self, examining the idealized and mythicized ways that artists have portrayed pop and cultural icons, from Malcolm X to Thelonious Monk to a New Orleans grand marshal. Also on view at the museum is Oh Snap! West Coast Hip Hop Photography, which will feature an array of hip-hop artists who came up in the 90s, such as Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur and others. Through Sept. 18. 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, caamuseum.org. MOLAA at Twenty: 1996-2016, at the Museum of Latin American Art. The Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach is celebrating two decades in existence with a show that draws from the museums permanent collection of more than 1,600 objects. These include works by renowned Modernists Joaquin Torres-Garcia and Wifredo Lam, Argentine conceptualist Leon Ferrari as well as contemporary figures such as Alexandre Arrechea and Patssi Valdez. Through Jan. 1. 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach, molaa.org. Senses of Time: Video and Film-Based Works of Africa, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. For one of its long-term installations, the museum has gathered works of video or film by contemporary African artists that explore the body and the looping nature of time. This includes pieces by figures such as Yinka Shonibare, Sammy Baloji, Berni Searle, Moatax Nasr and Theo Eshetu. Through Jan. 2. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire, lacma.org. Non Fiction at the Underground Museum. An emotionally charged exhibition curated by the late Noah Davis, in collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles brings together works that explore issues of race and violence. This includes important works from MOCAs permanent collection by artists such as Robert Gober, Kara Walker, Henry Taylor and David Hammons. Through March. 3508 W. Washington Blvd., Arlington Heights, Los Angeles, theunderground-museum.org. Geographically Indeterminate Fantasies, hosted by Providence College Galleries. Dont worry if youre nowhere near Providence College in Rhode Island. A new digitally-minded exhibition by the art writing team at Art F City features more than two dozen works by artists who use animated GIFs to create work from Brenna Murphys dizzying electronic architecture to Jacolby Satterwhites pulsing alternate universe. Its the sort of thing that will encourage you to spend quality time online (and away from awful Facebook). pcgalleries.providence.edu. Islamic Art Now: Part 2 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Contemporary works from LACMAs permanent collection by 20 artists who live in or have roots in the Middle East look at questions of society, gender and identity. Runs indefinitely. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire, lacma.org. Find me on Twitter @cmonstah. Im Carolina A. Miranda, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, and Im ready to newsletter after being on vacation for two weeks. (During which, incidentally, I read Valeria Luisellis wondrous novel The Story of My Teeth, an austere tale that offers some wry observations about art and the art world in Mexico City. Highly recommend.) Here are the weeks essential arts and culture stories: What a terrifying slide says about skyscrapers A member of the media prepares to take a ride down a glass slide at the U.S. Bank Tower on Thursday. (Richard Vogel / AP ) Advertisement Visitors to the U.S. Bank building in downtown Los Angeles can careen from the 70th floor to the 69th floor on a glass slide that offers vertiginous views of the city. Architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne takes the plunge in this piece of bouncy-house urbanism, in the process examining the current role of the skyscraper: As white-shoe law firms shrink and expanding tech companies in L.A. increasingly move into restored warehouses or historic buildings, commercial skyscrapers around the country are struggling to find tenants. Los Angeles Times Holocaust play causes controversy in Santa Monica Charles Duncombe, center, of City Garage in Santa Monica, stands with artistic director and wife Frederique Michel. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times ) The staging of Right Left With Heels, a new play by Polish playwright Sebastian Majewski, has led to friction between the Santa Monica performance space City Garage and the Polish consulate in Los Angeles. The plays producing director, Charles Duncombe, tells reporter David Ng that the consulate had promised financial support but then withdrew it because the material was too controversial. In an email to The Times, a representative for the consulate responded: We are not withdrawing our financial support, [because] of never initially promising to support this particular production. Los Angeles Times Lone MFA student withdraws from USCs art school Center campus is seen at USC. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times ) Alleging woefully oblivious decision making and a lack of structure, HaeAhn Kwon, the lone student enrolled in the studio art MFA program at USCs Roski School of Art and Design, announced via an emailed statement that she was withdrawing from the university . The move comes a little more than a year after an entire class of MFA candidates withdrew from the university in protest of changes in the programs faculty, curriculum and funding. Los Angeles Times A must-see biennial at the Hammer Museum The latest iteration of the Hammer Museums Made in L.A. 2016 biennial titled a, the, though, only features just 26 artists, but it explores rich themes about the tensions between the visceral presence of objects and the worlds of the virtual. Art critic Christopher Knight looks at this smart and restrained exhibition: Made in L.A. 2016, he writes, exhibits a familiar, enduring L.A. aesthetic trait a relaxed, even casual quality that is especially refreshing in the frenzied here and now of our market-dominated art world. Los Angeles Times A play looks at perceptions of Islam in America Hari Dillon (as Amir) and Karen Pittman (Jory) star in a scene from Disgraced. (Ivan Kashinsky / For The Times ) Disgraced, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Ayad Akhtar at the Mark Taper Forum, is a work for our time. The action takes place at a dinner party, where topics of identity, secularism and prejudice come to the fore all centering on the perception of Islam in the West. The cast, says theater critic Charles McNulty, is pitch perfect. And of Akhtar, McNulty says, Instead of telling us what to think, he questions how we are thinking. Los Angeles Times A directors magic touch Peter Sellars gives Kate Johnson a hug after she sang If Music Be the Food of Love during a master class at Songfest at the Colburn School. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times ) Peter Sellars is renowned internationally as an innovative and avant-garde theater and opera director. Less known, writes classical music critic Mark Swed, is his role in helping shape some of the premiere performers of our time. Swed sat in on a master class held by the director during Songfest and got to see Sellars at work: He didnt much want beautiful sound. He cared more about articulating the important words than the little ones. What mattered in every phrase was dramatic, namely human, motivation. Los Angeles Times The tangled relationship between art and social media Micol Hebron is an L.A. artist whose images poke at the boundaries of acceptability on services such as Instagram. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times ) For some time, social media has been promoted as a way for artists to promote what they do. But powerful platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have a restrictive view of art (no nudity!). I write about how the services also may be quietly shaping the way art is produced and shown, motivating artists and art institutions to feature work that looks attractive on digital platforms, even if it feels flimsy in real life. Its a compromised space, says New Museum curator Lauren Cornell, of art on social media. Its kind of like being asked to make art in the showroom of a company. Los Angeles Times Stories from around the web: Copies of the Evening Standard announce the results of the Brexit referendum in London. (Andy Rain / EPA ) The United Kingdoms vote to withdraw from the European Union (a.k.a. Brexit) is affecting the art market, with sellers leery of London auctions. Bloomberg Likewise, the British film industry is also concerned about what Brexit might mean for production. Los Angeles Times Speaking of England, Londons Tate Modern has unveiled its new Herzog & De Meuron-designed wing, the Switch House. Art critic Adrian Searle says it is terrific. Guardian Filmmaker George Lucas has dropped plans to build a museum in Chicago. Los Angeles Times The editorial board at the Chicago Tribune says Lucas departures is a good thing. Chicago Tribune A wild new installation by artist Christo on a lake in Italy allows viewers to, literally, walk on water. New York Times Phillipa Soo, the leading lady from the original cast of Hamilton is set to take the lead in the musical Amelie, which will debut at L.A.s Ahmanson Theatre in December. Los Angeles Times An experimental opera by Dutch composer JacobTV (a.k.a. Jacob ter Veldhuis), staged by the Long Beach Opera, and on view at the Broad Stage this weekend, takes on the subject of TV news in intriguing and trifling ways, writes Mark Swed. Los Angeles Times The Huntington museum in San Marino has just done an extensive reinstallation of the designs of architects Greene & Greene in its galleries. Verso If you have $2.5 million lying around, theres a Rudolph Schindler-designed house for sale in Silver Lake. Los Angeles Times The late architect Zaha Hadid has been honored with a new postage stamp in Iraq. Dezeen And Times art critic Christopher Knight says that if you plan to visit the Getty Museum, keep an eyeball peeled for Portrait of a Boy, 1500, attributed to Giorgione. Its a very rare loan from a private collection. Twitter Last but not least A hypnotic video of a Brooklyn artists wild pigeon piece. New Yorker Find me on Twitter @cmonstah. When youre Kanye West, a music video is not just a music video, its a visual. And a premiere for your visual is not just a small-screen event, its a ticketed spectacle at a Los Angeles arena in front of thousands. On Friday, fans braved the 110 and 405 freeways at rush hour to get to the Forum to watch an early-evening premiere of Famous, the first single off Wests February release The Life of Pablo. The question as to why fans would pay $25 a ticket, plus $15 more for parking, to see a 10-minute video that also was streaming live on the subscription service Tidal became clear when Wests in-laws entered the venue. Though the audience eventually would be shown a clip that purported to show celebrity skin, it was pageantry that West and his audience were after. Advertisement The Kardashians/Jenners Wests wife, Kim; her mother, Kris; her sisters Khloe and Kylie arrived around 6:45 p.m. and sat in front-row mezzanine seats, perched on the balcony above the main floor. They were the focal point of the two-hour event, a literal celebrity mecca: All bodies faced the Kardashians. Audience members on the floor turned their backs to the countdown clock on the huge video screen to watch the sequined and fur-clad entourage, as did the rest of the venue. The crowd (many still in their work clothes) cheered the famous familys every move. Kris waved, applause erupted. Kim stood up to adjust her dress, causing a cacophony of shrieks. West, in fact, never took the central stage, which consisted of a 100-foot-high video screen that cut the venues 18,000 seating capacity by half. He instead stood next to the Kardashians at a sound board, happy to be part of a main attraction that had little, if anything, to do with his video. Fridays worshipers clearly were not the West fans of two or three albums ago (The Life of Pablo, counting a collaborative work with Jay Z, is his eighth release), when the rapper and producer was considered one of hip-hops most innovative and fearless artists. Wests career as a rapper kicked off nearly 15 years ago. Back then, he riffed about his faith in Jesus when it wasnt fashionable to do so and pioneered production techniques that brought rap into the new millennium. His spare, synthesizer-driven 2008 album, 808s & Heartbreak, went on to inform much of the production you hear in hip-hop and pop today (Drake, the Weeknd). See more of our top Entertainment stories on Facebook And West has done what any savvy artist does today to keep the brand alive: Hes gone multiplatform. He has a label (Good Music), a fashion line (Yeezy) and an unpredictable demeanor that made his appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show one of the most talked about of the year (he talked for 6 1/2 minutes straight, leaving her speechless). On Friday, the Forums hallways were turned into a giant pop-up shop filled with $30, white Famous T-shirts that were available only at the event and in limited supply. West delayed the premiere for 45 minutes (it was supposed to start at 7 p.m.) so people could get through the merchandise lines without being interrupted by the inconvenience of a video. The marquee for Kanye Wests video premiere for Famous is displayed outside the Forum. (Mike Windle / Getty Images ) So the countdown clock on the big screen was reset, its visual of a rising sun rebooted so it was pushed back down below the horizon. The countdown was accompanied by distorted bass so alarmingly loud it drove people into the lobby where voila! there were more merch stands. The video, which finally debuted around 8 p.m., capitalized on the idea of fame by featuring naked, sleeping celebrities all on the same long bed. Rolling Stone has a clip from the video. Warning: It contains graphic content. In the middle of the slumber party were West, Kim K and her fully exposed booty. The couple was flanked on either side by Taylor Swift, Bill Cosby, Caitlyn Jenner, Donald Trump, Chris Brown, George W. Bush, Rihanna, Amber Rose, Anna Wintour and Ray J. All except West appeared to be expertly crafted wax figures (or something like that). The song played out, and when complete was followed by breathing/snoring sounds as the camera panned over each figure most notable personalities whod been embroiled in controversy or scandal at one point or another: sex tapes, police arrests, a poorly planned invasion of Iraq. West told Vanity Fair that the video was his commentary on fame and that it was based on a 2008 painting by American artist Vincent Desiderio called Sleep. West also cited American sculptor Matthew Barney as an influence, stating that Barney is my Jesus. With the single Famous, West gained attention because of provocative lyrics that mined his previous run-ins with Swift: I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that [expletive] famous, he rapped. He milked that mini controversy in the video by placing Swifts likeness next to him in bed. In the clip, only West opens his eyes (the oft-used line on his albums, Wake Up, Mr. West, came in handy here). Credits then rolled listing all the names in the video, reading Special thanks, names here, for being famous. He played the video twice, and when the lights were back up, the crowd once again pivoted toward the Kardashians, with the rapper by their side. Music by West and other artists such as Yo Gotti and Ty Dolla Sign blasted through the venue. The two rappers were guests of West on the celebrity balcony, along with 2 Chainz, Travis Scott, Tyga, Desiigner and Game. They shouted and jumped along to the music, while the Kardashians stared at their phones, immortalizing the moment on social media, or in texts, or whatever. The audience stood under the balcony, filming on their phones, worshipping at the feet of reality-TV royalty. West once again had pulled off a spectacle that lit up Twitter, but the celebration of the music and artistry that once got him here was all but absent. Call it a visual or a video, no one really cared, as long as Kim was in the room. Rapper Wiz Khalifa says that he hasnt entirely gotten over the feud that erupted between him and Kanye West earlier this year after West misunderstood a tweet he had posted. He apologized, Khalifa told the New York radio program the Breakfast Club on Friday morning. I wouldnt necessarily say its squashed, though, because when you see him talk about it, it doesnt add up to what he said to me on the phone, so I just dont even ... The pair got into a raging Twitter feud in late January after West misinterpreted a tweet Khalifa had posted as an insult to his wife, Kim Kardashian West. Hit this kk and become yourself, read Khalifas tweet. West thought the kk referred to Kardashian, but it actually referred to marijuana Khalifa Kush, a strain bred specifically for the rapper. 692334374759616512 The misunderstanding sparked a rancorous exchange on Twitter (E! online has the whole thing), that included West hurling insults at their mutual ex, Amber Rose, with whom Khalifa has a child. You let a stripper trap you, Kanye tweeted at the time. I know you mad every time you look at your child that this girl got you for 18 years. The rappers also both questioned each others musical bona fides. West later apologized for his actions but as Fridays interview reveals, Khalifa is still stinging over the insults hurled at him and his son. See the whole Khalifa interview at power1051.iheart.com. ALSO Kanye West unveils risque 'Famous' video featuring naked celebrities, tweets he is ready to be sued Kanye Wests Famous premiere is only skin-deep It's brother and sister against brother and sister in bitter fight over control of Frank Zappa's legacy Find me on Twitter @cmonstah. Even on a show known for caustic, chronically unlikable characters, Veeps Jonah Ryan stands out -- and not just because the actor who plays him, Timothy Simons, is a rangy 6 feet 4. The smug, self-interested former White House staffer has become the poster boy for failing upward, ascending the D.C. ranks despite being deeply unpopular with his peers. In the process, hes become a character fans love to hate, a combination of Eddie Haskell and Joffrey Baratheon. Season 5, which concludes Sunday on HBO, has seen Jonah stumble to ever-greater heights, running for Congress in his home state of New Hampshire against an elderly widow who also happens to have been his second-grade teacher. Jonahs chances appear doomed until he (literally) shoots himself in the foot and becomes an NRA darling. Advertisement Early signs do not point to a distinguished career for the newly sworn-in representative from the Granite State, who barely made it to the Capitol in time to cast a historic vote because he was busy hooking up with a high school student (and couldnt hail an Uber because his user ratings were too low.) There is something lovely about his tenacity, said Simons on a recent afternoon. Sporting an off-season beard and navy windbreaker, the actor, 38, looked decidedly more stylish than his onscreen counterpart, whos prone to drab sweater vests and ill-fitting suits. He has self-confidence, he has a lot of drive. A lot of Jonahs qualities would be good in a smarter, more self-aware person. Simons thinks of his character as a Ted Cruz type. His own party doesnt like him but somehow he has found himself in a position of power, he said of the Texas senator, who has been subject to ridicule straight out of a Veep script (e.g. Sen. Lindsey Graham joking that if you killed Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate, and the trial was in the Senate, nobody would convict you.) Its hard to imagine the genial Simons inviting similar rancor, perhaps because his professional ascent came after years of hard knocks. While an undergraduate at the University of Maine, Simons turned to acting once he realized he wasnt cut out for a career as a physicist. After graduation, he spent a few years in Chicago, auditioning for commercials and whatever film or TV series happened to be shooting in town. His first part in a movie, the Will Ferrell vehicle Stranger Than Fiction, was cut before it was even filmed because the day ran long. Simons and his wife, a public-school teacher, moved to Los Angeles in July 2008, just in time for the economic crisis. He worked an assortment of odd-to-humiliating showbiz-adjacent jobs, posing as a fake photographer at a Simpsons party, running props for the L.A. Opera and, perhaps most impressive of all, catering Frances Bean Cobains death-themed 16th birthday party. I was like, restocking chicken fingers but I had my face painted like a zombie, he said. A gig as a casting session director led to an audition for Veep, created by Armando Iannucci, the Scottish satirist behind the cult British series The Thick of It and Knowing Me, Knowing You With Alan Partridge and the Iraq war satire In the Loop. Previously unfamiliar with Iannuccis work, Simons quickly became obsessed, buying a region 2 DVD player so he could catch up. When time came for the audition, I was like, Im going to be crushed if I dont get this job, Simons recalled. Though hed starred in a handful of commercials, Veep marked Simons first series role of any size. Near the end of production on the first season, Simons was thrown a curveball. His wife, pregnant with twins, developed preeclampsia -- just like Lady Sybil on Downton Abbey, points out Simon, always quick with a pop-culture allusion -- and gave birth 10 weeks early. The newborns spent 2 1/2 months in the neonatal intensive care unit. I had gone from set world where everything is taken care of for you, where I was essentially a child, and had been thrown all of this responsibility. It was a very scary, jarring thing. It helped that Iannucci, who stepped down from his role as show runner at the end of last season, was willing to write around Simons absence. Alas, the Selina Meyer White House is a far less collegial environment. Like many of Iannuccis series, Veep is known for its fantastically crude insults, a disproportionate number of which are lobbed in Jonahs direction. In a standout moment from Season 4, a secret list of nicknames created by his colleagues (The 60-Foot Virgin, Spewbacca, Guyscraper) was read aloud during a congressional hearing. Though he winced during a recent scene in which Jonahs appearance was likened to melted Play-Doh over a flagpole, Simons said hes generally immune to the verbal abuse. Its only bad if you dont have a good sense of humor about it. If only folks inside the Beltway maintained such a healthy attitude. Veep, which wrested the comedy series Emmy from Modern Family last year, has brought Simons into contact with many real-life politicians, and the encounters have been eye-opening. A diminutive congressman recently asked the actor to pose for a picture, yanking Simons downward just as the photo was being taken -- as if my responsibility to be in a picture with him that I didnt ask for was to make him look good, he said. On Veep, politics is about vanity and self-preservation more than ideology, making the show strangely bipartisan in its appeal. There is one constant, Simons said. Every politician we have met believes that the show is making fun of everybody but them. meredith.blake@latimes.com Veep Where: HBO When: 10:46 p.m. Sunday Rating: TV-MA (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 17) ALSO: Tony Hale plays Gary-oke with the characters from Veep Veep cant get crazy enough to satirize real-life politics, cast says Hulu announces premiere dates for The Mindy Project and newcomers Chance and Shut Eye Black Lives Matter Bay Area and other organizations said Friday that they will not participate in this weekends San Francisco Pride Parade due to increased policing in the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting. Black Lives Matter, which was to be an organizational grand marshal for the parade themed For Racial and Economic Justice, cited concerns over the San Francisco Police Departments recent track record of racist scandal and killings of people of color and how first responders can be a source of harm to queer communities of color. The Black Lives Matter network is grateful to the people of San Francisco for choosing us, we choose you too, said Malkia Cyril, a member of Black Lives Matter, in a press release. As queer people of color, we are disproportionately targeted by both vigilante and police violence. Advertisement We know firsthand that increasing the police presence at Pride does not increase safety for all people, Cyril added. Militarizing these events increases the potential for harm to our communities and we hope in the future SF Pride will consider community-centered approaches to security at pride events. Those joining with Black Lives Matter in withdrawing from the parade due to the increased police presence include Janetta Johnson, executive director of the TGI Justice Project that serves imprisoned trans, intersex and gender non-conforming people, and the St. James Infirmary, a clinic for current and former sex workers. Other Pride events happening this weekend have also announced beefed up security following the Orlando massacre, including Orange County and New York Citys gay pride parades. ALSO A black police chief finds his way in the era of Black Lives Matter Proving rough ride in court is difficult, police and legal experts say Black Lives Matter activist sentenced to 90 days in jail, probation Firefighters continue to gain ground on the Border fire in San Diego County, with the 7,600-acre blaze now 70% contained, authorities said Saturday. More than 1,700 firefighters are battling the blaze, which at one point extended from Potrero south to the Mexican border and east past the Lake Morena area. All evacuation orders have been lifted, and sections of only three roads remained closed north of state Route 94 at Harris Ranch Road, Vollmer Road and Martin Road. Advertisement An evacuation shelter at Los Coches Creek Middle School on Dunbar Lane, east of Lakeside, was expected to close Friday evening. The Red Cross had operated the shelter since Monday. However, Cal Fire issued a statement warning that if flames jump the containment lines, Lake Morena Village, Campo and surrounding ranches and recreational areas could be threatened as the fire continues heading north and northeast. This is still a dynamic and active fire, a Cal Fire statement said on Friday. Residents in the surrounding area of the fire should continue to be prepared to evacuate if need be. Motorists in the area were cautioned to drive slowly because of the large number of fire engines 175 water tenders and other fire rigs traveling the roads. Some aircraft that had been assigned to the Border fire this week were transferred to other state wildfires, including one in Kern County that broke out Thursday afternoon. That fire has burned more than 37,000 acres, destroyed about 100 structures and resulted in two deaths. The San Gabriel Complex fire in Los Angeles County, which started Monday, has burned about 5,600 acres. ALSO It was apocalyptic. Residents had no warning as fire destroy homes, lives Deadly Kern County wildfire grows to 46 square miles tough weekend ahead As the San Gabriel Complex fire keeps burning, some Duarte residents return home Video shows destruction caused by Erskine fire overnight The Los Angeles Board of Public Works moved Friday to punish a developer that illegally cut down three trees in Brentwood, saying the move would send a message to property owners about flouting the citys urban forestry rules. The panel, made up of appointees of Mayor Eric Garcetti, voted unanimously to bar Sullivan Equity Partners from building on the sprawling 12-acre site for five years. Patrick Mitchell, the companys attorney, had been looking to persuade the board to overturn a decision to block construction on the site, which was issued by the citys urban forestry officials in March. Advertisement Mitchell said city officials were wrong to portray the loss of the trees as significant. And he argued that his client is being punished far more harshly than property owners in similar tree-cutting cases. Were definitely going to appeal [the decision] by any available means, including going to court, he said. Mitchell said his client has already spent millions on its development project, which calls for two 14,948-square-foot mansions. As part of that project, the developer originally obtained city permission to remove 56 trees on the property. In 2014, landscaping crews took out most of those trees. But they also ripped out two live oaks and a towering, decades-old California sycamore, all of which were supposed to be preserved. All three had protected status and required special permission for removal. If the city fails in its duty to uphold the law, developers will simply continue to see tree massacres as the cost of doing business. Sara Nichols, neighbor The loss of the trees provoked an uproar among neighbors and environmental groups. Sara Nichols, who lives two doors away, told the board more trees will be destroyed unless the city cracks down. If the city fails in its duty to uphold the law, developers will simply continue to see tree massacres as the cost of doing business, she said. The citys forestry officials concluded three months ago that the developer had intentionally ripped out the trees to gain easier access to the site. Los Angeles Councilman Mike Bonin, who represents the area, said he did not buy the developers assertion that the trees were removed in error. I find that to be a bogus claim and not credible, and I urge this board to make the same finding, he said. Sullivan Equity Partners offered to make amends by planting 32 large replacement trees. Property owners in other tree-cutting cases have faced similar punishment, Mitchell said. In Glassell Park, a property owner was recently caught removing seven black walnut trees without the proper permits. The city responded last week by ordering the property owner to plant 28 replacement trees, Mitchell said. Were being unfairly treated, and punished massively disproportionately compared to people in the same situation, Mitchell said. Ron Lorenzen, assistant director of the citys Bureau of Street Services, said the Glassell Park case was totally different from the one in Brentwood. In Glassell Park, the property owner had been instructed by the Fire Department to clear the site as part of required brush clearance. In addition, the trees were determined to have been in severe decline, he said. Every case is different, Lorenzen said. ALSO Class-action suit filed against Long Beach over stings targeting gay men Cleanup efforts under way to remove thousands of gallons of oil following Ventura spill Meningococcal outbreak in Los Angeles and Orange counties triggers health warning Maywood was $16 million in debt and under the magnifying glass of the state auditor, who found the small southeast L.A. County city riddled with financial problems. Councilman Ramon Medina had an idea for a new city manager someone with not so many political ties: one of the customers at his auto repair shop. Reuben Martinez had been a project manager for Boeing before being laid off in February, but he had no experience running a city even one spanning just over one square mile. Advertisement He said he was qualified for the top job, armed with a business administration degree and experience managing multimillion contracts, budgets and personnel. Its the same work, Martinez said. Ill put my administrative skills against the last three city managers in an instant, because its the same thing. Of the five Maywood council members, only one voted against the hire. At a time when the city needs to be as stable as possible, having a strong city manager is key, said Councilman Eduardo De La Riva. You do not hire someone with no municipal experience. Few areas of Los Angeles County boast as colorful and notorious a political history when it comes to the city manager position as the regions southeast cities. Next door to Maywood, the city of Bell was run by Robert Rizzo, whose compensation of $1.5 million a year led to a criminal investigation that led to his conviction and that of six other officials. At a time when the city needs to be as stable as possible, having a strong city manager is key. You do not hire someone with no municipal experience. Councilman Eduardo De La Riva For years, the nearby city of Cudahy was run by George Perez, who rose from city janitor to a powerful city manager. In 2012, federal documents painted Cudahy as a place where bribes became routine, elections were fixed on Perezs orders and city workers acted as gun-packing bodyguards. Three city officials pleaded guilty to what federal prosecutors described as deeply rooted corruption, but Perez was not charged. Neighboring industrial Vernon had two of the regions most controversial top administrators: Bruce V. Malkenhorst, who got paid almost $1 million a year and got driven around in a limousine, and Eric T. Fresch, who made $1.6 million one year as city administrator and flew in first class from his home in the Bay Area. Martinez did not arrive with a politically fraught history and his comparatively meager pay $140,000 a year with benefits is not a matter of dispute. Its his lack of municipal experience and the way he got hired in a political landscape prepped by history to breed suspicion. Medina said he met Martinez through his auto mechanic shop, where Martinez would bring his wifes car. Over three years, Medina said he learned of Martinezs background and thought hed be a good candidate to become Maywoods city manager. He recommended Martinez to the city council. The job was not posted. On April 13, the Maywood council discussed whether to approve the contract for the interim city manager, Pedro Carrillo, who had been appointed to the job in December. Deciding not to, they added an emergency item to the council agenda to appoint a replacement before going into closed session. When they emerged, they announced the appointment of Martinez. Martinezs first day on May 11 sitting with the council was eventful. Councilman Ricardo Villarreal resigned as mayor, accusing three council members of violating open-meeting laws and City Atty. Mike Montgomery of providing the wrong legal advice in regard to Martinezs contract. Villarreal questioned the fact that the contract was not discussed during the April meeting, saying he was asked to sign it after. City Clerk Gerardo Mayagoitia said he did not attend the April meeting, but signed Martinezs contract just days after, thinking it had been discussed and approved. Martinezs contract was addressed during the May meeting and Montgomery said the councils actions that day resolved, or cured, any potential violations of the Brown Act that may have occurred. In an interview, Montgomery denied telling Villarreal to sign the contract, but said that there was nothing wrong with how the contracts signing took place since one would have to be signed, even if it could end up being for an interim position. I just dont think there was a problem with it and I stand by that, he said. But Jessica Levinson, a Loyola Law School professor and president of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, said two wrongs dont make a right. You cant just go back and say its cured. She said it did not seem the city used an open and transparent process in the hiring of Martinez. I dont think it should be harder to hire an entry-level administrative assistant for city government then it should be to hire a city manager in Maywood, Levinson said, adding: Theres a lot of poor judgment going on in one square mile. De La Riva said the city has a responsibility to be careful in such matters, noting that the L.A. County district attorneys office is currently investigating Maywood for possible open-meeting law violations related to the hiring of Carrillo, Martinezs predecessor. Councilman Thomas Martin said bringing in Martinez was the right move. Mr. Martinez has a lot of experience with contractors, he said. He follows a lot of procedures and I think hes a good manager because hes managed in the private sector. Medina said he wanted someone who wasnt very political to be the city manager. But De La Riva said the hiring seemed all too political. He said the way it was handled embodies a series of ill-considered decisions Maywood has made at a financially delicate time, such as granting council members, the clerk and city treasurer $250 monthly mileage stipends to drive in and around L.A. Countys second-smallest city by size. Its like history repeating itself in Maywood, De La Riva said. This is the kind of stuff that led to Maywoods downfall years ago. You had council members hiring friends to run the city and contracts being awarded without competitive bidding and it led to a lot of problems. ruben.vives@latimes.com Twitter: @latvives ALSO Garcetti panel revokes building permits over illegal tree chopping L.A. voters to decide this fall whether to overhaul how the DWP is run What drought? Many Californians no longer required to curb water use One person was killed and two injured in a shooting at a Riverside gas station early Saturday, police said. Police responded to the scene in the 3900 block of Tyler Avenue about 12:40 a.m. after getting a report of multiple gunshots at the USA gas station, according to a statement from the Riverside Police Department. One person was pronounced dead at the scene and two others were transported to a local hospital, where they were listed in stable condition, authorities said. Police have not released a description of the suspect, but said the victims were apparently standing outside the gas station when the suspect approached them on foot and opened fire. Advertisement In a separate incident Saturday morning in Riverside, an employee of a medical marijuana dispensary was injured in a shootout with would-be robbers at the Riverside Cannabis Club Marijuana Dispensary. Officers responded to the scene about 3:10 a.m. after an unknown number of people entered the Riverside Cannabis Club Marijuana Dispensary intending to rob it, and exchanged shots with an employee who confronted them, authorities said. The suspects fled and the employee was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. abby.sewell@latimes.com Twitter: @sewella ALSO Three die after boat capsizes off Catalina Island It was apocalyptic. Residents had no warning as fire destroy homes, lives After 11 years behind bars, man accused of murdering college student is freed amid questions of guilt Firefighters were gaining the upper hand Saturday on a wildfire burning in the San Gabriel Mountains above Duarte and Azusa, with evacuations lifted and a popular recreation area reopened. The San Gabriel Complex fire actually two fires, the Reservoir fire and the Fish fire, which started in the same area the morning of June 20 and have burned a combined 5,285 acres was 48% contained Saturday morning, according to U.S. Fire Service officials. Hundreds of residents were evacuated because of the fires this week, but evacuation orders have been lifted and an American Red Cross evacuation center has closed. Officials said Saturday that the forest service had reopened the popular Chantry Flats Recreation Area as conditions have improved. A red flag fire warning remained in effect. Advertisement More than 1,000 firefighters are battling the blazes, with the help of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Because of power outages in Azusa Canyon, the Los Angeles County Public Health Department has issued a boil water order for small water systems in the canyon to prevent bacterial contamination. The fires apparently were ignited by a fatal car crash Monday, in which a vehicle went over the side of the road and plunged to the bottom of a canyon near Morris Reservoir. Meanwhile, the 7,400-acre Sherpa fire in Santa Barbara County was 93% contained, officials said Saturday. Refugio State Beach is expected to be reopened to the public on Saturday. El Capitan State Beach will remain closed at least through July 15. More than 500 firefighters remain on the scene to monitor the area for hot spots near the containment line. abby.sewell@latimes.com Twitter: @sewella San Diego County is moving forward with a new program that will provide long-term housing and care to as many as 1,250 mentally ill homeless people in the next two years. These are the people who have basically lost the struggle with behavioral health issues and are about as down and out as human beings can get, Supervisor Greg Cox said. They have a serious illness. These lost souls share our streets, but not our sense of reality. County government will work with 18 cities, six housing authorities and landlords to provide shelter and treatment. The program, which was approved unanimously last week by all five supervisors, is expected to cost $20 million in the upcoming annual budget, and $28 million the year after. Advertisement The money comes from the county, state and federal governments and does not use resources from the countys general fund. The program, dubbed Project One for All, uses a housing first model where, as the name suggests, people who are living on the street or in shelters are first provided long-term housing and then comprehensive care to treat their mental illness and other issues. Its the first time that the county has used this approach to address this population. Its a proven model thats been used in other states, Chief Administrative Officer Helen Robbins-Meyer said. In 2014, San Diego city adopted a housing-first model for the general homeless population. Under the initiative, the countys Department of Housing and Community Development will become a part of the Health and Human Services Agency, a move Robbins-Meyer said will help the county provide better services. Clearly the link between housing and human services has to be straightened, she said. Housing authorities, cities and landlords have committed to provide housing for 1,103 people, and another 147 are pending. The county may offer incentives, including leasing bonuses, security deposits for tenants, utility assistance and other benefits to provide housing. Landlord recruitment efforts are expected to begin later this year and might piggyback on ongoing efforts to provide housing for homeless veterans. This years annual homeless count in January found 8,692 people in the region living without a home. Of those, 14% had a mental illness. The biggest need is in the city of San Diego, where there are an estimated 733 in this vulnerable population. Another 344 are in unincorporated parts of the county, with the rest in other cities. The homeless population in San Diego county and city is the fourth-largest in the country, and nearly half of homeless people live on the street, data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development show. The metro area was ranked 12th in 2007, but has steadily climbed. It peaked in 2010 when 10,013 people were homeless. The countys initiative has broad public support. Michael McConnell, a member of Funders Together to End Homelessness, said the initiative is a welcome shift in how county government addresses homelessness. The lack of leadership on this issue continues to haunt San Diego, and today, I hope, marks a change, he said. Judy Holder, a behavioral health services provider from La Mesa, said that housing is important, but care must not be overlooked. Cmdr. Will Brown, a deputy speaking on behalf of Sheriff Bill Gore, said that people who are in jail with mental illness are twice as likely to be become recidivists, and that this program has the potential to provide effective and continuous treatment outside of incarceration. joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com Stewart writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Twice a year most Americans do some minor time traveling suddenly losing an hour in the spring, and then repeating the same hour twice in the fall. Somehow we survive this biannual ritual of daylight saving time, though it throws off our circadian rhythms, causes confusion and missed appointments and provokes general discombobulation during the few days it takes to adjust. Theres even some suggestion that the disruption in our routine is bad for our health, maybe fatal. Why, for Heavens sake, does this relic persist? Good question, one that Assemblyman Kansen Chu (D-San Jose) wants to put to California voters. His bill, AB 385, would put the clocking-changing business on a future ballot, asking whether it is time to go back to standard time permanently. The bill has passed the Assembly, key state Senate committees and is set to be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday. Advertisement Its a good idea to rethink this twice-a-year clock madness, but lawmakers should be wary of the confusion that would result from Californias decision to end a tradition observed by most of the U.S. The only continental U.S. state that does not currently recognize daylight saving time is Arizona. Better to start a national conversation about whether the practice still makes sense the 21st century than to find ourselves out-of-whack with other states in our time zone, such as Oregon and Nevada. Its a decision that has to be made by voters, since they adopted daylight saving by ballot in 1949. (Congress decided to let states choose to observe it, or not, after World War I.). Getting an extra hour of sunlight after work must have made sense to post-war Californians who were increasingly living in cities and working in factories or offices with schedules dictated by the numbers on a clock rather than the transit of the sun across the sky. Supporters of the 1949 measure, Proposition 12, including business, churches and womens organizations, believed there would be many benefits: a decrease in juvenile delinquency and traffic accidents, energy savings due to fewer lights being switched on in the evening, maybe even some water conservation (though how that might be accomplished was unclear.) Furthermore, they said, it would narrow the time differential for West Coast businesses seeking to communicate with their East Coast counterparts. Farmers hated it, and so did Hollywood executives, who worried that people wouldnt go to the movies as often in the summer evenings. Those old arguments for and against arent particularly relevant in 2016. And many of the benefits promised never materialized, or were offset by unintended consequences of the change. Its not as if we actually got an hour more of sunshine; it just came at a different time in our schedule. Also, observing daylight saving time might sync better with the rest of the country, but it puts Californias businesses out of whack with their Pacific Rim clients because most Asian countries do not change their clocks twice a year. Is it time to give up daylight saving (or, as some apparently prefer, keep it year-round)? It may well be. Lets have that discussion, but not state by state in a manner that might make time traveling even more perilous. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook MORE OPINION In the search for better graduation rates, schools are fudging the numbers Brexits lesson: Do not underestimate angry voters The Supreme Courts immigration decision is a tragedy that may be short-lived In 2014, the Los Angeles Unified School District announced a spectacular improvement in its graduation rate: Fully 77% of students who had come in as 9th graders four years earlier were now going to graduate as seniors. But there was a bit of a trick behind the number: It included only students who attended what are called comprehensive high schools. Those who had been transferred to alternative programs the students most at risk of dropping out werent counted. If they had been factored in, the rate would have been 67% still good, but not nearly as flashy a number. Heres another example of a misleading number: In May of this year, the California Department of Education reported a rise in the statewide graduation rate, to 82%. But one reason for that was the cancellation of the high school exit exam, which used to be required for graduation and which students could pass only if they had attained a modicum of understanding of algebra and English skills. In a time when most middle-class jobs require at least some training beyond 12th grade, raising the number of high school graduates is considered essential. Dropouts are not only more likely to be unemployed, but more likely to be imprisoned. Thats why the newly passed federal education law, optimistically titled the Every Student Succeeds Act, requires states to hold high schools accountable for improving graduation rates. Advertisement The question, though, is whether schools will bring those numbers up the hard way, by improving the quality of education or by falling back on shortcuts and gimmicks. Early indications suggest that theyll do a combination of both. States and school districts, not just locally but across the nation, have already come up with a wide array of ways to make graduation rates look good on paper: -- When large numbers of students across the country failed high school exit exams over the past decade, states made it easier for them to pass. California devised a simpler test; in New Jersey, students who failed were permitted to take a far easier exam that asked them only one question for each subject area. And if they still failed, they could appeal by doing an essay or another project. Last year in Camden, N.J., after nearly half the students flunked the initial exam, almost all of them were able to get their diplomas through one of the other routes. -- Several states, including California, have eliminated their high school exit exams altogether. And California was among at least six states including Texas and Georgia to award retroactive diplomas to students who had failed their exit exams in previous years. -- In Chicago, low-performing public school students were counseled to leave school for job-training or graduate-equivalency programs, and then counted as transfers rather than dropouts. When an outcry ensued, the school district lowered its previously inflated graduation rates in 2015. --Texas allows schools to count students as leavers rather than dropouts if they say theyre moving elsewhere or doing home-schooling, without checking into whether those assertions are true. -- Perhaps the newest and most widespread method that schools are using to boost graduation rates are online credit-recovery courses such as the ones that L.A. Unified offered this academic year when only about 54% of seniors were on track to graduate. After a hefty dose of online credit-recovery courses and other efforts, the latest but still preliminary figure is now reported to be 74%. These courses can be rigorous and valuable educational tools but they also sometimes allow students to too quickly and too easily make up the courses they have failed. Russell Rumberger, director of the California Dropout Research Project at UC Santa Barbara, is not a fan of measuring a schools success by its graduation rate for precisely that reason: Doing so encourages schools to lower their standards or to use misleading numbers or to find ways to get failing students out of their schools without having to count them as dropouts. In any case, he says, a diploma is a blunt instrument for measuring learning; one study found that low-income students need to show better mastery of the material than merely a pass in order to have a real shot at reaching the middle class. Under pressure to produce better numbers, school officials in California and nationwide have often done whatever it takes to get to those numbers. Like it or not, Rumberger says, higher standards such as those in the Common Core curriculum standards recently adopted in California and most other states tend to mean lower graduation rates, and its disingenuous for states to say they can raise both at once, and quickly. Its not that schools, including those at L.A. Unified, havent made some authentic progress in graduating more students. The district deserves credit for taking steps to follow up on absent students before they become chronically truant. It has eliminated out-of-school suspensions for relatively minor misbehavior. (Rumberger was involved in a recent study showing that suspension increases a students risk of dropping out.) These days, high school staff at many schools seem to be more personally familiar with students than they used to be, and the students in turn seem more comfortable interacting with the adults. Counselors more often take the initiative, sitting students down to talk about how they will make up missing credits. And the district has been offering after-school and Saturday makeup classes as well as the online credit-recovery courses. But under pressure to produce better numbers, school officials in California and nationwide have often done whatever it takes to get to those numbers, including lowering standards while pretending to raise them, and reclassifying students instead of educating them. These students then go on to college or the workplace, mistakenly thinking they have the skills theyll need. The irony is that the school-reform movement that has been leading the push for higher graduation rates got its start years ago in a struggle to raise academic standards. It arose in response to complaints from employers that a high school diploma hardly meant anything anymore. School reformers and Chamber of Commerce representatives complained that high school graduates couldnt pass the written test to become delivery drivers or construction apprentices. Standardized tests, including high school exit exams, were supposed to ensure that students reached at least a minimal level of proficiency. But schools in some areas Texas and New York City were infamous examples started pushing out low-performing students. That led to greater recognition that schools nationwide were, if not going as far as Texas by actively discouraging the students who most needed their help, also not doing much to get them to stay and raise their academic ambitions. The federal No Child Left Behind Act, which never did much to encourage higher graduation rates, might be dead, but its successor will have little chance of succeeding if policymakers arent realistic about the work and patience required to raise standards, test scores and graduation rates. Its slow, hard, incremental work without magic solutions, and improved numbers arent always evidence of better-educated students. This piece is the second in a two-part series. Read part one here. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook Could you find me a newspaper? I asked the young waiter as I sat down for breakfast Saturday morning at my hotel in Warrington, the northern English town where I had attended a friends wedding the day before. I wanted to read about the aftermath of Thursdays referendum on Britains membership in the European Union. He obliged with the Daily Mails historic edition. The Second Coming type on the tabloids front page blared: Take a Bow, Britain! and it only got worse for a pro-EU American reader. It was the day the quiet people of Britain rose up against an arrogant, out-of-touch political class and a contemptuous Brussels elite, the Page 1 subheadline continued. Read the Mails incomparable writers on the most tumultuous events of the times. (Hmm, maybe the Los Angeles Times should bill our writers as incomparable.) Advertisement Inside was an editorial in which the pro-Brexit Mail gloated about the victory for Leave in the referendum . What an awesome tribute to the British people. Day after day, month after month, voters were bombarded with hysterical threats and terrifying scares everything the government machine, the mainstream party leaders and the global political and financial elites could throw at them. They endured insults and abuse. Those who believed Britain could prosper as an independent nation, both in Europe and the world, were attacked as little Englanders. Those who were concerned about the effects of uncontrolled immigration on jobs, wages and the welfare of their children were smeared as racists. The editorial went on in that vein, but I wont. It made for uncomfortable breakfast reading, especially when I did a check of the Brexit results and found that Warrington and neighboring areas had voted for Leave. Most of the Brits I talked to in London before I came up for the wedding journalists, insiders had assured me that Remain would squeeze through. True, Thursdays vote was tight (roughly 52%-48%); but the expectations of the elite, including soon-to-be-former Prime Minister David Cameron, were mortifyingly confounded. There is more than a grain of truth in the Daily Mails complaint that pro-Brexit Brits were portrayed by Remainers as close-minded little Englanders. I sensed a lot of condescension in the way some of my pro-Remain friends described the other side -- not unlike the way exasperated American journalists and political insiders describe Donald Trumps deluded supporters. But the fact that good people voted for Leave doesnt make them right, any more than Trumps candidacy is vindicated by the honest, hardworking Americans who support him. As I finished my almost full English breakfast (I have never gotten used to beans and tomatoes in the morning), I thought of my landlady when I was a student in England in the 1970s. She and her husband populated their empty nest with students but not just any students. My landlady, who had fond memories of American GIs she had met during World War II, explained that she particularly liked to rent to Americans like me, even though we tended to overuse the shower and take up space in her refrigerator with huge containers of milk. (Her other favorite foreigners were white South Africans.) Had she ever had a French student as a boarder? I once asked. Never, she insisted, with an amphibian slur. Im sure she would have been appalled by the fact that when I arrived at Heathrow airport the other day I was shunted with the other arriving Americans to the All Other Passports line at immigration, while Europeans were whisked through UK/EU queue. So much for the special relationship! I can only guess how she would have voted in the Brexit referendum, but my guess is probably pretty good. Happy Saturday, everyone. This is Matthew Fleischer, digital editor of The Times Opinion section, filling in for Paul Thornton. Notice your 401(k) take a precipitous dip overnight? You are not alone. We can all thank Britain for voting Thursday to Brexit the European Union a decision that is wreaking havoc on financial markets, and likely will for some time. Whatever financial unease were feeling at the moment, however, is nothing compared with the toll the Brits just willed upon themselves. In a timely op-ed, Brian Klaas and Marcel Dirsus dissect the financial carnage that comes with roughly a sixth of the European Union economy deciding to secede, and the dangerous motivations behind such an obviously self-injurious move motivations that are uncomfortably familiar here on this side of the pond. We find ourselves in a moment of global fear. The democratic identities of Britain and the United States are under threat not from immigrants or even changing values, but from nationalists and xenophobes exploiting citizens' darkest worries with populist projects, including Donald Trumps campaign for the U.S. presidency and Brexit. To many voters, the world is a scary place. Terrorists seem to lurk everywhere. Uncertainty surrounds us. Change is rapid and some aren't keeping up. Unsurprisingly, politicians of many stripes are capitalizing on our fears to rally voters against trade, immigration and international cooperation. The costs will be substantial. Economists, business leaders and scholars almost universally agree that Britain's retreat from the EU is a self-inflicted economic blunder. Recessions are contagious, and given Londons place as a global financial hub, Brexit will give Britain a particularly virulent cough. The pounds value will likely tumble. The British treasury estimates that the nations households each stand to lose an average of 4,300, or about $7,000. And yet, tens of millions of voters were willing to take that hit. Click here to read more. Its no Brexit in terms of contentiousness, but the rhetoric surrounding Metros plan to install a permanent sales tax on Los Angeles County residents for transportation projects is heating up. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti personally went to bat for the tax in an op-ed. His rationale: Once you build a public mass transit system, you have to maintain it. L.A. Times The Times editorial board also supports the tax though not without reservations. A time-limited tax, it argues, forces Metro and its political leaders to include the public in its decision making process, lay out its goals and be more judicious with taxpayer monies. L.A. Times Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayors scathing dissent in Utah vs. Strieff, a 4th Amendment case about police searches, was a wake-up call for columnist Meghan Daum. I have generally operated on the notion that if you're law-abiding, the police are nothing to be afraid of, she writes. Im an NPR-listening, Obama-loving, supposedly enlightened liberal whos supposed to think beyond that. L.A. Times Donald Trump's campaign doesn't have enough money for a three-bedroom home in Santa Monica, let alone a presidential race. In contrast, Hillary Clintons campaign had more than $42 million in cash on hand and raised $16 million more than Trump in May alone. That said, dont dance on the Donalds grave yet. L.A. Times Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook. A gun control protest or a publicity stunt? Background checks or cowardly actions? Standing up on Capitol Hill by sitting down? Democrats in Congress on Thursday staged a sit-in, protesting the refusal by Republicans to allow a vote on gun legislation. With The Times coverage of the live action in Washington almost exclusively online, some print readers felt left out. Others commenting on gun control argued for compromise or common sense. Among the responses: Advertisement Sara Lessley, letters to the editor department Deane Plaister of Santa Barbara, along with other readers, wondered: How is it that every blast of hot air coming out of Trumps wherever is considered newsworthy, but an unprecedented sit-in at the House over gun legislation did not rate one single word in the whole of Section A? Diane Goepp of Big Bear Lake turned to latimes.com: Really, LA Times? Not one word in the main section about the House sit-in for gun legislation? How is this not news? Its on your website. Guess the only way to get current news is to go online. Kevin Hengst of Las Vegas urges lawmakers to consider compromise: Were at a point where even some gun owners are calling for gun control. However, until the two parties learn to compromise, nothing will get done. One party wants to start banning and confiscating guns, and the other wants more leeway even for fully automatic rifles. So long as neither party is willing to give, nothing will happen. Those in favor of gun control are trying to take without giving anything in return. Provide some kind of incentive, and youll see results. Rosalyn Jones of La Canada was not pleased: Only [columnist] George Skelton had the courage to address the sit-in, albeit indirectly with the headline NRA cant have it both ways. While I appreciate his much-needed efforts, it is appalling to me that at this inspiring moment, when our representatives finally show the courage to stand up for victims of gun violence, The Times lets them down. Lloyd Forrester of Simi Valley is reminded of the past: The photos of our legislators sitting on the House floor are reminiscent of 1960s sit-ins. Back then, participants burned American flags and spat on soldiers. Now they seek to burn and spit on our Constitution, which guarantees due process to all citizens. And Gene Uzawa Dorio of Santa Clarita is fed up with everyone: Cowards! On both sides of the aisle. Enjoy the vacation break as your constituents continue to dodge bullets. Ditto, says Lillian Jenkins in Culver City: The Democrats in Congress are fighting for a vote on gun control with the Republicans. But the Republicans are cowering in fear of the bully the NRA. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Evangelical leader: Trump recently found a relationship with Christ (Steve Helber/AP) Donald Trump does not speak about his faith often, but a prominent church leader is suggesting that the billionaire businessman has a new-found bond with Christ. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family and a high-profile evangelical leader, said Trump recently forged and accepted a relationship with Christ. In recent weeks, Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, has sought to shore up support among evangelicals. Despite winning over the support of a majority of evangelicals throughout the Republican primary, many remain divided and are concerned about the depth of his faith. Trump met with hundreds of evangelical leaders, including Dobson and Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr., an early supporter, in New York this week. I dont know when it was, but it has not been long, Dobson said of what he described as Trumps new closer relationship with Christ during an interview with a Pennsylvania church pastor. I believe he really made a commitment, but hes a baby Christian. Trump, a Presbyterian, drew scorn from some religious leaders earlier this year after he inaccurately cited Two Corinthians during a speech at Falwells Liberty University. The more common expression is Second Corinthians. During the meeting with evangelical leaders earlier in the week, Trump attacked Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, saying we dont know anything about Hillary in terms of religion. However, over the years, Clinton has spoke openly about the role her faith has played in her life. Despite his effort to rein in support from church leaders, some remain skeptical. We will be watching, listening and waiting to see how he continues to relate on the critical issues of life, family and religious liberty, Paul Weber, president of the Family Policy Alliance, told The Times earlier this week. After residents of Flint, Mich., started drinking water from the Flint River in April 2014, the chances that young children would have dangerous levels of lead in their blood increased by nearly 50%, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Researchers examined blood test results from more than 7,000 children that were collected around the time authorities decided to save money by sourcing Flints water from the Flint River instead of Lake Huron. In Michigan, children living at or below the poverty line are targeted for lead screenings, and children enrolled in the states Medicaid program are required have their blood tested for lead around their first and second birthdays. High lead exposure, especially in children under 6, can slow growth, reduce intelligence and attentiveness, and cause behavioral problems. Advertisement Unfortunately, when Flint began using Flint River water in April 2014, officials did not employ any corrosion control measures at the water treatment plant. As a result, when the water flowed through old pipes and fixtures, lead was able to seep into the water supply. In the year leading up to the change, 3.1% of Flint children ages 5 and under had blood lead levels exceeding the CDC limit of 5 micrograms per deciliter. Over the next 10 months until the discovery of disinfectant compounds in the river prompted officials to issue a water advisory that figure rose to 5%. Kids between 1 and 2 years old had a higher risk of exceeding safe lead levels, and the odds of excess lead were greater during the summer and fall months. After adjusting for these and other factors, the researchers calculated that the switch to Flint River water was associated with a 46% increase in the odds that a child would have excess lead in their blood. This crisis was entirely preventable, Patrick Breysse, director of CDCs National Center for Environmental Health, said in a statement. Although the advisory in January 2015 wasnt related to lead, it prompted many residents to opt for bottled water over tap, therefore reducing their lead exposure. Over the next 9 1/2 months, 3.9% of children were found to have dangerous levels of lead in their blood. In October 2015, the city of Flint switched its water source back to Lake Huron. Pregnant women and children under 6 were advised to drink bottled water, while the general population was told to drink filtered tap water. In the five months after that, lead concentrations in children 5 and under dropped to 1.4%. The findings were published Friday in the CDCs Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency released a statement that it is now safe for everyone in Flint to drink filtered tap water. This is an important step forward for providing a stable water system for the city of Flint, EPA Science Advisor Thomas Burke said. More than 90% of Flint homes are now equipped with water filters. megan.daley@latimes.com Follow @mdaley_ on Twitter for more science news and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook. MORE IN SCIENCE: From Duryea to Tesla, cars have evolved much like Darwins finches Super-sticky saliva helps chameleons catch huge prey, scientists say Its been 20 years since Australia had a mass shooting. How much of the credit goes to gun control? Costa Mesa Chief Executive Tom Hatch presented city police Officer Lance Healey with the June CEO Leadership Award on Thursday. Healey joined the Costa Mesa Police Department in 2005 after a 20-year career in the Marine Corps, where his titles included chief instructor of Camp Pendletons Scout Sniper Basic Course. Healey currently is sniper team leader for the Police Departments SWAT team. Newport Beach salon to give makeovers to recovering addicts Women who are in recovery from drug and alcohol problems can get free haircuts, brow arching and makeup applications Sunday in Newport Beach. The event will be held from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Studio A, 2818 Newport Blvd. The women, who were invited from local rehabilitation centers, also will receive donated products and clothes. Breast cancer survivors to help make O.C.'s largest human ribbon WWE announcer Lilian Garcia and 300 other breast cancer survivors and advocates will wear pink Thursday to create Orange Countys largest human pink ribbon to rally support for Septembers Race for the Cure, presented by Susan G. Komen Orange County. Thursdays gathering will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Newport Beach Civic Center, 100 Civic Center Drive. The Race for the Cure raises funds for breast cancer treatment, support services and education programs. Some Republicans may leave the GOP because they dont like Donald Trump. Some Democrats may leave their party because they hate Hillary Clinton. Bernie Sanders left the Socialists so he could run for president as a Democrat. Days ago, a slim majority of British voted to leave the European Union because they want more control over their own countrys destiny. That will no doubt prompt Scotland to demand another referendum to leave the United Kingdom because a majority of Scots voted to stay with the EU There are periodic efforts in Quebec to leave Canada that may one day be successful. Meanwhile, theres a movement in Texas to secede from the union. In 1861, 11 states that did not vote for Abraham Lincoln (he wasnt even on the ballot in any of them) decided to leave the Union and form the Confederacy, upset about fears that Lincoln would end slavery, something he never actually said he was going to do nor actually did. In the case of the European Union, it is especially sad because of the horrific wars Europe has suffered in the last two centuries because of nationalistic tendencies among its myriad of nations. The EU had seemingly unified a long-simmering continent and created a strong economy which is on par with the United States. With Britain leaving, will France or Germany be next? Dont think the United States will be immune from the fallout. On June 24, the stock market plunged in reaction to the Brexit vote. And look at the motivations behind secessionists and others who are angry about the way things are, or how they perceive, things to be. Usually they are guided by demagogues who rant about simplistic choices and find convenient scapegoats to blame for all that is wrong. That is certainly true of British leaders who favored Brexit. It is true among many Trump voters. It was true in 1933 Germany and 1861 America. A better, but perhaps more difficult, path to take would be for people to listen to one anothers concerns, work together in a constructive way, make a few concessions here and there and try to reach a consensus on what actions to take. It would certainly make Congress more functional think about the recent protests and diatribe we saw on Capitol Hill. It would probably have been the better solution for Britain, which is now a verydivided and polarized country. And I dont even want to think about the consequences if a bunch of zealots in Texas have their way. People, including some of our political leaders and would-be presidents, need to grow up and learn how to effect solutions rather than catering to prejudices and anger of frustrated people who look to lash out at whatever or whomever they can. Lenard Davis Newport Beach .. Reflect this Independence Day In 1776, representatives from the 13 British colonies in America gathered in Philadelphia to see if they could unite and declare independence from Britain and if successful, form a new nation. Have you ever wondered why, at the risk of their lives and fortunes, did they do this? These brave gentlemen all had successful lives under the British. They were not enslaved or encumbered by the British, other than some taxes, yet they risked it all for independence. Think of the obstacles and risks they had to overcome to even assemble to discuss what amounted to treason. The foremost obstacle was that each of the 13 colonies were successful in their own right and each had a degree of independence and goals of their own. Further, a large segment of the population was reasonably satisfied with their lives under British rule and were loyal to the Crown. The leaders of the independence movement were faced with an almost impossible goal of getting 13 diverse colonies to give up some of the freedoms they already had to risk it all for separation from England. Despite all the risks and dangers our founding fathers somehow united sufficiently to declare independence. During the resulting wars with England for our independence, many of the founders did lose their fortunes, freedoms, and even their lives. We should be forever grateful for their sacrifices. Eleven years later, after the brutal war for independence, many of the founders and other patriots joined in writing a Constitution for the first truly free nation where free citizens are supposed to rule the government. Again, that was almost as politically difficult for the representatives as generating the Declaration of Independence since each of the now free colonies still had their own needs and goals. Issues like slavery, taxes, Native Americans, trade issues, regulations, foreign dealings etc. made it extremely difficult to create one document satisfactory to everyone. Though perhaps less than perfect, they came up with the most remarkable document ever created for the people. A few of the Constitutions authors had made it their life work to study the past attempts of other nations like England, France, and Greece and see where they had good ideas but had failed in various degrees to give freedom to their people. All those other countries failed, or were not completely successful, probably because no government really likes the people to be in power. Our Constitution gave the power to the people, and I am sure if it were not for internal opposition here and there, the founders would have eliminated slavery right from the start and probably have given women the vote. We all owe a lot to our brave, dedicated, brilliant founders. We should do all we can to preserve the wonderful freedoms they won for us at great cost to themselves. And of course, the nation owes a lot to our military who have for more than a century defended this country from all enemies at great cost to life and limb. Dave Connell Laguna Beach I love teachers, all teachers. I think they are some of the best people on the planet. They care about your kids. They worry about them. They give everything they have to them and often dont even know they are doing it. One thing they dont do well is protect themselves. Mariners has always been an outstanding school. The teachers come early, stay late and talk about the kids, ad nauseam. They could win any award, anytime. They are that good. Recently, they were awarded the California Gold Ribbon Schools Award. But heres the thing: They didnt want it. The new principal, for reasons of her own, determined that the school needed the award. She did the paperwork, but some of the teachers claim there are inaccuracies on the application. The teachers contacted Nicholas Dix of the Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers, who presented the comprehensive complaint to school district. There was no immediate investigation by the district, though the school board later agreed to hire a private investigations firm to look into the matter. But heres what happened beforehand. This brave group of teachers, who didnt want to ruin Mariners reputation, decided to fight for what was ethical. This schools teachers went to the NMUSD board meeting May 24, en masse. One teacher, Tamara Fairbanks, delivered the truth to the board, brilliantly and succinctly. The boards reaction was as predictable as the constant road repair in Newport Beach. In other words, no reaction. There was no, We are really sorry, and of course well have a real investigation or We are sorry that we put you in this position. Nothing. Stone-faced. To put this in perspective, these teachers essentially gave up a prestigious award because they value honesty and integrity. So, if you want someone to model courage and ethics for Newport Mesas kids, look no further than the staff at Mariners Elementary, and dont bother to look at NMUSD s administration. Trustees, where are you? -- SANDY ASPER lives in Newport Beach. A pilot program launched a year ago to better motivate and engage autistic students who attend Glendale schools is meeting with success, teachers and administrators involved with the initiative told the school board this week. Theres nothing more important than to continue to make progress in terms of our professional practices, Amy Lambert, assistant superintendent of special education for Glendale Unified, said of the program during Tuesdays school board meeting. During the just-completed school year, five teachers were each trained to use one evidence-based practice under a California initiative called CAPTAIN (California Autism Professional Training and Information Network). The training was offered through the state Department of Education. Of the roughly 26,200 students enrolled in Glendale schools, nearly 600 are autistic, up from just over 400 students in 2011, according to a district demographic report. At Cloud Preschool, teacher Elysa Rosenfeld-Ortiz focused on positive reinforcement, and she observed more engaged students who communicated and collaborated more frequently with teacher specialists than in previous years. I was just astounded at how much progress these little 3-, 4-, 5-year-olds could do, Rosenfeld-Ortiz said. Join the conversation on Facebook >> At Columbus Elementary, teacher Simin Beshavard used a token economy method to reward first-, second- and third-graders for positive behavior with tokens or marbles. She said it motivated students while enforcing a positive classroom climate. At Horace Mann Elementary, Lauren Chase used with her students structured work systems, a method that utilizes visual learning tasks to refine students skills in math, reading or writing. Chases fourth- and fifth-graders relied on fewer prompts from adults and worked more independently, she said. At Wilson Middle School, Bozena Stanczak supported her sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders with visuals over the course of the day, using photographs, written words, objects, labels, reminders or visual schedules to keep them on track. Glendale High School students experienced a self-management practice that led to teacher Anthony Mohr reinforcing students positive behavior, which enabled them to eliminate their own negative or inappropriate behavior. We saw a lot more independence at the high school level. This was very rewarding, too, Lambert said. Over the next two to five years, the program could reach all autistic students districtwide, she said. We really hope moving forward that these early adopters will become our next group of leaders, Lambert said. -- Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com Twitter: @kellymcorrigan -- ALSO: After Glendale parents weigh in on school year start date, GUSD to bring requests to teachers union Teachers question adequacy of new Spanish textbooks adopted by Glendale Unified Glendale artist works to make art more accessible with a smartphone app Jacqueline An grew up with a family motto: If youre going to eat, you might as well eat well. Food has always been such a huge part of my family, said An, whose mother, Helene, is the chef behind AnQi, a gourmet bistro and noodle bar at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. The familys company, House of An, also owns four other restaurants throughout California, plus a catering company. Even when we didnt have much, we always had food, An added. Advertisement Although Helene has been in the restaurant business for more than 40 years, An realized that she wanted to share the stories and flavors of her mothers life in a new way. I grew up spending a lot of time with my mother in the kitchen, hearing these wonderful stories and learning these wonderful recipes, An said. I almost took it for granted until I had my own kids. I wanted them to know about the amazing legacy that my mother and grandmother created for them, and for these recipes to not get lost. So An sat down with her mother to formally record the incredible tales of Helenes life: her aristrocratic childhood in North Vietnam, her escape to South Vietnam after the Communist takeover, the fall of Saigon and being forced into a refugee camp in the Philippines and, eventually, emigrating to the United States, where she opened her first restaurant with her mother-in-law, Diana An, in 1971. Of course the story wasnt complete without food, so An also put in writing many of her familys recipes that up until that point had never been written down, only transmitted orally. The result is the An familys first-ever cookbook, An: to eat Recipes and Stories from a Vietnamese Family Kitchen, published this year by the mother-daughter duo. People who dont know us will be able to peek into our family, our food and our culture, An said. I hope that when readers flip through the pages, they feel like theyre going into our home and eating with us. I hope that when readers flip through the pages, they feel like theyre going into our home and eating with us. Jacqueline An The title of the book, An pointed out, is something of a play on words: Her familys last name is spelled the same as the Vietnamese word to eat. Seeing that the restaurant became our livelihood, how we were able to make a living, I thought it was almost destiny, she said. The 296-page cookbook spans traditional Vietnamese fare to modern fusion creations, including recipes for some of the familys signature restaurant dishes including tiato rolls, lobster mango salad, and Mongolian lamb chops as well as some of the familys home recipes. The cookbook also includes Helenes French onion pho with beef ravioli, a dish selected as one of the favorite dishes of 2015" by James Beard Foundation editors, and spicy chicken and shrimp ramen in cognac XO sauce, something Helene developed specifically for this book. Although it features many of what An called aspirational recipes more complex dishes for people who like to cook and experiment it also includes many quick, basic recipes for beginners, such as the shaken beef and various stir fries. Whether youre new to Vietnamese food or a seasoned Vietnamese chef, there are dishes here for you, something new youll learn from the book, she said. An explained that the key to Vietnamese cuisine is balance. Nothing too sweet, nothing too salty, she said. Theres nothing thats too spicy or overpowering. Instead, Vietnamese dishes rely on herbs and aromatics for flavor, giving the food a fresh, light flavor. And given the countrys proximity to the ocean, seafood is another staple. To aid beginners, the cookbook also includes detailed explanations of the necessary kitchen tools, cooking techniques and ingredients so that anyone can jump into this cuisine. We did it that way because Vietnamese food for many people is still new, An said. We wanted to give readers a foundation to familiarize themselves with the flavors, herbs and all the things that make Vietnamese food Vietnamese food. And Orange County is one of the easiest places to try Vietnamese cooking, An pointed out, given the abundance of Asian grocery stores that sell all the necessary ingredients. We really hope that you can grow with the book and be adventurous with it, An said. Its a foundation to Mamas way of cooking, but cooking is also about evolving. We want anyone whos going through this book to take our recipes, but to take some chances and add something of your own the way my mother has always cooked. -- Caitlin Yoshiko Kandil, caitlin.kandil@latimes.com MORE FOOD & DINING Irvine is about to get a cool new food hall Head to Restaurant Marin in Costa Mesa for giant English muffins and chicken pot pie The new Watsons: ice cream and booze Road trip to Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon and Zion national parks is a treasure-trove of discoveries The route: Los Angeles to Las Vegas to Cedar City and Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah; North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz.; Kanab and Zion National Park, Utah, by way of interstates 10 and 15 to Vegas and Cedar City; Utah state highways 143 and 12 to Bryce; U.S. Highway 89A and Arizona state Highway 67 to the North Rim, returning on the same route to Utah state Highway 9 and Zion. Miles: About 1,245 Best time: Spring, summer and fall. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is closed during winter. Why: Theres something to please everyone on this road trip: for the college kid, the razzle-dazzle of Las Vegas; for mom, the Bard under the stars at the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City; for both, a trio of not-to-be missed national parks. The drives between the parks are relatively short, which means more time sampling their splendors and less time behind the wheel. Highlights: Forget that over-hyped mule ride into the Grand Canyon. Seeing Bryce on horseback on a three-hour excursion led by Canyon Trail Rides is much better. Youll be stiff and sore for days, but the white-knuckle maneuvering on steep, narrow trails takes you into the heart of Bryce Canyon and its geologic wonders. Runner-up: Communing with the ancient spirits on the North Rims out-of-the-way Cliff Springs Trail. The easy 1-mile stroll takes you past an ancient Anasazi granary and down a forested ravine to a small spring and a massive stone overhang. Memorable stay: The 1930s-era Grand Canyon Lodge, which teeters on the edge of the North Rim. Snag a chair on the veranda, put up your feet and take in the scenery: The views are stunning, day and night. As for the rooms, skip the motel-type accommodations and book one of the cottages. Rustic, as national park lodging should be. Memorable meal: The Lodge dining room, where you can indulge in the bison flank steak, followed by the Instagram-worthy Angels Staircase for two: an elaborate construct of Belgian waffles, vanilla ice cream, walnuts, powdered sugar and chocolate syrup (the college kid ate the whole thing). No road trip is complete without road food, and the saucer-sized chocolate chip cookies from the bakery at Jacob Lake Inn fueled our drive into and out of the North Rim. Tourist trap: Yep, its Vegas and the South Premium Outlets off the 15 about 2 1/2 miles south of the Strip. You know youre going to stop on the way home. Plan to spend: At least a week. We stayed just one night in Zion, a mistake that didnt give us enough time to explore the slot canyons. - Anne Harnagel anne.harnagel@latimes.com German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday urged her fellow European Union leaders to react cautiously to Britains vote to leave the EU, breaking with fellow European ministers who seek a swift and decisive divorce with Britain. It should not take ages, but I dont think theres any reason to fight now, pushing for a short time period before talks begin, she told journalists, adding that the vote is not a reason to be in some way nasty in the negotiations. Merkel also underscored that even from outside the EU, Great Britain will remain a close partner with close economic ties to us. Advertisement Her remarks Saturday suggest that the weekend has brought Britain and Europe no closer to clarity on the implications of Thursdays British referendum on leaving the European Union. Parliament has supreme authority, but it is highly unlikely to reverse the mandate delivered by the voters. Nicolas Veron, Bruegel Brussels Political leaders in both places have split on whether the vote, though technically nonbinding on the British Parliament, should lead immediately to negotiations with the 27 other EU member states on a formal divorce. Merkels cautious approach put her at odds with some of her governing coalition partners in Germany. After meeting with European colleagues Saturday, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is not from the same party as the chancellor, appeared to be in favor of hastening Britains exit from the EU. This process should get underway as soon as possible so that we are not left in limbo, so that we can concentrate on the future of Europe, he said. Days after the Brexit vote, the political and economic toll for Britain continued to climb. Jonathan Hill, who as the equivalent of the EUs finance minister was Britains highest-ranking diplomat in the union, resigned his Brussels post Saturday, stating, Whats done cannot be undone. Across Britain, there were already signs that the split could be more complicated than many had initially assumed and there were growing calls for a do-over. A petition on Parliaments website calling for a second referendum had gathered more than 1.9 million signatures by late afternoon Saturday, with the numbers rising by almost 100,000 every couple of hours. Parliament considers debating all petitions that garner 100,000 signatures or more. Brexit campaign leader Nigel Farage, head of the UK Independence Party, was forced to acknowledge that the promise of a 350-million-pound weekly Brexit dividend money the Leave campaign said could be spent on Britains National Health Service if it did not have to make contributions to the EU was a chimera. No one could guarantee where any such funds would go, he said on a nationwide morning-TV program: That was one of the mistakes made by the Leave campaign. The county of Cornwall at Englands far southwestern tip, where 56.5% of voters cast ballots to leave the EU, said it now fears losing 60 million pounds a year in EU aid as an economically disadvantaged region. We will be taking urgent steps to ensure that the U.K. government protects Cornwalls position in any negotiations, the county council said in demanding that the government make up the loss. The possible financial effects of the split also were becoming clear. Moodys Investor Service, after lowering its outlook on British sovereign debt from stable to negative, warned that the vote to exit the European Union will herald a prolonged period of uncertainty for the U.K. It also could result in diminished confidence and lower spending and investment, threatening the U.K.s growth prospects, the rating agency warned. The vote in Britain brought renewed recognition of the countrys deep political and social cleavages, both generational and geographical. About 75% of Britons ages 18 to 24 voted to stay in the EU, while more than 50% of those 65 and older voted to leave. Scotland voted to stay by 62% to 38%, and Northern Ireland by 56% to 44%. London and its immediate suburbs voted about 60% in favor of staying in the EU, but outside London, nearly 60% of voters in England favored leaving. These figures point to what may be the most important political risk presented by the vote: changes in the structure of Britain, or even its dissolution. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wasted little time after the results were in to announce she would seek immediate discussions with the EU to protect Scotlands place in the union. She also said a second referendum on Scottish independence is now highly likely. A 2014 referendum on independence lost 55% to 44%. Educational achievement correlated closely with the vote, as those with limited education voted to leave, while those with university degrees favored staying. Working-class voters tended to vote to leave, a signal of the widening discontent over globalization that politicians and policymakers throughout the developed world will have to consider. Feelings are strong among less-skilled and educated workers who have been denied the benefits of globalization or the opportunities for retraining in the new economy that have long been promised to them. European leaders, in urging a speedy processing of the split, were reacting in part to British Prime Minister David Camerons decision to resign after the vote, but not necessarily before his Conservative Party conference in October. Since the negotiations would be conducted by Camerons successor, his decision potentially extends the uncertainties about the terms and timing of the split for months. Steinmeier, the German foreign minister, was echoed by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg, who called Britains breakaway not an amicable divorce and called for negotiations to begin immediately. Those EU leaders plainly are worried that drawn-out departure negotiations will encourage other countries unhappy with their relationship with the union to plot their own withdrawals. A swift and stringent negotiation, however, would make clear the consequences of leaving. Meanwhile, some leaders of the Brexit campaign have started to quail at the political and administrative chaos introduced by Thursdays vote. Boris Johnson, a Tory member of Parliament and former mayor of London who had tied his political fortunes to the Leave campaign, said at a news conference Friday that there was no need for haste in following through on the vote. Nothing will change in the short term, said Johnson, who is expected to vie to succeed Cameron as Conservative leader and prime minister. The actual mechanism of the British-EU divorce is nebulous. Its based on Article 50 of the EUs 2007 Lisbon Treaty, which recognizes the right of member nations to withdraw, but gives only vague guidelines for the process possibly because the EU was in such an expansionist mind-set at the time that the possibility of a withdrawal was not taken seriously. Article 50 calls for a two-year negotiation period over terms of the split after its invoked but doesnt regulate when the invocation must take place. In Britain, despite the referendum, that decision is up to the government. But political observers in Britain and Brussels still believe that the unexpectedly high voter turnout of more than 72%, along with the decisive 52%-48% outcome, suggest that Parliament received a clear directive to pursue Brexit, despite the demographic and geographical splits. Parliament has supreme authority, but it is highly unlikely to reverse the mandate delivered by the voters, Nicolas Veron of the Brussels think tank Bruegel wrote Saturday. Of course, the nearly 2 million signatures attached to the petition for a second vote is still a pittance compared with the 17.4 million voters who opted to leave. Special correspondent Erik Kirschbaum in Berlin contributed to this report. 9:30 A.M. German chancellor warns British against deluding themselves in departure from EU German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a special session of the German parliament on Brexit in Berlin. (John MacDougall / AFP/Getty Images) Britain may have just lost the last friend it had in the European Union, less than a week after the country voted to abandon the group of nations that had been a pillar of peace and prosperity for the last six decades. German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned in no uncertain terms Tuesday that Britain can forget about any special favors or advantageous trading privileges with the EU. In a frosty speech to Germanys parliament, she said there would be no negotiations whatsoever until the British government makes a formal request to leave. I can only urge our friends in Britain against deluding themselves. Angela Merkel, German chancellor Read more Erik Kirschbaum 9:15 A.M. Secretary of State John Kerry attempts to soothe Brexit fears in Europe Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Federica Mogherini, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, speak to reporters Monday in Brussels. (AFP/Getty Images) Americas top diplomat sought to soothe fears Monday on both sides of the Atlantic as aftershocks of Great Britains vote to withdraw from the European Union, the worlds largest trading bloc, continued to rattle markets and governments. The interests and the values which have united us for such a long period of time did not change on the day of that vote, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said in Brussels, headquarters of the EU bureaucracy that British voters jilted. Kerry seemed to be trying to convince himself as much as the anxious European officials with whom he was meeting. He was scheduled to pay a call on British Prime Minister David Cameron, who announced plans Friday to resign after the Brexit vote. Though the Obama administration attempts to put on a brave face while confronting the future of its most important transatlantic relationship, the loss of a strong British voice in broader European security, economic and other matters will hurt, analysts agree. Read more Tracy Wilkinson 9:00 A.M. Hiltzik: On financial services, Britain snatched defeat from the jaws of victory Near the Royal Exchange building in London, men take a break from work. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) Just over a year ago, British financial traders were celebrating a landmark court victory over their European rivals. The Luxembourg-based General Court had overturned a demand by the European Central Bank that clearing of trades in euro-denominated assets take place only in countries that use the euro as their currency. British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne hailed the ruling as a major win for Britain that preserved Londons place as Europes dominant financial center. Given that Britain was a member of the 28-nation European Union but not of the Eurozone it retains its own currency, the British pound the ECB ruling could have forced tens of trillions of dollars in currency and securities trading to leave London and move to Ireland or the Continent. Today that court victory lies in tatters, and the prospects for the London financial services industry are dire. Last weeks British vote to leave the EU will mean that Britain can no longer claim that the ECBs directive unfairly discriminates among members of the union. Read more Michael Hiltzik 8:45 A.M. How Brexit affected Spains election Spanish acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy addresses supporters from Popular Party headquarters in Madrid after general elections results were announced Sunday. (Javier Lizon / European Pressphoto Agency) With markets in free fall after Britains vote to leave the European Union, Spanish voters turned away from anti-establishment parties Sunday and endorsed the perceived safety and security of ruling conservatives. Europe has been watching Spain to see how anger at the status quo might play out in another EU country after Brexit. In recent weeks, a left-wing anti-establishment alliance called Unidos Podemos (Together We Can) had surged in opinion polls to become the No. 2 force in Spanish politics, behind the conservatives. Its slogan is Si se puede Yes we can. But election results early Monday showed they couldnt. Unidos Podemos placed third, behind the two establishment parties, the Partido Popular, or Popular Party, and the Socialists. Read more Lauren Frayer 8:30 A.M. Horsey: Brexit diminishes Britain and threatens European security Brexit takes Britain into uncharted, stormy seas. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) Read more David Horsey 8:15 A.M. Brexit could halt the growth of California trade with Britain Cars and auto parts are among Britains top exports to California. (David McNew / Getty Images) California and its $5 billion of annual exports to Britain could be standing in harms way if theres economic upheaval caused by Britains vote to leave the European Union. The state is a major trading partner with England and the rest of Britain, whose vote to exit the EU the so-called Brexit rocked financial markets Friday, with stocks plummeting worldwide and the British pound sterling falling sharply against the dollar. The question facing California companies doing business with Britain which includes commercial real estate investment, technology and car dealers is whether the weaker pound and other fallout from the vote will slow British economic growth and make Californias dollar-denominated exports too expensive, thus reducing trade. If the entire EU market destabilizes because of Brexit, it can have dire consequences for the California market, which is dependent on international trade, said Stephen Cheung, president of World Trade Center Los Angeles, an affiliate of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. Read more James F. Peltz and Samantha Masunaga 5:05 P.M. What investment managers are saying (Los Angeles Times) Bull markets -- that is, times when stocks are rising or expected to rise -- are about cooperation, Jeffrey Gundlach, chief executive of downtown Los Angeles money manager DoubleLine, said Friday. Thats what makes societies thrive. If we dont cooperate at all, were all out there in the woods with a spear chasing a squirrel. The landmark Brexit vote, he said, is evidence were living in an increasingly uncooperative world. Thats why he said hes betting on gold, short-term bonds and other assets seen as safe havens. James Rufus Koren Read more 4:22 P.M. New Yorkers take on Brexit: Silly Walk Off a Cliff 4:07 P.M. Will Brexit mark the end of the age of globalization? (AFP/Getty Images) Britains move could be a catalyst for a reenergized effort by Scots -- who overwhelmingly favored remaining in the EU -- to break away from Britain. It may also encourage other secession movements in the EU, which could fundamentally alter the political and economic structure that has been in place for decades. At the same time, forces that once propelled globalization -- advanced technologies, reduction of barriers and the rise of China and other developing economies -- have diminished. World trade and economic growth have also slowed in recent years. With the so-called Brexit vote, the European Union, itself arguably the most ambitious post-World War II experiment in globalization, appears at risk of unraveling. Don Lee Read more 3:40 P.M. The British establishment didnt think Brexit could win, but it did. Heres why. A young couple painted as EU flags protest outside Downing Street in London. They opposed Britains decision to leave the EU. (Mary Turner / Getty Images) Great Britains decision to leave the European Union has sent shock waves around the world. Early polls had indicated that the camp pushing to remain in the EU would likely succeed, even by a small margin. But in what was the highest turnout for a British-wide vote since the general election of 1992, a majority of British voters decided it was time to end a political and economic relationship 43 years in the making. So what went wrong for those who wanted to remain? The leave camp was organized around fear of immigration, Islam, globalization, China. The other side found themselves on the defensive trying to counter the argument of fear. Its very difficult to challenge peoples fears. There is deep-seated racism in this debate that gets cloaked in national identity. Dominic Thomas, chair of the department of French and Francophone Studies at UCLA Read more Ann M. Simmons 3:09 P.M. Are California companies vulnerable to Brexit turmoil? The Brexit vote doesnt mean American companies will lose business or see revenue from Britain drop or vanish. But their sales could be affected by whatever new trade deal Britain negotiates with the U.S. once it leaves the European Union. So how exposed are California businesses? The states 20 largest companies combined brought in about $55 billion in revenue from Britain in their most recent fiscal year, according to reported figures and estimates from FactSet. (Two of those 20 Wells Fargo & Co. and PG&E Corp. are not on the above chart because no revenue from Britain was listed.) Another company that could be vulnerable is Los Angeles-based CBRE Group Inc., the worlds largest real estate services firm. It booked nearly 18% of its revenue from Britain in the last year, according to FactSet. CBRE declined to comment Friday. However, in an April earnings call, Chief Executive Bob Sulentic acknowledged there was concern about the British real estate market in the run-up to the vote. But he said that CBRE had a strong first quarter there. If the vote fails, obviously, there will be a pause till people figure it out, he said. James Rufus Koren and Andrew Khouri 2:27 P.M. The EUs stalwarts are forlorn as Britain sails away A figurine depicting Queen Elizabeth II is on display with copies of The EU: An Obituary by John R. Gillingham in a bookshop window in Berlin. (John MacDougall / AFP/Getty Images) Britains decision to leave the European Union might not mark the beginning of the end for continental unity, but that possibility was in the air Friday as Europes leaders struggled to put the best face on their new reality after the Brexit vote. Theres no way to put a positive spin on this -- today is a setback for Europe, said a glum-looking German Chancellor Angela Merkel, urging the continent to remain prudent and analyze the situation calmly. The EU is strong enough to find the right answers. The surprise vote to leave the EU encouraged anti-establishment parties in France, Denmark and the Netherlands to push for their own leave referendums, and also unleashed powerful separatist forces within Britain itself. Political leaders in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where voters opposed the Brexit, said they want to leave Britain so that they can remain in the EU. This is an historic breaking point and the shock waves are simply too enormous to fully gauge at this point. Paul Nolte, a political scientist at Berlins Free University Read more Erik Kirschbaum 1:50 P.M. Britain looks to next steps after historic vote to leave European Union A copy of Londons Evening Standard on the day after the Brexit vote. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images) Britons woke up Friday to a bewildering new world fraught with uncertainty: Who will run the government? What kind of relationship will Britain have with the rest of Europe? What will happen to jobs, trade and prices? Will the economy collapse? Economic analysts had warned that a British exit from the EU, or Brexit, could push Europes second-largest economy back into recession, with repercussions felt around the world. Major stock indexes in Asia, Europe and the U.S. tumbled Friday, and the British pound fell by more than 10%, to a 30-year low of below $1.35, before a slight recovery. Scotland, meanwhile, was threatening to launch a new referendum on independence, creating new uncertainty over the future not only of Europe but of the United Kingdom itself. Former London Mayor Boris Johnson, a strong proponent of leaving Europe who has been one of those favored as Britains next prime minister, vowed Friday that Britain would remain a great European power and was faced with a glorious opportunity to take control of its own future. We cannot turn our backs on Europe. We are part of Europe. Our children and grandchildren will continue to have a wonderful future as Europeans traveling to the continent, understanding the languages and cultures, that make up of common European civilization. Boris Johnson, former London mayor Read more Ginanne Brownell Mitic and Alexandra Zavis 1:14 P.M. Stock market plunges but Brexit unlikely to spark a U.S. recession Stock exchange boards in Madrid show a sharp drop Friday after Britains vote to leave the European Union. (Curto de la Torre / AFP/Getty Images) The Dow Jones industrial average plummeted 610 points, or about 3.4%, on Friday as global stock, currency and other markets convulsed in response to Britains surprising vote to leave the European Union. The so-called Brexit shouldnt lead to a recession in the U.S., experts said. Still, the turmoil caused by the referendum wasnt good news for the struggling U.S. economy. It marked another in a seemingly unending series of foreign and domestic crises in recent years that have slowed the recovery from the Great Recession. Read more Jim Puzzanghera and Don Lee 1:10 P.M. British scientists are freaking out about Brexit too Scientists in Britain are concerned about how the Brexit vote will affect their work with the ESA and other European science groups. (Manuel Pedoussaut/ESA) Britains decision to exit the European Union has affected all aspects of British society even science. On Friday, the Royal Astronomical Society, which works to advance science research in Britain, took a break from promoting new findings in astronomy and geophysics to weigh in on the results of the referendum. Now that the result is clear, albeit by a narrow margin, the whole scientific community, including the RAS, will need to consider the implications for research in the U.K., the organization said in a statement. Read more Deborah Netburn 12:57 P.M. Never mind that interest-rate increase Federal Reserve chief Janet L. Yellen (European Pressphoto Agency) Odds already were low that Federal Reserve policymakers would raise their key short-term interest rate next month. Now the Brexit vote has taken a rate hike off the table. On Friday, a closely watched barometer by the CME Group futures exchange put the odds at zero of a small increase at the U.S. central banks late July meeting. On Thursday, the odds had been about 12%. Investors actually think theres a better chance 4.8% that the Fed would trim the rate back down to almost zero. The rate now is between 0.25% and 0.5%. The benchmark federal funds rate had been held near zero for seven years in an attempt to boost economic growth during and after the Great Recession. Fed policymakers nudged it up 0.25 of a percentage point in December and have indicated they planned two similar hikes this year. But after surprisingly slow job growth in May, and with the Brexit vote pending, the Fed held off on a rate hike after its meeting last week. Fed Chairwoman Janet L. Yellen and her colleagues correctly anticipated financial market turmoil if Britain voted to leave the European Union. An interest rate hike also can roil financial markets by making stocks less attractive investments, and Fed officials dont want their actions to add to the tumult. Jim Puzzanghera 1:00 P.M. How did race factor into the Brexit vote? 12:42 P.M. Fateful OHare Airport pizza meeting sealed Brexit vote deal, British media says British Prime Minister David Cameron with his wife, Samantha Cameron, speaks June 24, after the vote on the countrys departure from the European Union. (Will Oliver / European Pressphoto Agency) If youre looking for something to blame for the chaos unleashed on world markets Friday morning by Britains vote to leave the European Union, consider Chicago pizza at least if you believe the British press. Londons Financial Times and other British media reported that during a meeting at a pizzeria at Chicagos OHare International Airport in May 2012, British Prime Minister David Cameron agreed to grant voters a referendum on Europe. Cameron whod urged his countrymen to vote to stay in the EU resigned Friday morning after the shocking result saw the value of the British pound plunge to its lowest rate in 30 years. But he might have saved his career, and the union, had he skipped sharing a pizza with his foreign secretary, William Hague, and chief of staff, Ed Llewellyn, according to the Financial Times and other British media. Read more Kim Janssen, Chicago Tribune 12:40 P.M. Three reasons Americans should care about Brexit (Justin Lane / European Pressphoto Agency) Britains vote to exit the European Union will have an impact on Americans investment portfolios, retirement savings and more. Heres how: 1. The U.S. stock market Why is the fate of Britains EU membership intertwined with U.S. markets? One reason is that businesses hate uncertainty. American banks forecast a 5% to 9% drop in profits next year for U.S. businesses when Britain leaves the EU, according to the investment bank KBW. The economic hit here will come as businesses hold off on making investments until the full impact of Britains withdrawal from the EU is known. Business investments create jobs and generate future profits, so British voters may have just taken away some confidence in the U.S. economy. Read more Jonathan Todd, NerdWallet The streets are packed with people young and old in Dodgers jerseys or Raiders jackets L.A. Raiders, that is. Some wear white socks pulled up high under Dickies shorts. There are shaved heads, tattoos celebrating Chicano culture, bright white Puma sneakers and flannel shirts, with just the top button fastened, over white undershirts. Dozens and dozens of immaculately restored cars are lined up and roped off, as people pose for photographs in front of the shiny chrome grills. A mariachi band on a stage blasts music to the crowd. The vibe is very East L.A.--but the location nowhere near Whittier Boulevard. Advertisement Hey whats all this? asks a woman passing by in a family sedan that looks very out of place. Festival Lowrider, someone says, pronouncing the word slowly in Portuguese Lo Hi Der. He moves his outstretched hand up and down to mimic the hydraulic bounce of the cars featured in old rap videos. Oh, yeah, lowriders, says the woman. Nice. Alex Hidalgo checks his phone at a gathering of lowrider enthusiasts in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Flavio Forner / For the Los Angeles Times ) Actually, better than nice. Residents of Latin Americas largest city have created a Brazilian version of Eastside car culture, capturing the music, the clothing and, most of all, those gleaming cars. Many people in Sao Paulo might know what a lowrider is, but within the festival grounds, the culture born in the Latino barrios of Los Angeles in the 1940s and 1950s has been reproduced so authentically that only the truly dedicated recognize every hidden reference. In place of a license plate, a bright red station wagon features iconic art of the smiling cat from the Felix Chevrolet dealership more than 6,000 miles away in downtown Los Angeles. Did this car actually come from California? No, no, of course not, says Rafael Ambrosio, a member of a local lowrider club and one of the event organizers. Almost none of us have ever actually been to the U.S. But L.A. is our inspiration, so we know all the symbols. They reproduced that sign down here. Renato Furlani, a tattoo artist in Sao Paulo, Brazil, is a member of a local lowriders club. (Flavio Forner / For the Times ) Ambrosio greets friends as he makes his way through the festival. To his left are a couple of dozen sparkling lowrider bicycles, tricked out more for show than for use. To his right are more than two dozen people lined up at a food truck to order tacos that in contrast to those usually served in Brazil are authentically Mexican. He admires a bright red 1974 Monte Carlo. Two huge flags on poles emerging from the windows blow in the wind one Mexican and one Brazilian. One side of the car features an L.A. logo in the font used by the Dodgers. The car belongs to Jose Americo Crippa. Known to his friends as Tata, he helped import the lowrider scene to Brazil. He was living in Miami in the mid-1990s, by his own account not doing much at all, when he saw his first lowrider and was intrigued. After spotting a copy of Lowrider Magazine at a drugstore, he was hooked. Jose Americo Crippa helped import the lowrider scene to Brazil. (Flavio Forner / For the Times ) Its a culture that adds so much to the city, he says. It helps the kids to forget a bit about drugs and crime, and instead they focus on art. Its art practiced on cars and bicycles. Were Latinos, he adds. Were not the exact same type of Latinos as the Chicanos, since they are far away and different but we feel deep similarities. Hes visited Los Angeles several times to deepen his knowledge, appeared in the magazine and starred on a Brazilian television program called Lowrider. The show inspired a Sao Paulo state politician to launch a legislative campaign to establish Lowrider Culture Week. The legislature did so in late 2015, choosing dates around the Cinco de Mayo holiday celebrated in Mexico and by many Mexican Americans. The state even provides funding to the festival. Jose Jesus engraves a door handle during a gathering of lowrider enthusiasts in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Flavio Forner / For the Times ) As in Los Angeles, most lowrider events in Sao Paulo are outside the wealthy city center. But there are aficionados from many backgrounds and classes. An older woman, accompanied by a young boy, makes her way through an outdoor exposition of photographs of Los Angeles. They find the red car with the Mexican flag and stop to marvel at it. Behind them, another food truck, Cadillac Burger, serves hamburgers and guacamole in plastic baskets lined with reproductions of the Feb. 26, 1942, edition of the Los Angeles Times. Were not the exact same type of Latinos as the Chicanos, since they are far away and different but we feel deep similarities. Jose Americo Crippa Jesus Camarena, a 36-year-old artist in an oversized white T-shirt, asks for a burger in a combination of English and Spanish. The cashier, wearing a bandanna on her head, speaks neither but eventually figures out what he wants. Camarena, who goes by the name Swing, is visiting from his home in Anaheim. The festival flew him to Brazil to engrave signs and car parts. The scene reminds him of growing up in Southern California, he says: Seeing lowrider culture in Sao Paulo is like having deja vu. Bevins is a special correspondent. ALSO Confused? We break down the Brexit vote for you $5.4-billion expansion of Panama Canal could reshape world trade routes Colombia and FARC rebels sign cease-fire deal in a bid to end half a century of war All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced. 19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc. Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Selena Gomez are among a group of more than 200 Latino celebrities who have joined a social media campaign urging Congress to enact tougher gun control measures. Longtime anti-gun violence advocate Prince Royce recently posted a photo on Instagram under the hashtag #DISARMHATE bearing the names and signatures of all the Latino artists now in support of the movement. Campaign Follows one of Worse Mass Shooting in U.S. History The move comes just days after 49 people were gunned down at a gay Orlando nightclub in one of the worse mass shootings in U.S. history. Another 53 people were also injured. All the senseless violence has also sparked a historic sit-in by Democratic members of congress now calling for stricter legislation on the issue. Among the proposals is a bill prohibiting militants on the "no-fly" list from purchasing firearms and a measure that would expand background checks. Led by civil-rights icon Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., Democrats seized the floor in raising their voices and demanding a vote on a number of gun legislation proposals. Latino Lawmakers Demanding Vote Central to the congressional movement were Latino lawmakers Joaquin Castro Tony Cardenas, representatives from Texas and California respectively. "If you are here representing Americans in Congress, you signed up to take tough votes," Castro said. "If you believe terrorists should be able to own guns then put your name to that vote. If you believe that we shouldn't have background checks then put your name to that vote." In painfully recalling how one of his childhood friends was once shot, Cardenas added, "I will not relent. I will not allow another 20 years to go by so that my grandson would ever, ever say, 'Grandpa, why, why did my friend die?" Authorities have identified Omar Mateen as the gunmen in the Orlando club shooting and investigators have indicated he had a history of expressing anti-gay sentiments. Mercedes to launch all-electric sub-brand? Jun 25, 2016, 2:00pm ET Reports say they an exclusively EV brand will take on BMW\'s i. Mercedes may be getting ready to launch a new brand devoted entirely to electric vehicles. The brand would be launched from a separate division, similar to BMW's "i" line, says Handelsblatt, a German business journal, and could launch as early as September, at the Paris Motor Show. Though Handelsblatt cites "people familiar with the matter," Mercedes' parent company Daimler opted not to comment when asked. However, as Hybrid Cars points out, Mercedes' British head of sales and marketing Ola Kallenius already told Autocar that they would create an all-EV BMW i rival. Mercedes wants the first model in the new line to be an SUV based on the GLC (not to be confused with the Mazda's fuel-sipping 1970s hatchback). The report says it could go on sale as early as next year, and Hybrid Cars adds that it will be followed by four additional models by 2020. It also says that the range will be approximately 325 miles. Tthe the cars will be built on existing Mercedes assembly lines, unlike BMW's i cars., allowing for more flexible production and help lower costs. A Daimler supervisory board is will reportedly decide on whether the EV brand is a go on July 20. Images by Ben Hsu. I cant be the only person who is asking that question and I see that Alisdair Calder McGregor was posing it yesterday. However, a lot of the responses seem to miss the point. We have not left the EU. What a small majority of the country has voted for is for us to withdraw. That can only be done by triggering Article 50 and beginning discussions on the terms of exit (as even Leave recognises). Only one country has ever left the EU Greenland. Their Article 50 negotiations took 3 years and they only really had to discuss fish. Nobody seriously expects we can do it in less time than them and most experts think it could take 4 or 5 years. Even if Gove et al continue to ignore experts, they will need to come back to the Houses of Parliament with their deal and get it passed. And what will that deal look like? It is hard to see how they could ever come back with a deal which allows EU citizens free movement. It is equally hard to see that the EU would ever allow access to the single market without such free movement. So, the deal presented would likely be a full exit which they would have to get through a parliament where the overwhelming majority of parliamentarians voted for Remain. In mv view, Parliament would be completely entitled to reject such a deal since there was never any clarity on what Leave looked like. The actual deal negotiated could then be put to the people either in another referendum or in a general election. That is the only way to ensure that there is genuinely a stable majority for exit and that the vote is on a real alternative rather than a fantasy island. I hope the Liberal Democrats will led that fightback and represent the 48% who are our natural voters. * Mark Goodrich is a former vice-chair of Richmond & Twickenham Liberal Democrats, a former expat who saw Brexit unfold from the other side of the world and now lives in Sevenoaks, Kent What happens now? Initial reactions in London and Brussels have been stark, along the lines of Out means Out. Will they change with more considered reflection? As the foreign ministers gather in Berlin today and the leaders of Germany, France and Italy meet on Monday to prepare Tuesdays European Council (summit) meeting, economic interests may have started to impinge on political considerations. It seems most likely, however, that when David Cameron arrives in Brussels on Tuesday he will find his 27 counterparts almost all singing from the same (German-language) hymn sheet. In a statement Friday by the Presidents of the European Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission it is made clear that there can be no further renegotiation and that the concessions made to Cameron in February are now null and void. The summit can be expected to rubber-stamp this. The most Cameron can hope for is a period of 12 weeks for the UK to sort out the shitstorm which will now be unleashed by the most calamitous case of self harm in Britains democratic history. The EU Treaties leave it up to the country which seeks to leave to decide when and if to invoke Article 50, to start the formal process of withdrawal. But the continental clamour for it will be deafening. Britains footdragging, wheel-spoking and taking home of wicket in recent years has drained any patience or sympathy our partners might once have felt. And what does it mean? I use the expression shitstorm because for a modern European economy of any size the EU is like Hotel California (of The Eagles fame): you can check out any time you want, but you can never leave. Britain without the single market would be a poorer country indeed. Unless Cameron and leaders of all sides in the UK together plead hold your horses, Germany will press for a rapid and polite divorce on terms designed to discourage any other member state from even considering following in Britains footsteps. Britain will be out of the European Investment Bank and will have no general or automatic right of access to the single market. It will have strictly two years to negotiate (for which in most areas read accept) the terms of its departure, and will not find them to its liking. Is there any way back? The UKs dilemma is that the vote was only technically 51.9% to 48.1%. It was far more 70-30 for Out in some parts of the UK and 70-30 to Remain in other parts. The outcome can hardly be said to represent the settled will of the UKs electorate. I do not believe that people voted for a break-up of the UK, however likely that now seems. When France voted in 2007 by 51% to 49% to reject the EUs flagship constitutional treaty (because craftspeople feared the arrival of the Polish plumber), the EU took a deep breath and decided to put the draft Treaty on ice. It was approved in 2011 in the form of the Lisbon Treaty. Here there is no Treaty involved, but nor has the process to leave the EU been triggered. Legally, this referendum was advisory, not binding. Could the UK reconsider? If the people wants OUT yet two-thirds of MPs want IN, logic suggests an early general election with a new government subsequently seeking a new way forward. The Conservative Party may in any case prove incapable of governing in its current state. Should a no confidence vote bring the Tories down, could their disorder and Labours woes combine and lead to a new centrist party forming, to stand against the anti-EU brigade? And if the centrists win, could they hold a second referendum? (The question on the ballot paper might perhaps read Is your indecision final?) Back to earth with a bump Like Major Tim Peake, the UK may well come down to earth with sparks flying around its ears. The impact of the vote on sterling and on the stock markets has already toppled us from our vaingloriously proclaimed perch as the worlds fifth largest economy. And long awited investment decisions could see production capacity rapidly moved elsewhere. So fasten your seat belts, I fear were in for a rough ride. * Sir Graham Watson was a MEP from 1994 to 2014. He led the EP's Liberal Democratic Group from 2002 to 2009 and presided the ALDE Party from 2011 to 2015. He is now a Member of the European Economic and Social Committee. Yesterday afternoon, I was somewhat nervous to receive notification that Tim Farron was going to make a major speech. Straight after an election, when you are still suffering from advanced post-election bone tiredness, is no time to be suddenly deciding to make a major speech. But it was a good speech and I applaud Tims display of righteous anger on behalf of the young and those who are boiling with rage those who are now shouting: we are better than this. Also yesterday afternoon, I received an email from the party calling the referendum campaign unbearable and unacceptable. Now hold on a minute. Can we have a little more reverence for the decision of the British people? We had a very long referendum campaign with an extremely thorough thrashing out of every conceivable angle of debate. It was on the telly, radio and social media at breakfast, lunch and supper time for months. Everybody had a chance to have their say. The turnout was massive. The result was clear. We are a union the United Kingdom so the majority prevails. End of. The people have spoken. Trust the people. We have years of wrangling ahead of us, as we shape our post-EU future. But at least we can be assured that people have seen a democratic decision taking place. The will of people has clearly prevailed. So it is reasonable to expect people getting behind that decision to make it work. And to say there is wiggle room within the referendum decision is the under-statement of the century. I dont think the associate membership being mooted is viable because the referendum said no to membership. But membership of the EEA and/or EFTA is up for grabs. There was no clarity in the plebiscite for ruling out continued membership of the single market. (The Norway solution was never clearly ruled out by the leave campaigns indeed many leave speakers cited it as a shining example). So, based on a future decision of our parliament, it is up for grabs. We can salvage quite a lot from this decision, once the dust and rubble has settled. While acknowledging that the people have spoken, one adds that what they have said, beyond the simple no to the question on the ballot paper, is not clear. If you prick up your ears to hear what they said, all you will hear is gobbledegook or gkabdkdithekenidbdunfkfnrjn. It is up to parliament to make sense of the decision and move it forward in a reasonable way. And that is where we can influence a reasonable and progressive solution for the future. I believe we can make it a solution which all those young people, who voted remain in their droves yesterday, can be proud of. * Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist and member of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings. Closing the Cancer Gap Higher mortality rates. Less access to care. Poorer quality of life. These are some of the realities minority groups face when cancer care is not equitable. The opening of Digital Office Centre Group's newest campus in the former MBNA site in Carrick-on-Shannon is set to be followed by more good news this week, the Leitrim Observer understands. At last Friday's AGM of Leitrim County Council, Council CEO, Frank Curran hinted at the good news noting that the former MBNA site is going to be very busy soon. Earlier this week the Digital Office Centre Group (DOCentre), listed the addition of its third campus, the Ready-to-Go offices in the Carrick Business Campus at the former MBNA site, on its website. The new campus offers office facilities in approximately 120,000 sq ft of space and its development has been divided into two phases. At present one quarter of the building is occupied by AvantCard. The remaining available space comprises serviced, semi-serviced and unserviced offices in turn-key condition. According to the DOCentre, the office has two large open plan floor plates suitable for between 200 and 400 people each with a third space containing smaller units. The DOCentre describe Carrick-on-Shannon as one of the most progressive centres of diverse quality commercial activity in Ireland. Numerous prestigious companies, big and small have chosen to locate here not least because of the quality of life, education, infrastructure, enthusiastic young work force, quality affordable residential housing and support services but also because of incentives from the local authority and various State and Semi-state development agencies. James Harvey, CEO of DOCentre commented there are very few turnkey office solutions of this size available in Ireland. He went on this space will be of particular interest to financial services companies, call centres and business outsource providers. The location is accessible to a large, diverse labour pool. Expanding further he said Carrick Campus compliments our first two offices in Ireland, the 20,000 sq ft office in Camden Row, Dublin 8 and the 50,000 sq. ft. in Maynooth. Independent local councillor, Enda Stenson, contacted the Leitrim Observer to welcome the initiative stating this would have huge potential for Carrick-on-Shannon and the surrounding areas. This project is a massive vote of confidence in this area and the spin offs from having additional businesses using this site, will be enormous for Carrick-on-Shannon and Co Leitrim, he said. I welcome this news wholeheartedly and I am delighted to see a state-of-the-art facility such as the DOCentre coming to this area. Cllr Stenson paid a special tribute to Leitrim County Council CEO, Frank Curran, for his dogged determination in finding an alternative business for this site. I would like to pay tribute to him and to the management of Leitrim County Council for pursuing this. This is a wonderful achievement and it is wonderful news for the people of Carrick-on-Shannon and Co Leitrim, said the Independent councillor. THE full opening of a new state-of-the-art emergency department at University Hospital Limerick could be delayed if a significant number of nurses are not recruited within the next nine months. Last week, the UL Hospitals Group confirmed that the new A&E at UHL, which is on target to open in March 2017, will require 100 new staff in total. This number includes nurses, non-consultant hospital doctors and consultants. It is estimated that, of the 100 new jobs, there will be 50 to 60 new nurses at the Dooradoyle A&E. However, a spokesperson for the UL Hospitals Group said that discussions are ongoing with staff and unions to agree on an exact breakdown of staff to be recruited. Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation industrial relations officer, Mary Fogarty told the Limerick Leader that the recruitment of a significant number of nurses may not happen unless there is a radical change in incentives for people to work in emergency departments. The INMO has informed the HSE that it will be watching the recruitment process very closely, and that it wont be in a position to, without our members agreement, to move into a new department until all staffing is in place. Ms Fogarty said that the INMO have been lobbying for 30 extra midwives to be recruited at University Maternity Hospital Limerick, for close to a year. Nine months on, they [UL Hospitals] are not further ahead with recruitment. She said that it will not be possible for current staff to cover a greater area, if there are few new nurses recruited for the new A&E. She said that a partial opening" could be an outcome. From my understanding, it is going to be a state-of-the-art department. Parts of it will have to remain closed, I would anticipate, unless the full staffing levels are available. We would have to consult with our members, but I would anticipate that we wouldnt be in a position to move until the staffing is agreed, she added. University Hospital Limerick had the busiest emergency department in the country for three days in a row, this week. On Monday, there were 28 patients on trolleys and additional beds in the wards. This rose to 40 patients on Tuesday, and peaked national overcrowding again on Wednesday morning, with 42 patients waiting to be admitted to a bed. Overcrowding soared at UHL last month, as 592 patients were treated on trolleys the highest in the country in May. According to figures released by UL Hospitals, there were 5,588 patients admitted at UHL emergency department. A spokesperson said that the group has long acknowledged that the emergency department at UHL is simply too small for the volumes of patients attending and is not fit-for-purpose. A FATHER of two who pushed a garda following an incident in a Chinese restaurant in Abbeyfeale had his case adjourned at Newcastle West court to allow a probation report to be drawn up. But Judge Mary Larkin said that the defendant Ryan OShaughnessy, Clashganiff, Shanagolden, must write letters of apology in the meantime and should consider a donation to the Garda Benevolent Fund. OShaughnessy was charged with threatening and abusive behaviour, with refusing to comply with garda directions, with being intoxicated in a public place and with obstruction. Inspector Brian ODonovan, outlining the background to the incident which occurred last September 14, said OShaughnessy had gone into the Chinese restaurant where he spoke to a female staff member and became aggressive and abusive and asked for sex and money. She subsequently gave a description to gardai who found the defendant in a nearby bar who became aggressive and abusive when asked for his name. He began to lash out at gardai and subsequently had to be pepper-sprayed, Inspector ODonovan said. One of the gardai was pushed out on to the roadway but fortunately there was no traffic at the time. She injured a finger. OShaughnessy was eventually restrained by patrons at the bar, he said. Pleading for his client, solicitor Enda OConnor said unfortunately, he had no recollection of the incident. There is a background here with alcohol dependency of long standing,he said. His client, he continued, was attending a day hospital for his addiction and was on a significant amount of medication at the time. It certainly didnt help things. But he argued that engagement with the probation services might be of significant assistance to OShaughnessy. This man has difficulties but he should have thought about addressing them before, Judge Mary Larkin said. He was extremely unpleasant to the lady in the restaurant and had no difficulty being violent to the female garda. She adjourned the case to September. BRUREE House has received planning permission to build apartments in response to the growing homelessness crisis. The largest residential addiction treatment facility in Ireland has received a grant for 750,00 from the Department of the Environment for the extension. Mike Guerin, counsellor, said people associate their work in Bruree with alcoholism and addictions. This is our primary activity but what they don't appreciate is a very high percentage of the people that come to us are homeless on admission. Homelessness is quite a big part of what we do and there is a huge link between substance abuse, addiction and homelessness. A huge issue has emerged where people struggle to get private rented accommodation post-treatment or post-transition, and this seems to be getting worse, said Mr Guerin. Through refurbishing current buildings there are 52 beds for the homeless in Bruree House. Now the new development will add a further six independent living places. Some people decide to stay with us for various reasons for longer than the three months for rehabilitation. We have done quite a lot of work this year, we have refurbished other buildings on the campus to provide independent living, homeless accommodation. Homelessness is a huge problem, said Mr Guerin. This year marks the 50th anniversary since the foundation of the addiction treatment service. When Sr Consilio started the first Cuan Mhuire one of the functions she saw was that it could be a place people could call home if they had no other home to go to. In her experience starting out working in St Vincent's hospital in Athy, there were these men of the road - what we now refer to as homeless. They almost always had an alcohol problem and would call to St Vincent's for a meal or get looked after in some way. Then they would move on to the next town. One of the things Sr Consilio said at the very beginning was, 'I'd like to have a place where these people could call home', said Mr Guerin. Sr Agnes, who runs Bruree House, said the JP McManus Pro Am and Benevolent Fund have been consistent supporters of the work of Cuan Mhuire for many years. We are very aware that we would not have the facilities that we have nor would we be able to deliver the quality of care that we do were it not for their continued and generous support, said Sr Agnes. Cuan Mhuires annual fundraising hill walk is on at 9am this Saturday, June 25 in Ballyheigue. Many will travel from Limerick, who have been associated with Bruree House. Jun 24, 2016, 11 PM By Michael Baadke On Nov. 5, 1988, the United States Postal Service issued a 65 stamp in the Great Americans definitive series to honor Gen. H.H. Hap Arnold (Scott 2191). Arnold was born Henry Harley Arnold on June 25, 1886, in Gladwyne, Pa. He entered West Point as a cadet in 1903 and graduated with the class of 1907. After serving in the Philippines, Arnold was assigned to flight instruction at the Wright Brothers Aviation School. He was one of the first pilots to carry mail by airplane, and also was the first to send a telegraph message from air to ground. Throughout the 20s and 30s, Arnold continued to make aviation history, stretching the limits of technology and endurance, the Postal Service wrote in its 1988 philatelic release. Along with other young Signal Corps officers like William Billy Mitchell, Arnold became a tireless advocate of a military role for aircraft beyond the traditional one of supporting ground forces. When the United States Army Air Forces were created in 1941, Arnold was chosen to lead it through World War II. In 1944, he was promoted to General of the Army, and he left active duty in 1946. Connect with Linns Stamp News: Sign up for our newsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter China salutes opening of Shanghai Disney Resort: New Stamps of the World Jun 25, 2016, 1 PM A souvenir sheet from China celebrates the June 16 grand opening of the Shanghai Disney Resort. The word happy is inscribed on the blimp shown in the upper left of this NT$5 Taiwan Scenery stamp featuring the International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in the Luye Highlands. The first souvenir sheet in a new Taiwan Scenery series was issued April 24. The four se-tenant stamps and the selvage depict destinations in Taitung County located in eastern Taiwan. By Denise McCarty China commemorated the June 16 opening of Shanghai Disneyland on two stamps issued that day. The 1.20-yuan stamp shows Mickey and Minnie Mouse strolling in their official Shanghai Disney Resort attire, according to Erin Glover, editorial content director for Disneyland Resort. Glover described the $1.50 stamp as depicting the grandeur of the worlds largest and most interactive Disney castle, with Tinker Bell soaring overhead and fireworks lighting the night sky above. Connect with Linns Stamp News: Sign up for our newsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter The Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works printed the stamps in a souvenir sheet of two and in a pane of eight with the designs se-tenant. The selvage of the pane of eight features an image of Snow White holding a bird and silhouettes of Mickey Mouses ears and the Disney castle against a starry sky. The selvage of the souvenir sheet continues the designs of the two stamps depicting additional Disney characters, fireworks, and the Shanghai skyline. Disneys largest international resort, Shanghai Disneyland held its gala grand opening June 16 after five years of construction. Bob Iger, chairman and chief executive officer of the Walt Disney Co., said: The grand opening of Shanghai Disney Resort is a celebration of creativity and collaboration, a triumph of imagination and innovation, and a testament to the strong partnership between Disney and China. Together we have created an extraordinary destination, a magical place unique in all the world, where East meets West, the past meets the future, and anything is possible for those who believe. It is our sincere hope that this spectacular place will inspire wonder and create joy for the people of China for generations to come. Taiwan Scenic paintings of Taitung County on the eastern coast of Taiwan are displayed on a souvenir sheet of four se-tenant stamps issued April 20. This souvenir sheet is the first in a new series called Taiwan Scenery. In introducing this series, Taiwans Chunghwa Post Co. said that its purpose was to encourage the people of Taiwan to explore the islands colorful landscapes. The top two stamps in the sheet are each denominated NT$5. The stamp on the right shows the beach at Sanxiantai, an arched footbridge, and rock formations. The people on beach are watching the first sunrise of the new year. The stamp on the left represents the International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Luye Township. This years festival is taking place July 1-8. If you look closely at the design, you can see that the dirigible in the upper left is inscribed with the word Happy. The ceremonial launching of a traditional Yami boat on Lanyu (Orchid Island) is pictured on the NT$10 stamp in the lower left. The Yami construct their boats using interlocking planks. Shown on the NT$12 stamp in the lower right is the National Museum of Prehistory in Taitung City. The area was selected for the site of the museum after prehistoric remains were discovered there in 1980. The selvage of the sheet pictures the bike path in Guanshan. Delta Design Corp. designed the sheet. China Color Printing Co. printed it by offset. Read more about recently issued stamps: New stamps from Great Britain combine animal designs and mail Stamps from Great Britain to feature Pink Floyd album covers, performances Spelling error leads to two versions of new Czech Republic sheet Jun 25, 2016, 3 AM One of the four stamp panes in the prestige booklet includes eight se-tenant nondenominated first-class stamps showing poppies on barbed wire and designs from country stamps for England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The souvenir sheet in the latest set in Great Britains World War I series represents some of the roles post office workers performed during the war, including serving in the Post Office Rifles battalion. The designs of the six stamps issued June 21 in Great Britains World War I series represent events of 1916 through poppies, poetry, participants, war art, memorials, and artifacts. By Denise McCarty On June 21, Great Britains Royal Mail issued the third set of stamps in its five-year World War I series. The first two sets in the series were issued July 28, 2014 (Scott 3313-3317), and May 14, 2015 (3397-3402). In this series, Royal Mail is exploring each year of the war through stamps with the following six themes: poppies, poetry, portraits of participants, war art, memorials, and artifacts. Connect with Linns Stamp News: Sign up for our newsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Six stamps in this years set are centered around events of the year 1916. Also issued were a souvenir sheet with the theme of the post office at war, and a prestige booklet with text, illustrations, and stamps. Three of the six stamps are nondenominated with the 1st inscription indicating that they pay the first-class rate (currently 64p). The first stamp shows Battlefield Poppy by London artist and photographer Giles Revell. Royal Mail describes Revells artwork as showing a single poppy standing against a chaotic and barren background. The next stamp includes the first line from Vera Brittains poem To My Brother, Your battle wounds are scars upon my heart. Brittain, who is known for her WWI memoir Testament of Youth, published in 1933, served as a nurse during the war. Written in 1918, the poem To My Brother was about her brother Edwards bravery in the Battle of the Somme. Edward was killed just a few days after the poem was written. The third stamp pictures Charlotte Lottie Meade, a munitions worker during the war. The image is from a studio portrait of Meade posing in her work overalls and head scarf. She died in October 1916 from TNT poisoning contracted while working in the factory. The other three stamps are denominated 1.52 to pay the rate for letters to Europe weighing more than 100 grams. The stamp representing war art reproduces Travoys Arriving with Wounded at a Dressing-Station at Smol, Macedonia, September 1916 by Stanley Spencer. Commissioned by the British War Memorials Committee of the Ministry of Information in 1918 and painted in 1919, the work is based on Spencers experiences with the 68th Field Ambulance of the Royal Army Medical Corps. The description of the painting on the website of the Imperial War Museums says in part: Spencer saw the wounded in religious terms: the dead and injured figures on the stretchers like Christs on the Cross and the Resurrection through the lifesaving efforts of the surgeons operating in the makeshift theatre. In 1938, Spencer wrote of the work, I meant it not a scene of horror but a scene of redemption. The war memorial shown on this years stamp set is the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission maintains this memorial in Thiepval, France. The commissions website says: The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90 percent of those commemorated died between July and November 1916. The memorial also serves as an Anglo-French Battle Memorial in recognition of the joint nature of the 1916 offensive and a small cemetery containing equal numbers of Commonwealth and French graves lies at the foot of the memorial. The final stamp depicts a commemorative medal for the Battle of Jutland, a naval battle fought from May 31-June 1, 1916, in the North Sea off the coast of Denmark. This unofficial medal shows a trident between a crossed naval ensign and a Union flag and also includes the date 31 May 1916, and the inscription TO.THE.GLORIOUS.MEMORY.OF.THOSE.WHO.FELL.THAT.DAY. According to the Imperial War Museums, these medals were produced by Spink and Son after a design by Admiral Prince Louis of Battenberg, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven, and sold for the benefit of naval orphanages. The medal pictured on the stamp belonged to Capt. A.C. Green. The firm Hat Trick Design designed these six stamps, using material from a variety of sources, including the literary executors for the estate of Vera Brittain, the Imperial War Museums, the Mary Evans picture library, and the Royal Marines Museum. The calligraphy on the Poetry stamp is by John Stevens, and the photograph on the Thiepval Memorial stamp by Mike Shell. The stamps are square, measuring 35 millimeters by 35mm and perforated gauge 14.5. International Security Printers printed the stamps by offset in six sheets of 50, sold in panes of 25 at most postal outlets. The souvenir sheet is titled The Post Office at War, 1914-18. The first of the four se-tenant (side-by-side) stamps reproduces a 1916 photo postcard of the Post Office Rifles. Formed in 1868, this battalion of the British Army comprised of postal staff is best remembered for its service on the Western Front in World War I, according to the website of the Postal Museum. The Post Office Rifles stamp is a nondenominated first-class stamp, as is the stamp in the lower-right corner of the sheet picturing a photograph of a solder writing a letter from the Western Front. The other two stamps are denominated 1.33 to pay the rate for international mail up to 20 grams. One shows the delivering of mail on the home front by a horse-drawn Royal Mail vehicle, and the other depicts bags of mail at the home depot in Regents Park, London. The General Post Office built this sorting office to handle mail from the troops. The inscription below the map pictured in the selvage reads: About 114 million parcels had passed through the Home Depot during the war. In October 1914, the Home Depot handled 650,000 letters a week. By March 1915, the number had risen to 3 million a week, peaking at 12 million a week at the height of the war. The souvenir sheet measures 146mm by 74mm, and each stamp is 41mm by 30mm, perforated gauge 14.5 by 14. The source material for the postcards and photographs shown on the stamps came from the Postal Museum, Imperial War Museums, and the National Library of Scotland. Hat Trick designed the sheet, and International Security Printers printed it. The prestige booklet includes four panes of stamps, text by Imperial War Museums historian Matthew Brosnan, and rarely seen images from the museums archives. One stamp pane includes eight se-tenant nondenominated first-class stamps with five different designs. Four stamps share the same design of red poppies with barbed-wire stems (Scott 2744g). The other four are country, or regional stamps. One depicts an aerial view of farm fields of Northern Ireland (Scott 18), and the other three feature the national flags of England (Great Britain-England 21), Wales (Great Britain-Wales & Monmouthshire 35) and Scotland (Great Britain-Scotland 35). Another pane contains the four se-tenant stamps from the souvenir sheet with a field post office postcard shown in the selvage. The three nondenominated first-class stamps from the set of six are se-tenant on one pane in the booklet, and the three 1.52 stamps on another pane. Royal Mails other products for this WWI set include first-day covers, a presentation pack with mint examples of the stamps and text by Imperial War Museums historian Ian Kikuchi, and 11 postcards reproducing the designs of the 10 stamps and the souvenir sheet. Ordering information is available from Royal Mail, Tallents House, 21 S. Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB, Scotland. Royal Mails two agencies in the United States are Interpost, Box 420, Hewlett, NY 11557; and the British Stamp Service in North America, 1 Unicover Center, Cheyenne, WY 82008. Read more about stamps from Great Britain: Great Britain Philately: Six new stamps issued in Great Britains Machin series Identifying animals pictured on Britains stamps is childs play The best and the worst of Great Britains Christmas stamp designs Carl Broemel is a Psychedelic Rock/Indie Rock musician, based out of Indiana. He is well known for his work with My Morning Jacket, but also has his independent work on the side. He had one solo album release in 2010, and this is his first single since then. He studied Classical Guitar at Indiana University, and eventually moved out to Los Angeles and teamed up with My Morning Jacket. I was unable to discover the record label that this new single was released with. This song has a very smooth and relaxing feel to it, as expected with thte title Sleepy Lagoon. His soft vocals and distinct guitar at the beginning of the song (which goes on throughout the song) almost give it a mysterious sound. I like the fact that the song does sound happy, but has this other mysterious feel to it. A very attractive asset to this song is the musical interlude at about 2:00 with no words. I think this is a very interesting time to choose an interlude (not even halfway throughout the song) which really makes this new single stand out even more. Interludes are usually seen in the beginning or towards the end of the song, but to have one not even halfway throughout the song is very attention grabbing, as well as the fact that is sounds very well produced. Animal magnetism may be a more literal concept than it's given credit for, according to a new study that finds that people are more attracted to their romantic partners after playing with magnets. The research is an example of a social priming effect, an old idea in psychology that has recently become more controversial. The idea holds that when people are "primed" or prompted to think about a particular concept such as physical magnetic attraction it affects their cognition in surprising ways. In this case, the magnets may make the metaphor of love as a physical force more prominent in people's minds, leading them to report closer feelings with their partners, said Andrew Christy, a graduate student in psychology at Texas A&M University and a co-author of the new study. [13 Scientifically Proven Signs You're in Love] Social priming effects have become a battleground in social psychology in recent years. The entire field is in the midst of a "replication crisis," because scientists have failed to replicate the results of many famous experiments when trying to repeat them. Social priming studies have been some of the highest-profile failures: In 2012, researchers failed to replicate one classic study of social priming, which found that people walked slower after being exposed to words related to old age, kicking off a firestorm of debate. Today, some psychologists are unsure whether social priming really exists; others think it does, but that the effects are subtle and very context-dependent, making the effects hard to measure. Love and magnets In the new research, Christy and his colleagues attempted to guard against a false result by conducting their experiments twice, replicating their own research. However, independent replication by other researchers will be necessary to show that the magnetism effect truly exists, the researchers said. In the new study, researchers focused on the metaphor of love as a physical force. They asked 120 students who were 18 to 22 years old and who were either in relationships or had been in relationships within the last few months, to fill out questionnaires about their connection with their partners. Before they began, the students were told to take a "mental break" by playing with blocks, putting them together and taking them apart. Some of the students were given magnetized blocks that attracted each other, while some had magnetized blocks that repelled each other, and some had blocks without magnets. [9 Cool Facts About Magnets] The participants who played with the magnetically attracting blocks reported greater attraction, satisfaction and commitment in their relationships or recent relationships compared with those students given the other two block types, Christy told Live Science. "The nonmagnetic and the repel condition didn't seem to differ from one another at all," he said. So in their next experiment, this one with 150 students, the researchers included only blocks with magnets that attracted, and nonmagnetized blocks. The people who played with the magnetized blocks again reported greater levels of attraction, satisfaction and commitment in their relationships than those who played with nonmagnetized blocks, the researchers said in their article, published May 26 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. Although the effects of the magnets on people's levels of attraction and intimacy were larger than in the first experiment, the effects on people's satisfaction and commitment were smaller, the researchers found. The reason for those smaller effects may have been that the second experiment took place later in the semester, and more students who originally reported being in relationships had broken up, the researchers wrote. Thus, more participants may have been remembering past relationships instead of thinking of current ones. Words to thoughts No one has previously studied the "love is attraction" metaphor, Christy said, though, in a similar vein, a previous study did find that people report that candy and water taste sweeter after they are primed with thoughts of love. A 2008 study found that people made to think of loneliness rate the room they are in as colder than those primed to think about being accepted. "These studies reiterate the basic point of conceptual metaphor theory, that these metaphors that we use in language aren't just figures of speech or ways of talking about things," Christy said. "They actually are reflective of how we think about things, too." Original article on Live Science. This article was originally published at The Conversation.The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Editors note: This article is part of our collaboration with Point Taken, a new program from WGBH that next airs on Tuesday, June 28 on PBS and online at pbs.org. The show features fact-based debate on major issues of the day, without the shouting. Organ transplantation saves lives. People with end-stage kidney disease who receive a transplant tend to live much longer than those who undergo dialysis. A kidney from a living donor will last from 12 to 20 years, on average, compared to eight to 12 years for a kidney from a deceased donor. But there is a shortage of organs. In the United States, the wait list for kidneys alone is around 100,000. Those waiting for kidneys make up most of the 120,000 people awaiting organ donation. The need for kidneys has led some to ask: Would purchasing organs be a solution? 'Should organs be sold?' is the question Point Taken debates June 28 at 11 p.m. E/10 p.m. C on PBS. Since 1988, approximately three of every four kidneys for transplantation have come from deceased donors, the rest from living donors who give one of their kidneys to a relative, loved one or even a stranger. In the United States, live donation seems quite safe. A recent study found that kidney donors have only a slightly higher absolute risk of developing end-stage kidney disease than healthy non-donors. What might we do to alleviate the shortage of kidneys in the U.S.? One positive step would be to adopt an opt-out system of deceased organ donation like one now in place in Spain, where the rate of organ donation is highest of any country. The default in this system is donation at death when organs are viable, but everyone has well-publicized opportunities to opt out of donation. As it stands, U.S. citizens must now opt in to deceased donation, for example, during drivers license renewal. The rate of donation in the U.S. is about midway among nations that are tracked. Unfortunately, changes in deceased donation practices are unlikely to eliminate shortages. Some physicians, lawyers and bioethicists have proposed regulated markets in live donor kidneys. Surely a lot more people will be willing to sell a kidney, assuming the price is right, than to donate one, their argument goes. Yet purchasing kidneys is not only prohibited by international norms, it violates U.S. law. The only country where a legally approved market in kidneys exists is Iran. But market proponents insist that legal prohibition of commerce in kidneys is a grave mistake. Are the proponents right? The answer depends in part on moral argument. In conducting this argument, it is important to steer clear of two implausible absolute positions. A matter of human dignity Selling a body part does not necessarily mean a person is for sale. (Image credit: Shutterstock) One position, put forth by market opponents, is that a persons selling an internal body part is always wrong. Perhaps the best known philosophical proponent of this view is the 18th-century philosopher Immanuel Kant. We are obligated always to act in a way that expresses respect for the dignity of humanity, Kant held. He believed that all of us, no matter where on the spectrum of talent, wealth, happiness, or others regard we may be, have a worth beyond price. Kant maintained that a persons selling one of his internal parts the example he gives is selling a tooth to be transplanted into anothers mouth is always wrong, apparently because this action fails to express proper respect for the sellers own dignity. The action always sends a false message, Kant seems to have believed: that the seller himself has a mere price. But, as I have tried to show, it is implausible to maintain that every time a person sells one of his internal parts, he is sending such a message. A kidney is not a person. In some contexts, someone could surely sell a kidney (or a tooth) and not thereby convey that he himself has a mere price. For example, suppose a senator sells one of her kidneys in order to raise money for a charity. In our cultural context, she surely wouldnt thereby be signaling that she herself has mere price! Another questionable absolute position, put forth by market proponents, is that buying internal body parts from informed, voluntary and autonomous sellers is always right that is, morally permissible. Consider this: One way to buy someones kidney would be to buy her. Would it be morally permissible for you to buy as a slave a mother who has put herself up for sale in order to get money to educate her kids? The position in question implies that your buying her would be right, assuming roughly that she is mentally competent, informed of her actions consequences and under no threat from others to undertake it. But many of us believe that your buying her would be wrong. In Kantian terms, it would express disrespect for the mothers dignity by treating her as having mere price. Black markets already have led to misery The implausibility of these absolute positions regarding selling and buying of internal organs suggests that the moral permissibility of markets for organs is a complex and context-dependent issue. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 10,000 black market operations involving purchased human kidneys now take place per year. Vendors in such markets, who are typically very poor, undergo serious psychological and physical harms. According to recent research, Bangledeshi kidney sellers suffered from grave sadness, hopelessness, and crying spells, and experienced social stigma, shame, and isolation for selling their body parts A study in Chennai, India found that over 85 percent of sellers reported a decline in health after kidney removal and that 80 percent would not recommend that others in similar circumstances sell a kidney. Proponents of kidney sales insist that regulated markets would not have these dismal effects on vendors (opens in new tab). Proposals for such markets incorporate provisions aimed at ensuring the safety of sellers and recipients, for example, through thorough donor screening processes and proper postoperative care. As I have argued elsewhere, even full compliance with the rules of a regulated market would fail to ensure its ethical acceptability. The existence of such a market might harm poor people. For example, aggressive debt collectors might force the poor to sell the fungible assets they always carry with them: their kidneys. It is naive to assume that regulated markets would be well-regulated markets. If the United States legalizes markets in kidneys, would not other countries follow, among them some who have had an active illicit trade? These countries, including Brazil, India, Pakistan and the Philippines, seem to have high levels of corruption and thus ineffective regulatory infrastructures. It is reasonable to worry that the kinds of harm that accrue to kidney vendors in unregulated markets would also befall them in some regulated markets. Whether we should adopt a regulated market in kidneys turns not only on moral argument, but also on whether doing so would actually increase supply. A recent systematic review of studies found support for the hypothesis that offering financial incentives for blood does not increase its supply. Of course, effects of payment might differ for blood and for kidneys. Nevertheless, for all we know market exchange of kidneys might crowd out giving associated with altruism. People who would otherwise have donated an organ might refrain from doing so if providing one has connotations not of moral virtue but of financial interest. It remains unclear how much regulated markets would actually increase supply. In any case, such markets should prompt ethical concern, especially regarding their impact on the very poor. Most of us reject the idea that the end justifies the means: we believe that some means would be wrong to take even to a good end like increasing the supply of kidneys for transplant. Under present societal conditions, markets would, I suspect, be among such ethically unacceptable means. They do not warrant our support. Samuel Kerstein, Professor of Philosophy, University of Maryland This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates and become part of the discussion on Facebook, Twitter and Google +. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Live Science. Check out our latest E-Edition Accessible anytime and anywhere on your desktop, tablet and smart phone devices. The Lodi News e-Edition is enhanced with the latest digital tools, including RSS feeds, social networking and much more. Check out our latest E-edition! A County Longford native has been appointed to a senior post in the Methodist Church in Ireland following its annual conference, which was held in Portadown last weekend. Dr Fergus O'Ferrall, who is originally from Abbeyderg in Kenagh, will serve as the Church's Lay Leader of Conference for the next two years. It's a representational role working alongside the Church's President throughout Ireland and overseas, he explained, adding that it also promotes the role of lay people within Methodism. Each year the Methodist Church here gathers for a conference, which meets for four days. The officers are the President and Secretary, who are ordained ministers and are elected each year, and a Lay Leader, who is elected every two years. The President and Lay Leader share the chairing of the conference. One of Dr O'Ferrall's first functions as Lay Leader will be to attend a three-day conference on the future of churches at Trinity College Dublin and in August he will lead a group of nine lay preachers and ministers to South Africa. He will also be attending the World Methodist Council in Houston, Texas, in September. It's a voluntary post but I can do it quite happily as I'm retired, explained Dr O'Ferrall, who now lives in Cabinteely. It would be more difficult if I was still working. Each week will be different. I will be travelling to churches throughout Ireland to lead and participate in worship and will preside over committee meetings, all the time encouraging lay people to represent their Christian views on a range of issues. Outlining his links to County Longford, he said: I was born in Abbeyderg and lived on a farm there with my father, George, my mother Vera, and my brothers Neil and Rory. My mother was a school teacher in Rathowen and she would drive us there every day. I was then educated in Wesley College and studied history and politics in Trinity. After that I did a H Dip and Masters in Education. During his professional career he served in senior roles with voluntary bodies such as Macra na Feirme and Adeleide Healthcare, and as a lecturer at Trinity College. Dr O'Ferrall is married to Iris and the couple have three grown daughters: Eilis, Deirdre, and Sinead. Local News, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: June 25 2016 Local leaders stood up against hate by denouncing the aerial display of a swastika ahead of Swastika Rehabilitation Day by the International Raelians. Long Beach, NY - June 24, 2016 - Senator Todd Kaminsky, Legislator Denise Ford and a group of bipartisan community leaders stood up against hate by denouncing the aerial display of a swastika, a symbol that invokes fear and terror, and reclaimed our skies ahead of Swastika Rehabilitation Day by the International Raelians. Bigotry and hatred have no place in our diverse community, said Senator Kaminsky. Swastikas are symbols of intolerance and have no place in our society, and its unconscionable that anyone who is enjoying a beautiful day on the beach should be subjected to this deplorable symbol. This is a despicable act, no matter how much you try to change its meaning this symbol will always remain one of the most vile of images in history, said Legislator Ford. While I understand that the group sponsoring this banner may not have malicious intent, the swastika is, and will continue to be, associated with the Nazi Party and its monstrous crimes against humanity," said City Councilman Scott J. Mandel, further stating that "it is extremely insensitive for the International Raelian Movement to fly such a banner through this area, which is home to a significant Jewish population, including Holocaust survivors, for which the sight of the swastika is likely to cause severe distress. If the International Raelian Movement, as per their stated goal, truly wishes to promote peace and understanding throughout humanity, I ask that they end provocative stunts like the 'swastika plane,' which only angers, frightens, and further alienates the Raelian's from the people they supposedly wish to reach. Anti-Semitism in any form should not be tolerated, said Rabbi Levi Gurkov of Chabad of Oceanside. The swastika invokes hate, fear and terror, and all those that fly its ugly flag are those that hate indiscriminately. We the ordinary citizens must go out and sow indiscriminate love and kindness to all mankind to counter such hate and bigotry. A little bit of light dispels much darkness. Therefore I commend senator Kaminsky for taking a public stand on this issue. The Rockaway Nassau Safety Patrol exists as an added set of eyes and ears, said the Rockaway Nassau Safety Patrol. "If we see something, we say something. Much of our work is meant to improve and perserve the quality of life in and around our community. We are staunch supporters of the first amendment and all other rights granted by the US Constitution. However that freedom does not allow for one to scrawl messages on public property or any other forms of vandalism. Hateful messages and/or symbols are meant to insight and spread hate. It is absurd to equate "tagging" one's initials on public property to scrawling a swastika on public property. The scrawling of swastikas is an act of hate as its intention is meant to strike fear, marginalize, and otherwise infringe upon ones rights to live in peace and tranquility. The scrawling of a swastika or any other objectionable symbols or message is not only a quality of life violation, it is an act of incitement, hate, and is altogether antagonistic and can inspire violence." Looking to stay up to date about all of the news stories and local headlines that are important to Long Islanders? We've rounded up the top coverage for all of the important topics from multiple sources around Long Island, so you can be sure you've got the most recent update on the top stories for Long Island. Have an idea for a news story? Email us at news@longisland.com Columnists Press Releases Luton is a large town, borough and unitary authority area of Bedfordshire. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 258,000. Luton is home to Championship team Luton Town Football Club, London Luton Airport and The University of Bedfordshire. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter. For all the latest news from Luton sign up to our newsletter here. Singapores offshore marine services provider PACC Offshore Services Holdings Ltd. (POSH) has been awarded a contract to support Shells Prelude floating liquefied natural gas facility using its semi-submersible accommodation vessel the POSH Arcadia. The 750-pax POSH Arcadia will be deployed to provide accommodation support for the hook-up and commissioning phase of the Shell Prelude FLNG Project in the Browse Basin, off the north-west coast of Western Australia. This is POSHs second contract for the Prelude FLNG Project. In January 2016, the POSH Terasea joint venture, comprising POSH and Terasea Pte. Ltd., was appointed to provide towage and positioning services for the facility. Chief Executive Officer of POSH, Captain Gerald Seow, said: The contract award for the POSH Arcadia marks our second contract award for Shells Prelude FLNG Project. We will continue our focus on ensuring that POSH Arcadia delivers its services efficiently, safely and without incident. The POSH Arcadia is POSHs second state-of-the-art SSAV. The 750-pax DP3 floatel is among the worlds largest SSAVs, designed to offer first class safety and comfort for operations in deep water and harsh environments. It is certified Clean Comfort Class by Det Norske Veritas, a leading international certification and classification group, reflecting the high environmental emission standards and stringent noise and vibration control requirements under which the vessel was designed and constructed to meet. The latest contract award is not expected to have a material impact on the net tangible assets or earnings per share of the Group for the financial year ending 31 December, 2016. For many in shipping, the Brexit was unexpected. Many believe that Brexits impact on the shipping industry will be more or less neutral. The UK Chamber of Shipping remained neutral on the question of Britain's departure during the runup to the vote. It issued a statement emphasizing the industry's importance in all events. "We are still an island nation that has to make its way in the world through buying and selling, and the shipping industry is here for that purpose . . . shipping moves 95 percent of the UK's international trade and we don't see that changing," the organization said. The chamber highlighted a series of key policy areas that will need attention from the government before the UK leaves. According to Lloyds List Brexit could lead to the UK's withdrawal from the EU's customs union, and the Union Customs Code could cease to apply. Shippers and freight forwarders could have to spend time and money adapting to new UK-specific customs regulations, and the introduction of such new regulations could have the effect of creating delays at UK ports and terminals. UK shipping companies or shipping companies controlled by UK nationals could lose the right to offer cabotage services throughout the EU. The impact on the UK's extensive maritime services sector remains to be seen, and Nick Brown, marine and offshore director of Lloyds Register, forecast a period of uncertainty ahead. Many shipping contract (for example voyage and time charters) provide for trading to certain countries or geographical regions. There may be uncertainty as to whether a contract signed pre-Brexit (which contains such a clause) which refers to the EU will continue to include the UK. IHS Fairplay has quoted Arthur Bowring, managing director of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association (HKSOA), as saying the decision came as a surprise but it was difficult to say how it would hit Asias shipowners. Not too sure how this might affect the industry, but any ray of light at the moment would be most welcome, he said. Singapore Shipowners Association president Esben Poulsson told IHS Fairplay that shipping, like all markets, did not like uncertainty, which is what the Brexit situation had given rise to, but there was a greater issue at stake. Precious Shipping chief executive Khalid Hashim told Lloyd's List the impact on trade flows of UK leaving the EU was not immediate. "The way I understand the treaty agreements, it will take the UK about two years before they can actually exit. So nothing much will happen in the immediate future in terms of trade flows which would have an impact on shipping." French shipping giant CMA CGM plans to use Kingston Container Terminal, Jamaica as a strategic Caribbean transshipment hub for an enlarged Panama Canal. The Port connects to US East Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and northern Brazil. Kingston hub is centrally located in the Caribbean Sea, opposite the Panama Canal just one days sailing away, CMA CGM decided long ago to make this a strategic location. Establishing a hub in Panama would have lengthened the route for certain lines plying the region, while Kingston has all the advantages, both for the very big ships and all the others, explains Olivier Tretout, CEO of the Kingston Terminal. While around 10% of goods unloaded at Kingston are for the local market, 90% of volumes transhipped onto other vessels are heading off in all directions, East Coast and Gulf of Mexico. A 30-year concession was signed between the Jamaican authorities and the CMA CGM Group (and its subsidiary Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited) to develop the container terminals staffing and technical capabilities: more than 900 employees, 2,400m of dock, 14 then 18 gantry cranes and a deeper channel, will all help to meet the new challenges. Its a whole new network for everyone, thats the issue, says Olivier Tretout. For CMA CGM, everything is now in place and its just a question of waiting until June 26th 2016 , the date set for the official opening of the new look canal. Luc Portier, CMA CGM Director of Studies, Projects and Development, said: Impressive works were conducted by the Panama Canal Authorities. A widened canal will bring new opportunities for world trade. CMA CGM has foreseen these changes and made Kingston a strategic base: modernisation works will allow the group to operate all larger vessels sailing in the area, and make Jamaica a transhipment hub for the whole sub region. As well as the widening and deepening of existing navigational channels, the makeover sees new lock systems that will be nothing like the old ones. Two sets have been built, one Pacific-side and the other on the Atlantic side, each comprising several water retention basins. On the administration side, the old lock gates, curved centenarians, have been replaced by new rectilinear gates that slide into the walls once open, thus increasing the usable width. Another notable change: while the old locks took eight minutes to fill, the new ones, although much larger, will fill in just 10 minutes. There are many anecdotes related to this massive project, including the meticulous operation to clear 400 hectares rigged with explosives in a former US Army shooting range along six kilometres of the channel leading to the Pacific coast. In a few months, all these technical details will be forgotten and priority given to the new opportunities it provides for global trade. Its important to remember that 90% of goods on international markets are carried on the worlds shipping routes: it is the safest and most economical mode of transport, facts that made it imperative to modernize the Panama Canal. But to properly assess the consequences will take around three to five years, the time it takes for a gradual evolution to occur. The era of the Neo-Panamax is only just beginning One of the remaining Magna Carta manuscripts from 1215, displayed at the British Library. Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images. 800 years ago today, a bunch of brassed-off English barons and King John signed their names to the words that would forever change the world: "There shall be standard measures of wine, ale, and corn (the London quarter), throughout the kingdom." Kidding! That clause is indeed in the Magna Carta, which established the rule of law in England and celebrates its 800th anniversary today . And many will surely hoist a pint-the near-universal measure of ale-to the Great Charter's birthday. But the clause establishing property rights probably has a wee bit more significance: "No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land." That is one of the three (of 63) Magna Carta clauses remaining on the UK's rulebook in its original form. It underpins the US Bill of Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Constitutions of most former British colonies (e.g., Australia, New Zealand and Canada). It is also the original investor protection. Magna Carta placed the rule of law above the rule of man, forever limiting the English Crown's power. Technically, it was a peace treaty between King John and rebel barons who were tired of property seizures, ad hoc taxes, forced marriages and, um, the King's fish traps in the Thames. Magna Carta enumerated their grievances and demands, and in signing it, the King begrudgingly submitted to the law-divine right or none, for the first time and forever after, the English sovereign had to follow the law just like anyone else. Of course, John didn't follow it (and actually had the Pope invalidate it), but he died in 1216. His son, Henry III, stuck with Magna Carta, and Edward I made it the law of the land in 1297. Most of Magna Carta is a relic, as Henry III rewrote the Charter in 1225, and Parliament amended or repealed most of the statutes in the intervening 800 years as they shaped the realm's common law. For example, basic principles like no taxation without "general consent" of the realm evolved into Parliament writing tax policy-and underpinned the American Colonists' "no taxation without representation" gripes. It also took centuries for the basic rights to expand from male landowners to every citizen, a change the gentry and Crown fought against tooth and nail. When the mid-19th century Chartist movement sought simple freedoms like allowing working classes to vote and stand for Parliament, Welsh and English workers died for the cause.[i] Nearly 30 years passed between their "People's Charter" in 1838-Magna Carta for the masses-and the Reform Act of 1867, which gave urban workers the vote. Another 60 years passed before full, universal suffrage.[ii] In other words, don't take it all literally-the spirit is what matters, and Magna Carta established property rights in statute and in spirit. The genius is in its careful wording. Instead of listing out what citizens can do, it enumerates what the government can't. As UK politico Dan Hannan wrote in a recent (and most excellent) Wall Street Journal op-ed , the small difference explains why Constitutions based on Magna Carta have protected property rights far better than those that aren't: The potency of a charter is not in its parchment but in the authority of its interpretation. The constitution of the U.S.S.R., to pluck an example more or less at random, promised all sorts of entitlements: free speech, free worship, free association. But as Soviet citizens learned, paper rights are worthless in the absence of mechanisms to hold rulers to account. ... The idea of the law coming up from the people, rather than down from the government, is a peculiar feature of the Anglosphere. Common law is an anomaly, a beautiful, miraculous anomaly. In the rest of the world, laws are written down from first principles and then applied to specific disputes, but the common law grows like a coral, case by case, each judgment serving as the starting point for the next dispute. In consequence, it is an ally of freedom rather than an instrument of state control. It implicitly assumes residual rights. And indeed, Magna Carta conceives rights in negative terms, as guarantees against state coercion. In other words, it is 63 bullet points listing what the state can't do. This is huge. A statute saying "you can invest freely" isn't as powerful as one saying, "the government can't seize your investments or money." A statute saying "you can start a business" isn't as useful as one saying, "the state can't seize your business." Property rights are the lifeblood not just of capital markets, but of every business in the free world and every penny in your name. Protection from asset seizure is what separates America, Britain and the rest of the developed world from kleptocracies like Russia. With precious few exceptions (ahem, Fannie and Freddie), we can invest safe in the knowledge that the government can't say "hey that's ours now."[iii] They can't zap our shares overnight, without due process. Vladimir Putin's seizure of Yukos Oil Company could never happen here. Nor can the government expropriate anyone's investments the way you might see in Communist countries or when an oligarch gets on Putin's bad side. Entrepreneurs can start businesses with little fear of the state taking over and booting them as soon as they're on to something. Absent a coup, the US government cannot nationalize your 401(k) to fund itself, no matter how much fear-mongering you might read to the contrary. Property rights don't make investing in the developed world risk-free. Not even political risk-free! Risk-free doesn't exist. But they do greatly mitigate one giant potential negative. Investors in, say, Chevron or Exxon needn't worry about Uncle Sam pronouncing the company his one day-unlike in Argentina, which decided Spain's Repsol no longer owned part of its state-run oil company in 2012.[iv] It is one less thing to have to contend with. Countries without strict property rights can have fine investments, too, but an extra layer of caution must always apply. So thank you, angry barons of 800 years ago, for making it so we all can invest in America, the UK, and any other Magna Carta-inspired country with few realistic worries the government could make our shares or money go poof. Poof-free markets aren't risk-free, but they are as good as it gets. So far, our post-Brexit commentary has centered on the UK and Europe-the epicenter of Thursday's vote, and the region with the highest stakes in the eventual outcome. But what about America, the other half of the "Special Relationship?" The long-term implications for the US are as unknowable today as they are for the UK and Europe. Trade, the primary economic issue, will take time to sort out-both with the UK and the rest of the EU. US-based multinationals with European headquarters in Britain can't know yet whether they'll need to up sticks. These are crucial issues, but they are long-term issues. Markets move on probabilities, not possibilities. With so much unknown, it is impossible to discern probabilities today. In time, they will become apparent, but that time isn't yet here. For now, stay patient, and know nothing changes for US firms doing business in Britain or the EU today. Tellingly, while US stocks fell Friday, they held up far better than markets in the UK and Europe. There is literally and figuratively an ocean between America and the Brexit saga. The US and UK share a long history, over a century of strong diplomatic ties, a language and a spirit of self-determination. The Magna Carta is the forefather of America's Constitution. The Glorious Revolution, which empowered Parliament to check the king's power, informed America's own system of checks and balances. The bonds between our countries are undeniable. Yet economically, America and Britain are less intertwined than many perceive. Yes, many businesses operate on both sides of the Atlantic. Many Americans consume British products daily, and vice versa. Yet only 3.7% of US exports last year went to the UK. Only 2.6% of US imports came from Britain. It is an open question how Brexit will affect our terms of trade with the UK. The US and EU don't have a free-trade agreement (more on this in a moment), though most goods cross the Atlantic tariff-free thanks to WTO and other arrangements. Preserving largely tariff-free trade with the UK is entirely doable, though not guaranteed. If Britain ultimately maintains its status quo of "Most Favored Nation" status at the WTO, then it should largely be business as usual. A huge protectionist backlash on either side, though within the realm of possibility, seems highly unlikely. Notwithstanding the US's overreaction to the global steel supply glut, which saw America jack up tariffs against UK steel exports earlier this year, there just isn't much of an outcry over this trade relationship destroying jobs on either side of the pond. Our economies have evolved similarly and simultaneously. Rightly or wrongly, voters on both sides are outraged at trade with other nations, but not at each other. Americans like their Jags and Rovers. Brits like their iGadgets and the occasional Ford Anglia. Raising tariffs would hurt consumers on both sides, and consumers are voters. Politically, there is no incentive to do this. Some have floated the prospect of a new UK/US free-trade agreement, which would remove some lingering barriers on some agricultural products and trade in services-especially financial services. Certainly markets, which adore free trade, would welcome this. However, the likelihood is impossible to handicap today. The Obama administration has said Brexit puts Britain in the back of the queue for trade talks, and an agreement might take a decade or more. But the Obama administration is out in six and a half months. This will be up to the successor, whether that is Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump or a player to be named later. Protectionist rhetoric has run hot on the campaign trail thus far, but presidents often moderate once in office. As for the UK, they don't even have a trade rep yet, let alone the staff of researchers and negotiators to get a deal done, with anyone. If a deal happens, it will take time. It's worth considering, but not a reason to get excited today. As for trade with the rest of Europe, the US and EU have been negotiating a free-trade deal-the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP-since 2013. It aims to streamline administrative barriers like food labeling and regulatory standards (think: auto safety, GMO products and the like), as well as liberalize trade in services, a huge area of opportunity for both sides. Initially, both sides wanted a deal done by year-end 2014. Yet here we are, halfway through 2016, and negotiations have stalled amid heated opposition on both sides. In France, Germany and many other countries-as well as the US-there are strong grassroots and political movements against the Investor State Dispute Settlement Clause, and the debate won't end soon. Multiparty trade deals are always difficult to finalize. The Trans-Pacific Partnership with the US and 12 other nations took years and may never be ratified. TTIP's road was always going to be rough. Some might point out that the UK, as one of the more market-oriented countries in the EU, would have been a powerful voice in support of TTIP, and negotiations are likelier to fail without them. Indeed, the UK has been a TTIP advocate. But they never had the power to tip the scales. EU trade agreements are negotiated at the institutional level, and the EU trade commissioner is not British-not a knock on anyone, just a fact and observation on Britain's limited influence. Plus, all member-states must ratify any trade deal for it to take effect, and the UK would have been just one vote out of 28. This always depended on local politics in the other 27 nations as well as the US. Nothing has really changed. Here, too, markets would welcome an eventual TTIP, but if it fails, it isn't a negative-merely the absence of a new positive. Stocks have done fine with no TTIP and can keep doing so. Again, these are the primary issues, and they will take time to discover. What matters most for investors today is this: Nothing changes immediately. Yes, Fed head Janet Yellen told Congress Brexit "could have significant economic repercussions" on Thursday, but it is her job to say such things, lest her overseers decide she is dismissive and unobservant. Yes, global markets reacted violently overnight and first thing Friday, but don't confuse an immediate, sentiment-driven swing for a rational assessment of risk. As Ben Graham famously said: In the short run markets are voting machines, but in the long run, they are weighing machines. Fundamentals carry the most weight, and US economic fundamentals should be fine over the foreseeable future. Gold And Silver: Security, And BREXIT We wrote the following article last Tuesday as a consequence of expanding on the key word "security" and what is its impact for most of us. Then BREXIT happened on Friday. Actually, BREXIT is all about security, concern about personal security for those who voted to get out of the elite spider trap called the EU. A few thoughts on that will be added following what was already prepared. What is one of the most important feelings one can have for him of her self, for one's family? In a word, security. Security that one is safe in their daily existence, from the time they leave home in the morning until the time they return at the end of the day, and all the time in between. Security that their loved ones are always safe. Security that their efforts for making a life for themselves, for the betterment of their family will not be taken away. Security that what one accumulates in the process of life will always be there. Is that asking too much? If you ask your family, your neighbors, your friends, all will say no. If you ask the government, you will be viewed as a suspicious domestic terrorist for considering anything that is not government promoted and sanctioned. Since when did the government become the Uberlord over all? Who gave that permission? No one! The government took it, and in the taking, the government has snatched away everyone's security. Where did it start? Follow the money. When were the most prosperous and secure times for everyone [we will focus on America to keep it simple, not to be narcissistic]? When the United States was first on a silver standard until 1834, and then on a gold standard until 1914, they were considered the most prosperous of times, and there were no taxes, no IRS, no overbearing government. The United States was effectively on a silver standard until 1834, thereafter, it was on the gold standard until 1914, with the exception of the Greenback era (1862- 1879). No other countries have been on a gold standard for so long and, not coincidentally, no others have been so relatively prosperous as these two were during their gold standard eras. The same can be said of Britain when it was on a gold standard for almost 200 years, starting in the early 1700s. Gold and silver were supreme money during those times. Everyone who had them also had financial security. Those who had little or none were still beneficiaries of security because that is what the prevailing sense was at the time. Some have always been better off than others, but the have-nots had their own relative sphere of security. Not today. The Rothschilds have essentially been the progenitors of what has become the globalist's agenda of creating a New World Order to rule over everyone and everything. How did it come about? How has the fabric of security that used to be the cocoon each family spun for themselves develop only to have it ripped apart, and also of societies, even nations? They took away the gold. They took away the one thing that represented financial security as the building block for financial and personal independence. No one needed government when they had their own ability to be free of outside control, which essentially means free of government control. The plan of the Rothschilds-*****-globalists has always been to take away all the gold and replace it with infinite debt in the form of paper fiat. The reality of security had gradually been replaced with the illusion of paper wealth. The globalists counted on the public's ignorance of what money is during their bait-and-switch from intrinsic value of gold and silver to the emptiness of the perception that paper was as good as gold. It worked. During the silver and gold standards, the value of the then-lawful dollar hardly changed over the span of 100 years. Since the globalist's foreign-owned Federal Reserve usurped the US Constitution and took control of the US money supply [as Rothschild doubled over with laughter from his grave], the value of a 1913 Federal Reserve Note today is worth about a few cents, give or take a penny. Where once prosperity and security reigned for centuries, over the span of the last century, people now scurry about like lab rats, trying to eke out an existence while government interferes with every single aspect of daily life, where Orwell's 1984 has become present tense, actually starting well before 1984, by many decades. "Four legs good, two legs bad." The elites have used language to control and [mis]lead the masses. Gold and silver have been replaced by paper [debt], plastic [debt], and now digitized accounting of debt [in the guise of supposed wealth]. The frogs [public] are boiling themselves alive, and sadly, those being boiled still look to the government that controls the heat as ironic "saviors." Black has become white. Lies have become truths. Life is a constant form of anxiety. People are not happy. How is it that the recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize wants government control of guns in America as his own government arms the rest of the world with the deadliest weapons known to man? How is it that people have allowed themselves to become so deficiently conditioned not to see the hypocrisy behind every form of government? Even among those who own and hold gold and silver, their minds have still successfully been conditioned. But to their credit, their innate sense that not all is as it seems in the faux "real world" that exists at the behest of the globalists and carried out by those who are in control of governments, including those who were never elected but still control the EU, buying and owning gold and silver is the most sane act one can do. "Stop The World, I Want To Get Off" is a title from a 1966 musical where the protagonist realizes who he is and why, after 35 years of making his decisions. Those who opt to own and personally hold gold and silver are making the best possible decision and stand the best chance in life. There may never be a return to the general security that gold and silver once freely represented, but owning either or both is the closest one will ever come to enjoying whatever degree once can in being secure in a very insecure world. "Four legs good, gold and silver better." As to BREXIT, the closer it came to voting, the more optimistic the REMAIN camp became, especially after the senseless killing of Jo Cox, a British MP who favored the EU. We commented on that tragedy, last week [Insanity Is World "Norm," see pars 19-21]. The night before the vote, it became close to being taken for granted that REMAIN would prevail. Our interest in the vote had a different twist to it. On Monday, 20 June, we posted an article, "BREXIT: As Above, So Below," It was not an article so much as it was a repost from an Australian astrologer who is a Gann advocate, as we used to be many years back. With the Summer Solstice and, more importantly, an afflicted Saturn passing over London at the time of the vote, [As Above, that which is occurring in the stars, impacts which occurs on earth, So Below.] From this perspective, the government's wish to remain in the EU seemed doomed. Would it the Saturn astrological aspect fail and the elite's government prevail, in light of the smug confidence of those in power on the night before and into the day of the vote? The results turned out to be a shocker for those politicians in power seeking to enforce their will over the people so ruled. We have been smiling ever since the results for exit were confirmed, and we trust Olga Morales was smiling even more. All of the market response and upheaval weighs most heavily against those who created all of these precarious financial conditions, mostly the bankers themselves, willingly abetted by politicians beholding to the monied interests. Probably, those least affected and not having an sense of panic are those who own and hold gold and silver. In fact, their value of holdings increased with no risk exposure to the panicking paper markets. However, it is not over. Never expect the elites to just roll over and go away. They have too much at stake. Typically, for those unelected politicians running the EU, whenever there is a vote against their interests, they hold another, and another if need be, until the voters "get it right." We also mentioned that the vote is non-binding. The politicians can find a way not to have it enforced. Given that all politicians are liars and their existence dependent upon the financial teat of the elite's central bankers, which is how the central bankers have set it up in order to maintain to control over governments, we expect the will of the British people to eventually be ignored. We would love to be proven wrong. The charts say to expect more turmoil in the coming days and weeks as the fallout settles in and sorts matters out. The key for gold and silver owners is to wait for clearer and less riskier opportunities that will arise in the weeks ahead. Owners and holders of physical metals are seeing their holdings improve, and over time, they will improve even more. We all know it is not "if," but when. Each passing month gets us closer to the elusive and unknown "when." If we knew when, we would say. All that can be definitively stated is that it will not be a day before it actually happens, and even then, it will be a process over time. It could be that we are already in the "when" window of time, but it cannot be confirmed until after the fact. Keep buying and personally holding physical gold and silver. Last Friday, you witnessed exactly what happens to paper assets when people lose confidence and panic. You also witnessed a preview of what is yet to come: days of gold rallying $100, silver $1. There will be more of those days, and even in greater gains. Political solutions and political promises are all false, such as those made by the EU, Cameron [Pinocchio man], Merkel, as much a deceitful liar as Obama himself. The difference between Cameron and Obama? At least Cameron had enough within him to do the right thing and offer to resign after failing to uphold the elite's template of forced political slavery of the masses. Obama is hollow to the core, no matter how numerous his failures. He brags about them as though they were victories The two dark horizontal lines on the weekly gold chart are previous failure highs that will offer resistance at some point in the future. The April failed swing high stopped at the January 2015 similar high failure. Friday's panic buying in gold saw the next level tested, the June 2014 failed swing high. Gold has rallied $150 in the past month. Some backing and filling would be healthy for this market. The exceptionally wide range for the week may lead to more of a sideways trading affair. It is harder to define paper risks during these times. For physical purchases, we see no risk. You own it. No one can take to from you or devalue it. An ounce of gold is always an ounce of gold. It is measured by fiat pieces or paper. Remember, when gold goes from $1,200 to $1,300, in dollar terms, it did not go up in value. Instead, the number of fiats increased by $100 in order to purchase that same ounce that has not changed. It is ironic that many say there is already a bull market in gold when measured by the Euro or the Pound, for example. No. The fact that it takes more and more Euros or Pounds to buy the same ounce of gold is an acknowledgement that the fiat paper has lost more of its perceived imaginary value. An ounce of gold remains unchanged. It is the deteriorating s0-called "value" of fiat currencies that have worsened economic conditions. Keeping things simple in the current world of chaos, let those who choose to deal in bureaucratic whim, [which also defines what a fiat currency really is], try to justify the unreal as having value. It is an exercise in futility, a fact Precious Metals holders have known beyond question. The EU "emperors" are wearing no clothes, and the British people just acknowledged it in their vote. All of the enormous disruptions in the markets are an attempt to reconcile people's reality and what they want for themselves against political deceits by those in control in order to get what they want, always at the expense of people. The price adjustments reflect the push-pull of people v politicians, and the range between the mort recent spike high, at 1362, and the low, at 1262, is most likely the range where the struggle for control will evolve. This risks are available to anyone, every day. The opportunity for profit is not available every day, at least not without having to take undue risk in the process. We choose to wait for the opportunity that arise less frequently. We still see silver outperforming gold, in the future. The chart structure is better for gold that it is for silver. Yet, the gold:silver ratio has come in from 84:1 down to 74:1, on any given day. This means silver is outperforming gold on a relative basis. We have no specific target, but the probability grows that the gold:silver ratio can come in to 40:1, 30:1, 20:1. The historic relationship has been 15:1, so that is not out of the question. We showed how the previous wide range bar on increased volume established a price range for silver [seven trading days ago]. Friday produced an even larger range. No horizontal lines were drawn to not confuse the matter. Now, the expected range within which silver may trade in the days, weeks ahead is 17.10 on the low side to 18.37 on the high side. It is questionable if any tradable opportunity will arise within that relatively narrow range, so patience is the guide for the immediate future, unless one is buying physical silver. For the physical, the time to buy is each and every time you have the available funds to commit toward stacking, and one can never stack too high. By Michael Noonan http://edgetraderplus.com Michael Noonan, mn@edgetraderplus.com, is a Chicago-based trader with over 30 years in the business. His sole approach to analysis is derived from developing market pattern behavior, found in the form of Price, Volume, and Time, and it is generated from the best source possible, the market itself. 2016 Copyright Michael Noonan - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. Michael Noonan Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. AMHERST The 25th annual Ko Festival of Performance features artists who all are Ko alums. "I've made a real point to try bring back the artists that audience members have been begging me to invite back," said Sabrina Hamilton, artistic director and co-founder. The festival will take place July 4 to Aug. 7. "When I spend time and money attending theatre, I seek unique and transformative experiences," said J.M. Sorrell of Haydenville, a Ko Board member. "Ko never disappoints!" Ko Theater Works is named for the 49th hexagram of the I CHING, the ancient Chinese Book of Changes. "Ko" describes "revolution" as a shedding of the skin - molting, Hamilton explained. "At Ko, we seek to shed traditional structures for creating and producing performance as the first step toward creating alternatives." The image is also about not just a shedding of the skin, but also about a molting in the sense of a phoenix rising from a flame or from the ashes, she added. "It's about sloughing off the tired and sometimes even boring parts of theatre and finding the vitality, the flame at the core." When Sorrell first began attending Ko performances, she was struck by the tradition of discussion after each performance. "Ko is cutting edge, and many of the plays are profound, moving, charged and political," she said. "Having the performers available for direct connection is a unique component of the entire experience." There will be five weeks of original performances, three six-day intensive workshops and one outdoor special event. "Our challenge is that we're not doing shows that you've heard of before. You don't come to Ko to see another production of 'Hamlet' or 'Noises Off.' Both great plays, but not what we do," Hamilton said. "And unless you're really up on contemporary theatre making internationally and across the U.S., you probably haven't heard of a lot of our artists." She said there seems to be a real appreciation at this moment in history for authenticity, realness. "To us, that doesn't mean doing a lot of plays where people sit around on couches or in gritty kitchen sets and talk in so-called 'realistic dialogue. What's different about what we do is that all shows at Ko are what is called 'devised theater.' That's just an academic term meaning that the shows are created by the artists who come to Ko to perform them. No distant playwrights here." During the last five years or so a core of people who enjoy attending Ko have taken it upon themselves to vouch for Ko, to bring friends with them, introducing them to the festival. "And they have come. We've had extraordinary growth in audiences," Hamilton said. Most events take place at Holden Theater at Amherst College on South Pleasant Street in Amherst on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. Unless otherwise noted, tickets are $20; $16 for students and seniors. The schedule for performances and special events is: * July 8 to 10: Ko Kabaret. There will be a different lineup each night as KoFest brings favorite artists back from as far away as New Orleans and as close as Amherst for a three-day variety show/gala. Tickets are $25; $21 for students and seniors; $5 off if you see more than one. * Sunday, July 10, 4 p.m.: The Little Farm Show will be an all-ages musical extravaganza about farming, food and taking care of the earth. It will take place on the Amherst College Observatory lawn off Snell Street. Tickets are $9 for adults/$7 for children under 12. * July 15 to 17: "If I Can't Juggle, It's Not My Revolution" with Sara Felder is a compendium of favorite bits and new material. Felder, of Oakland, California, said her performance will be an exploration of short pieces that define her career as a performer committed to social change. The topics range from homophobia to a Jewish queer wedding, from a gender-bending ballet to children's poetry, from women praying with the holy Torah at the Western Wall to civil disobedience in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "And, last but not least, my mother," she said. "This show will continue my signature style of talking about issues of significance through personal narrative, circus shtik and comedy." She contends that once people are laughing, their hearts are open to go to lovely, deep and poignant places; and by laughing together, the audience and the performer can go on a journey together. "And because it's live theater, that journey changes somewhat every night, depending on who is in the room with me," she added. "Plus, it just feels really good to laugh." Felder said that "in these troubling times of a mass shooting in a gay club and a presidential nominee who is unfit to lead," it has been profound for her to reflect on how theater contributes to grass-roots conversations on important issues as well as brings people together to celebrate their shared humanity: "I hope that my show and the others on the roster do just that." * Sunday, July 17, 8 p.m.: KoFest Story Slam and Party. This will include true, first-person stories of "celebration." Visit kofest.com to see how you may participate. All tickets are $15. There will be a cash bar and prizes. * July 22 to 24: "When I Put On Your Glove" with Sandglass Theater. Eric Bass, after 30 years, is passing the puppets from his signature piece into new hands. The result, performed by his daughter, Shoshana Bass, weaves "Autumn Portraits" material with reflections about the complexity of navigating generational artistic legacy. * July 29 to 31: "Freedom Project" with Everett Company. This multimedia physical theater interweaving stories, imagery and choreography is about the current incarceration epidemic in the "Land of the Free." It will be followed each night by a Freedom Cafe with speakers, performance and discussion. * Aug. 5 to 7: "Tenderness," The Performance Project's "First Generation" Ensemble Young theater artists from Springfield, contrast the dehumanization at the core of violence, racism and the school-to-prison pipeline with the eternal power of human tenderness. The six-day intensive workshops for performers, writers, storytellers, directors and all those who want to kick start their creativity meet Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Amherst College Campus. * July 4 to 9: "Dynamic Space/Poetic Object: Scenic Design Meets Installation" with Nic Ularu, a Romanian designer and theatre artist, is a hands-on workshop using non-traditional materials and spaces. * July 11 to 16: "First Person: Crafting Your Story for Performance" with Gerard Stropnicky of Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble focuses on how a well-crafted story can bring laughter, tears, understanding and social change. This is recommended for Story Slam participants. * July 18 to 24: "Solo Performance: Amusing the Muse (or the art of juggling the truth)" with Felder, solo performance artist, juggler and activist, uses objects, character work, humor and self-scripting to create fun and meaningful performance material. "Being flexible and determined to find a way to grow, change and listen to the audience, KoFest artists, our staff and the larger national and even international cultural community" has contributed to the festival's longevity, Hamilton said. "People who attend the Ko Festival, especially those who have been there before, know that they will be entertained, brought into beautiful and meaningful story, definitely laugh and often be provoked," Felder said. "Just as importantly, they also attend in order to be in community with each other. Some know each other from the incredible Ko workshops, from the neighborhood, from attending previous shows, etc. At Ko, the theater really does become a place where the community gathers in order to be together." KoFest is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency; the Amherst Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council; the Expeditions and the New England States Touring programs of the New England Foundation for the Arts made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies, Art Angels and by local businesses and individual donors. For more information, go to kofest.com. BOSTON A man was gunned down in a Mattapan street Friday afternoon in what Boston police believe is a domestic incident. The victim, believed to be in his 40s, was shot multiple times on Doone Avenue shortly after 3 p.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Boston Globe reported the street to be a quiet residential area, where neighbors report little or no violence. Witnesses told the newspaper that they heard four or five shots, but did not see who fired the weapon. Police were working to secure a search warrant for a home at 20 Doone Avenue but would not tell the press what they were looking for or how the home there figured into the investigation. Police are asking anyone with information to come forward. "As always, we need the public's help," Police Commissioner William B. Evans told the newspaper. REVERE The remains of a 31-year-old Oklahoma man have been identified after two years of searching by authorities. The Boston Globe reported that a DNA sample from the man's father confirmed the identity of the body found floating off Revere Beach in 2014. The Suffolk District Attorney's Office said Friday that the man told his family in 2013 that he was "going off the grid." They have never heard from him since. The man apparently had been living in the Cambridge area just before he disappeared. Meanwhile, his family had entered his name into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, a clearinghouse for missing persons. A person familiar with the case suggested authorities look into the name entered into the system, and they were able to find the man's father living in Utah. He consented to give DNA sample and the match was made. The identity of the man is being withheld because his death is not considered suspicious, the DA said in a statement. BURLINGTON,Vermont A fifth person has been charged in the May 29 death of a transgendered person in a Burlington homeless camp. The Times Argus reported that Amber Davis, 29, was arraigned in Chittenden County Court Wednesday on a single count of second-degree murder, and was ordered held without the right to bail pending appointment of an attorney. David joins four other people accused in the beating of 38-year-old Amos Beede May 22. Beede remained hospitalized in a coma until he died of his injuries on May 29. Four other homeless people were arrested in a San Diego, Calif. homeless camp. They remain in California pending extradition. Authorities expect the four to be returned by June 30. The New York Times earlier reported that one of the group, Erik Averill, 21, and Beede had a confrontation in the Burlington homeless camp, and Averill gathered a group of his friends to attack Beede. The transgendered victim was kicked and beaten into a coma and he later died. Beede was not a homeless person but was visiting a friend who lived in the camp. Besides Davis and Averill, 25-yer-old Allison Gee, Jordan Paul, 21, and Lyia Barber, 22, will also be charged with a single count of second-degree murder once they are returned to Vermont. TEXAS In the wake of the United Kingdom's decision to secede from the European Union, otherwise known as "Brexit," self-proclaimed Texas "nationalists" are suggesting that it is also time for Texas to depart from their union with the rest of the United States, according to AOL News. Cue "Texit." The push for a "secession" of Texas from the U.S. is an initiative that has been around for years, but its popularity has picked up steam recently. After the announcement of "Brexit" on Thursday evening, Twitter references to "Texit" purportedly exploded, according to Vocativ. The Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM), a private organization, whose stated goal is to "promote, secure and protect the political, cultural and economic independence of the nation of Texas," as well as to "restore and protect a constitutional Republic in Texas," has been "agitating" for the Lone Star State to go it alone, in the fashion of the U.K. AOL News says that the president of the organization, Daniel Miller, recently told an Australian news site that the "vast majority of the laws, rules and regulations that affect the people of Texas are created by the political class or unelected bureaucrats in Washington." The movement appears to be making gains in Texas. On May 6, TNM posted an update on their website declaring that "a major victory" had been scored, and that two-thirds of "the Texas Republican Platform Committee voted to place a call for a referendum on Texas independence on the party platform." Les membres du gouvernement ont pris note que divers protocoles seront signes pour le secteur des PME, des activites qui seront organisees dans le cadre de lInternational Day of Cooperatives celebre le 2 juillet 2022, de la participation des villages de Bel Ombre, Grand Baie et Trou dEau Douce a la deuxieme edition du United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Best Tourism Villages Initiative entre autres. 1. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of: (a) a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives and the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises of the Republic of India on cooperation in the field of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises; (b) a Memorandum of Understanding between SME Mauritius Ltd and the National Institute for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Republic of India on cooperation in the field of micro, small and medium enterprises; (c) a Memorandum of Understanding between SME Mauritius Ltd and the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India on cooperation in the field of technical assistance in fostering entrepreneurship among SMEs as well as transfer of technology; and (d) a Memorandum of Understanding between SME Mauritius Ltd and the Central Footwear Training Institute of India on cooperation in the field of training, technology transfer and promotion of products and services offered by SMEs. 2. Cabinet has taken note of the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the State Trading Corporation and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) for the procurement of rice, wheat, edible oil and other agricultural commodities. NAFED is an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in India, and has the mandate to procure, supply and export various agricultural commodities from India. 3. Cabinet has taken note of the activities being organised by the Cooperatives Division of the Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives to mark the International Day of Cooperatives, to be celebrated on 02 July 2022. The theme chosen for this year by the United Nations and the International Cooperative Alliance is: Cooperatives Build a Better World. The following activities would, inter alia, be organised: (a) a wreath laying ceremony on 30 June 2022 at Les Jardins de la Compagnie, Port Louis together with the Mauritius Cooperative Alliance Ltd; (b) a Gathering of Cooperators at the National Co-operative College, Bois Marchand on 02 July 2022; (c) a training session on 30 June and 01 July 2022 on the preparation of selected Rodriguan dishes to be provided by six women cooperators from Rodrigues at the National Cooperative College; (d) holding of a Cooperative market fair at Quatre Bornes on 04 July 2022; and (e) radio talks on the cooperative movement in Mauritius and Rodrigues. 4. Cabinet has agreed to Mauritius nominating the villages of Bel Ombre, Grand Baie and Trou dEau Douce to participate in the second edition of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Best Tourism Villages Initiative. The overarching objective of the Initiative is to make tourism a positive force for transformation, rural development and community wellbeing, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. The selected villages under the Best Tourism Villages Initiative could benefit from one of the following: (a) the Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO recognition, which represents an outstanding example of a rural tourism destination with recognised cultural and natural assets, which preserves and promotes rural and community-based values, products and lifestyle and has a clear commitment to innovation and sustainability; or (b) the Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO Upgrade Programme, whereby selected villages would receive support from UNWTO and its Partners in improving elements of the areas identified as gaps in the evaluation process. Last year, Le Morne and Old Grand Port villages were awarded the Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO recognition. 5. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the 22nd African Senior Athletics Championships held in Mauritius at the Cote dOr National Sports Complex from 08 to 12 June 2022. A total of 785 athletes and officials from 47 countries participated in the Championships. 6. Cabinet has taken note of the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic prevailing across the world. Some 546.7 million cases have been reported globally, of which 522.3 million persons have been successfully treated. With regard to Mauritius, as at 22 June 2022, there were 268 active cases of COVID-19, out of which 17 were admitted at the New ENT Hospital. Over the period 16 to 22 June 2022, one death was attributed to COVID-19. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Le Leader du MMM a annonce le 8 octobre 2022 quil a rencontre celui du Ptr le 6 octobre 2022 dans leur quartier residentiel. La rencontre Paul Berenger / Dr Navin Ramgoolam a ete une occasion pour le leader des rouges dexpliquer le retrait de sa petition contestant les elections dans la circonscription No 10, Montagne Blanche / Grand Riviere/Sud Est. A une question de Maurice Info si les negociations ont avance, Paul Berenger a indique qu;il ne va en parler sur la place publique avant dajouter que les leaders lEntente de lEspoir aura une nouvelle rencontre. Elle aura lieu apres les retours de Xavier Luc Duval et de Nando Bodha actuellement en France et Inde respectivement. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Family members of the fallen Airmen of the Khobar Towers attack gathered at The Maxwell-Gunter Annex, Alabama, at the Air Force Enlisted Heritage Hall.They were there to witness the unveiling of the newest exhibit honoring the nineteen Airman that perished during the attack, June 23, 2016. On June 25, 1996, 19 Airmen, 17 of whom were enlisted, were killed when a bomb exploded near a housing complex in the city of Khobar, Saudi Arabia. In honor of 20th anniversary of this attack, the Air Force Enlisted Heritage Hall personnel hosted a wreath laying ceremony and presented their newest Khobar Towers display within the museum. The original display from 1999 featured three manikins donning the uniforms of Airman 1st Class Justin Wood, Master Sgt. Michael Heiser and Staff Sgt. Kevin Johnson. The new display is now larger and in addition to the three manikins it also features a plaque with the names of the 19 Airmen who died that day, a memorial bench and an expansion of the artifact display. The exhibit is also the first to have alternate flooring as part of the display, leading up to the display is a simulated road to signify the road that passed by the towers, which allowed the building to be accessible to the attack. After the unveiling, Richard Wood, father of Airman 1st Class Justin Wood, peered through the glass case and admired at his sons belongings, including his full service dress and a name tag. To be honest its a little hard not to keep a tear from rolling down my cheek, but its kind of a cool feeling, Wood said. He decided to attend the event for a couple reasons: not only to honor his son, but to hopefully meet survivors of the attack. Some of them have a real hard time talking to us, because they feel guilty they survived, but I wanted to meet a few of those guys and tell them that they are in our thoughts, Wood said. Chief Master Sgt. Emily Shade, Air Force Enlisted Research Institute and Air Force Enlisted Heritage Hall director, had been through all the planning stages of the event, however, she did not realize the affect the ceremony would have over her. I was not at Khobar towers and I had not deployed at that point in my career, but I was an Airman first class when Khobar Towers happened and I remember the event, she said. I didnt expect the dedication and ceremony to impact me emotionally, but I had a real moment of reflection this morning. Those Airmen were my peers when I was an Airman first class, and had they not been killed that day, they would be my Chief Master Sergeant peers right now, so it really touched my heart that they were me and I was them. Woods message to Airmen was for them to know that there are still people out there who respect what they do, that they are loved and to be safe. by Robert Heavrin , Columnist, June 23, 2016 Historically, I have not been an early adopter. Heck, I still had a flip phone well after the iPhone 4 launch. Years after organic food caught on, I was still eating fast food everyday. However, I have just broken my mold and become one of the first few (defined loosely) to eat Certified Transitional food. That's right, you heard me. Certified Transitional. Certified Transitional food is grown by farmers who are in the process of becoming certified organic but have not yet finished jumping through three years worth of costly bureaucratic hoops. While Certified Transitional may not yet have the organic label, it still offers the benefits of organic foods: no synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Why on earth would I rush out to buy Kashi's Dark Cocoa Karma cereal, the first Certified Transitional product? Better yet, why would Kashi develop it in the first place? Let's start with Kashi. Activating enduring purpose in new, exciting ways In 2015, per Ad Age, Kellogg Co., Kashi's parent company, issued an ad-agency-review RFP, which cited a few reasons for Kashi's recent decline in sales, including that the brand had lost traction with core consumers due to stale innovation and lack of purposeful brand positioning. Fast-forward to the recent Sustainable Brands Conference in San Diego, where Kashi CEO David Denholm introduced and explained how the Certified Transitional label came to fruition. He did not mention any of the above issues, but it was clear innovation and purpose were top of mind for Kashi. He spoke about how Kashi has been following the same purpose for 30 years: To enable powerful, uplifting health through plant-based foods. And how in today's world, activating this purpose requires not only focusing on nutrition, but on how are products are made...(and) the impact on the world in which we live. This acknowledgement of a need to broaden how they activate Kashi's purpose led his team to set out on a journey to answer the question: how do we increase the amount of organic farmland in the United States? Helping suppliers while addressing a core consumer need Conversations with farmers awoke Kashi to the idea that supporting farmers in transition could lead to more organic farmland in the United States. While helping their suppliers is great, Kashi was sure to test the Certified Transitional idea with consumers to ensure it resonated. I bet Kashi knew their new concept did better than just sound nice to consumers, but that it tapped into a previously unsatisfied need of their core consumer, a critical element for successful innovation. Denholm did not define Kashi's core consumer, but I believe that the most ardent natural foods consumers are evangelists for the organic cause who, like Kashi, want to spread the accessibility of organic foods. For example, I've been buying organic food for years now. Even in times where I've thought, man, I can't afford this, I plowed ahead thinking the more organic I buy, the more supply there will be, and eventually costs will lower both for me and others. However, as Kashi points out on the Dark Cocoa Karma packaging, less than 1% of U.S. farmland is certified organic, leaving me feeling pretty powerless. Clearly, my fellow tree huggers and I have not made much of a dent. So, by helping transitioning farmers, Kashi is also addressing consumer needs in a pioneering way. Starting a movement Kashi doesn't just want to sell more cereal, they want to start a movement. They want other manufacturers to join them in creating Certified Transitional products. However, they'll first have to create the consumer demand. We'll have to wait and see how much media spend Kashi puts behind the movement, but for starters they've created a couple of YouTube videos that promote and explain Certified Transitional and they're encouraging usage of the hashtag #gotogether. The videos are informative, but even for a topic I am passionate about, they didn't leave me issuing triumphant fist pumps. I think there is opportunity in future content to stimulate a more emotional responsea critical ingredient to getting engagement. Stories could be crafted illustrating the emotional impact that buying this product can have on consumersthe surge of adrenaline that can come from being apart of a movement, a team, that is going together to better the world. At least, that's how I felt when I bought the cereal. by Kipp Jarecke-Cheng , Columnist, June 24, 2016 After more than 20 years of subscribing to The New York Times, Ive finally faced reality and canceled home delivery of the print edition and moved exclusively to an all-access digital pass. Truth is, its been years since Ive regularly read The New York Timesor The Wall Street Journal or the Washington Post, for that matterin print, at least. In fact, Ive spent the past four or five years methodically suspending my home delivery and simply reading the Times on my iPhone, tablet or laptop. When I mentioned to some Millennial colleagues that I finally gave up reading The New York Times in print in favor of reading it in digital formats, their reactions ranged from, What took you so long? to BuzzFeed is better than the Times, LOL! to Theres a print version? Indeed, it seems as if Im one of the last of my cohorts to give up the ghost on print media. Having spent the early part of my career working at print magazines, Id been a longtime advocate and fan of the printed page. Apparently, my reading habits were more akin to a 65-year-old, college-educated matron than a Gen Xer who works in new media and tech. Whomp whomp. advertisement advertisement Depending on who you believe, Millennials are still totally into newspapers or only the olds read newspapers, obvs. If my daily commute into the city is any indicator, nobody seems to be reading printed newspapers nowadays. A few years ago, the morning rush-hour train would reliably be awash with (admittedly mostly older-than-30-year-old) commuters flipping through newspapers. This morning, I counted just one person on the train with a printed newspaper, but he looked like a Millennial hipster who was reading the Life section of USA Today ironically. Everyone else was held captive by the content on the tiny and some not-so-tiny screens in front of them. Instead of the rustle of newsprint, the only sounds to be heard on the quiet car these days are the barely audible clicks of smartphone keyboards and home screen buttons. While theres no denying that newspaper readership, circulation and revenue have been on a steady decline for many years, the debate over whos to blame for the death of printed newspapers seems to rage on. Aging and dying newspaper readers aside, its easy to point judge-y, old-people fingers at digitally native Millennialswho have eschewed ink for bitsas the main accelerators of prints demise. But advertisers, too, can be blamed as their investment and spending in digital platforms havent kept pace with the rapid migration of readers from print to digital. The transformation of the media landscape has been compounded by the transformation of the relative size and kinds of information that consumers of all generations seem to want these days. In our Snapchat, short-attention-span world, why would any of us want to sort through a standard lede and nut graf when we can watch hilarious videos of cats playing pianos or scroll through a photo-driven listicle of Caitlyn Jenners most glamorous looks, amirite? Im not saying that we might have gotten a little bit stupider over time, Im just sayin. As a graduate student in 1994, subscribing to the Gray Lady was a rite of passage that felt like one of the first adult things that I did. But everyone knows that adulting is hard, especially when youre lugging around an ancient artifact like a printed newspaper under your arm, so giving up on printed newspapers might be the most grownup thing that Ive done in a long time. Despite migraine being the third most prevalent illness worldwide, the underlying causes of the condition have been unclear. Now, in what is deemed the largest genetic study of migraine to date, researchers have uncovered 28 new genetic variants that may fuel migraine development. Share on Pinterest Researchers have identified 28 new genetic risk variants for migraine. Published in Nature Genetics, the study reveals that many of these genetic variants are inside or nearby genes that either govern the vascular system or have been associated with vascular disease. The study researchers all of whom are members of the International Headache Genetics Consortium (IHGC) say their findings provide further evidence that migraine can arise as a result of impaired blood vessel function. According to the Migraine Research Foundation, around 1 in 4 households in the United States include someone who experiences migraine. Many people perceive migraine simply as a bad headache, but this is not the case. A migraine attack can cause severe throbbing on one or both sides of the head, and this may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to sound and light, visual problems, and tingling or numbness of the face. Such symptoms can last anywhere from 4-72 hours, and at times, they can be so severe that a hospital visit is required; each year, around 1.2 million visits to the emergency room in the U.S. are due to acute migraine attacks. Current treatments for migraine focus on alleviating symptoms of the condition, but they do not work for everyone. Because little is known about what causes migraine, identifying new treatments or a cure is challenging. Prof. Aarno Palotie, co-author of the new study and leader of the IHGC, and colleagues say their findings could bring us closer to such a feat. Advertisement Intermountain Medical Center Urological Institute director Jay Bishoff, and radiologist Talmage Shill, prepared CT scans to produce a 3D rendering of Green's kidney using technology at the Intermountain Transformation Lab, a facility that is the only one of it's kind in the Intermountain West.Transformation Lab specialists Cory Smith and Billy Prows worked with Dr. Bishoff and Dr. Shill to render the CT scans for 3D printing. The team rendered and printed the model in two halves, so Dr. Bishoff could examine exactly how the tumor attached to the kidney. This is how he found a small nub that extended up into a pocket where the kidney collects urine."Without the 3-D model, the visual images of the CT scans would not have allowed us to identify this nub prior to the surgery," he said. "The 3D printing technology allowed us to prepare a more complete plan for the patient's surgery, show the patient the complexities of the procedure and what would be done during surgery to remove the tumor and save the kidney."Dr. Bishoff not only used the model to prepare for the surgery, but also brought it into the operating room to reference during the procedure. Through the multi-disciplinary team's efforts, they managed to remove the tumor and save Green's kidney."I'm just so thankful for everybody at the hospital who was involved and cared," Green said. Dr. Bishoff was the last of many doctors to examine Green's case, and she felt 'totally confident' in his ability to perform the surgery. "It was like a night-and-day difference, and I completely trust him too. Dr. Bishoff kept me informed and called me personally, which I very much appreciated."The Intermountain Healthcare Transformation Lab gathers cutting-edge technologies and assembles creative and experienced personnel to advance healthcare practices."We're giving doctors additional visual tools to see the anatomy in a different way," Smith said. "In the transformation lab we talk about reimagining imaging - it's the evolution of imaging."The Intermountain Urological Institute tracks urological patient outcomes to determine best practices. The institute is at the forefront of evidence-based and advanced-technological treatment methods."While this technology is in its infancy, it is a big step forward in using new technologies like 3D printing to improve patient care," Dr. Bishoff said.The institute is based at Intermountain Medical Center, which is the flagship hospital for the Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare system.Source: Eurekalert Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends. Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice. Advertisement The daily regime for HIV-TB patients will also be started across the country in July.Speaking about pediatric TB and the steps to reduce it, Dr Swaminathan said, "One thing that we have done for pediatric TB is scaling up molecular diagnostics like GeneXpert. Started as a four-city project, it has now expanded to 30 cities. In all the cities where GeneXpert has been placed by the government, HIV-TB, pediatric TB and re-treatment cases have been prioritized. We find that there has been a jump in the bacteriological diagnosis of pediatric TB, and we are now diagnosing MDR-TB in children."The rate of drug resistance in children is the same as in adults. Thus it is very important to diagnose and put children on an appropriate treatment path.The drug formulation for MDR-TB is still an issue. Drug formulation for children under six years is still not there. "We are hoping that some company will come forward with a formulation," said Swaminathan.Maharashtra ranks first with the highest tuberculosis cases in the country. A total of 1.3 lakh fresh cases of tuberculosis were recorded in the State last year. About 28,000 cases were recorded in Mumbai. Of these, 5,500 were cases of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, with Mumbai's share at a worrisome 3,600, said Dr. Sujata Saunik, principal secretary (health), Maharashtra government.Source: Medindia Advertisement At the same time, employers might worry that employees are using these tools for non-work purposes while on the job or engaging in a speech in public venues that might reflect poorly on their organization."While 27 percent use social media to connect with friends and family while at work, 24 percent use it to make or support professional connections," the findings showed.Twenty percent go to social media to get information that helps them solve problems at work while 17 percent use it to build or strengthen personal relationships with coworkers."Some 14 percent of workers have found information on social media that has improved their professional opinion of a colleague; at the same time, a similar share (16 percent) have found information on social media that has lowered their professional opinion of a colleague," the survey said.Younger workers are more likely to find information on social media that changes their opinion of a co-worker.Some 23 percent of workers ages 18 to 29 report that they have discovered information on social media that improved their professional opinion of a colleague.Many workers report that their employers have policies about social media use on the job, or about how employees may present themselves in various online spaces.Half of all full-time and part-time workers (51 percent) say their workplace has rules about using social media while at work (45 percent say their employer does not have these policies), while 32 percent report that their employer has policies about how employees may present themselves on the internet in general (63 percent say their employer does not have these policies).Workers whose employers have at-work social media policy are less likely to use social media for personal reasons while on the job, the findings showed.Seventy-eight percent of workers who use social media platforms for work-related purposes says social media is useful for networking or finding new job opportunities."In the end, a majority (56 percent) of these workers believe that using social media ultimately helps their job performance. One-in-five (22 percent) believe that it mostly hurts, 16 percent feel that it doesn't have much impact either way and 4 percent see both the benefits and the drawbacks," the researchers noted.Indeed, some 17 percent of workers report that they "hardly ever" use the internet on a typical day for work-related tasks while 25 percent report that they "never" use the internet for this reason.Source: IANS Advertisement Vigil and Stith said, "The federal government continues to categorize Cannabis sativa as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, a more restrictive categorization than that used for cocaine, methamphetamine and PCP."The definition of a Schedule I drug includes a 'high potential for abuse', and 'no currently accepted medical use', implying 'a lack of accepted safety use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision', according to Vigil and Stith.The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) controls the supply of Cannabis sativa to researchers. The active agent in Cannabis, Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, has potency levels in the products that NIDA supplies that fall far below those of medical Cannabis sativa regularly sold and used in the U.S., significantly limiting the external validity of most clinical research designed to study the effects of Cannabis sativa on health, both positive and negative."This has created a truly unique and an unnecessary paradox in modern medicine, in which physicians are authorizing treatments to patients, and patients are regularly using medication without a scientific basis of knowledge on patient outcomes, forced rather to rely only on scientifically invalid or anecdotal information," Vigil and Stith said.Apart from following internal human subject protection procedures, such as Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, a scientist designing a clinical trial on the effects of Cannabis sativa using human subjects must conduct several independent and lengthy procedures that include filing for an Investigational New Drug (IND) with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), registering the study and obtaining approval from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and purchasing the Cannabis sativa to be used in the study through NIDA."An IND requires a level of specificity that may be difficult to achieve with a plant product or even undesirable when one takes into account the variation of natural phenotypes and the range of products used by patients, Vigil and Stith said. "In the case of new drug development with the intent to commercialize, such oversight may be prudent, but it is unclear why a study on, for example, the effects of smoked Cannabis sativa on driving impairment would also require an IND after receiving approval by a qualified Institutional Review Board."After filing for and receiving IND approval from the FDA, the scientist must also register the study and receive approval from the DEA, an organization tasked with the conflicting interest of "enforcing controlled substances laws and regulations," which currently prohibit possession or distribution of Cannabis sativa, obvious components of any clinical investigation. The only exception is for Cannabis sativa purchased through NIDA. In other words, all Cannabis sativa used for research purposes must be purchased through NIDA, despite the fact that NIDA's stated mission is to bring "the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction." No mention is made of research related to therapeutic benefits or the potential for non-addictive recreational use.Despite petitions from other universities, the NIDA Cannabis sativa supply is grown exclusively at the University of Mississippi since the passage of the Controlled Substances Act in 1970. It is not uncommon for researchers to invest several years navigating this system only to receive a rejection from one of the controlling federal entities, and typically the DEA, which carries a notorious record of stalling, impeding, or otherwise obstructing sound medical Cannabis research, according to the U.S. Drug Policy Alliance (Drug Policy Alliance, accessed January, 2016).Another issue with what little research the U.S. government has approved is the limited potency of the Cannabis sativa products available through the University of Mississippi. Reliance on this single source completely restricts researchers from conducting clinical trials using products that match the potency levels of products used in vivo, i.e., studies that would enable scientists to assess the therapeutic benefits and negative side effects of the medicinal Cannabis sativa actually used by tens of millions of people in the U.S.The highest level of THC currently available through NIDA is 12.4% (National Institute on Drug Abuse, accessed January 2016). As of December, 2015, out of all the currently funded NIH grants with the term 'Marijuana' (n = 51) or 'Cannabis' (n = 50) in the Project title, nearly every study addressed Cannabis use as a problem behavior, and only two studies measured the (analgesic) effects of Cannabis sativa in real time, each using products with potency levels between 3.5% and 7% THC. In contrast, a study presented by the owner of a state-certified Cannabis sativa testing laboratory at the 249th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society found that the Cannabis sativa sold in Colorado averaged 18.7% THC levels with some strains registering as high as 35 percent THC.In addition to dosing directly with the plant product, a variety of concentrates have been developed for vaporizing or ingesting edibles, both arguably healthier options than smoking. In New Mexico, the Department of Health has presently capped the THC potency levels in such products at 70% (a level that was widely protested as to low by visibly ill patients that attended a recent public medical advisory board hearing)."Clearly, results from studies using Cannabis sativa obtained from the University of Mississippi offer little to no insight into the effects actually experienced by medical marijuana patients in terms of both therapeutic benefits and negative side effects, if any," Vigil and Stith said.A recent poll conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine showed the vast majority of physicians in the U.S. believe that medical Cannabis is a safe and effective pharmacological agent for certain mental and physical health conditions (Adler & Colbert, 2013)."With increasing morbidity rates associated with prescribed narcotic abuse (particularly among non-Hispanic Whites) there is a legitimate place for Cannabis sativa as an alternative and perhaps primary therapeutic option for patients with a broad range and severity of negative health symptoms," Vigil and Stith said.The substitutability of Cannabis sativa for alcohol might also reduce the exorbitant number of deaths and costs associated with alcohol abuse and drunk driving."Unfortunately, both the costs and benefits of medicinal use of Cannabis sativa remain essentially unknown, and because the federal government effectively bans clinical research on Cannabis sativa, citizens, including many severely ill individuals, may suffer and die unnecessarily from both the unknown risks and the unknown benefits of consuming Cannabis sativa," Vigil and Stith added.Source: Eurekalert People display certain typical emotional and physical reactions to objects and situations they dread. The fear may be so extreme that they may not be able to perform normal tasks and may even become totally paralyzed and immobile. Phobias seem like irrational fears, but most people have a reason associated with their fears. People of all ages and from all walks of life across the world can develop phobic reactions. Phobias , classified under anxiety disorders are not due to a malfunction of the brain and can be effectively treated. People driven by a sense of fear begin to restrict their lives in order to avoid a frightening situation. A phobia is an irrational and exaggerated fear of an object or a situation that poses little or no actual danger in reality. Simple fears become phobias when a person goes to extreme lengths to avoid the distressing object or situation. Childhood fears are common. If left unchecked they may develop into phobias later in life. Children as young as 5 years may develop phobias and may experience nightmares. Such phobias are more related to natural phenomenon such as lightning or thunder. Parents and other responsible adults in charge of a child need to address the situation and help the child overcome its fears before they grow out of proportion and haunt the child for the rest of its life. During transitional times in their lives, children show signs of fear. Going back to school to a new class after a break can trigger signs of fear and anxiety in children. With proper guidance from parents and teachers these fears usually go away after a routine sets in. However if the child continues to live in fear especially as a victim of bullying in school, the fear persists even during adult life. Social phobias are more likely to develop in schools and colleges. Phobias result in an irrational and instant response that creates anxiety when exposed to the object of fear. It is not unusual for a person to take extreme steps to avoid the object or situation that causes fear. There are 530 officially recognized phobias. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that about 19.2 million American adults or 8.7% of people suffer from one or more specific phobias. The fear of spiders (arachnophobia) is the most common phobia in the world - 50% of women and 10% of men fear spiders. Womens chances of suffering from phobias are double compared with men. A womans worst phobia is the fear of snakes while a man fears being buried alive. Advertisement Some of the strangest phobias are phobophobia (fear of having a phobia), clinophobia (fear of going to bed or sleeping), chromophobia (fear of colors), arachibutyrophobia (fear of butter sticking to the roof of the mouth) and hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia (fear of the number 666). Last but not the least, something very relevant in todays life is nomophobia (no mobile) - the fear of leaving our phone at home. 1. Simple or Specific Phobias People sometimes recoil in horror from a specific object, situation or activity. Mild anxiety, panic attacks while facing the source of fear and an overwhelming need to avoid the object or situation, are some of the extreme reactions associated with specific phobias. Examples of some fears are: Confined spaces (claustrophobia) Heights (acrophobia) Water (hydrophobia/aquaphobia) Fire (pyrophobia) Flying (aerophobia) Men (androphobia) Speaking in public (glossophobia) Crowds (enochlophobia) Streets or crossing the street (agyrophobia) Thunder and lightning (astrapophobia/keraunophobia) Being alone (autophobia) 2. Complex Phobias Complex phobias always involve several anxieties that can paralyze a persons day-to-day activities. In general, they are more disabling than simple phobias, and cause more disruption in a persons life compared to simple phobias. They often begin in adulthood and involve a deep rooted anxiety or fear of any particular situation or event. Examples of complex phobias include: Social Phobia (or Social anxiety) is the second commonest phobia and comes from fear of being evaluated negatively in social situations. They have a morbid fear of embarrassing themselves or losing face in public and feel extremely vulnerable while appearing at social events. Typical signs of social phobia are reluctance to meet people at social functions, avoiding parties and restaurants and in extreme cases, cannot even muster enough courage to leave their home. (or Social anxiety) is the second commonest phobia and comes from fear of being evaluated negatively in social situations. They have a morbid fear of embarrassing themselves or losing face in public and feel extremely vulnerable while appearing at social events. Typical signs of social phobia are reluctance to meet people at social functions, avoiding parties and restaurants and in extreme cases, cannot even muster enough courage to leave their home. Agoraphobia is a type of complex phobia that triggers many anxieties in a person that include fear of open, public spaces, especially crowded places like market places, shops, trains or buses. Such a person suffers from an anxiety disorder that forces the person to escape to a familiar, safe place such as home. Paruresis, known otherwise as bashful bladder syndrome, is a type of social phobia. People suffering from this phobia cannot bring themselves to use public toilets especially when others are nearby. This type of a reservation can interfere with day-to-day routine and hamper normal activities, such as going to a workplace, attending social events or going on holidays. Complex phobias can cause emotional trauma and lead to self-replicating cycles - a phobia can make you behave oddly in public and later reinforce your fear of odd behavior in public. Likewise, prolonged agoraphobia can convince you of your inability to control panic attacks thus worsening the phobic condition. Phobias could have an evolutionary significance and they may be inherited. Extensive ongoing researches are exploring complex causes of social phobia and agoraphobia. In most types of phobias, it is believed that there may be a combination of family history, genetics, and brain chemistry, together with life situations that cause phobias and panic attacks. Family - Specific phobias such as fear of spiders, insects, cockroaches and lizards could run in the family. Children could inherit a phobia naturally or by observing a family members phobic reaction to it. Children imitate the fears of an adult member of the family that becomes a matter of habit in course of time. - Specific phobias such as fear of spiders, insects, cockroaches and lizards could run in the family. Children could inherit a phobia naturally or by observing a family members phobic reaction to it. Children imitate the fears of an adult member of the family that becomes a matter of habit in course of time. Genetics - Research team have found some genetic anomalies in people suffering from phobias. However the specific gene that causes phobias has not been isolated yet. Research team have found some genetic anomalies in people suffering from phobias. However the specific gene that causes phobias has not been isolated yet. Trigger - Many phobias like pyrophobia (fear of fire) could arise due to experiencing or learning about a traumatic event at a very early age. This would then remain in their mind as a negative experience. - Many phobias like pyrophobia (fear of fire) could arise due to experiencing or learning about a traumatic event at a very early age. This would then remain in their mind as a negative experience. Brain Chemistry - It has emerged from studies that those suffering from phobias manifest a problem of serotonin-level regulation in their brains. Amygdala is a structure in the brain that controls the fear response. An overactive amygdala can cause anxiety in social situations. The other risk factors associated with phobias are: Age - Phobias mostly develop during teenage years and early adolescence. Phobias mostly develop during teenage years and early adolescence. Personality / Temperament - Phobias could have more impact on a person who is in general more sensitive or more pessimistic in life. - Phobias could have more impact on a person who is in general more sensitive or more pessimistic in life. Gender- A 2006 report from Harvard Medical School titled Coping with Anxiety and Phobia suggests that gender appears to play a role in some types of anxiety disorders. The study explores hormonal and biological factors and differential experiences that could account for the disparities. Advertisement If faced with the object of fear, people experience panic and have the following symptoms: Tachycardia or rapid heartbeat Sweating Shortness of breath Tingling sensation in the hands Nausea Desire to run away Depression, in some cases Trembling Diagnosing a phobia is done best by a trained mental health professional. While diagnosing a phobia, mental health professionals should use clinical skills and judgment to decide whether the phobic symptoms are better explained by another disorder (such as paranoia, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia) and rule them out. Phobias are diagnosed as fears that adult patients recognize as irrational. In generalized anxiety disorders the anxiety is more broad based. Doctors rely on the patients account of their phobic experiences. Barring some overlaps, each type of phobia has its specific set of diagnostic criteria. Diagnostic criteria common to all phobias are: Life Limiting - A phobia is always diagnosed only when it seriously disturbs the sufferers life in some way. - A phobia is always diagnosed only when it seriously disturbs the sufferers life in some way. Avoidance - Trying to avoid the feared object or situation is an important criterion for diagnosing a phobia. However there are some people who endure a feared situation in spite of having clinically diagnosable phobia. - Trying to avoid the feared object or situation is an important criterion for diagnosing a phobia. However there are some people who endure a feared situation in spite of having clinically diagnosable phobia. Anticipating Anxiety - People with phobias are terrified that the dreaded object or situation is lurking at every corner waiting to terrorize them. - People with phobias are terrified that the dreaded object or situation is lurking at every corner waiting to terrorize them. Panic Attack - Exposure to the dreaded object or situation triggers a sudden anxious response or panic attack in the patient. Phobias can have a serious impact on a person's lifestyle, due to the distress and symptoms suffered. 1. Specific Phobias: People with specific phobias can be treated through basic counseling, psychotherapy and maybe medicines. Counseling has many approaches that usually involve weekly sessions with a counselor who helps the person deal with specific problems related to the phobia. Counseling works well in treating simple phobias. has many approaches that usually involve weekly sessions with a counselor who helps the person deal with specific problems related to the phobia. Counseling works well in treating simple phobias. Psychotherapy is an in-depth treatment of the phobia often focusing on locating and dealing with the root cause and identifying ways for the affected person to cope with the fear. A graded exposure called desensitization or exposure therapy is usually recommended for confronting the feared object or situation while having a grip on the level of anxiety. or is usually recommended for confronting the feared object or situation while having a grip on the level of anxiety. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) explores thoughts, feelings and associated behaviors, combined with practical ways to help a person overcome the phobia. CBT has two components in the treatment process. First component involves confronting the object or situation that causes distress. Next comes dealing with any frightening thoughts and behavior associated with the anxiety. explores thoughts, feelings and associated behaviors, combined with practical ways to help a person overcome the phobia. CBT has two components in the treatment process. First component involves confronting the object or situation that causes distress. Next comes dealing with any frightening thoughts and behavior associated with the anxiety. Drugs used to treat specific phobias are only given initially or for a short duration. used to treat specific phobias are only given initially or for a short duration. Beta blockers block the anxiety that is associated with increased heart rate, high blood pressure and shaking by blocking the stimulatory effects of adrenaline. block the anxiety that is associated with increased heart rate, high blood pressure and shaking by blocking the stimulatory effects of adrenaline. Sedatives like benzodiazepines relieve anxiety by helping us to relax. 2. Social Phobias: Psychiatrists sometimes find it necessary to treat social phobia with a combination of cognitive behavior therapy, antidepressants, benzodiazepines and beta-blockers. Medicines are used only for a short time and always alongside behavioral therapy. Scientists have recently zeroed in on oxytocin hormone treatment for those suffering from social phobia. People with specific phobias could also have: Academic or professional problems due to social isolation from places and things Mood disorders like depression and anxiety Drugs or alcohol issues Suicidal tendencies. Inaugurating the Byzantium through the Ages exhibit, at a museum of importance for all humanity, within the framework of Greece-Russia 2016, we reaffirm, in practice, our common cultural values. At the same time we are consolidating our bilateral relations in other fields, as well, and passing on our common culture to the younger generations. This is my third visit to Russia, and I would like to inform you that the Greek Foreign Ministry is working in this direction, supporting educational programmes between our universities, like the JASON programme of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. In the autumn, it will be our pleasure to welcome the governor of Saint Petersburg to Thessaloniki; a visit that will upgrade the already very good relations between the two sister cities. I hope todays exhibit acts as a springboard for the Russian peoples becoming better acquainted with Byzantine art and Byzantine culture, where they can find reflections of their own culture, and I would like to thank Minister Medinskiy and the organizers for their hospitality. The deal announced Thursday by the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee would require the nationwide labeling of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, in packaged foods for the first time. But it would be more lenient than Vermont's law, allowing food companies to use a text label, a symbol or electronic label accessed by smartphone. Vermont's law would require items to be labeled "produced with genetic engineering." The agreement couldn't become law before Vermont's law kicks in July 1, since the House is on vacation until July 5. Legislation passed by the House would make the labeling voluntary, but that measure stalled in the Senate earlier this year. Since then, Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., have worked to find a compromise, saying a national solution is needed in the face of separate state laws. The food industry has lobbied to block Vermont's law, arguing that GMOs are safe and the labels could be costly for agriculture, food companies and consumers. The industry's main lobbying group, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, said it is backing the senators' deal. The group has opposed mandatory labeling nationwide but advocated for electronic labels in negotiations. "This bipartisan agreement ensures consumers across the nation can get clear, consistent information about their food and beverage ingredients and prevents a patchwork of confusing and costly state labeling laws," said Pamela Bailey, president of that group. The Agriculture Department appeared to endorse the legislation, as well, issuing a statement encouraging members of the House and Senate to move quickly on the deal. The bill would give the USDA two years to write the labeling rules. Two top Vermont officials immediately opposed it. Gov. Peter Shumlin criticized the two-year delay and pre-emption of Vermont law, among other provisions. Sen. Bernie Sanders said he would do "everything I can" to defeat it. "People have a right to know what is in the food they eat," Sanders said. Genetically modified seeds are engineered in laboratories to have certain traits, such as resistance to herbicides. The majority of the country's corn and soybean crop is now genetically modified, with much of that going to animal feed. Corn and soybeans also are made into popular processed food ingredients such as high-fructose corn syrup, corn starch and soybean oil. The food industry says about 75 percent to 80 percent of foods contain genetically modified ingredients. The Food and Drug Administration says they are safe, and there is little scientific concern about those GMO ingredients on the market. But advocates for labeling say not enough is known about their risks. Among supporters of labeling are many organic companies that are barred by law from using modified ingredients in their foods. Those advocates have fought state by state to enact mandatory labeling, with the eventual goal of a national standard. They have frowned on digital labels, saying they discriminate against people who don't have smartphones, computers or the know-how to use them. Groups that have advocated labeling criticized the deal. "This proposal falls short of what consumers rightly expect a simple at-a-glance disclosure on the package," said Gary Hirshberg, chairman of the advocacy group Just Label It and the organic food company Stonyfield Farm. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says officers pulled over Englewood resident John Reynolds on Wednesday morning after seeing him pass through the E-ZPass lane of the George Washington Bridge while pretending his cellphone was a transponder. Authorities say the car had about 300 toll violations, totaling about $19,000. The next morning, officers stopped North Plainfield resident Lucy Sanchez on the bridge after police say she passed through without paying a toll. Police say Sanchez didn't have a driver's license and had nearly 150 toll violations, totaling about $9,000. Both are charged with theft of service and evading tolls. It's not known if they have lawyers. The Air Force says that when it adopted an official instruction barring religious references and non-factual information about the American flag during folding ceremonies it was not intended to be a blanket ban. The revelation that there was some never-published guidance allowing for "unofficial" flag-folding narratives comes as the Air Force responds to a threatened lawsuit by a retiree forcibly evicted from another airman's retirement ceremony because he began making a speech that would reference God. Related Video: "We acknowledge that the Air Force Instruction should have incorporated the supplemental guidance. This instruction will soon be revised to clarify the policy," Capt. Brooke L. Brzozowske said in a statement. Mikey Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, called the Air Force's latest response to the incident at Travis Air Force Base in California "an attempt at revisionist history." "We face this stuff on a weekly basis, we interact with Air Force JAGs [judge advocate generals] on an almost daily basis I've never heard of anything like this," he said. Weinstein said he doubts there was any such guidance 11 years ago and that Air Force officials have simply made up it up. Military.com has already requested the documentation on the guidance and is awaiting a response. Retired Master Sgt. Oscar Rodriguez was invited to deliver what has become his signature flag-folding speech during the retirement ceremony of Master Sgt. Charles Roberson on April 3. Roberson asked Rodriguez to go ahead with the speech even after his commander told him it was not to be delivered. As an Air Force Honor Guard began the ceremonial folding of the flag, Rodriguez began his speech, only to be forcibly removed from the room. Now represented by First Liberty Institute, a religious rights law firm, Rodriguez may sue the Air Force if he is not given a written apology and assurances it will not happen again. He also wants the airmen who took him from the room punished. Weinstein said that his group is now representing 14 airmen enlisted and officer at Travis, and may go to court on their behalf seeking a writ of mandamus a judge's order to the Air Force to follow its own instructions. According to Air Force Instruction 34-201 the only narrative or script that may be read during a flag-folding ceremony at an official event is one the Air Force drafted and published in 2005. The Air Force drafted a script because of the religious references and non-factual statements offered in various narratives about the meanings of the folds in the flag. But the Air Force now says that even as the service adopted an official script in 2005 military legal counsel had crafted guidance distinguishing formal retirement ceremonies from informal ceremonies, in which "the retiring member may request an unofficial flag folding narration." Air Force officials were not able to explain why the guidance was not included in the AFI, who it was disseminated to and how. The Air Force also says that guidance is consistent with subsequent federal law and Defense Department policy reinforcing service member's right to religious expression. -- Bryant Jordan can be reached at Bryant.jordan@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at@BryantJordan. 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. What does it take to set straight an iconic piece of American history? For retired Marine Lt. Col. Matt Morgan, it was years of research and dogged forensic analysis. The Marine Corps made national headlines this week when officials announced that one of the men in perhaps the most iconic photograph of Marines in World War II had been misidentified for decades. A 1945 photograph by Associated Press journalist Joe Rosenthal of six Marines raising a flag on Mt. Suribachi -- an image that Navy Secretary James Forrestal famously said would ensure the Corps survival for another 500 years -- did not include Navy corpsman John Bradley, officials concluded. Instead, it pictured Pfc. Harold Schultz, a quiet mortarman who died in 1995 without ever setting the record straight. Morgan, who served in the infantry and as a public affairs officer during his career, told Military.com in a June 23 interview that his journey to find answers about the famous photograph began in 2005, when he was a student at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College at Quantico., Va. Morgan said he received a call from a friend, retired Marine Sgt. Maj. James Dever, who had been working as a military adviser on Clint Eastwoods film, Flags of Our Fathers, based on the bestselling book of the same name by Bradleys son, James. He said, Ive got something interesting here. I dont think John Bradley is in this photo, Morgan said. I looked at it independently and very quickly came to the same conclusion. But who the misidentified Marine was remained unclear. Morgan knew that historians had placed Bradley at three different positions in the image through the decades, and had done the same with Cpl. Ira Hayes, another flag raiser. It turned out that many of the guys had been misidentified at different times, Morgan said. Without a firm lead, Morgan let the issue rest for nearly a decade. As Marines, both Dever and I knew what we were suggesting was rather serious, he said. To bring everything forward, we needed to have our facts firm. In 2014, the two Marines found themselves working together as advisers on another Eastwood film, the Chris Kyle biopic American Sniper. Morgan said Eastwood tended to use the same crew members on his projects, and the topic of the controversial photo again came up among those who had worked on Flags of Our Fathers. Dever and Morgan agreed the subject would make an intriguing future documentary project. And then, in the fall of that year, their idea got a shot in the arm: two amateur historians, Eric Krelle and Stephen Foley, went public with a theory that the service member formerly identified as Bradley was, in fact, Schultz. The conclusion was the result of hours of poring over grainy images from Feb. 23, 1945, the day of the famous flag-raising. Rosenthals photographs were augmented by those of combat photographer Louis Lowery, then a staff sergeant. One of the photos taken by Lowery of the raising of a smaller flag earlier in the day shows Schultz in the very corner of the shot, a strap hanging off the brim of his helmet. Other photos by Rosenthal taken after the famous flag-raising show a Marine with a mysterious shadow in front of his face and a rifle slung lower than the rest. That shadow was Schultzs hanging helmet strap, the historians concluded. Video evidence and that low-hanging rifle made them confident: the mystery man was Schultz. Morgan and Dever approached the Marine Corps that same year with the theory, discussing the matter with Chief Historian Charles Melson. They returned at the beginning of this year with a detailed forensic analysis of the evidence. They also had the backing of the Smithsonian Channel, whose executives they had approached shortly after Krelle and Foley came forward with their theory. The forensic analysis was brought to the attention of the commandant, Gen. Robert Neller, and the Marine Corps formally announced their own investigation into the identity of the mystery Marine in May. I often credit the fact that it took these outsiders, these folks who work with Marines who were willing to challenge the status quo and develop a more cogent theory, Morgan said. I tend to know how the Marine Corps approaches these things. We had to present them with something that was pretty strong. We had to frame it in a way were not suggesting any kind of misdeed or conspiracy. We think it was an honest mistake. And, in fact, the dramatic challenge to the historical record has resulted in remarkably little bad blood. James Bradley told the New York Times in May that he had become convinced that his father was not actually in the famous image, but had taken part in the earlier flag-raising the same day. As for Schultz, few who knew him could shed light on the mystery of why he never came forward. He never had any children of his own, but his step-daughter, Dezreen MacDowell, has described him to reporters as quiet and humble. He did, however, attend reunions of Iwo Jima veterans, Morgan said, and among his possessions was a photograph signed by Joe Rosenthal from one of those events. He continues to be a bit of an enigma, Morgan said. As for Bradley, his heroism is not in question. He would earn the Navy Cross for risking his life to triage a Marine infantryman Feb. 21 at the base of Mt. Suribachi, pulling him 30 yards through a hail of gunfire to safety. "Although the Rosenthal image is iconic and significant, to Marines it's not about the individuals and never has been," Neller said in a statement about the photograph. "Simply stated, our fighting spirit is captured in that frame, and it remains a symbol of the tremendous accomplishments of our Corps -- what they did together and what they represent remains most important. That doesn't change." For Morgan, Schultzs story is one of the selfless service that is so valued by the Marine Corps. Ive often felt that the types of Marines and service members that are the most worthy of honor are the ones who dont seek it. Harold epitomizes that, he said. On a day that everyone wants to step into the spotlight, men who do their duty and go back to their lives, its the most American thing anyone could do. The in-depth documentary that delves into Schultzs story, The Unknown Flag Raiser of Iwo Jima, will air July 3 on the Smithsonian Channel. Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Related Video: Army Capt. Paul "Buddy" Bucha faked out the enemy while leading his troops during the Vietnam War. The Medal of Honor recipient was hailed as a hero after he made North Vietnamese fighters believe his 187th Infantry Regiment was much bigger than it really was. The combination of bravery and cunning helped him earn the nation's highest military honor, an award bestowed upon him by the president. On March 16, 1968, soon after the Tet Offensive, Bucha's 89-man company took part in a counterattack designed to push the North Vietnamese away from Saigon. A helicopter dropped his team into an enemy stronghold, and for two days they destroyed camps and fortifications. On March 18, after they found a clearing and resupplied, Bucha directed his troops to push into the jungle, where it was getting dark. A soldier spotted a group of Vietnamese water carriers and women, which usually indicated an established enemy location. Bucha gave him permission to fire a few rounds to test what was out there. "The entire mountain returned fire.... I said, 'Oh, my God,'" Bucha recalled. An entire North Vietnamese Army battalion hit Bucha's unit with heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and Claymore mines, pinning down the lead group of 12 Americans. The Viet Cong had a machine gunner at ground level and a fighter with an automatic weapon up in a tree, and "I figured the easiest thing to do was to just blow the tree up," Bucha said. "I just ... started throwing hand grenades," he said. "When the weapons stopped, I looked around and no one was firing at me. There was a calm, and I'm not sure if the calm was in my mind or if it was actual calm." Bucha ordered his troops to withdraw to a more defensible position, and for the next several hours they were in a fierce firefight. He feared his group would be overrun, and a dark thought crept into his mind: "What a hellhole to die in." He decided to give every soldier a number, and when he called out a number over the radio, the soldier who'd been assigned that number would throw grenades from his position, giving the illusion of a much bigger force. An Australian pilot came over the radio and offered to drop two 750-pound bombs, and Bucha asked him to level a couple of nearby hills. He did, and the bombs rocked the soldiers. "We bounced ... and when I turned around, my men were all laughing, and I started laughing, and we realized we're not in this alone," he said. "[I thought] we might make it." A U.S. helicopter finally arrived, and Bucha directed the evacuation of the wounded. When the enemy withdrew the next morning, he learned that his team had killed more than 150 North Vietnamese. But 10 Americans in his platoon had also died. When he learned he would receive the Medal of Honor, Bucha told a sergeant, "I don't deserve it." But the sergeant convinced him he would wear the medal on behalf of his men, and on May 14, 1970, Bucha accepted the award from President Richard Nixon.Still, Bucha said, "Every day of my life, I think back to what I could have done better that night ... to bring those 10 [Americans] home." Today, Bucha makes speeches to military groups, including at his alma mater, West Point. "I try to go somewhere one day a week, 52 times a year, to where troops are.... When I see them and listen to them, I come away grateful ... for the privilege to be among them," he said. Cole Hamels, whose contract permits him to block deals to 20 teams, would not have prevented the Phillies from sending him to the Red Sox, writes WEEI.coms Rob Bradford. It was a team I would have played for, says Hamels, who adds that he believes the two sides were never close to trade. The Red Sox pursued Hamels before the Phillies traded him to Texas, but the lefty could block a trade to Boston, and at least some members of the organization believed that was an obstacle. The Hamels deal has, of course, worked out well for the Rangers so far Hamels was solid down the stretch last year and has a 2.79 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 this season. Theres still plenty of time for the trade to turn out well for the Phillies, however, with Jerad Eickhoff already performing well in the big leagues and Nick Williams, Jake Thompson, Jorge Alfaro and Alec Asher all looking like potential future contributors. Heres more from the East divisions. I don't know how some people do it said a friend who once told me she attended one of these 'highly spiritual' churches in combo with Sunday services at her orthodox church- she got mystified. Bottom line is- you cannot serve two masters at once. We all know it's an election year and you don't need a soothsayer to tell you that politicians will cross oceans and climb mountains just to achieve their political targets. Either way, a lot will happen and that was the theme for the recently premiered MALLAMS AND PASTORS by playwright, Latif Abubakar. Set in a contemporary scene, Mr Wayo, a rich, assertive politician is prepared to do whatever it takes to win the upcoming elections. The character played by Ekow Smith Asante is married to a nagging wife who just doesn't understand the ideals of her husband. His beautiful young secretary, Sandra, doubles as his mistress- or so she wants Mrs Wayo to believe. Sandra is aggressive and has thrown respect to the dogs. She could approach Mrs Wayo in her home and fantasize to her about how her husband (Mr Wayo) is able to press her buttons in bed and make her go gaga. But Mrs Wayo would have none of that because her husband hardly makes time for bedmatics. This erupts into a heated exchange of words between the wife and the side chick. But that was the least of Mr Wayo's problems. He was rather working towards the next 'moral boosting' opportunity where he could invest his cash- provided he will be given the assurance of a win in the impending election. He had money and he feared no one but Anas, the investigative journalist. His strategy was not to influence voters but rather men of God. As a patriotic Ghanaian citizen, how could he have neglected the fact that God is Ghanaian and the men of God these days have more influence in spinning the minds of their members? As the campaign approaches, Wayo gets too busy that he decides to hire the services of a houseboy. When he eventually invites Atongo (once played Sarkodie in Legon Comedy) over his mansion for a job interview, he receives the shock of his life. Wayo (after about two minutes of interview): Okay you're fine to start work now. Atongo: Ah massa, you mean now? I thought you were going to ask me to start next week or two. Typical attitude of some Ghanaians! We always need that grace period to go shopping and inform the entire family that we got the job- then we can start. Meanwhile Atongo has no option. It is either to take it or leave it. But little does Mr Wayo know that Atongo is going to be his worst nightmare. Election Day grows nearer and Mr Wayo is more desperate than ever. He decides to implement his tactics with the help of Atongo his houseboy. His first point of call is in the abode of a renowned Mallam with many customers. People queue to demand various forms of requests and he gladly grants them at high cost. There are businessmen who want to win that juicy contract as well as saucy girls like Sandra who want potions to charm men like her boss. Even those whose manhood needed resurrection were among the customers. And comedian Funny Face was also one of the customers who dragged a got to see Baba. No matter your problem, Baba has a fake remedy for you. Just be loaded, desperate and stupid. When one of the desperate customers goes in to see Baba, he is sold a potion for thirty thousand Ghana cedis (GHc30, 000) and the caveat was let no eye see this. This is after he is asked to sleep in a coffin which he painfully and reluctantly did on stage. Unfortunately on his way home, in the darkness of the night, he is stopped by a curious police woman who demands he opens the box containing the potion. He begins to shudder as he ponders what that would mean for his money. Eventually, he grudgingly obeys amidst tears. His GHC30, 000 gone! This means the potion is rendered useless. And it won't be surprising to know that the police woman was Baba's accomplice. In Mr Wayo's case, he contracts the services of a 'beer bar' pastor- the one who finds solace in bragging at a drinking spot with a few friends including Baba, the Mallam. They play and dance to secular music while they booze to their intelligent schemes. The character is played by a very articulate and assertive osorfo who never minces words whenever he brings his bragging game on. In the midst of his friends and the bar attendant, he brags about all the fake tactics he uses to lure his church members and charging exorbitant fees for his services. As usual, it is a marriage request, a manhood resurrection or an infertility case. He just needs to give you one of the oils and you're sorted. When he finally gets Mr Wayo as his client, he is overwhelmed. The day he walks into the house, he fills the place with his anointing. Knowing the needs of his client, he plays a fast trick on him by first sharing a joke which sends Mr Wayo bonkers. While savoring the moment of some relief, Atongo drops the bomb. Oh massa paaa, so you allow this pastor to fool you with this pasco. Each sentence from Atongo was hilarious and he kept the auditorium full of amusement. However, that does not stop the convinced politician from soaking deep into the pastor's misleading sermons. He advertises his anointing oil to him at a cost of GHC150 for a small bottle and tells him you will need a full bucket of this oil to bath every day. Pastor, money is no problem. Take this GHC100, 000 cheque. I'm sure that can cover me for a few months. Osorfo almost faints. He can't believe how quickly he has hit the jackpot. This means there is more to come. As Mr Wayo escorts pastor to the door, he tries to kneel to take an anointed prayer but pastor promptly refuses. No! Massa please let me rather kneel and pray for you and he prays. That is money power. Mr Wayo was enjoying the fact that he could use money and influence to win the elections but when his deeds finally decided to backfire on him, he becomes helpless. One fine evening, he gets invaded by the pastor, the Mallam and a fetish priestess. He had consulted them all- hoping to join forces so he could get fortified spiritually. In the battle of powers at his residence, he falls into a short coma which had all three powers claiming responsibility. The fetish priestess said it was her way of testing her powers while the Mallam claimed he alone can make that happen. There is a threat on Mr Wayo's life as he struggles to recover from the shock. A few sprinkles of water from Atongo finally revive him and brings him back to reality to face his woes. But in all the drama happening in Mr Wayo's house, there was a supreme being who was unknowingly observing all the events. He is the one who shook the country some months ago with a revealing video of the Judicial Corruption which has some indicted judges still challenging the investigative piece. He is no other than Atongo, the Anas of the play. He was nowhere but very close to all the characters. As the show gradually draws to an end, Anas gets behind his mask and summoned all the bad guys by pointing out all their corrupt activities. Even the police woman called in to arrest the culprits was reminded of her love for taking bribes. No one was vindicated. As the curtain closes, the characters kneel before Anas to beg for forgiveness. Even the pastor who wanted to shield himself with the word of God and the bible was adjudged the worst culprit. Anas would have none of their plea. Once again, he reveals his identity and shares a word of caution to the audience. Corruption is rife in this country and you should be careful who and what you engage in. In this election year especially, temptations will come in various formats and people will be enticed to do the worst. Be careful, you never know who may be watching. By: Farida Shaibu/citifmonline.com/ghana The police in Ashaiman have arrested four people for trafficking substances believed to be Indian Hemp in the Kpone Katamanso District of the Greater Accra Region. The four were arrested at their hideout in an uncompleted warehouse in the district with over a thousand slabs of the suspected Indian hemp leaves in their possession. The illegal substances were concealed inside boxes which were labelled as 'Fresh yam,' but were discovered after thorough checks by the police. The suspects had compressed plant material suspected to be Indian hemp which amounts to 1,668 slabs packaged in a box and on the box was the inscription, 'Fresh Yam Made in Ghana,' The spokesperson of the Ashaiman Police, ASP Juliana Obeng told Citi News There were two different boxes. Some boxes contained some tubers of yam and others which contained substances we suspect to be Indian Hemp, she added. She revealed that the suspects had attempted to bribe the police, offering as much as 1,900 to the arresting officers. When we made this arrest we had the suspects coming up to give the police of 1, 900 pounds sterling as bribe reason being that they want the police to discontinue with the case and not to arrest them. All of these four suspects are in police custody helping with the investigation. We believe that there might be others and so we have a presence in that particular area. By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana In the heat of Ghana's Election 2016 "battle" we have somehow forgotten to care and ask how much of the gargantuan remuneration with its linked ex-gratia, government is carving out for itself at the close of the fifth Parliament of the fourth Republic. Sadly for mother Ghana, her governments have chosen to decide on their own salaries and allowances through a their own-appointed Commission, only at the end of their term, in fact the last week in some cases. Well, one cannot help seeing through the scheme, since an early declaration of their remuneration would only attract a general unfavorable response from Ghana's labor front. Obviously, the quantum is not even that big, compared to many advanced countries and some in the African continent. Well I am not surprised that our governments would be interested in comparing their remunerations but not the living standards of the masses for which they were elected to govern. At any rate, how much are they taking for this term, and why do they wait till leaving office before knowing how much their remunerations are and then compute their ex-gratia on that unilaterally-decided amount! As some put it, the only time Parliament does not argue on an issue is when it is about their conditions of service. If you consider my concerns overflogged, let us know if there is another country or establishment that also does this last day salary disclosure. Oh Ghana, they will kill us but we will not die, as a colleague usually says! Meanwhile Ghanaians want a feedback on the ten percent deduction off salaries of The Executive as directed by H.E. Prez Mahama, to build CHPS Compounds. 25.06.2016 LISTEN A clear danger is presently looming in Ghana, and its name is John Dramani Mahama. He has an innocent demeanor, a deceptive behavior, wanton insensitivity to the plight of our fellow countrymen, and a highly dangerous ambition to rule Ghana by dictatorial terror. The seeming freedom of speech and of association that currently exist in Ghana are slowly being chipped away by his willful abuse of incumbency to criminalize all behaviors and activities that run counter to his ultimate goal of imposing himself on Ghanaians as their leader, even if illegitimate. The worst part of this development is the deafening silence of civil society that appears to be overly consumed by its desire to maintain respectability. Little do leaders of civil society know that while speaking up today may unleash a barrage of insults on them, their continued silence could eventually lead to a time when speaking up would result in imprisonment, or even death. We have seen it before with Kwame Nkrumah, Kutu Acheampong, and Jerry John Rawlings. And there are signals that we are well on our way back to that culture of silence. It may be recalled that the NDC regime under Jerry John Rawlings enacted a criminal libel law that was used to intimidate opponents and discourage free speech. The Kufuor administration, with Nana Akufo-Addo as Attorney General, repealed that law and opened our society up again for freedom of speech. Today any exercise of free speech that runs counter to the Mahama administrations interest is characterized as causing fear and panic. So badly is this being used to stifle free speech that simply videotaping a fleet of NDC campaign vehicles has landed someone in the cells of the Bureau of National Investigations. Numerous examples of free speech landing citizens in jail in todays Ghana should be a concern to all well-meaning Ghanaians. As if this was not terrifying enough, now the Mahama administration has sent to Parliament the Interception of Postal Packages and Telecommunication Messages Bill, to be passed into law. The government and its advocates insist that the bill would enable the government to spy on criminals only. But given this administrations shameful abuse of incumbency, one must be naive to believe that political opponents and independent media practitioners would not be victims of this law when passed. Of course the police would not be denied their participation in the assault on free speech. Recently the Inspector General of Police suggested that he would consider shutting down social media during the elections. When faced with backlash, his reaction was even more cognitively primitive. No one can stop me from shutting down social media, said the IGP. The attack on free speech and the use of the BNI to terrorize opponents and independent minds within the Ghanaian media and civil society are merely vehicles being used to impose Mahamas continued incompetent leadership on our great country. Beginning now, and through the elections in November, our collective continued silence runs the risk of facilitating a rigged election for Mahama to continue his illegitimate leadership of Ghana. And when that happens, Ghana as we know it would never be the same again. Those who may deem this call as alarmist need only to remember how Paul Biya of Cameroun and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda both slowly turned their respective countries into presidential dictatorships. It should not escape any of us that John Dramani Mahama has for a long time idolized these two men well before he became president of Ghana. It should further not escape any of us that, like Rawlings who felt comfortable in the company of dictators like Libyas Gadhafi and Cubas Castro, Mahama has a close friendship with Irans leaders and Angolas Jose Eduardo dos Santos, all of who lead dictatorial regimes. Ghana has sailed through seven elections in our fourth republic. What is so different about this election that warrants curtailing of individual freedoms? Did criminals or the threat of terrorism just wake up in 2016? Why now? Telecommunication ease and the prevalence of social media in todays world make it difficult to oppress citizens. However, once those are placed under the control of government, and disagreeable activities and behavior are criminalized, the culture of silence creeps in and a crooked leader is well on his way to becoming a dictator. The past seven years under the leadership of Mahama and the NDC have witnessed an alarming regression in gains made in the economy, the rule of law, and common decency. Our economy is incompetently managed, rule of law has broken down with indiscipline prevalent throughout our society, corruption is at alarming levels, our country is saddled with crushing debt, and Ghana is at its worst state since independence. All this despite Ghana having at her disposal the most resources since independence. A vote for Mahama in this years election not only sends Ghana deeper into the abyss, but it also consolidates the power of a president who harbours dangerous dictatorial ambitions. Public Relations Committee NPP-USA 25.06.2016 LISTEN Introduction The use of mother tongue as a medium of instruction at the lower level of education is a subject of endless debate in Ghana and other educational jurisdictions in Africa. However, research is conclusive on the view that mother tongue at that level enhances comprehension and helps prepare children to become adult critical thinkers. This is because naturally, it is assumed that humanbeings think better in their mother tongues. To actualize this assumption, the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service (GES) have initiated the National Literacy Acceleration Program (NALAP). The initiative is meant to enhance comprehension and promote literacy and numeracy among the pupils of Kindergarten and lower primary - Primary One to Primary Three - through the use of local dialects. Viewpoints Proponents of mother tongue as an effective medium of instruction cite countries which do not use English or any Second Language at all but have become tigers in science, technology, and other areas of education. Among these countries are Japan, China and other Eastern Technological Giants. Turkey is a country of technological wonder. But education there is generally NOT conducted in English at the lower level and largely NOT at the tertiary level. Iran and Malaysia have maintained native languages as media of instruction, but have attained glories in transformational education. Opponents of the use of mother tongue as a language of instruction argue that it brings English language proficiency to the nosedive. This way, it creates confusion among learners as they progress to the higher level where English is the only medium of instruction at least in our case. The cumulative effect of this situation is that students do not have proper linguistic capacities to think critically in English. And even if they are naturally endowed with a sense of critical thinking, they still lack the competence of articulation and translating this endowment into English for serious academic work. Suggestions If you weigh the arguments of proponents and opponents, you need to contextualize the issue under review before you draw a reasonable conclusion. In our context, therefore, I am of the view that the use of mother tongue as a medium of instruction should be conditioned on the following: * If the need arises, it should be used at all levels of education to ensure uniformity and to avoid what I call "Linguistic Clash." * One mother tongue could be developed to a level acceptable to all Ghanaians as the language of instruction at all levels of education. * Alternatively, as much as possible, a number of local languages should be developed as media of instruction in relevant areas. Examples are Dagbani for Mole Dagbon areas, Twi for Akan areas and Ga for Ga - Adangbe areas. * Whatever mother tongue is adopted should be used to teach English, French, and other foreign languages, since these languages are still major media of communication in international trade and other affairs. * Our curricula should be tailored to suit the demands of the local languages adopted as media of instruction at all levels of education. Conclusion If the above suggestions are considered, the confusion associated with the use of mother tongue as a language of instruction could be avoided. Also, we would not have a potential language conflict or dialectical pyrotechnics to resolve. I am for the mother tongue as a language of instruction, but a strong foundation should be laid to make it a realistic tool of achieving our educational goals. The Writer Is The Lecturer, University of Applied Management, Germany - Ghana Campus, McCarthy Hill, Accra. 25.06.2016 LISTEN Folks, we have taken a keen interest in happenings in the country as far as president Mahama is concerned. It is becoming increasingly clear that anything about him, for him, against him, and aimed at him easily becomes the magnet that attracts just anybody seeking to say anything and be noted as such, whether for good or bad. For his political opponents, the amateurish work done by Manasseh Azure Awuni has become the trump card to play in their campaign of calumny against him in the mistaken hope that it will undermine him and push their preferred candidate (no doubt, the NPP's Akufo-Addo) to a higher pedestal to win Election 2016. That explains why they are feasting on that bogus report about the Ford Expedition. The NPP people have invested so much in it that they are burning energy trumpeting it as if it will be the golden key to unlock the door for Akufo-Addo to enter the Flagstaff House. Others parading themselves as anti-graft or anti-corruption experts and institutions are wasting their energy in the same vein, deceiving themselves that painting President Mahama black in the light of this orchestrated trash will give them some leverage to do their kind of negative politics for Akufo-Addo's good. Interestingly, their rushing into over-drive has led them to the point where they are making a huge mockery of themselves. They were initially unhappy that President Mahama hadn't responded to Azure's trash. Then, when he did, they couldn't contain it, claiming that he was undiplomatic in his reaction. President Mahama has said it straight to their faces that he doesn't go for American cars, which has shaken them out of control. What next? They are now turning the matter into a different ball game to tickle themselves for more political mischief. Just consider this twist: "President John Dramani Mahamas public pronouncements that he does not like American cars, specifically Ford, is expected to affect the sale of American cars in the country, branding expert Kelly Nii Lartey Mensah has said." (See http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Mahama-s-comments-can-affect-American-car-sales-Lartey-Mensah-450497). What a lame opinion? How have American cars been faring on the Ghanaian market, anyway? And why should anybody think that it has to take President Mahama's declaration of preference to change the dynamics? The truth being dodged here by such lame politicians disguised as businessmen is that Ghanaians have never admired American cars because they are not durable in our environment. Ghanaians have gone for Japanese-made vehicles of all kinds since the 1960s or earlier. Take the Datsun vehicles for commercial purposes, the Toyota, Nissan, etc. for many purposes, including government business. The Nissan Patrols used by the Rawlings government still stand tall for their record of durability and an all-weather condition suitable for our environment. Many spare parts dealers in Ghana are proud of the Japanese vehicles because they are the best. Even when the Rawlings regime introduced the vehicle standardization policy, it went for the Japanese-made vehicles. Those who have anything to do with French and German vehicles have their own impressions too. The German VW (Beetle or any other except the fuel-guzzling Volvo) have their own history of use in Ghana. So also are the French ones. The Italian Fiat and others have their own history too. Then, turn round to see why Ghanaians don't go for American vehicles of the Ford or the General Motors brands (Chevrolet or whatever else). They are not suitable for our environments. Ghanaians in the United States even hesitate to buy these US-made vehicles. So, why the fuss? And why should anybody think that President Mahama's personal preference should become the standard for determining the success or failure of the aut5o business in Ghana? President Mahama says he doesn't go for the US models, and I see nothing wrong with it. I have my own preferences; so do others. Those seeking to do dirty politics with this issue are lost already!! If they love US-made models, let them go for their preferences even as President Mahama goes for what suits him. Dirty politics on this score won't win any vote for them at Election 2016. Meantime, in West Virginia in the United States, flooding has killed 23 people after 9 inches of quick rain. When flooding occurred in Ghana last year and this one, the anti-Mahama elements were on the rooftop with their dirty talk for political capital that they haven't had so far, although they sought to blame President Mahama for what Nature had unleashed on Ghana. To them, everything negative happening in Ghana is traceable to the "incompetent" and "corrupt" John Dramani Mahama. How pathetic aren't they? To those talking about the fall in sale of American cars in Ghana following President Mahamas comment, I have a simple question: Have they found out why foreign-made cars (Toyota, especially) have topped sales in the auto industry in the US all these decades? No American-made car has ever done so. Even General Motors and its brands nearly collapsed but for President Obama's intervention to get funding for them. Michigan is happy for that matter, even if its products aren't anywhere near the Japanese and German-made vehicles. Despite all the problems that the VW industry has (over manipulation of emission levels, for instance), the VW remains the highest and most preferred in Europe, and it is doing well in the US too. The same applies to the motor-cycle industry too. Let them come and see how Japanese-made motor-cycles are in high demand in the US, where the Harley-Davidson brand is produced and marketed as well. Its all about individual preferences, not any national agenda based on the personal likes or dislikes of the head of State!! If those in the US aren't going for their own brand, what business do we in Ghana have to complain about President Mahama's personal preference for a Japanese automobile? And why should anybody bore us about low sales of American-made vehicles in Ghana? I wish this noise maker had talked about support for the Sarfo Kantanka brand instead. Their kind of negative politics is Ghanas woe!! I shall return When Christina Torino-Bentons nine-month-old daughter, Gemma, started crying in the middle of her June 18 wedding ceremony , she took one look at her fiance, Danny Benton, and said: Its happening. She then sat down and began to breastfeed . I made it work... I had to! Christina told The Huffington Post. Danny has always been so incredibly supportive on this breastfeeding journey, so he just nodded in agreement. No one blinked as the Canadian mama breastfed the couples daughter at the Resurrection of Our Lord Church in Lachine, Quebec, and the priest simply carried on with the ceremony. The people at my wedding were not surprised with me feeding Gemma mid-ceremony because Im always feeding her at some point or another in front of them, Christina said. LANA NIMMONS PHOTOGRAPHY The show must go on! Christina and Danny after they said their vows. Christina posted the photo, captured by her photographer Lana Nimmons , on the Breastfeeding Mama Talk Facebook page because its one she figured the group would appreciate. She was right. Im feeling nothing but positive vibes from the public response, Christina said. Everyone has been very encouraging and supportive. While Christina didnt know the photo was being taken at the time, she said she absolutely loves it. Breastfeeding is so natural, Christina said. It took me a while to become comfortable with nursing out in the open, but now its completely second nature and I wouldnt have it any other way. Christina and Danny have known each other since childhood; he was her first crush. LANA NIMMONS PHOTOGRAPHY My husband Danny and I have known each other since elementary school, Christina said. He was two grades ahead of me. I always was so drawn to him, Christina said. I feel like I knew wed end up together one day. And end up together they did Dr. Kpessa Whyte, National Service Boss 25.06.2016 LISTEN In 1973, a brilliant scheme was instituted in this country, and now, every year, many young Ghanaian men and women who complete approved tertiary courses regardless of whether or not such courses were pursued in Ghana are expected to undertake a one-year compulsory national service. From the standpoint of the national service secretariat, one important objective of the service is national integration. Objective 5 seeks to; promote national unity and strengthen the bonds of common citizenship among Ghanaians. This is antagonistic to the unflinching desire of the personnel which is skewed to regional or even local integration. To demonstrate how serious the secretariat is in achieving its goal of national integration, it posts this in blocked letters at the end of the online application THE SECRETARIAT IS NOT BOUND TO POST SERVICE PERSONNEL TO REGIONS OF THEIR PREFERENCE. Applicants are also required to indicate if they have any health condition. This implies there will be no tenable reason based on which changes will have to be made after postings are done. Clearly, there exists a dichotomy between the principles of the service secretariat and the desires of the prospective service personnel. The question now is whether it is the secretariat or the personnel that win their fight. It is a fight between cohesion represented by the secretariat on one hand and adhesion represented by the personnel on another. Take for a case, the secretariat wants Djapatsu from the foot of the Volta to travel and stay, work, interact, understand and tolerate the life of Kanton or Karbo on the belt of Guinea Savannah. Likewise, Tia should be able to live similar life with Kwame. This is a typical plan of national integration. It is however the case that many service personnel find ways of getting posted to where they desire. Others are even able to force changes after the postings are done. In either of these two cases, the aim of the secretariat in achieving national integration is what suffers defeat. Regrettably, the secretariat cannot be exonerated from the list of those that facilitate this adhesion to the detriment of cohesion. There exist reports and at least anecdotal evidence that support that employees of the secretariat facilitate these changes for personnel. What a demonstration of hypocrisy! It is natural for personnel to want to stay and serve where they come from. This does not necessarily mean they detest cohesion but it doesnt promote it either. The secretariat it is, that must stand its grounds; after all, national service is a civic responsibility. In a country where everything we do has political inclinations, the role of the political hand cannot be left out in this literature. Many times, it is a party chairman, a chief executive or even a minister who calls and gives directives on the postings of their favourites. The vulnerable public servant at the secretariat fears for his job and will not think twice but do what these politicians say. We deserve a break from this political bulldozing. It is paradoxical that these same politicians will sit on national television and call for unity amongst the citizenry just after murdering it. One will not be fair if you omit society from the basket that contains list of factors militating against national service in its effort to achieving its objective of national integration. There are some tribal groups in this country that are very hostile to strangers. They identify with themselves alone and no one else. Some are egomaniac and others just seem to have an insatiable revulsion for strangers. These attitudes do not help in nation building but retard all efforts towards cohesion. If the National Service Secretariat were to conduct a simple survey, it would be realised that, personnel do not want to serve in some districts, not because they are rural, but because the people there are simply unaccommodating. And again, there is anecdotal evidence to support this. We all deserve a better deal if we must build a united nation worthy of dying for. Looking forward, I think the secretariat should organize forums at intervals during which personnel and community members interact and the objective of the scheme in promoting national unity and strengthening the bonds of common citizenship among Ghanaians highlighted. With corruption rocking the scheme, it should be the prayer of all that something be done to remedy the situation else, national service in the long run will not be any better than the paper on which Act 426 (of 1980), the legal mother of the scheme, was written. I rest my case! Abdul-Rahaman Jimba Ibn Nuhu Wa +233207896079/242347160 [email protected] The Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe- Adjaho has ruled to disallow a proposed amendment by the Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, Dr Mark Assibey Yeboah, to the Banks and Special Deposit taking institutions bill, currently at the consideration stage. The proposed amendment could have put a temporary ban on mobile money services until proper regulations are put in place by the Bank of Ghana. The MP had asked Parliament to compel the Minister of Finance to bring before the House regulations governing mobile money transactions for amendment. Dr. Assibey-Yeboah, argues that he was forced to take such a move in the interest of the country, since there is no Legislative Instrument (LI) backing such transactions. He explained that currently, the only rules governing e-money business which covers Mobile money transactions, are only administrative guidelines issued by the Bank of Ghana saying they are sometimes not adhered to. I am saying that the Minister of Finance should come to Parliament and do the proper thing by bringing a Legislative Instrument , and Parliament setting up proper regulations governing e-money businessWe shouldn't sit down idle and wait for some mishap to happen in the e-money business front before we set in, Dr. Assibey-Yeboah intimated. But passing ruling on the matter, the Speaker explained that the amendment was introduced at the wrong stage of the ongoing process even though his concern is legitimate. Indeed where we have reached now, it is too late in the day to go to where you us to go toWe are on regulations and nowhere in the Bill did we make or mention e-money. We are making laws and sanctity of the law is a whole mark of a good law. He noted. Edward Doe Adjaho further urged the MPs to consider relevant legislations on the matter and act on them accordingly. So let's look for the proper law that governs these issues and then we can then ask the Ministry of Finance or Bank of Ghana (BoG) to come out with that legislations and if it is not coming, we as a Parliament that is concerned will initiate a process and if it is not contrary to Article 108 of the constitution, I will allow it to go through. Bankers demand clarity from BoG The MD of CAL Bank, Frank Adu and Banking Consultant, Nana Otuo Acheampong have both urged that the Central Bank reviews its current guidelines on mobile money transactions in the country. They believe this will clarify the apparent overlapping roles played by the telecommunications and financial institutions. Meanwhile the head of Payment Systems at the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Settor Amediku has assured of a review of the current guidelines in July this year. Mobile money transaction For the third year running however, the value of Mobile Money transactions a substantial jump from GH2.4billion as at 2013 to about GH11.6billion in 2014. When put into perspective, the value of mobile money transactions is more than a third of the total deposit liabilities of the 28 banks in Ghana as at the end of 2015. Currently, only three of the six mobile telcos MTN, Airtel and Tigo are involved in the mobile money business, which has grown from a transaction value of GH171million in 2012 to the multi-billion cedi sector. By: Pius Amihere Eduku/Duke Mensah Opoku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana Senior journalist Abdul Malik Kweku Baako says the governing NDCs decision to boycott this years IEA debates is not only cowardly but also hypocritical. Why is it that when it comes to Presidential Debates, the NDC always finds faults with the IEA and always threatens to boycott? Why? he asked. He was speaking on Joy FM and MultiTVs weekly news analysis show, Newsfile on the decision of the National Democratic Congress not to participate in any pre-election activities oragnised by think tank, Institute of Economic Governance (IEA). A terse statement signed and issued in Accra this week by General Secretary of the NDC, Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia said the NDC will not "participate in any debate to be organized by the Institute Of Economic Affairs (IEA), as far as it is related to the 2016 General Election." Commenting on the decision on Newsfile, Kweku Baako said President John Mahama must intervene and reverse the decision taken by the Functional Executive of the NDC. He said if the president was aware of, and endorsed the decision, it would be poor judgment on his part. The Editor-In-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper said whilst the governing party actively engaged the IEA in other areas, it resists whenever it comes to debates. Why are they participating in the other programmes of the IEA to the extent that they even get logistical support? The Ghana Political Parties Programme, they are part of it. This is hypocritical and cowardly; they are too big a party to opt for this decision, he stated. He dismissed the governing partys questions of credibility and political neutrality of the IEA as baseless. Look, the credibility and integrity of IEA was acknowledged by the late President John Mills in the 2009 and 2010 State of the Nation Addresses and IEAs track record is there in terms of governance, he emphasized. Deputy Communications Minister, Felix Kwakye Ofosu said the IEA had not proven to be political neutral in its dealings with the NDC. Parties operate on the basis of interest; we are going into an election, we have an interest in winning that election; we recognize our duty as a party to be accountable to the people and we believe that a multiplicity of platforms exists for that to be donethere cannot be only one platform, he explained. Stressing he doubts the IEAs credibility, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu said, the way that the IEA has conducted itself; its posturing towards the NDC, has not shown that it has the sort of credibility that people talk about. He argued the selection of people to participate in the Institute's programmes is problematic; "their attitude and conduct towards officials is problematic. The Deputy Minister claimed that the person who chaired the debate panel in the 2012 elections had a specific grievance against the NDC which manifested that night; one of our officials sought to shake hands with him, he declined because there was an issue about something he had said that the party responded to. He also took issues with the presence of a representative from think tank, African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), at the IEAs Evening Encounters with the Presidential Candidates this year. ACEP is founded by an NPP member; one of their officials is the Volta Regional Chairman of the NPP and yet the NDC is asked to come and participate in a programme that has people like that, he noted. Felix Kwakye Ofofu said whilst he does not have a problem with existence of ACEP, if the IEA is looking for people who have the sort of neutrality that would give that platform the credibility, they dont have to have to engage in conduct like that. Kindly find attached video below. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Malik Abass Daabu (Twitter @MalikDaabu) you are here: June 25, 2016 The Imminent Dodging Of Brexit - A Gift For The Fascist Right We claimed that BREXIT - is not gonna happen and pointed to a propaganda campaign (see further examples in the comments there) launched to reverse the Brexit votes. Within that campaign two memes get pushed: First, young voters feel cheated of their future because some old, grumpy people voted for Brexit. Well, these young voters of age 18 to 24, tearfully interviewed by the BBC and Channel 4, constitute only 5% of the electorate. Only a third of them voted at all, 70% of those 1/3 of 5% for "Remain". This is a small part, and a not very interested one, of the population. Who are they to deserve some special attendance? The second meme pushed is the "success" of some petition for a #ReverseBrexit vote someone set up on the UK parliament website. It now has more than a million "signatures". That is a lot in a short time frame. But wait, any dog on the Internet can "sign" that petition provided it has some throw-away email address. I, a German in Germany, "signed" to test the procedure. It took me about 30 seconds. This propaganda campaign will not have any tangible success, but it sets a certain atmosphere which then will be used to stall the exit process. The EU exit mechanism is build in a way that allows for an endless postponement of the actual procedure. This is the way the British politicians will likely take. The Jack of Kent Blog explains how this works: The UK did not [immediately] send to the EU the notification under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty on European Union which would have commenced the withdrawal process. The Article 50 process is the only practical means by which the UK can leave the EU. ... And so unless and until the Article 50 process is commenced and completed, the UK will stay as a member of the EU. In short: no Article 50, no Brexit. ... And it is entirely a matter for the Member State to choose whether to make the notification and, if so, when. The UK immediately filing Article 50, as Cameron once promised, would trigger a two year long negotiation period with the EU which would end with the legal exit independent of the negotiation results. After filing Article 50 the clock would run down to the deadline likely without any serious concession from the EU. The UK has therefore an interest to negotiate before filing Article 50. To negotiate before filing is its only chance to apply some pressure. But the EU has no reason, or legal basis, to negotiate at all before the UK files. Why should it make concessions to a divorce letter that was not filed and may not ever arrive? It is a stalemate situation. The powers that are against Brexit will use this to blockade any move. The six founding EU members claim to push Britain to file the Article 50 application immediately. But that is just playing to the gallery. In reality they want the never ending stalemate: There is no desperate rush for Britain to trigger the process for it to leave the European Union, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday, leaving London some space to work out its next move after a referendum vote to leave the bloc. Despite the British voter decision for Brexit business as usual will continue with absolutely no change in sight: Jack of Kent: It is not impossible to imagine that the Article 50 notification will never be made, and that the possibility that it may one day be made will become another routine feature of UK politics a sort of embedded threat which comes and goes out of focus. The notification will be made one day, politicians and pundits will say, but not yet. And whilst it is not made, then other ways of solving the problem created by the referendum result may present themselves: another referendum, perhaps, so that UK voters can give the correct result, or a general election where EU membership is a manifesto issue, or some other thing. This will not please Leave campaigners, and rightly so. It means the result of the referendum will be effectively ignored. While this may be a convenient way forward for the EU bureaucrats and the politicians committed to neo-liberal globalization, the damage in the long run will be much more severe than a chaotic Brexit procedure. Brexit will join a number of other issues on which the democratic will of the people has been ignored. This further de-legitimizes the EU and whatever it undertakes. People who argue that a violent overthrow of the system is the only way forward will gain credibility. The aborted Brexit will also give further impetus to the hard-rightwing parties currently cropping up in several European countries. These parties ostensibly cater to the "small people" who feel unrepresented and on the economic losing side. But the economic programs of these parties are anti-social and would only further inequality. They (ab-)use the grievance of the poor and middle class to gain even more power for the rich. What is missing in Europe are leftwing parties that take the romantic longing for local nationalism - in opposition to bone-crushing globalization - seriously and merge it with socialist policies. The social-democrats once had that role but under Blair, Schroeder and Hollande they waft away into the anti-nationalism, neo-liberal globalization sphere. Nationalism has, for them, become a dirty word. This at the time as nationalism gains new popularity as the anchor for common people lost in the sea of neo-liberal arbitrariness. The space left empty by them will be filled by fascism. Posted by b on June 25, 2016 at 14:32 UTC | Permalink Comments next page The building of brand new $20 million elementary school on a donated 10-acre plot in a scenic, affluent northeast Morgan Hill neighborhood comes with one major concern for local officials: high concentrations of a harmful pesticide in the soil. District leaders are not taking the matter lightly, and have been working with environmental consultants to find the most effective way to cleanse the former farmland to make way for a ninth primary school to serve Morgan Hills ever growing student population. One option being explored, called bioremediation, was used back in 2005 for that very reason and the initial results were effective. However, the toxicity levels returned when the soil was tested again 10 years later. We want to be practical, but also extremely safe, said Trustee David Gerard during the June 21 discussion of the Peet Road property donated to Morgan Hill Unified School District by the Borello family. The school board took no action at Tuesdays meeting and will come back at a future date to decide on how to best clean up the property. The Borellosa longtime local farming familycontinue to build a neighborhood of new executive homes surrounding the proposed school site area that intersects Peet Road at Mission Avenida and borders a Santa Clara County water pump station at the far eastern foothills. However, soil testing done a decade ago and then again in 2014 detected dangerous levels of now banned pesticides in the soil once used to farm the vast agricultural spreadincluding a chemical identified as dieldrin. According the Environmental Protection Agency, dieldrin decreases the effectiveness of the immune system, may increase infant mortality, reduces reproductive success, may cause cancer, may cause birth defects and damages the kidneys. (The possible use of) bioremediation is a concern we as staff have that is actually escalated by the fact that it was determined that bioremediation was effective for this very site for the very toxin of dieldrin which has either rebounded or some way returned, Superintendent Steve Betando said. So that is high on our radar and really at the crux of the concern that were talking with our consultant about. After an initial site assessment in 2003, bioremediation was used to shock the soil and reduce the pesticide concentrations to a safe level. Bioremediate means to use biological organisms to solve an environmental problem such as contaminated soil or groundwater, according to an Environmental Inquiry conducted by Cornell University. But that form of remediation only resulted in a short-term fix since the harmful dieldrin levels returned and were detected during another site assessment conducted by a different company on the same 10-acre plot of land. Other pesticides found were toxaphene and DDT. That same method is one of several remediation options being reviewed by the districts environmental consultants, and ultimately those will be brought back before the school board to give their approval in September, according to Casino Fajardo, MHUSDs Director of Construction. Fajardo explained that the State Department of Toxic Substances Control must certify the site as being safe for a school to be built on before anything can move forward. Meanwhile, the school board approved a $1 million design contract; preliminary site development for the future elementary school has already begun. Part of the work timeline for New Borello School Site Development Project lists a 92-day period needed from December 2016 to April 2017 for the Removal Action Site Remediation (TBD). Construction of the new school is estimated to take 490 days immediately following the soil cleansing through February 2019. The school, which will be funded through the $198 million Measure G capital improvements bond along with developer fees, will be named S.G. Borello Elementary School in honor of the family making the donation. The next regularly scheduled school board meeting is Aug. 2. News / Africa by Staff reporter A Zimbabwean man Waiter Kelvin Chirume started wearing expensive clothes two months ago and posted a picture of himself and friends on social media titled "The money team #1 ."Colleagues at the Western Cape restaurant at which the 24-year-old Zimbabwean worked were puzzled by his new-found wealth.However, the pieces fell into place this week when the Hawks arrested Chirume and he was charged in the Grabouw Magistrate's Court with the unauthorised possession of a point-of-sale device.The Hawks said the state-of-the-art skimming device had been used to capture restaurant customers' card details and PINs since April.Chirume had allegedly used them to fraudulently rake in more than R100,000.The device collected information even when other waiters were using it, producing slips with error messages after PINs were entered. Hey, Texplainer: Britain voted to leave the European Union. Can Texas secede from the United States? In the wake of Britains historic vote to leave the European Union - nicknamed Brexit - speculation of a Texit on the horizon have cropped up once again. The secessionist movement has a long history in the Lone Star state. Delegates for the Texas Republican Party even recently debated adding secessionist language to the partys platform. But is it actually legal for Texas to leave the United States? Simply put, the answer is no. Historical and legal precedents make it clear that Texas could not pull off a Texit -- at least not legally. The legality of seceding is problematic, said Eric McDaniel, associate professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin. The Civil War played a very big role in establishing the power of the federal government and cementing that the federal government has the final say in these issues. Many historians believe that when the Confederacy surrendered at Appomattox in 1865, the idea of secession was also defeated, according to McDaniel. The Unions victory set a precedent that states could not legally secede. It is also important to note that the European Union is a loose association of compound states with pre-existing protocols for a nation to exit. In contrast, the U.S. Constitution contains procedures for admitting new states into the nation, but none for a state to leave. Yet the myth that Texas can easily secede persists, in part, because of the states history of independence. Texas declared independence from Mexico in 1836, and spent the next nine years as its own nation. While the young countrys leaders first expressed interest in becoming a state in 1836, the Republic of Texas did not join the United States until 1845, when Congress approved the Joint Resolution for Annexing Texas to the United States. This resolution, which stipulated that Texas could, in the future, choose to divide itself into New States of convenient size not exceeding four in number, in addition to said State of Texas is often a cause of confusion about the states ability to secede. But the language of the resolution is clear: Texas can split itself into five new states. It says nothing of splitting apart from the United States. In the years after Texas joined the union, tensions over slavery and states rights mounted. A state convention in 1861 voted 166 to 8 in favor of secession a measure that was then ratified by a popular vote, making Texas the seventh state to secede from the Union. After the Civil War, Texas was readmitted to the Union in 1870. Yet even before Texas formally rejoined the nation, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that secession was not legal, and thus, even during the rebellion, Texas continued to be a state. In the 1869 case Texas v. White, the Court held that individual states could not unilaterally secede from the Union and that the acts of the insurgent Texas legislature -- even if ratified by a majority of Texans -- were absolutely null. If there were any doubt remaining after that, late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia set it to rest more than a century later with his response to a letter from a screenwriter in 2006 asking if there is a legal basis for secession. The answer is clear, Scalia wrote. If there was any constitutional issue resolved by the Civil War, it is that there is no right to secede. (Hence, in the Pledge of Allegiance, one Nation, indivisible.) Bottom line: While Brexit may have stirred the secessionist pot, a similar Texit would not be legal. Texas has a unique right among states to split itself into five states but not to secede from the United States of America. Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune. AMARILLO, Texas (AP) Two California men have been convicted of disrupting a Chicago-bound Southwest Airlines flight. Jonathan Khalid Petras and Wisam Imad Shaker were convicted Thursday in Amarillo, Texas, of interference with a flight crew and aiding and abetting. Each faces up to 20 years in federal prison. An affidavit says Petras, Shaker and four other men boarded Flight 1522 in San Diego last August and sat together. Prosecutors say the men became aggressive, used obscene language when denied alcohol and refused instructions from flight attendants. Pilots eventually diverted the plane to Amarillo. All six were detained when the jet landed at Rick Husband International Airport. The flight continued to Midway International Airport after a brief delay. Essa Solaqa and Khalid Yohana were acquitted Thursday. Charges against two other men were previously dismissed. News / Education by Stephen Jakes Parents for children learning at Mlamuli primary school in Lupane have reportedly vowed to make their children boycott schooling until a shona headmistress is removed from the school .The parents in the area are in a stand-off with the ministry of primary and secondary education for deploying Shona teachers and headmistress Bonyongwe at the school.Mthwakazi Republic Party Lupani district member Mpiyezwe Zwelethu Mnconywa said the party and villagers were pleased that their effort to have the Shona headmistress removed from the school were going to yield fruits as they push on with the authorities."We are pleased to announce that Bonyongwe is finally going to leave Mlamuli for good after a resolution was made on Thursday the 23rd of June at a full parents meeting. The parents resolved that as from Monday the 27th of June they will not be any lessons at the school and unanimously agreed not to send their children to school until Bonyongwe ceases to masquerade as the head of this school," Mnconywa said."It has been a long struggle to remove Miss Bonyongwe from the School since January 2016. Miss Bonyongwe a suspected CIO has been working hand in gloves with Mr Simplicio Gwanoya the Lupane District Education Officer (DEO) whose government mandate is to destroy Mthwakazi education system and leave a trail of destruction in Matabeleland."He said as this is part of the Satanic 1979 Grand Plan and he quote page 10 of the 14 page document, which he claims reads""The resistance to the teaching of Shona in all schools in Matabeleland will soon fizzle out. More and more teachings post are being taken up by Shona collage graduates and appointments of Shona school heads has already been won. Students/pupils in all schools in that part of the country will, in the not too distant future be mostly Shona" he said."We must not forget what Nathan Shamuyarira once observed in the 1979 Grand Plan. " The only way to weaken the Ndebele is to deprive him of an education". Shona is fought in all teachers collages country wide but Ndebele is confined to Matabeleland Collages and pressure must continue to be applied to limit the teaching of Ndebele to those few who happened to be enrolled."Mnconywa said Miss Bonyongwe brags that she is well connected to government and the security sector of this Country her mother and brothers are CIOs."True to her word we have seen Dr Dokora also working tirelessly to protect Miss Bonyongwe against the Lupane community" he said."In one of the SDC and parents meetings ZRP Police in uniform and CIOs introduced as President's office attended the meeting basically to intimidate the parents."Mnconywa said Lupane is one of the worst Gukurahundi affected areas therefore people are too sensitive and the behaviour of Bonyongwe is so suspicious it actually proves that she is not an ordinary teacher but a CIO too, judging from her arrogance."One will be forgiven to think that Bonyongwe is very educated that she is irreplaceable, yet she is only but a cook and a dress maker nothing more, we wonder why is it so difficult to find another School for her in Manyikaland?" He said."If you want to put your CIOs in Matabeleland why not put Locals? Why deploy people against our will? It has been proven beyond any reasonable doubt that Gwanoya and Bonyongwe are agents of the Satanic 1979 Grand Plan, in Lupane who are bent on destroying and infiltrating Mthwakazi. Gwanoya only recruits Shona people in all Schools under his jurisdiction, Ndebeles are not welcome in Lupane the few that are there remain frustrated, no promotion Shonas come and go and most of the time they are deployed just to get a good CV before they are deployed to Bulawayo at the expense of locals."Mnconywa said as MRP they support the resolution taken by the Lupane community to suspend School lessons until government remove Bonyongwe at Mlamuli Secondary School and are keen to see whether the government through the ministry of education will continue protecting Bonyonge at the expense of the parents and their children who are not benefitting positively on the presence of her at this school."Chief Mabhikwa is on record complaining about the deployment of non- Ndebele speaking teachers deployed in his area, Chief Ndiweni is also on record, in Matopo people are up in arms against the deployment of Mashingaidze there, the list is endless everyone in Mthwakazi is angry over government conduct of undermining Matabeleland people. If government is serious about solving issues amicably and avoid confrontation and violence it should act now" he said ."Meanwhile the ban on goods from south Africa is a non-starter government should immediately reconsider their decision before it's too late, such kind of law cannot be passed because its meant to destroy Mthwakazi people who are reliant on South Africa for everything since all most every family in Mthwakazi receives groceries from SA every month mostly because our working class people are in South Africa where they are employed."He said the cross border business which has been thriving with over 50 000 people directly employed in that sector benefiting out of it cannot destroyed overnight. Zimbabwean government must understand that some its laws which are inapplicable in Matabeleland."Therefore for the avoidance of violent confrontations and maintaining of peace all the time we must be respected' he said. News / International by Felex Share The imminent exit of Britain from the European Union should see the bloc reverting to constructive multilateral engagement with Zimbabwe considering that most countries were victims of the internationalisation of a bilateral dispute between Harare and London, analysts and diplomats have said.Britain on Thursday voted 52 percent to 48 percent to leave the bloc, forcing Prime Minister David Cameron to announce his resignation by October, the month the Conservative party will hold its conference.The decision to leave after 43 years of membership, termed Brexit, came at a time when Mr Cameron had urged the country to vote for remaining in the EU. Government yesterday said it would maintain a "wait-and-see attitude" but analysts said this was an opportune time for progressive EU countries to re-engage Zimbabwe without being coerced.Relations between Zimbabwe and members of the EU soured at the turn of the millennium when Britain internationalised its bilateral dispute with Harare over the land reform programme.The United States also bought into the dispute and the countries have maintained illegal sanctions regimes on Zimbabwe since then, costing the country over $42 billion in potential revenue and contracting the economy by over 40 percent. Foreign Affairs secretary Ambassador Joey Bimha said what was needed was an EU policy shift on Zimbabwe."We will wait and see developments after this," he said. "It is not something that we can make a judgment at this point in time. In the EU, there were a number of countries which supported it (Britain) in maintaining those sanctions and those countries remain in the bloc and can still push a policy that the sanctions remain in place. It is not anything we can celebrate about in terms of removal of sanctions. Government will for now monitor the situation."Progressive countries like Belgium have been at odds with other EU members, calling for the removal of sanctions on Zimbabwe. Brussels, the centre of the global diamond trade and home to Antwerp, the world's leading diamond trading hub successfully pushed for the removal of sanctions on the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation as it angled to tap into the country's vast reserves.The EU head of Delegation to Zimbabwe Ambassador Philippe Van Damme said it was too early to comment. "For the time being, we do not have comments to make," he said."The president of the council (Martin Schulz) this morning made a preliminary comment, they are meeting now to make an assessment of the situation and comments will follow. We don't have anything at the moment other than that stage."Mr Schulz, in a joint statement with Mr Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission said the remaining 27 EU members states wanted to negotiate Britain's exit plan "as soon as possible." French President Francois Hollande echoed the same sentiments.The Dean of African diplomats and Democratic Republic of Congo ambassador to Zimbabwe Mwanananga Mwawampanga said considering the abuse some African nations suffered at the hands of Britain, the departure was welcome."Briefly, I can say it might be sad for Britain and Europe, but Brexit is good for Africa, it is good for Zimbabwe." Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa said now that Britain was leaving, Brussels should return to "unfettered" productive engagement. "Constructive multi-dimensional engagement was fettered by neo-colonial pretensions of post imperial nostalgia," he said."Zimbabweans are tired of being maligned and deserve a constructive and rewarding engagement and if a self-chosen Brexit could help, so be it. Like wild dogs of the veld, London sought to hunt Zimbabwe as an EU group pack. Brussels now just have to pick up pieces of tattered and entangled diplomacy with Harare."He added: "Self-centred Britain belatedly joined EU on a quixotic quest to somehow replace the global halo of lost imperial grandeur. Along the way, Tony Blair (former British Prime Minister) would drag Zimbabwe into the morass of group collective retribution for a bilateral and historical dispute over justified land restitution. In denial of lost colonial lordship over plucky Zimbabwe, its principled leader President Mugabe left no stone unturned as London corralled EU into an Anglo-Saxon diplomacy of vengeful vindictiveness. No effort was spared in a drive to turn Zimbabwe into a pariah state that would then be victim of Iraq and Libya type of aggression."Said Midland State University lecturer Dr Nhamo Mhiripiri: "Brexit must be a revision of past relations with the EU in particular because the key influencer in the policy has moved out but in terms of economics, there might also be other things to consider for the EU on its part and for Zimbabwe on its part. It is not only politics because you might even end up benefiting from where they lose out and other players move in." Speaker is totally wrong in his ... News / Local by Thandeka Moyo A MAN from Bulawayo accused of raping a mentally ill woman and giving her a loaf of bread to buy her silence, was yesterday acquitted.Bernard Muronza (53), a barber from Thorngrove suburb allegedly bought his victim aged 20 a bottle of Coke and a loaf of bread before raping her.Regional magistrate Mr Chrispen Mberewere acquitted Muronza at the close of the State case saying the woman and her mother had lied before the court."The defence made an application for discharge at the end of the State case on the grounds that he is entitled to his acquittal given there is no evidence to prove an essential of this case," said Mr Mberewere."The complainant said her panties and clothes were blood stained when she sought medical attention within 24 hours. The doctor who examined her told the court that upon examining her, there were no fresh tears on her organ or blood stains on any of her clothing."Mr Mberewere said the evidence led by the State had been unreliable."Generally, considering evidence before the court it is clear the woman was not a virgin as she claimed and that she was not raped. Muronza is therefore discharged," he said.Muronza, through his lawyer Ms Taboka Nyathi of Mesdames Vundla, Phulu and Partners, had pleaded not guilty to rape stating that he knew the woman as a beggar.The woman, in her testimony, claimed that the alleged rape was her first sexual encounter.Prosecuting, Ms Paida Zengeni said on December 29 last year between 8AM and 10AM, the complainant left home intending to go for a haircut in Nguboyenja suburb."Unfortunately the barber who does her hair wasn't available and she proceeded to Burombo where there were other barbers operating under a tree. Upon arrival at Burombo grounds, she approached Muronza and paid for the hair cut," said Ms Zengeni.She said that after the haircut, Muronza offered to buy her some food at the shops.Ms Zengeni said the woman refused but Muronza grabbed her arm and force-marched her to Burombo tuck-shop."Muronza, still holding her left arm, bought a loaf of bread and a 300ml bottle of Coke and took her to his place of residence in Thorngrove.He then locked the door before raping her once. After the rape, the accused gave the complainant the loaf of bread and ordered her to go to her house", she said. Sonora CHP Unit View Photos Chinese Camp, CA The CHP reports a man was seriously injured in a motorcycle wreck on Highway 120 near Chinese Camp. The crash happened around 4:43 p.m. Thursday near Sims Road. The CHP says 23-year-old Jimmy Mac of San Diego was driving a 2015 Yamaha motorcycle on the highway when he lost control due to his speed. Mac suffered major injuries including broken bones and road rash. He was taken by ambulance to Sonora Regional Medical Center. The Erskine Fire in Kern County View Photos View Video Sacramento, CA More than 250 firefighters from the Mother Lode are fighting fires across the state including one that has been declared a state of emergency by the Governor. Friday afternoon Governor Jerry Brown issued an emergency proclamation for Kern County, where two people have been killed in the fast moving flames of the Erskine Fire in the Lake Isabella area. Thousands of residents have been forced from their homes. Approximately 100 structures have been lost with 1,500 still threatened. Our heartfelt sympathies to everyone impacted by this destructive blaze, said Governor Brown. We join all Californians in expressing our gratitude to the courageous firefighters, emergency personnel and volunteers working tirelessly throughout Kern County to help residents and extinguish this fire. (The Governors entire proclamation can be viewed at the bottom.) Currently the fires acreage is estimated at 19,034 acres with 800 fire fighters on scene including some resources from the Tuolumne Calaveras Unit (TCU) of Cal Fire. Aiding in the fire suppression effort is one Calaveras County strike team of 5 engines and one strike team leader. Additionally, Columbia aircraft flew overhead Friday afternoon in the Crystal Falls area enroute to the Inyo National Forest to assist with the Marina Fire which has grown to 350 acres off of Highway 395 and Mono Lake in Mono County. Cal Fire reports battling the blaze is one strike team of TCU engines, which includes five engines and one Battalion Chief. Cal Fire provided this list of TCU and local government resource covering two other major fires in the state: The Border Fire burning in San Diego County, which now stands at 6,840 acres and 20 percent contained: 2 strike teams of TCU engines [10 engines 2 Battalion Chief] 3 strike teams of TCU crews [6 crews 2 overhead] 5 overhead people 1 Calaveras county strike team of engines [5 engines 1 strike team leader] Mert 1 [medical emergency response team out of sierra center] 2 Tuolumne county engines part of a Stanislaus county strike team The San Gabriel Complex Fire covering 5,267 acres with 30 percent containment: Strike team of dozers [1 CAL FIRE dozer 1 private hire and a strike team leader] Here is the Governors entire proclamation: PROCLAMATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY WHEREAS on June 23, 2016, the Erskine Fire started in Kern County, rapidly burning thousands of acres of land, and it continues to burn; and WHEREAS a Federal Fire Management Assistance Grant has been requested and approved for the Erskine Fire burning in Kern County; and WHEREAS this fire has destroyed over one hundred homes and continues to threaten thousands of structures, including additional homes, necessitating the evacuation of thousands of residents; and WHEREAS this fire has damaged power lines and other critical infrastructure, continues to threaten critical infrastructure, and has forced the closure of roadways; and WHEREAS on January 17, 2014, I declared a State of Emergency based on the extreme drought that has caused millions of trees to die, and increased the severity and spread of the fires throughout the State; and WHEREAS the circumstances of this fire by reason of its magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of any single local government and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to combat; and WHEREAS under the provisions of section 8558(b) of the California Government Code, I find that conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property exist in California due to this fire; and WHEREAS under the provisions of section 8571 of the California Government Code, I find that strict compliance with various statutes and regulations specified in this order would prevent, hinder, or delay the mitigation of the effects of this fire. NOW, THEREFORE, I, EDMUND G. BROWN JR., Governor of the State of California, in accordance with the authority vested in me by the State Constitution and statutes, including the California Emergency Services Act, and in particular, section 8625 of the California Government Code, HEREBY PROCLAIM A STATE OF EMERGENCY to exist in Kern County. IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT: 1. All agencies of the state government shall utilize and employ state personnel, equipment, and facilities for the performance of any and all activities consistent with the direction of the Governors Office of Emergency Services and the State Emergency Plan. Also, all citizens are to heed the advice of emergency officials with regard to this emergency in order to protect their safety. 2. State statutes, rules, regulations and requirements are hereby suspended to the extent they apply to the following activities: (a) removal, storage, transportation, and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste and debris resulting from the wildfires that have burned and continue to burn in areas that are subject to the jurisdiction of agencies within the California Environmental Protection Agency and the California Natural Resources Agency; and (b) necessary restoration and rehabilitation of streams, rivers, and other waterways. Such statutes, rules, regulations and requirements are hereby suspended only to the extent necessary for expediting the removal and cleanup of debris from the fires, and for implementing any restoration plan. Individuals who desire to conduct activities under this suspension of statutes, rules, regulations, and requirements shall first request that the appropriate Agency Secretary, or his delegate, make a determination that the proposed activities are eligible to be conducted under this suspension. The Secretary for the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary for the California Natural Resources Agency shall use sound discretion in applying this order to ensure that the suspension serves the purpose of accelerating cleanup and recovery, while at the same time protecting public health and the environment. This order shall apply to, but is not necessarily limited to: solid waste facility permits; waste discharge requirements for storage and disposal; emergency timber harvesting; emergency construction activities; and waste discharge requirements and/or Water Quality Certification for discharges of fill material or pollutants. To the extent it is within their administrative authority, the boards, departments and offices within the California Environmental Protection Agency and the California Natural Resources Agency shall expedite the granting of other authorizations, waivers or permits necessary for the removal, storage, transportation, and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous debris resulting from the fire, and for other actions necessary for the protection of public health and the environment. 3. As necessary to assist local governments and for the protection of public health and the environment, state agencies shall enter into contracts to arrange for the procurement of materials, goods, and services necessary to quickly remove dangerous debris, repair damaged resources, and restore and protect the impacted watershed. Applicable provisions of the Government Code and the Public Contract Code, including but not limited to travel, advertising, and competitive bidding requirements, are suspended to the extent necessary to address the effects of this fire. 4. Health and Safety Code sections 103525.5 and 103625, and Penal Code section 14251, requiring the imposition of fees, are hereby suspended with regard to any request for copies of certificates of birth, death, marriage, and dissolution of marriage records, by any individual who lost such records as a result of the fire. Such copies shall be provided without charge. 5. Vehicle Code sections 9265(a), 9867, 14901, 14902 and 15255.2, requiring the imposition of fees, are suspended with regard to any request for replacement of a drivers license, identification card, vehicle registration certificate, or certificate of title, by any individual who lost such records as a result of the fire. Such records shall be replaced without charge. 6. The provisions of Vehicle Code sections 4602 and 5902, requiring the timely registration or transfer of title, are suspended with regard to any registration or transfer of title by any residents of Kern County who are unable to comply with those requirements as a result of the fire. The time covered by this suspension shall not be included in calculating any late penalty pursuant to Vehicle Code section 9554. 7. The provisions of Unemployment Insurance Code section 1253 imposing a one-week waiting period for unemployment insurance applicants are suspended as to all applicants who are unemployed as a direct result of the fire, who apply for unemployment insurance benefits during the time period beginning June 23, 2016, and ending on the close of business on December 23, 2016, and who are otherwise eligible for unemployment insurance benefits in California. 8. Local and state laws limiting capacity for care facilities licensed by the California Department of Social Services, including but not limited to, divisions 6 and 12 of title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, are hereby waived for 60 days to accommodate residents who have been forced to evacuate from facilities that are threatened by the fire. 9. The Office of Emergency Services shall provide local government assistance to Kern County, as appropriate, under the authority of the California Disaster Assistance Act, California Government Code section 8680, et seq., and California Code of Regulations, title 19, section 2900, et seq. I FURTHER DIRECT that as soon as hereafter possible, this proclamation be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State and that widespread publicity and notice be given of this proclamation. IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 24th day of June 2016. EDMUND G. BROWN JR. Governor of California News / Local by Staff Reporter JAY Jay Travel and Tours, a bus company, has dragged two touts, popularly known as omagumaguma to court for harassing passengers.The company, which was represented by its manager Kennard Nziramasanga, applied for a court order to ban David Rwatiringa and Richard Daka from going near its buses.Nziramasanga told the court that Rwatiringa and Daka who are both from Plumtree were in the habit of insulting, harassing and demanding money from Jay Jay Bus passengers at the Plumtree Border Post."Rwatiringa and Daka who are known as omagumaguma have on several occasions interfered with our business at the Plumtree Border Post and we have on several occasions tried to engage them but with no luck."They disturb our passengers and show violent behaviour towards our bus crews and this unethical behaviour is disturbing our business operations," he said.Nziramasanga said some passengers had stopped boarding their buses to avoid the two.He said on June 9 one of their buses which plies the Harare-Francistown route was stationed at the border with passengers on board and the two men started demanding money from them.He said the bus crew realised that the actions of the two men were getting out of hand and the driver asked them to disembark. They refused and an argument ensued between them and the bus driver. He said the misunderstanding ended in a scuffle."These two men on some occasions misrepresent themselves as bus crew members and at the end exploit passengers. Our passengers at the end of the day complain about our services. We have also recorded incidents where goods [belonging to] passengers have gone missing and as a company we are held accountable for all of these incidents," said Nziramasanga.Rwatiringa and Daka did not deny the allegations.Plumtree magistrate, Mr Gideon Ruvetsa barred Rwatiringa and Daka from going anywhere less than 100 metres from Jay Jay buses.He said they should stop harassing passengers or touching their luggage.Mr Ruvetsa ordered the duo to pay to the company the cost of the suit. Hundreds came to Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center to hear from survivors of the Pulse attack and lend their support to the Hispanic community specifically. Orlando Unido, a vigil for Hispanic Pulse attack victims Among the speakers was Adrian Lopez, who escaped from the nightclub, but who lost 5 friends We bleed red. If you mix all of our bloods, youre not going to tell the difference, said West Palm Beach resident Michelle Reddington. Orlando Unido, Orlando United, was the theme of the vigil at the Dr. Phillips Center. Adrian Lopez was among those who spoke. Lopez feels fortunate; he was able to escape from the nightmare of the Pulse shooting unharmed. Still, Lopez lost five friends and almost lost his husband, Javier, who was shot in the stomach. Lopez says his family has helped him every step of the way. Its OK to cry. Its OK to feel the pain. But just keep in mind that they need to get up and be stronger for them. They cannot stay with that pain for the rest of their life, Lopez said. Hundreds gathered around the many candles, posters and flowers spread throughout this space for the Spanish language memorial. The whole nation is coming together. Its a beautiful tragedy, said Lake County resident Shawn Argenziano. People at the Pulse nightclub on June 12 were celebrating Latin night, making the majority of the Pulse victims latino. But Lopez says after the rain there's always a rainbow to look forward to. Because the memories of your loved ones, they will be there and forever will be. And we will all get together someday, Lopez added. Lopezs husband is slowly recovering. Its an experience Lopez says has made him realize love will always prevail. The Orange County Sheriffs Office has released new documents that offer accounts from deputies who responded to the shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando where 49 people were killed and 53 others were injured. Deputies arrived to the scene in the early morning hours on June 12 after receiving a request for backup from the Orlando Police Department. According to the report, deputies were told there was an active shooter and multiple victims in the area. RELATED: The documents provide an insight into the events following the shooting, with one deputy describing the scene as chaotic. In one account, a deputy wrote that responding units were given very little details about what was happening, but dispatch did tell them an OPD officer was not responding to their radio after calling, shots fired. Another deputy wrote that the first thing he saw when arriving at the scene was a triage location set up behind a restaurant. One deputy described hearing shots fired as he approached the club, according to the report. Many of the deputies who responded to the shooting were tasked with setting up perimeters in nearby streets. Some even assisted medical teams and police with carrying victims away from the club. The shooting at Pulse nightclub has been called the worst mass shooting in recent U.S. history. Omar Mateen, the gunman, pledged allegiance to ISIS in calls he made to 911 during the shooting. Mateen was later shot and killed by police. Read individual reports from deputies here or below: GET OUR APP Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Download it here. Attorneys in Hale County will join their legal counterparts throughout in the State of Texas in reading the U.S. Declaration of Independence. The reading will take place at noon Friday, July 1, under the covered portico on the west steps of the Hale County Courthouse at 500 Broadway. The public is invited. According to local lawyers organizing the event, this will be the first year that a concurrent reading of the Declaration of Independence will be occurring in every county in Texas. Two years ago, when local judges and attorneys gathered for a similar event, Troy Bollinger, a member of the Laney & Bollinger law firm in Plainview, explained that the Declaration of Independence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson in June 1776 and remains the single most cherished symbol of the nations freedom. Sadly, Bollinger notes, many Americans have never heard the self-evident truths listed in the document Please join us at your courthouse to help celebrate and honor our freedom, Bollinger said. Now in its sixth year, the annual ceremony is part of a statewide effort by lawyers and groups associated with the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. The practice of public readings of the Declaration of Independence began with the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association in 2010, and has spread across the state. Inside courthouses across Texas, criminal defense lawyers fight to protect the liberty of our fellow Americans, event founder Robert Fickman said in a 2015 TCDLA press release. So it is only right that the criminal defense bar stand shoulder to shoulder across Texas and hold readings of the Declaration of Independence. It is a good reminder to each of us of our oath and duty. It is a reminder to all others that the criminal defense bar has never been more united in our fight against any who would rob our countrymen of their liberty. During the past 14 months, the BNSF Logistics distribution center has experienced tremendous growth as wind turbine blades, bases, generators and nacelles have been brought in from across North America and overseas. Starting with a modest 10 acres, the complex has grown to more than 90 acres amid a beehive of activity as components are offloaded from railcars and trucks, stored briefly and then sent to project sites within a 100-mile radius. Its a staging area for the regions booming wind energy industry, and components normally remain there only briefly. Occasionally, however, some of the projects face delays. Thats the case with tens of millions of dollars worth of GE components that stayed onsite for about 6 months, making them subject to local taxation. That triggered a request to Hale County commissioners to consider discontinuing its tax on goods-in-transit. Commissioners have delayed action on the issue at recent meetings to gather more information. At Fridays work session, Chief Appraiser Nikki Branscum brought attorney DLayne Peeples Carter of Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins & Mott LLP to address the issue. Following state legislative action in 2007 and again in 2011, county commissioners voting to continue taxing goods-in-transit as part of the business inventory, unless they fit exemptions provided by state law. As outlined by Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins & Mott in a 2011 letter, the exemption applies only to goods that are stored for no more than 175 days in a public warehouse. The warehouse cannot be owned by the same individual or company that owns the goods. Branscum noted that representatives from Thomas Y. Pickett Co., in Dallas discovered that the GE components had remained at the BNSF Logistics distribution site longer than 175 days. Pickett handles heavy industrial and oil and gas industry appraisals for the local appraisal district. Theyre the ones that discovered it, and GE admitted it was their oversight, she said. Normally, the components would have been delivered to the construction site or their ownership would have been legally transferred to the buyer within the 175-day window to avoid having the components subject to taxation. Carter said Friday she is just now starting to research issue, but her preliminary study suggests that the components in question might not qualify for an exemption under state law. Thats because her preliminary reading of the statue suggests that the exemption does not apply to components being held for later assembly. Branscum added that the Walmart Distribution Center has more than $47 million in merchandize subject to taxation. We really need to get as much information as we can to make an informed decision, County Judge Bill Coleman added. These questions often fall into gray areas, but somebody down the line has to step up and paying taxes if we are to continue to provide the services expected from county government. While the question on taxing goods-in-transmit will likely be tabled Monday, commissioners have a number of other items on the agenda of their regular meeting: --Approve current accounts payable, totaling $139,172.18. --Award bids for food products and food service items for the Hale County Sheriffs Office and jail. --Consider a proposed holiday schedule for 2017. --Accept the Hale Center EMS activity report for May. Coleman on Friday reported that the service responded to 27 emergency dispatched, including 19 within the city and eight in the county. It also made 12 transfer runs for a total of 39. One was a no-transport with 38 listed as billable runs. --Consider a $3,150 bid for tax forfeited property at 1507 Ave. J in Abernathy. --Review an independent auditors annual financial report for 2015 from Davis Kinard & Co., PC. --Consider a request by a local vendor acquire for salvage the countys outdated computers and related equipment. --Consider a request from Airport Manager Stacie Hardage to spend $20,876 in airport funds to purchase a 20-foot shredder to replace a 16-year-old 14-foot shredder with a thrashed gearbox. --Renew contracts in the County Clerks Office for a postage meter and as a remote site to issue certified birth certificates. --Consider personnel requests at the sheriffs office. Mondays meeting begins at 9 a.m. at the Hale County Courthouse, 500 Broadway, and is open to the public. WATERBURY, Conn. (AP) Police responded to a Connecticut mosque after worshippers reported a man using racial epithets and anti-Muslim slurs and a vehicle with flashing yellow lights followed members vehicles. Police were called to the Masjid Al Mostafa in Waterbury mosque shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday. It was the second time in as many days that police had been called to the mosque to deal with reports of harassment. Naveed Khan, vice chairman of the Islamic American Society of Connecticut and a member of the mosque, tells the Republican-American (http://bit.ly/28XUB9a ) the house of worship has been targeted before, but things have recently been getting worse. Muslims worldwide are celebrating Ramadan, a monthlong time of fasting during daylight hours and meet at the mosque in evening for a communal meal and worship. Information from: Republican-American, http://www.rep-am.com News / Local by Mashudu Netsianda A BULAWAYO man who fatally stabbed his friend in the chest for allegedly gulping down alcohol while others were taking sips, has been sentenced to an effective 20 years in jail.Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Maxwell Takuva convicted Lwazi Great Mtetwa (22) of Nkulumane suburb of murder with actual intent.Mtetwa had offered a limited plea of guilty to a lesser charge of culpable homicide.He committed the cold-blooded murder in August last year following a dispute with Thabo Michael Thebe who was aged 23. The two were part of a group that was sharing a bottle of whisky.Justice Takuva, in his judgment, said Mtetwa was not a credible witness, adding that his testimony was fraught with inconsistencies and lies. The judge also urged witnesses to be honest in their testimonies irrespective of their relations with the accused persons.Justice Takuva expressed concern over an increase in the number of youths engaging in violent crimes."We are quite alarmed in view of the increasing number of youths who have become the most dangerous group in our society. They go about killing innocent people and there is need to pass severe sentences so that a clear message is sent out there," said the judge.Justice Takuva said the courts have a duty to protect the sanctity of human life through passing deterrent sentences to offenders."The courts have a duty to protect the sanctity of human life and if we don't do that the law of the jungle will take over. The use of knives to resolve disputes is totally unacceptable and we want to discourage youths from moving around carrying such lethal weapons through passing deterrent sentences. You are accordingly sentenced to undergo 20 years in jail," ruled the judge.In mitigation through his lawyer, Liberty Mcijo of Mcijo and Dube Legal Practitioners, Mtetwa pleaded for leniency, saying he was a youthful offender whose behaviour was largely influenced by alcohol."Accused showed remorse and the mere fact that he killed his best friend will, in itself, traumatise him for a very long time," said Mcijo. Mtetwa claimed that it was not his intention to kill Thebe but negligently caused his friend's death when he threw himself at him.Prosecuting, Mr Thompson Hove said on August 31 last year shortly after 9pm, Mtetwa and Thebe were drinking whisky with friends at a friend's house in Nkulumane when an altercation ensued between the two. The court heard that the dispute degenerated into a fight and Mtetwa was defeated."Mtetwa left the scene and vowed that he would return and teach the deceased a lesson. He went to his home and returned a few minutes later armed with an Okapi knife," said Mr Hove.On his return, Mtetwa confronted the now-deceased and the fight resumed.During the scuffle, the court heard that Mtetwa pulled out his knife and stabbed Thebe once in the ribcage and also in the neck and he died instantly.According to post mortem results, the cause of death was stabbing, heart and lung rupture and hypovolemic shock. An Oakland city administrator is advising the City Council to block a controversial plan to ship coal from the Port of Oakland after a long-awaited study revealed that exposure to coal dust could damage vital organs, cause cancer and stunt childhood growth and development. Oakland Assistant City Administrator Claudia Cappio is recommending that the council ban storage and handling of coal in bulk facilities, including the shipping terminal that developer Phil Tagami plans to build near the east end of the Bay Bridge. Cappios advice appeared in a staff report made public Friday, three days before the council meets for a public hearing and vote on Tagamis plan to ship millions of tons of coal each year through the city. It included a damning report from the citys environmental consultant, ESA, which said that railcars being unloaded at the terminal could send coal dust wafting over two neighboring schools, a child care center, commuters at the Bay Bridge toll plaza and parks near Interstate 880. Scientific research points to potential significant public health hazards related to coal/(petroleum) coke dust, Cappio wrote in the citys staff report. She wrote that coal dust can harm peoples hearts and lungs, hinder child development and lead to cancer. It would also pollute the air in West Oakland and potentially harm workers in the shipping facilities or nearby rail yards, Cappio wrote. Tagamis $250 million Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal project is a cornerstone of the huge 130-acre development that his company, California Capital & Investment Group, has undertaken at the former Oakland Army Base. The entire development will add rail lines, shipping centers and warehouses to a piece of land that has long sat barren. Coal didnt appear to be part of the plan until 2014, when Tagamis shipping operator, Terminal Logistics Solutions, entered talks with four coal-mining counties in Utah whose leaders wanted to invest in the project on the condition that Utah coal be shipped through Oakland. In March, the Utah Legislature voted to spend $53 million in taxpayer funds on the Oakland terminal. Officials in Oakland have struggled with whether to outright prohibit the transport and storage of coal in Oakland, a move that would require the city to alter its 3-year-old development agreement with Tagami and potentially derail the project. The coal-shipping plan has for months pitted environmentalists and health workers against labor groups that accuse the city of trying to chase out a project that could generate thousands of jobs. Jessica Yarnall Loarie, a staff attorney for the Sierra Clubs environmental law program, said she is optimistic that the council will follow Cappios recommendation. But David Smith, a lawyer representing Tagami, said that such a ban would be a clear violation of the development agreement. Should they act on it, we would have no choice but to pursue all available legal remedies, Smith said. Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan Aunt Bettys phallic corn dogs nearly got shut down at the Pride Festival in San Francisco Saturday, but the shape of the dog had nothing to do with it. It was a fire code thing. You cant have a fabric umbrella directly over the corn dog fryer, no matter what shape the dog. I should have known better, said Aunt Betty. Aunt Betty, whose real name is Betty Brett, is a caterer from Sonoma who, when she works the street fairs of Sonoma, sells regular corn dogs instead of anatomically correct ones. I dont think my dogs would go over in Sonoma, she said. But here its fun. Aunt Betty was whipping up a fresh batch of what she calls Porno Dogs when three inspectors from the San Francisco Fire Department happened by, with clipboards. They meant business. The head inspector, who was not identified, told Brett that the umbrella was in violation, that her propane tank was also in violation for being under-pressured and her propane tank hose was in violation as well, for being too short. Its never a good idea on Pride weekend to be caught with a short hose. I could shut you down, the inspector said, writing down a lot of things on her clipboard about the dangers of unsafely prepared phallic hot dogs. But Im going to give you a warning. Brett said her head chef, Angel Valencia, invented the phallic corn dog last year. Its a regular corn dog, but Valencia dreamed up the idea of adding half a dog to the bottom of the stick, perpendicular to the traditional dog. The half dog, when dipped in the batter and deep-fried, provides a scrotum-like effect. I was just joking around when the idea came to me, in a flash, Valencia said. A Porno Dog costs $9, down from the $10 that Brett was charging last year. You get more to eat with a Porno Dog than a regular one, which costs $6, but 10 bucks was perhaps too much to charge for an impulse item like a Porno Dog, Brett said. And she said she did not expect as big a crowd this year, because of the extra security precautions in the aftermath of the Orlando tragedy. People are afraid after Orlando, Brett said. So I lowered the price of the Porno Dog. It was something I could do. Brett said she also sells a Cajun hot link sausage that, because of its larger size, cannot be turned into a Porno Dog by adding the extra section. She tried. It wont fit into the fryer, she said. Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveRubeSF This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Its been more than a decade since trans and gender non-conforming marchers joined with allies on San Franciscos streets for their very first march. On Friday night, the thousands of marchers who flocked to Dolores Park for the 13th annual Trans March remembered their history, gathering under a nostalgic mantra with the theme, Embracing Our Legacy: We Are Still Here. Chants like Hey hey, ho ho, transphobias got to go and One, two, three four, equalitys what were marching for, rang out as marchers dispersed from Dolores and paraded down Market Street, bound for the Tenderloin. On a more somber note Friday, three organizations pulled out of Sundays Pride Parade as grand marshals in protest of the heavy police presence planned during the annual celebration. Heightened security Black Lives Matter, the Transgender, Gender Variant, and Intersex Justice Project and St. James Infirmary are refusing to march in the parade in their honorary roles to make the point that they feel less safe, not more safe, with the added security, according to representatives of the organizations. Leah Millis/The Chronicle Security has been heightened this year in response to the massacre two weeks ago of 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando. The parade honoring lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride will take place downtown and is expected to draw about 1 million people. For a parade whose theme is racial and economic justice, we just feel that increasing the police presence with indiscriminate searches and pat-downs, and undercover officers throughout the event is really not the way to keep us all safe, said Malkia Cyril, a Black Lives representative who identifies as queer and gender-nonconforming and had been planning to march with the group. This years trans march seemed particularly poignant for two reasons: The shadow left by the Orlando massacre, and the 50th anniversary of Gene Comptons Cafeteria Riot at Turk and Taylor streets, an uprising of oppressed transgender women considered by many the precursor to the LGBT rights movement. Felicia Elizondo, a 69-year-old transgender woman who has lived with AIDS for 29 years, said she was at that historic event. When Fridays march came to a halt at Turk and Taylor streets, marchers unveiled a new street sign named for the riot. Leah Millis/The Chronicle Elizondo spoke to the crowd from the top of a cable car, remembering past and present struggles. I honor right now our brothers and sisters from Orlando. We honor you, she said. We were murdered, killed, raped and thrown in jail because of who we were. And today I see an array of support and recognition. Soon, Elizondo welcomed Supervisor Jane Kim onto the cable car, where she addressed the crowd and called for the protection of the LGBT community. I have the distinct honor of representing the Tenderloin neighborhood. I cant tell you how much I love representing this community, Kim said. This is our space. I am not safe if you are not safe. So oppressed by labels Among the crowd dancing and chanting down the street were allies of the transgender community, like Laura Zucker, a 58-year-old Lafayette resident who came to the city for the march. Heres my motto: Be who you want to be, pee where you want to pee, she said. This is my first march. For a variety of reasons, this year especially, we felt like it was important to be here to show support. Leah Millis/The Chronicle Both young and old reflected on the transgender community. One of the youngest at the march might have been 12-year-old Alicia Ng, who performed a poem at Dolores Park. Alicia has known she was transgender since the second grade, she said, and has no interest in being branded by the community. I think we should have one label F for freedom. At this point the LGBT community is so oppressed by labels its as if were under these chains the rest of the community doesnt have. she said.I think that we dont need labels to live our lives. She held a banner that read: It is not we who are transitioning. We are helping the world transition to seeing reality. Some in the transgender community, like 24-year-old Rizzo Barajas, say the transformation Alicia hopes for is on its way. I think a lot of progress has been made, she said while marching down Market Street. When I was in high school, I didnt even know the word transgender. To know that theres a march and a whole community for me is amazing. Chronicle staff writer Kevin Fagan contributed to this report. Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno Most of the 105 personal reflections in Being Palestinian are by authors and academics who live in the United Kingdom, Canada and North America. All are members of a Diaspora that cling to connections through relatives, rare visits or memories of their youth in Palestine. The fact of speaking Arabic remains an integral aspect of their identities, which can be especially precarious, since they are victimized by misinformation and stereotypes. Several writers mention survivors guilt, while most speak of fragmentation and the nostalgia of returning home. Editor Yasir Suleiman reminds readers that being Palestinian is a destiny within which one can negotiate a space of ones own, but from which one cannot escape. Dr. Ishaq Abu-Arafew illustrates the complications: My grandparents were born in Palestine under the Ottoman Empire, and my parents were born under the British Mandate. I was born in Jerusalem under Jordanian rule, and I grew up under Israeli military occupation. More Information Being Palestinian: Reflections on Identity in the Diaspora Edited by Yasir Suleiman Edinburg University Press, $29.95 See More Collapse In 1961, Israeli politician Golda Meir insisted that there were no such things as Palestinians. When was there an independent Palestinian people with a state? They did not exist. This led to Orientalism author Edward Said observing that Palestinians are denied their experiential narrative both by Israelis and encounters in the Diaspora. Most of these exiles have been asked about their background and, if they say Palestine, the reactions vary from surprise to disdain. Many speak of the bittersweet nature of being Palestinian, and all are touched by sadness and dislocation. Mahmoud Darwish told Said, I do not define myself, so that I do not lose myself. Both deceased icons are mentioned often in these pieces, along with a color photo of Suleiman and Said (the collections dedicatee). Saids daughter, actress Najla Said, offers a metaphor of being a Palestinian in the Diaspora as carrying a really heavy, entirely unwieldy bag. Of groceries, perhaps. Or rocks, maybe. She extends the metaphor for several witty paragraphs, then relates it to experiences as a lifelong American citizen in New York City. Diaspora is a sharp longing for that which remains nameless, an echo of some lost music. Often, it is not memory. It is wistfulness, writes poet Hala Alyan. Other exiles inscribe thematic poems Sharif Elmusa, Nathalie Handal, and Fady Judah. San Antonio Poet Naomi Shihab Nye recounts the final days of Aziz Shihab, her Palestinian father. While certainly a sadly touching account, it is filled with charm. He always called strangers friend because he believed they could become friends. It was one way of avoiding racism as an immigrant. Yet, he had known terrible heartache. He was disappointed with such little positive resolution in the Palestinian-Israeli disaster of nearly 60 years, writes Nye. Since losing his family home in 1948, he never stopped advocating for justice. He believed Arabs and Jews could have stayed cousins, and not become enemies. Paradoxically, writes Lam Abu-Odeh, Georgetown law professor, to resist ones plight as a Palestinian in America is to discover the totalitarian nature of the U.S. government and society. Najat Rahman, author/editor of books about poet Darwish, speaks of more than an identity, or an experience, or an inheritance, being Palestinian has become a demand in the face of continued and forceful negation, in the face of violent erasure, a crossing precisely of a voice that has not stopped its telling of a story that has yet to be heard, a door that could open on to an elsewhere. For the Palestinian exile, writes author Abbas Shiblak, the image of the lost homeland is not framed by romantic notions of the past, but rather a deep sense of dispossession, fragmentation and marginalization. Exile for me is what Edward Said once described as the unhealable rift forced between a human and a native place ... its essential sadness can never be surmounted. This is a remarkable collection of poignant reflections on identity, Diaspora, and personal history. Its 370 pages feature color photos of the authors, sections of artifacts and a useful glossary. Roberto Bonazzis latest book, Awakened by Surprise, was published this spring by Lamar University Literary Press. News / Regional by Fairness Moyana A MAN from Binga allegedly raped his wife's younger sister (12) and tried to buy her silence with a pen.Miseva Mudenda (32) of Lubu area under Chief Binga allegedly left his wife during the night and proceeded to his father-in-law's homestead where he sneaked into the Grade 7 pupil's blankets.Binga resident magistrate Ms Ailenne Munamati did not ask Mudenda to plead as she remanded him in custody to June 27.She advised him to apply for bail at the High court.According to court papers, on June 6 at around 2.30AM, Mudenda went to the complainant's home and entered a bedroom hut where she was sleeping with her younger sister aged eight.He allegedly slipped into the complainant's blankets, raped her once before soliciting for her silence with a new ball point pen.The victim revealed the matter to her father who made a report at Kariangwe police base.Police arrested Mudenda two days later while the girl was taken to Binga Hospital for medical examination. Bruce Maphosa appeared for the State. SAN ANTONIO A new bar will join the ranks of watering holes on the banks of the Riverwalk Friday night as The Reservoir hosts a grand opening celebration. Daniel Rivera, who also owns Media Luna Bar and Lounge downtown, said his new location, at 306 North Presa Street, is an upscale spot with a menu of cocktails like a "strawberry basil mojito" and "chocolate chip martini," as well as a variety of beers on tap. Perhaps buried behind the Giants run of wins is the emergence of backup infielder Ramiro Pena. In seven games (three starts) since his contract was purchased from Triple-A Sacramento on June 10, Pena is batting .444 (8-for-18) with four RBIs and two runs. He recorded two hits in each of San Franciscos three wins at Pittsburgh this week. I feel good right now, said Pena, whose strong throw on a bouncer toward third ended Fridays win over the Phillies. Im really locked in, and Im getting good results. For much of the past eight years, Pena has ping-ponged between the majors and minors. He hit .278 with 12 RBIs in 50 games for Atlanta in 2013. After he slumped the following year, Pena spent all of 2015 in San Diegos farm system. In December, the Giants signed him to a minor-league deal. A switch-hitter known for his defensive versatility, Pena thrived at Sacramento before getting summoned two weeks ago to San Francisco. Playing every day in the minors had helped him refine his approach at the plate. Now, as he splits time at multiple infield positions, Pena still arrives at the ballpark every day thinking he needs to be ready to hit. Being on the bench isnt easy, but right now Ive still got the feeling of being able to play every day, said Pena, who has played primarily third base as Matt Duffy recovers from an Achilles tendon injury. I got rhythm, I got everything. Its good. Said manager Bruce Bochy of Pena: The fact that were a little beat up right now with Duffy out, were hoping that these guys come up, fill in nicely and be productive. Hes done all that and more. Briefly: Second baseman Kelby Tomlinson (thumb) took grounders and is a week to 10 days from starting a rehab assignment. Shortstop Ehire Adrianza (foot) is probably at least a month away from beginning a rehab assignment, Bochy said. Right-hander Matt Cain (hamstring) threw a 20-pitch bullpen session. Bochy said Cain will throw again Sunday and, if all goes well, hell learn his next step. Cain will likely have a rehab assignment, something he skipped during his first stint on the disabled list. Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. On deck Saturday vs. Phillies 7:05 p.m. CSNBA Hellickson (4-6) vs. Bumgarner (8-3) Sunday vs. Phillies 1:05 p.m. CSNBA Nola (5-7) vs. Cueto (11-1) Monday vs. As 7:15 p.m. CSNBA Mengden (0-3) vs. Samardzija (8-4) Leading off Subpar competition: The Giants are in the midst of a 29-game stretch in which they do not play a team that currently has a winning record. Their next opponent with a record above .500 is Boston (July 19-20). Connor Letourneau WASHINGTON Four years ago, retired San Francisco firefighter Tony Stefani, stricken with a rare form of pelvic cancer tied to flame retardants, sat before a Senate committee as a living example of how the federal government allowed tens of thousands of potentially toxic chemicals to be used in household products that Americans assumed were safe. Last week, in a White House auditorium dotted with cancer survivors and widows and chemical industry lobbyists, President Obama signed into law the first update of the Toxic Substances Control Act, first signed by President Gerald Ford in 1976. The rare bipartisan achievement marks the first strengthening of a major federal environmental statute in two decades. Under the new version of the act, the government will slowly begin to require federal testing of industrial chemicals and could lead to a ban on asbestos, a known lethal carcinogen still in public commerce. At Obamas shoulder during Wednesdays signing was Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who called Stefani to testify before the Environment and Public Works Committee she chaired in 2012. For years, Boxer stubbornly blocked proposed reforms of the toxic substances law to protect Californias stricter chemical standards, at one point battling her personal friend, the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, after whom the reform is named. This bill started out a disaster, Boxer said as she stood in the celebratory chaos after the signing ceremony. It was a a very tough slog. Years in the making. The bipartisanship on the issue grew out of industry frustration with the proliferation of state chemical regulations that filled the vacuum resulting from the weak federal law, which was further hamstrung by court rulings that limited the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the law. Maintaining momentum Democrats were eager to toughen federal law, but Boxer sought to preserve state authority because California had moved aggressively on its own, both legislatively and at the ballot box. Three decades ago, voters approved Proposition 65, a law that requires the state to update and publish a list of chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects or other reproductive harm. But Boxer also wanted to get new legislation passed before she leaves the Senate this year. Her seniority as the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, her knowledge of the bills details and political history, and her deep relationships with Republicans on the panel, particularly its chairman and her friend, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., gave her leverage that no successor could hope to have. I knew how bad it could be if we lost momentum, Boxer said. If the bill had not passed under her watch, then when I was gone theyd start all over, and who would really be there to be the pain in the neck fighting? I was worried. Boxer said she is confident in the new bill now, having held out until the end on its most controversial part allowing states an 18-month window to regulate chemicals on their own before the EPA acts. The law also allows California to keep Prop. 65. If the EPA fails to regulate a hazardous chemical within 3 years, states can move on their own to regulate the chemical. The bill also assigns a priority for the EPA to review toxic chemicals that are known to persist in the environment and accumulate in the food chain, including in the human body. Finding common ground After the signing ceremony, Boxer jostled with well-wishers, including 26-year-old Trevor Schaefer of Boise, Idaho, who survived a diagnosis of brain cancer at age 13. Near him stood Sen. Mike Crapo, the Idaho Republican Boxer worked with to make Trevors Law part of the legislation, requiring the government to identify and track cancer clusters such as the one found in Schaefers logging community. We have very different political positions, Crapo said, referring to Boxer. But we can find areas where we can work together and make it happen. Linda Reinstein of Manhattan Beach (Los Angeles County), who co-founded the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization in 2004 after her husband, Alan, died of mesothelioma, broke down in tears as she described a six-year fight against the chemical industry to pass the new law. I have never seen a harder battle, Reinstein said. The American Chemistry Council was hugely funded, so they were able to lobby the Hill with propaganda. Asbestos hasnt been banned. and we still import it, she said, but under the new law, it is expected to be among the first 10 substances the EPA reviews. For firefighter Stefani, the new law is but a start in the right direction. Even if the EPA, whose budget is under constant assault from conservative lawmakers, receives full funding, it will take decades for the agency to examine the tens of thousands of chemicals in current use that have not been regulated. Most people have no idea how lax the current regulatory regimen is and simply assume chemicals used in household products are safe, Stefani said. In the meantime, when buildings and their contents burn, firefighters breath in the gases released from everything inside them. Decades of exposure We are still faced with these toxic exposures, and thats going to continue for decades and decades, Stefani said in a phone interview from San Francisco, where he now lives cancer-free and heads the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation. There are so many toxins out there, its hard to visualize that were going to be at a place someday where everything that we pick up and put in our hands, and the air that we breath, is considered safe. Carolyn Lochhead is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: clochhead@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carolynlochhead This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate THARUNIDHAR NARRAVULA Background: Born in the city of Tenali in the Indian state of Andhra Padresh, he studied mechanical engineering at Bangalore University and came to the United States as a graduate student in 1989, earning master's degrees in computer science from Mankato (Minnesota) State University and management from MIT. He worked in the telecommunications industry in Weston, Mass., and now has his own technology and investment consulting business. He and his wife, Sailaga, who is an anesthesiologist, and their son, Ragha, a student at Albany Academy, have lived in Loudonville since 2011, where they are members of the Hindu Temple on Albany Shaker Road. You are a coordinator of ceremonies for the consecration and spiritual rededication of the temple on Albany Shaker Road. We have been serving the community since 1976, starting out first in a church. So this year is our 40th anniversary. The temple was built in 1992. We are celebrating the second Jeernodharana Kumbhabhishekam, the practice in Hindu temples to reflect every 12 years on physical conditions and spiritual activities. It is an opportunity to improve the temple as a place of spiritual comfort. Jeernodharana, in Sanskrit "fixing the broken things," is the completion of repairs or expansion and beautification of the temple. Kumbhabhishekam is the process of bathing the idols with holy waters that are energized by the Gods invoked by prayer in offerings through fire. This week, starting Wednesday, there has been a fire ceremony in the tent outside the temple, a thanksgiving with sacrifices in gratitude to the Gods. Fire, water, earth, air and sky play a significant role our ceremonies and in prayers to God in whatever form you want. The celebration involves three things: rejuvenation of the temple; passing on the knowledge of the elders to the next generation; and proving to the elders that we understand their sacrifices through our contributions. The benefits of our practices go not only to us in the temple but to all those whereever the fire smoke travels. We believe the whole universe is one family and that people's lives should be peaceful, free from suffering. More Information Jeernodharana Kumbhabhishekam Five days of celebration by the Hindu Temple Society of the Capital District conclude this weekend. Saturday's activities include a cultural presentation from 1:30 to 4 p.m. including dancing and devotional singing. The culmination will be Sunday at 10 a.m. after prayers with a procession around the temple and outside when 150 members put a kalasha - a copper or silver pot - on their heads with a coconut and holy water for a half-hour. This too will be followed by a cultural presentation. The public is invited. The Hindu Temple is at 450 Albany Shaker Road in Colonie. See More Collapse My role this week has involved coordinating the volunteers in cleaning, painting the building, helping to publish the souvenir book and fundraising. It is my duty. Rob Brill STAMFORD A lawsuit in Trumbull has revealed something Stamford taxpayers should know. They have been reimbursing the Board of Educations longtime facilities contractor for cellphone and car expenses, health and dental coverage, and liability and workers compensation insurance. The reimbursements, according to documents in the Trumbull case that were obtained by The Advocate, have amounted to more than $40,000 a year. Its not clear whether the reimbursements were included in the school boards annual six-figure payments to AFB Construction Management, or were paid on top of it. Its also not clear why a private contractor would be compensated for such expenses. School officials wont comment. A city attorney said they cant because AFB is under FBI and Stamford police investigation for possible extortion. Assistant Corporation Counsel Burt Rosenberg said by email that because of two pending criminal investigations concerning AFB Construction Management, originating from both federal and City of Stamford law enforcement authorities, (the) Office of Legal Affairs has been requested by federal law enforcement authorities not to release any documents while the investigations are pending, until further notice. So school board members, who are scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to renew AFBs contract for 2016-17, cant discuss the reimbursements. But information about them was included in documents provided to attorneys for Trumbull First Selectman Tim Herbst, who is being sued by AFB President Al Barbarotta for defamation. Barbarotta has accused Herbst of waging a media war against him for political reasons, costing AFB a $1.1 million contract renewal in Stamford. In preparing Herbsts defense, Trumbull attorney Dennis Kokenos obtained documents from AFB attorneys showing that, for the 2007-08 fiscal year, the Stamford Board of Education reimbursed AFB a total of $47,278 for car and cellphone use, health care and insurance. Kokenos wrote to Stamford Interim Superintendent James Connelly on June 17, seeking reimbursement amounts for other years. Kokenos request was denied for the reasons Rosenberg described. Kokenos letter explains he is seeking the reimbursement amounts to determine the true cost of services delivered by this contractor, since Barbarotta claims Herbst cost him $1.1 million. Kokenos also wants to know whether other contractors receive these same privileges. Under the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act, he requested copies of correspondences between former Superintendent Winifred Hamilton, who retired Jan. 1 in the wake of a mishandled sexual misconduct case involving a teacher at Stamford High School, and Hugh Murphy, chief financial officer for the school district. It appears Kokenos is trying to find out how perks usually reserved for employees were paid to a private contractor. Among the documents, Kokenos found that, in July 2007, Barbarotta was reimbursed $65 in cellphone costs. AFB employee Kevin Iassogna was paid $59 and another employee, Daniel DiBlasio, was paid $92. Barbarotta also received a $263 car allowance that month. Iassogna and DiBlasio each got $250. Barbarotta was reimbursed $597 for health insurance and $51.41 for dental insurance that July. Iassogna got $885 for health insurance and $103 for dental. DiBlasio received no health insurance reimbursement and $33 for dental. In addition, AFB was reimbursed $1,762 that month for general liability insurance, $624 for excess liability insurance and $280 for workers compensation insurance. In his letter to Connelly, Kokenos included a copy of AFBs 2012-13 contract renewal. The Board of Education paid AFB $363,135 that year to manage school buildings and grounds. The agreement then states reimbursables for liability insurance, workers compensation, health, dental, cellphones and a fixed car allowance will be billed separately on a monthly basis and will not exceed $3,500 per month. The documents do not include statements showing how much AFB was reimbursed in 2012-13, and it remains unclear whether the reimbursements were included in the contract or paid on top of it. The school boards 2015-16 contract with AFB, which expires Thursday, states the contractor was paid $742,144, and the same reimbursables are included in the fee. It does not provide amounts. Perhaps after the FBI concludes its investigation, taxpayers will find out how much they paid AFB for using cellphones and cars this year. The probe began in late March, when Stamford police seized two City Hall computers used by AFB employees. They later seized Barbarottas cellphone. The FBI then joined the investigation. The investigation stems from a June 9, 2015 email from Barbarotta to another contractor doing business with the city. According to the email, AFB wanted $10,000 a month in exchange for helping the contractor obtain state certificates needed for work the contractor was planning. The points made by Kokenos in his request for information raise good questions for Board of Education members and school administrators, as soon as they can talk. Who approved AFBs reimbursements? Why? Do other contractors receive them? How much was AFB reimbursed over the 16 years it has held the contract as facilities manager for Stamford schools? Since such costs usually are reserved for employees, is AFB considered an outside contractor or an employee? Taxpayers can only hope Board of Education members will consider the questions when they vote Tuesday on renewing AFBs contract for a 17th year. angela.carella@scni.com; 203-964-2296; stamfordadvocate.com/angelacarella. LOS ANGELESNatasha Nice announced she will attend Exxxotica Chicago, July 8-10, and will sign autographs and greet fans in the LA Direct Models booth. Visit Chi.ExxxoticaExpo.com for more information or to buy tickets. The visit will be the latest in a string of mainstream appearances for Nice. She was recently interviewed by Fleshbot for their "Twenty Questions" series; in it she discusses her first DP scene for Tushy, her favorite performers, and what she loves about being a performer. On Saturday, June 25, Natasha will be on the After Hours Radio Show at midnight EST. The radio show focuses on performers in the adult industry and gives insight into the person behind the performer. Natasha was also recently nominated for best DP in Adult DVD Talk's #DPBattle. Visit the link to show your love for Natasha. Nice is represented by LA Direct Models and is available on Fridays for shoots; call (323) 850-5888 or e-mail [email protected] to book her. You can also stay up to date with whats next for Natasha by following her on Twitter or visiting NatashaNice.com. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A pediatric pathologist from Minnesota, testifying as a defense witness for Crystal Williams in the punishment phase of her trial for denying medical attention leading to the death of her 5-year-old stepson, told a jury Friday that an autopsy report was wrong about the boy being dehydrated. Dr. Mark Luquette, who testified before the prosecution had finished its case due to his need to return home, said Josiah Williams autopsy, conducted by the Bexar County medical examiners office in December 2012, indicated there were many signs of trauma on the boys 38-pound body and that even serious injuries to the brain or heart could not be ruled out. But nothing suggests dehydration played a significant part in the childs death, said Luquette, adding that Josiahs bladder was distended with urine and that his tissues appeared to be hydrated and not brittle. The testimony may be significant because Crystal Williams, 27, at the time of her stepsons death, was accused of starving him and failing to provide proper medical treatment. She has pleaded guilty on the medical treatment element of an injury to a child charge. RELATED: Courtroom photos show boy go from smiling, to malnourished to dead Prosecutor Stephanie Boyd seemed disbelieving that Luquette would disagree with six forensic pathologists who worked on the autopsy all of whom she named. Youre telling me they are all incorrect? she asked Luquette of the dehydration finding. Thats correct, he said, six times. Luquette said outside the courtroom that he had testified as an expert witness for about 20 years. Williams is the first of three defendants to stand trial in the death of Josiah. The boys father, Charleston Williams, then 25, and step-grandmother, Gloria Proo, then 48, also were charged with injury to a child, a felony with a possible sentence of 5 to 99 years in prison. Over objections from defense attorney Ray Martinez, Boyd called additional forensic experts who established that DNA found in a blood sample within a closet inside the Williams home was Josiahs, but they agreed with Martinez that it could not be determined when or how it got there. The blood was found near holes in the closet wall that seem to fit the circumference of the childs head, authorities said. State District Judge Ron Rangel has overruled Martinezs objections throughout the three-day trial that allowing evidence suggesting Williams could be guilty of other bad acts, other than denying medical treatment or nourishment, could prejudice the jury. Martinez hopes to begin the defenses case on Monday. bselcraig@express-news.net The San Antonio Spurs are one of three teams said to have already set up a meeting with Oklahoma Thunder's Kevin Durant, according to a report on ESPN. The story says that the Spurs plan on loading up a plane with key figures and meeting Durant at an undisclosed location. A San Antonio man was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Friday for killing another teen in a robbery last year. Xavier Gonzalez pleaded guilty to murder in the shooting death of Marcus Cisneros-Lopez, 19, in a Whataburger parking lot at 13900 OConnor Road on Feb. 16, 2015. One of the more harrowing stories from a recent BBC documentary about college fraternities is grabbing attention for its graphic imagery. Terrance Bennet, a former student at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., told BBC producers what had happened to him during a Tau Kappa Epsilon initiation in the fall of 2014. Magnets Influence Attraction, Says Study Trending News: Magnetic Attraction Isn't Just An Expression - It's Real Why Is This Important? Because love really is magnetic. Long Story Short The phrase "attraction is magnetic" isn't just an expression, it causes us to feel more attracted when we play with actual magnets, according to a study into how words influence us. Long Story When you think of attraction, you probably think of that crush or person you love, probably not literal magnets with their positive and negative charges, unless you're really into science or electricity or something. But it turns out that since we use the same word "attraction" in reference to both love and for magnets, when we see actual magnets it influences us to think about love. The study published in PLOS ONE is an experiment in priming, which is the study of how expressions, phrases or stereotypes thoughts associated with words in general can influence us. Similar studies have found that water and candy taste sweeter after people talk about love and people forced to think about loneliness generally find the room colder. What the researchers did for the magnet study was ask 120 18-22-year-old lovebird college students to fill out questionnaires about their connection with their partners. But before answering the questions, some of the students were asked to play with magnets beforehand. Those who played with positively charged magnets before were more likely to report being more attracted and committed to their partner as well as being generally satisfied with their relationship. Since these types of primer studies have come under heavy criticism over recent years because they don't always work when replicated, the researchers asked 150 more students, and found more or less the same results, although satisfaction and commitment were down. The researchers attribute the dip to it being later in the semester and thus the students had probably gone through breakups and had negative associations with commitment. Still, the fact that the same researchers replicated the study themselves is problematic. "These studies reiterate the basic point of conceptual metaphor theory, that these metaphors that we use in language aren't just figures of speech or ways of talking about things," said study co-author Andrew Christy to Live Science. "They actually are reflective of how we think about things, too." Own The Conversation Ask The Big Question Can you fiddle with magnets before going out to the club and turn into a chick magnet? Disrupt Your Feed Going to keep a magnet in my pocket from now on. Drop This Fact The same affect didn't happen when the participants played with negatively charged magnets. When it comes to the chaotic, flailing, floundering Trump campaign, many senior Republicans are in a state of panic. Will this become a state of revolt? If the next few weeks are anything like the last two, a senior GOP official told me, anything could happen at the convention. Donald Trumps response to the Orlando attack encouraging religious bigotry and implying that President Barack Obama might be a secret jihadi confirmed the worst Republican fear: that Trump will remain Trump. With this has come the realization that Trump has wasted the seven weeks since becoming the presumptive nominee a period in which Democrats were divided and vulnerable. How did he fill the vacant air? He raised the possibility that Ted Cruzs father might be implicated in the assassination of JFK; that Hillary Clinton might have been involved in the death of Vince Foster; that a federal judge, presiding over a case against Trump University, should be disqualified by his ethnicity; and that American soldiers in Iraq were living large off larceny. By the end of this string of statements, one of Trumps strongest congressional proxies, Rep. Duncan Hunter, was reduced to arguing: I think what he says and what hell do are two different things. Republicans, in essence, should be reassured by their nominees duplicity. House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have been willing to criticize Trump, but not to un-endorse him. Practically, this means that nothing nothing Trump says could forfeit their support. But what might change things in the GOP is the political disaster that now appears in the offing. Beneath Trumps historically low approval ratings 29 percent in a recent Washington Post/ABC News survey is even more disturbing. After securing the nomination, Trumps support among Republicans rose, in many polls, to the mid-80s an indication the GOP was rallying. In recent polls, Trumps Republican support has dropped to between 70 percent and 80 percent. Along this trend, a decisive Democratic victory might sweep away the House and Senate. If Republican politicians begin to see this dynamic in their own polling, many will suddenly rediscover their consciences and abandon Trump. Trumps whole campaign now consists of a pathetic irony. He ran attacking the Republican establishment. Now, since he has neglected to construct his own national campaign, he is completely dependent on the establishment to provide his political ground game. Republican convention delegates are sophisticated enough to see what is happening. Trump offers his leadership as the solution to every problem, yet presides over a campaign organization that is a squabbling, paralyzed amateur hour. Delegates know that even if Trump can boost his poll numbers, he cannot magically create a viable, national campaign structure. If a revolt emerges, it will happen first in the GOP convention rules committee which meets a week before the convention and is stacked with officials more loyal to the party than to Trump. The simplest move would be to require a supermajority to select a nominee an approach taken by some state conventions to avoid the choice of badly wounded candidates. The goal should be a truly open convention, which does not choose anyone Trump has already beaten. So far, Trump, a niche candidate, has failed to make the transition to a national message. And given the adoration and enthusiasm of his crowds (one recently chanting: Build a wall and kill them all!), Trump has no emotional motivation to change direction. A delegate revolt would be a messy spectacle, with little hope of succeeding unless Paul Ryan and Reince Priebus eventually break with Trump. But it is now the only option consistent with Republican interests and honor. michaelgerson@washpost.com These days you need to enjoy humor wherever you find it. I found it this week in the settlement agreement between the city of San Antonio and the San Antonio Police Officers Association. The five-page agreement, signed by one representative from each side, appears to outline agreed changes in the current contract. These regard pay raises, health insurance plan modifications and several other issues. A reading of the full document leads to many unanswered questions. But it was a quick glance at the first page that brought me mirth. Let me explain. The principal issue that provoked several years of negotiations over this contract stemmed from an earlier contract, way back in 1988. City officials billed that contract as costing $17 million over four years. But a new program for retirement health benefits was estimated by actuaries to be underfunded by $10 million a year. Subsequent contracts have taken modest steps to address the shortfall, and City Manager Sheryl Sculleys aim in starting what turned out to be a virtual contract war was to address the rampant medical costs that were ballooning the police and fire portions of the city budget. It remains to be seen how effective this agreement is in accomplishing that. But the health care shortfall wasnt the only way the stated cost of the 1988 contract was misleading. In a PowerPoint presentation to City Council, city staff showed year-by-year increases in cost. They started out slow. For example, lets say the first year was $2 million and each of the next two not much more. But the last year included a substantial pay hike. Staff then added up the amounts for each year and came up with the $17 million. But the problem was, they didnt add up the costs cumulatively. In other words, the $2 million cost of the first year wasnt counted in the second year, although it would be there. And neither the $2 million added the first year and the $3 million or so added the second was counted in the third. It was as if each years addition disappeared in the following year. When the numbers were added properly, with each years addition carrying on to the following years, the total turned out to be about $53 million. The $17 million figure was a number that looked authoritative but described no reality. So imagine my amusement when I looked at the first page of the just-released settlement agreement. It has a table showing a lump sum 3 percent bonus this October, then 3 percent raises in 2017, 2018 and 2019. In the final year the raise will be 5 percent. At the bottom, the chart says those raises total a 17 percent increase. But, of course, they do nothing of the sort. It appears the one-time 3 percent bonus doesnt provide a base for the next raise. But after that, each of the raises is on top of the previous salary for what the chart says is a raise of 14 percent. It isnt. Instead of a total of 14 percent over four years, when compounded it is just over 18.2 percent. That may not sound dramatic, but when pay and benefits for uniformed employees totals in the hundreds of millions of dollars, that 4 percent difference isnt exactly peanuts. None of the council members back in 1988 caught the mistake, and it made them look to the public like bozos. Im sure someone on this council would have. After all, a majority has advanced degrees. Actually, Im not sure. I hope I would have caught it with my math skills, but it was my knowledge of history that made it both obvious and comical. This column first appeared as the Last Word on KLRNs Texas Week with Rick Casey. The program appears Friday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. The question isnt if San Antonio will grow, but how prepared the community is to handle it. Waves and waves of people will continue to move to the region, year after year. They will be drawn to the quality of life here, the scenic beauty of the Hill Country, the opportunities that arise in a dynamic economy, the relatively affordable housing and the warm weather. Over the next 25 years, another 1.1 million people will live in Bexar County. They will drive cars, buy homes and choose school districts. With that growth will come incredible challenges. There will be more homes, more cars, more sprawl and more congestion. What now might be a 30-minute commute in traffic may be an hour commute in 2040. Bottlenecks will abound. With more vehicle emissions, air quality will suffer. More children mean potentially overcrowded schools, especially if our inner city and South Side school districts continue to languish in inadequacy. Without dynamic changes in these school districts, the North Side will grow unrelentingly while the South Side will continue to lag. The city will remain one of the most economically divided in the country. Express-News reporter Vianna Davila deftly outlines these challenges in her project The Next Million, presented in a special section of the newspaper today. Davila doesnt just look forward at the growth coming our way; she frames this growth explosion within our communitys history, and she does this through the stories of San Antonians who are already feeling the pressure of this growth explosion. From the ranch family in west Bexar County whose bucolic home is suddenly surrounded by the rooftops of suburban sprawl, to the German families in New Braunfels who worry about the dilution of their traditions amid so many newcomers, to the longtime lower-income residents on the citys East Side who feel the pressure of gentrification and worry about displacement, Davila digs into the nuances of growth that already touch our lives in both positive and negative ways. The guiding document to manage this growth, if it can be managed, is the citys SA Tomorrow plan, which is filled with ideas and policies to create livable centers across the community. But the SA Tomorrow plan is only useful with buy-in from present and future elected officials, as well as developers and builders. It cant exist just to sit on a shelf. We see a handful of very clear policy points the community must coalesce around to manage future growth: Transportation: The community desperately needs the political conviction to craft and implement a viable rail plan. Even now, simply relying on roads and cars is not enough. The community needs much better options for getting people out of their vehicles. This starts with rail, but it also should include expanded bus rapid transit, HOV lanes, a complete network of bicycle lanes and greenway paths. VIA Metropolitan Transit will need more dedicated funding. Gentrification: The revitalization of the citys core is exciting and fundamental to the communitys long-term health. But infill development must be coupled with incentives for affordable housing to ensure that longtime lower-income residents who are committed to their community are not displaced. Not only does that disrupt lives, it does nothing to address the generational poverty in San Antonio. Improving schools: The weak school districts in the inner city and on the South Side are the greatest obstacle toward balanced growth. Given the amount of dysfunction at the South San and Edgewood independent school districts, where the state has intervened, and Southside Independent School District, which is under state investigation, its little surprise families do not want to live in these districts. It is paramount the districts stabilize and improve if growth is ever going to come to the South Side. Likewise, San Antonio Independent School District is the keystone to a thriving downtown. Empowering urban counties: The Bexar County legislative delegation must unanimously work to give the county greater powers when it comes to planning, zoning and code enforcement. The Texas Legislature has been hostile toward city annexation. But if that is denied and growth is going to continue in unincorporated areas, then it would be reckless to deprive urban counties of urban powers. Is San Antonio ready for the next million people? Re: Ali no hero, Your Turn, June 18: The letter writer decries Muhammad Alis action during the Vietnam War. He stood up for his beliefs, and he paid a significant price. The Vietnam War was totally senseless, but that is not to discredit the sacrifices of those who died. Ali was a true hero. I am a retired military person who served during the Vietnam era. Richard Sharer Surprise guests Re: Illegal alien pejorative, unacceptable, Editorial, June 18: What a thoughtful and politically correct editorial. So many of us hardworking, taxpaying Americans would prefer the term surprise guests instead of illegal alien. As hosts to these people, we are most pleased to provide for their food, lodging, education and medical care with our ever-increasing taxes for their humanitarian support. Just consider how much more we could do if only the federal government would disband the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and channel the savings toward a more welcoming and open-arms atmosphere. Obviously, the Express-News would support this idea as well. Al Pohovich But keep illegal Re: Illegal alien pejorative, unacceptable, Editorial, June 18: When the terminology illegal aliens was the word of choice in the U.S. Code of Laws, no one thought these people were from outer space, and no one does today unless they are looking for a petty argument. Change the word alien to immigrant if you think that word only means people from outer space, but keep the word illegal and call them illegal immigrants. You have deleted both words, and illegal still means the same. Ricca McClain, Fair Oaks Ranch Words matter Re: Illegal alien pejorative, unacceptable, Editorial, June 18: Relating the story of his grandmother coming from Mexico, Rep. Joaquin Castro says there are many beautiful stories of immigrants who come here from all corners of the world. They are the strength of this country. And language matters, he says. He omits the fact that many of these other aliens entered legally. Words do matter legal, illegal. Jackie Nolte Great for America Re: Relaxed Trump hails S.A., front page, June 18: Donald Trump comes to town and who makes the front page? Not Trump. Instead, one of the twins (Julian Castro) gets top billing (Castros target GOP nominee at convention). If Trump makes it to be president, he will save the taxpayers lots of money. Instead of flying all over in Air Force One, hell fly his own airplane. Isnt it great? Also, if Hillary gets in, she will spread the welcome mats to all the Muslims and Islamic terrorists as Barack Obama did. And the Castro brothers are all a part of this. The perpetrators of 9/11, San Bernardino and Orlando were all Muslims. What does that tell the people of America? Rick Martinez Different but united Re: Welcome to San Antonio, Mr. Trump, Editorial, June 17: The editorial was excellent. This is a city dominated by warm and giving Americans. They are of Hispanic, German, Irish, Polish, Italian, Indian, British and French heritage. Those are the neighbors. We are Americans. Jean Piccione Pining for Rubio Re: Trump campaigns Sinatra-style his way, Charles Krauthammer, Other Views, June 18: If Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are the best the political parties have to offer, we may be in for some hard times. I believe we will see bad decisions, economic turmoil and racial divisiveness. The previous alternatives, comrade Bernie Sanders, secessionist Rick Perry and lying Ted Cruz, were also bad choices. The only candidate, I believe, with the maturity, integrity, common sense and conservative credentials to be a viable candidate was Marco Rubio. Even though, unfortunately, he dropped out of the race, he still has my vote. Steve Stenberg Why more, Briles? Re: Briles appears ready to fight for more pay? Sports, June 17: So Art Briles believes he deserves more compensation and his job back? Really? What for? To pay off the victims lawsuits? Craig Bell Bullets kill people Those reasonable voices calling for sensible gun control, especially the banning of military-style weapons, are going about it the wrong way. The National Rifle Association exists solely to protect its corporate members and contributors from legislation that would hinder the manufacture and/or sale of firearms. Rational people disregard its sanctimonious wailing about protecting the constitutional right to own guns. The NRA never has, nor will it ever, support any kind of restrictions on firearms, no matter how logical or potentially lifesaving. Whereas the Second Amendment says nothing about ammunition, I suggest that those seeking necessary gun control focus their efforts on prohibiting or at least drastically limiting the sale of the ammo needed to feed high-powered, semiautomatic killing machines. I offer the following campaign slogan and rallying cry: Guns dont kill people. Bullets kill people. Jeff Devens Appalling stance How did the great state of Texas end up with our current lieutenant governor? It seems that every week I must explain to friends in other states that I am proud to be a resident of Texas. It is totally obvious that our lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick, operates from his own personal agenda and has never solicited feedback from the constituents he is supposed to represent. The vast majority of citizens in states other than Texas and North Carolina were appalled at his position on which individuals should use which bathrooms. Obviously he never asked himself how we have been able to resolve this issue for years and years and years. Les Shafer STRATFORD Someone apparently used explosives to rob urns filled with cremains from the Union Cemetery on Thursday morning. Police said the urns were made of brass or bronze, and may have been targeted for resale or as scrap, but the exact motive remained unknown Friday. What we do know is that individual compartments were broken into and 18 urns were taken, said Sheldon Gerarden, president of the Union Cemetery Association. And this was done apparently with some kind of chemical explosive. Areas of the gray granite columbarium were blacked, according to images gathered by WFSB. And about 20 family seals marking the urns were damaged. Eighteen of the columbariums 40 compartments were emptied of their urns, according to Gerarden. It is difficult, really difficult to understand why any person would have committed such an act, he said. Gerarden and his staff were working Friday to inform surviving relatives of the vandalism. One victim is Glen Everlith Jr., owner of the Main Street Tavern in Stratford. He said he had two relatives interred in the vandalized urns. He has offered a $500 reward to anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest and prosecution in the case. I was just shocked and disgusted, Everlith said. Its a small town, somebody must know something. Leads in the case can be left for the Stratford Police Department at 203 385-4100. Staff Writer Cedar Attanasio contributed to this story. What happens when heroin a drug that has been available on the street for more than a century is mixed with a newer opioid many times stronger? What happens is a spike in overdoses and deaths, and a public health emergency in New Haven, where 15 overdoses including two deaths were reported just on Thursday afternoon. Bridgeport police have also seen a sharp increase in heroin overdoses since heroin laced with fentanyl has made its way to Connecticut, police Capt. Brian Fitzgerald said. Its not so much that a bad batch of heroin is causing these deaths, Fitzgerald said, but that heroin traffickers are lacing the product with fentanyl and unsuspecting, or apathetic users are experiencing medical conditions as the result of using this drug. The largest dealers originally cut the heroin with fentanyl because fentanyl is a cheaper product than raw heroin, said Lt. James Walsh, head of the Norwalk police Special Services Unit. But our investigations have found that they dont tell the mid-level dealers that the heroin has been cut, because they want it to sell. Even regular heroin users are scared of fentanyl because they know how strong it is, Walsh said. More Information Accidental overdoses from fentanyl-laced heroin 2015108 201437 20139 See More Collapse Trumbull, too, has had more opioid overdoses in recent years, which Lt. Leonard Scinto said police attribute to heroin mixed with fentanyl. The amount of fentanyl varies, Scinto said, and the user has no way of knowing how much is contained in the heroin. Trumbull officers have administered naloxone to overdose victims at least 12 times since they began carrying the antidote in April, 2015, he said. Naloxone, often called by the brand name Narcan, can reverse the effects of opioids, which include extreme drowsiness, slowed respiration and loss of consciousness. The state Department of Public Health announced Friday that it would send 700 doses of Narcan to New Haven. Life-threatening drug use occurs with increasing frequency in Connecticut, due in part to what we believe is an extremely potent, synthetic opioid added to heroin and cocaine - the rash of such episodes Thursday in New Haven highlights this statewide public health emergency, Mayor Toni N. Harp said in a statement Friday. New Haven leaders including Harp and the local police chief sent robo calls to city residents warning them about the volatile heroin. Bridgeport police officers do not carry or administer Naloxone, but ambulances do, Fitzgerald said. Beginning July 1, Connecticut pharmacies filling new prescriptions for controlled substances, including fentanyl, will have to enter the information into a state database within 24 hours, instead of weekly, as has been the case. The change is one of several meant to tighten control of prescribed opioids enacted by the Legislature this year. But the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner is projecting an increase of nearly 50 deaths this year from accidental overdoses from fentanyl-laced heroin, to 156. There have been 39 so far this year, not counting the New Haven deaths on Thursday Last year there were 108 such deaths, compared to 37 in 2014 and only nine the year before. Super Flexible Sex Positions Are You Flexible Enough to Try These Exotic Sex Positions? Weve been having fun missionary style for years perhaps even decades. Sometimes we shake things up with a touch of doggy-style, maybe messing around in the shower, but theres always those days we want to take a break from our go-to positions and try something a little out there. We want to go wild, maybe even a little risque. If you are looking to get a bit more acrobatic or a touch more wild, you can start on spins on familiar favorites (love the cowgirl, try the reverse cowgirl!), but thats not the end of it theres also the out-of-control cowgirl, and that one may blow your mind. Some of these positions require you be pretty flexible though; so dont skip that yoga class this week! They may be for you, they may not be but finding out will be the fun part! We like to consider ourselves to be pretty adventurous, but here are a few contortionist positions we cant wait to try that we didnt even know existed! RELATED: Best Sex Positions to Improve Your Sex Life Flexibility-Challenging Sex Positions 1. Viennese Oyster Carlee Ranger The name pretty much speaks for itself. The Viennese Oyster requires she place both of her ankles behind her head, fully exposing her vulva and folding her body into the shape of an oyster, says sexpert Tyomi Morgan, who hosts a weekly video tutorial on educating people about positions. He holds her ankles in place, says Morgan, while she uses her free hands to prevent his body weight from crushing her contorted body. This is great for extra deep penetration. 2. Out of Control Cowgirl Carlee Ranger You may have tried the Cowgirl, or the Reverse Cowgirl, but have you tried the Out Of Control Cowgirl? Astroglide's Resident Sexologist Dr. Jess says in this one the man kneels and sits back on his heels, while the woman sits atop him, facing away, to maintain total control, since he cant thrust with as much power while on his knees. 3. Zen Sex Carlee Ranger In this position, he lies on his back with his legs out. She gets on top of him, either facing him or facing away, says Dr. Kat Van Kirk, a marriage, family and sex therapist, and resident sex expert at AdamAndEve. She puts her legs into full lotus (crossed). She can either lean forward on her hands to move her hips up and down, or he can lift her hips up and down from behind. 4. Pile Driver Carlee Ranger Yet another sex position that requires the contortion of the female partner in a position that is all about domination, says Morgan. This position is best on a solid surface (maybe a floor padded with a down comforter or a few pillows). To get into the pile driver position, she rolls onto her shoulders with her legs placed together as her toes touch the surface behind her head. He then straddles his inverted partner for penetration. Looks like a WWE wrestling move if you ask me! says Morgan. Watch a demo here 5. Spread Eagle Carlee Ranger The term spread eagle has been connected with sex forever, but its actually also a position, says Dr. Jess. She lies on her back with her legs spread wide above her head and her wrists tied to her ankles. He takes total control from between her legs, says Dr. Jess. 6. Wheelbarrow Carlee Ranger You are both on your knees in this position, offered by Dr. Kat. She faces away from you and grabs her ankles with her hands. You keep her steady with your hands under her hips and enter from behind! she explains. 7. Snake Charmer Carlee Ranger Ever had sex while in a headstand? I didn't think so. This fellatio sex position is for the daring couple that wants to take oral sex to another level, says Morgan. Snake charmer requires him to be positioned in a headstand while she gives him a blowjob. Both of you will need to rely on each others upper body strength, so this may be a fun one for fitness lovers to try. It has big payoff: The rush of blood to your head during the headstand heightens the experience of the blowjob. To get into position, he places his hands on the floor to position himself into a headstand (this position can be used in the middle of the floor with a pillow placed underneath his head for comfort, or against a wall). Once he is in position, she positions herself on her knees to bring her face eye level to her partners pelvis to begin her charming performance! says Morgan. Watch a demo here 8. Monkey Bars Carlee Ranger This is one you never imagined on the playground. Inspired by the monkey bars of yesteryear, Dr. Jess suggests this wild position, where one partner hangs upside down from a chin-up bar while the other performs oral. Switch things up by taking turns being the one hanging down! RELATED: 37 Sex Positions You Need to Try Before You Die 9. YMCA Carlee Ranger Cunnilingus barely gets the spotlight it deserves, but in this position the only thing on his mind will be ensuring her satisfaction comes first, says Morgan. Serving as the female version of "Snake Charmer," this position is called YMCA and requires she be positioned in a headstand with her legs spread eagle, transforming her into a human letter "Y"! (Get it?) To get into this position, he first sits on the floor with his legs parted a cushion should be placed between his legs for his partner's head to rest comfortably on. Once he is set, he will help her get into position by having her stand in between his legs, kneel, position the center of her head on the pillow between his legs and lift her legs off of the ground and into the "Y" shape, using her core strength for balance, Morgan explains. All illustrations by Carlee Ranger. You Might Also Dig: Posted on 06/25/2016, 1:00 pm, by mySteinbach The Wildfire Program of Manitoba Sustainable Development advises that evacuation orders have been issued by the communities of Easterville and Chemawawin First Nation, 450 kilometres north of Winnipeg, due to smoke and threat from a fire that has moved to within half a kilometre of the community. Fire crews are working on three fires in the area, with ground attack as well as two water bombers. At this time, approximately 70 people from the community of Easterville will be heading to The Pas while up to 2,000 people from Chemawawin First Nation will be going to Winnipeg. Support and co-ordination of the Chemawawin First Nation evacuation will be handled by the Canadian Red Cross. In Manitoba, a total of 100 wildfires have been recorded to date. The average for this date is 233. For further general information on the fire status, maps, travel restrictions, burning permit cancellations or other restrictions go to www.gov.mb.ca/wildfire. To report a wildfire, call 911 or the T.I.P. line (toll-free) at 1-800-782-0076. The T.I.P. line is dedicated for reporting fires. Engineers Dr. Paul Van Buskirk, left, and David H. Farmer, right, pose for a portrait in their company's conference room on June 17, 2016 in Bonita Springs. The company, Metro Forecasting Models LLC, provides forecasts for population, housing and commercial demand for communities nationwide. (Erica Brechtelsbauer/Staff) SHARE Erica Brechtelsbauer/Staff (2) Engineers Paul Van Buskirk, left, and David H. Farmer look through forecast files in their office June 17 in Bonita Springs. Their company, Metro Forecasting Models LLC, provides forecasts for population, housing and commercial demand for communities nationwide. Erica Brechtelsbauer/Staff Paul Van Buskirk, left, and David H. Farmer discuss a forecasting model for Lehigh Acres on June 17 in Bonita Springs. Van Buskirk, left, and Farmer work with their intern Alexis Bell in their company's conference room. Engineers Dr. Paul Van Buskirk, left, and David H. Farmer, right, pose for a portrait in their company's conference room on June 17, 2016 in Bonita Springs. The company, Metro Forecasting Models LLC, provides forecasts for population, housing and commercial demand for communities nationwide. (Erica Brechtelsbauer/Staff) By Laura Layden of the Naples Daily News Paul Van Buskirk can look into the future or so it seems. With his company's product, dubbed the Interactive Growth Model, he's accurately forecast population growth and future housing and commercial demand in cities and counties. While most of Van Buskirk's projects have been in Southwest Florida, with a new partner and a new business name he's looking to expand his urban planning services nationwide. Van Buskirk and David Farmer, two veteran engineers and planners, opened Metro Forecasting Models LLC in Bonita Springs. State records show the company, with corporate offices off U.S. 41 near Rural King, incorporated in February 2015. "We're plotting new growth. You say, 'Who are your competitors?' Well, we don't have any," Van Buskirk said. Van Buskirk likens his sophisticated, proprietary forecasting model to a time machine that allows clients to see the changes that are coming so they can better prepare for them. The software that runs the model is copyrighted. Customers must have a license agreement to use it. Besides governments, the company can do modeling for private businesses, such as homebuilders and commercial developers who can use the data to help them plan projects based on the expected demand for them. Metro Forecasting operates with a crew of six, which includes a software designer, an economist and a research assistant. The company also has a geographic information system professional. As it looks to roll out its award-winning model in high growth areas around the country, the company expects to expand its staff by more than four times to 25. "One of the objectives is to go national, and we've got investors to be able to do all that activity," Van Buskirk said. Van Buskirk has done growth models for Lee and Collier counties, as well as for several cities in Southwest Florida. He did modeling for many of the development of regional impacts for large-scale projects in several Florida cities, including Palm Bay and North Port. Over the past five years, Van Buskirk and Farmer have worked on a highly sophisticated software version of the first Interactive Growth Model. The latest model, running on more than 250,000 lines of code, can forecast when and where there's demand for housing, retail, office and industrial development and public facilities, from roads to fire stations, in zones in a metro area. One county could have thousands of zones, varying in size from a few blocks to several square miles. "It's not a one-size-fits-all. It can be calibrated for every situation," Farmer said of the latest model. The information that's fed into the model is crucial, and Metro Forecasting uses quality data, double- and triple-checking it. "We count every single thing, and we compare every single source of primary data. If one of the sources doesn't agree with the other, we find out why. We go to great lengths to verify the data," Farmer said. The cost for its models typically ranges from $35,000 to $70,000. Van Buskirk developed his first planning models in the late 1970s. In the 1980s, he recalls working on Lotus 1-2-3, a cumbersome spreadsheet program, before advancing to Excel, and recalls producing his first models on a TRS-80 desktop computer purchased from Radio Shack before the launch of the IBM personal computer. Van Buskirk completed his first interactive growth model for the city of Cape Coral in 2002, showing projected growth in five-year intervals to build out. In the case of Cape Coral, it was already falling behind the demands of its residents. Its growth model showed a demand for more than 6.2 million square feet of leasable retail space and a supply of a little more than 4 million square feet in 2001. That meant residents were shopping outside the city, increasing their travel costs and generating more traffic on local roads. The model also showed Cape Coral when it could support a regional shopping center and when and where it would run out of school sites. The results triggered changes in the city's comprehensive development plan. Many of the city's departments have used the model for planning, including parks and recreation. In 2002, Van Buskirk estimated Cape Coral's population would hit 155,179 in 2010 and it came in a little short of that at 154,305. Metro Forecasting recently finished a model to help the Lee County School District forecast student enrollment by grade and by school to help it identify when schools would reach capacity. The young village of Estero recently hired the firm to do a model for population growth, which a consultant will use to show what the future looks like for roads and to help determine the budget for spending on transportation improvements. The data will also help the city determine how much money it will collect in impact fees to help pay for those improvements. Impact fees, charged on new construction, are designed to make growth pay for itself. Additionally, Estero will use Metro Forecasting's data to develop its first comprehensive development plan. The model should be completed within a few months. In 2006, Collier County hired Van Buskirk and Carleton Ryffel, then-partners in Van Buskirk, Ryffel and Associates Inc., to help it develop an interactive growth model so it could better predict population growth, develop different growth scenarios and meet the demands of future residents in the rural area east of Collier Boulevard, while discouraging urban sprawl. The model was completed in 2008 after two years of development, and it was last updated in 2011. Mike Bosi, Collier's director of planning and zoning, said that when the county chose Van Buskirk's firm to do the model, it was the only company the county could find to do what it wanted. The model is still used for long-range planning for transportation, utilities and government buildings and public spaces for the rural area that includes Golden Gate, he said. "It still has value," Bosi said. Metro Forecasting is putting the finishing touches on a new growth model for Auburn, Alabama, which will help it update its comprehensive development plan adopted five years ago, said Forrest Cotten, the city's planning director who formerly worked for the city of Cape Coral. Cotten's experience with Buskirk in Cape Coral led him to suggest his city hire Metro Forecasting to help ensure proper planning for the future needs of its residents, from parks to schools to fire stations. The fast-growing city adopted its first comprehensive development plan in 2011, using the local firm's growth model as the fuel for it. "When I became a director here, growth was a big issue," Cotten said. "Most of the community felt we were growing too fast, losing community character and not planning correctly. There was no comprehensive land use plan in place. Unlike in Florida, it's not a state mandate. In Alabama, you live or die at the local level." Typically, Van Buskirk's population estimates run higher than those generated by the U.S. Census, which are often far too low, Cotten said. "If you are growing faster than what the census tells you and then you don't acknowledge it and plan for it, you can get behind pretty quickly," he said. Over the next three years, Metro Forecasting hopes to have 20 more models completed for metros in such states as Utah, North Carolina and Colorado. Van Buskirk and Farmer have been traveling out of state to drum up new business with cities and counties. "Our aspiration is to grow and add to the economic base that's in Southwest Florida," Farmer said. SHARE Tiffany Heck By Kristine Gill of the Naples Daily News ArtisNaples on Friday announced the appointment of Tiffany Heck as vice president of development to oversee the organization's fundraising and development efforts. Heck, who has worked in a similar capacity for other well-known Naples organizations, will take over July 5. Her hiring comes just a few months after ArtisNaples announced a $50 million capital campaign. "We are thrilled to welcome Tiffany Heck to our outstanding administrative team," CEO and President Kathleen van Bergen said. "Her years of experience as a fundraising executive in the social services and cultural fields and her commitment to the Naples community will help us continue to grow ArtisNaples as the premier visual and performing arts organization in Southwest Florida." Heck comes to ArtistNaples from the Boys and Girls Club of Collier County, where she spearheaded a $12 million capital campaign and growth of a $10 million endowment fund. Before the Boys and Girls Club, she worked as the major gifts officer for the Shelter for Abused Women and Children, development director of the Southwest Florida Symphony and Development Director at the Naples Zoo. Before Naples, she worked in development in Ohio for various cultural and health care nonprofits. The Dayton, Ohio native graduated from the University of Cincinnati and studied vocal performance and opera at Miami University. ArtisNaples' capital campaign was announced in January. The goals include increasing the organization's endowment to $100 million, expanding artistic and community initiatives, growing the permanent collection at The Baker Museum and re-imagining the Kimberly K. Queerey and Louis a. Simpson Cultural Campus. "I am very pleased to be able to join ArtisNaples at this moment in its history," Heck said. "There is exciting growth potential throughout this community. I look forward to working with Kathleen and her team and the board to continue the outstanding history of success at ArtisNaples. With our dedicated patrons and terrific partners, we are positioned to deliver exceptional artistic experiences for Collier County and beyond." Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park offers some incredibly beautiful overviews. (Submitted by Joshua Yearout) By Joshua Yearout Editor's Note: Joshua Yearout is a Bonita Springs man who began hiking the Appalachian Trail in April 2016. His trail name is OmPi. He will be sharing dispatches from his travels with naplesnews.com. FRONT ROYAL, Virginia Since my last dispatch I have been continuing my way north along the Appalachian Trail. Last week I had been hiking with a guy named Storm and we were trying to catch up with some friends, known as the Royal Couple (Slosh and Scavenger) from early in the trail. They were actually the first thru-hikers I met while still in Atlanta. We took a brief overnight rest in a motel in Daleville, Va., before pushing on. This is Storm my hiking buddy for the last few days. A photo posted by @ompihikes on Jun 10, 2016 at 7:58pm PDT The next few days all seemed to run together without a lot to report. In catching up and then hiking with the Royal Couple we slowed our pace to match theirs' which was a welcomed relief as my ankle issues have started to flare up again. Along the trail we found a couple of swimming holes in streams and rivers and even got a bit of trail magic along the way from another hiker's parents. Nothing like fresh grilled burgers, hot dogs, watermelon and home-made brownies. The Royal Couple introduced me to a concept called "Take it easy Wednesday." They created this to have a day where miles were reduced and you get to enjoy a bit more of the trail. This Wednesday also corresponded with their resupply at a little hostel just off the trail. It was a welcomed break as I have been dealing with some ankle pain and swelling. Three Springs Hostel is owned by Oma, who section hiked the portion of the trail that we were hiking. She realized how hard it was to resupply in this particular section on her hike and decided to do something about it. As soon as she finished her hike she called a real estate agent and began looking for a plot of land in the area that was near the trail. When she found a little homesteaded property just about a mile off trail surrounded by national forest land, she quickly bought it and opened her hostel. With a kind and courteous personality, Oma makes you feel at home. She provides a little higher priced hostel, though for the price you get a far superior experience closer to that of a B&B. The best and most noticeable feature was how clean everything was. Even though we were not staying, we were welcomed to enjoy the beautiful property, have a meal and resupply. She had a limited but delicious hiker menu for hot lunch and dinner. I had a BBQ Sandwich with homemade coleslaw, a full DiGiorno Pizza then a "thru-hiker," which was a 16-oz sized Andes & Thin Mint chocolate ice cream covered in whipped cream that was mixed to order like Cold Stone or Marble Slab. It is the only thing I managed to photograph! #threespringshostel #icecream #at2016 #appalachiantrail A photo posted by @ompihikes on Jun 19, 2016 at 5:49am PDT Following the relaxing day at Three Springs I had a few days filled with large climbs including Priest Mountain, Three Ridges and passing through the Guillotine. The Guillotine is an interesting rock formation where a large rock boulder is suspended above the trail in a narrow rock canyon. It is one of the photo famous portions of the trail. I think it was less spectacular than it is made out to be. The #guillotine. Makes you think before walking under. #anylastwords A photo posted by @ompihikes on Jun 12, 2016 at 6:52pm PDT On top of the Priest Mountain there is a shelter with a log book where all the entries are written as a confessional. I made my first confession in about 10 years. It was short and a little humorous like most. And no, I won't repeat it here. There is gap between the Priest and Three Ridges where hikers descend 3,000 feet off Priest Mountain only to climb another 3,000 feet in elevation over a period of about 10 miles. At the top of Three Ridges there is a brewery that is extremely hiker friendly. Hikers are picked up from the trail, allowed to camp at the brewery site, are given a hot breakfast and then given a ride back to the trailhead. This was an opportunity too good to pass up especially after some hard days of hiking and my ankle issues growing worse. There were 11 hikers that night and we went all out. #devilsbackbone #amazing #brewery #hikerfriendly #at2016 A photo posted by @ompihikes on Jun 19, 2016 at 5:42am PDT Food and beer were delicious and breakfast the next morning was more than we could have asked for. The father of one of the hikers was there for breakfast and offered to slack pack us the 20 miles into the next town. This means he would drive our packs and we would just walk the 20 miles with small day packs. I had always said if the opportunity arose I would jump and so I did. It was great to be able to walk the trail with less weight on my back but since our ride back to the trail head was not until 11:30am it meant I had a lot of miles to do fairly quickly if I wanted to make it into town before nightfall. The hike started over rocks which created further strain on my ankle. Since I was trying to move quickly I found myself being careless at times resulting in even more pain. As the day moved on I managed to get into a dead stride and the terrain eased up a bit getting more smooth. Just before a shelter I saw a big black bear enjoying a meal in the woods. After grabbing a quick photo I carried on so I would not be too late. Unfortunately my photo was out of focus. I did make it to town about 45 minutes before sunset and collected my bag. It's super blurry cause I was crushing miles but this little guy cleared the way for me to pass just yesterday. #at2016 #appalachiantrail A photo posted by @ompihikes on Jun 19, 2016 at 5:35am PDT The next day I took a zero day and got all my town chores done including a few showers, laundry and eating lots of food. I went to bed fairly early so that I could head back out on the trail first thing in the morning. Upon leaving town I immediately headed into Shenandoah National Park. This 160 mile section of trail cuts back and forth across the main road that drives along the mountain range through the park approximately 30 times. Unfortunately the views from the trail were sparse but if you found yourself driving along Skyline Drive you would come to wayside after wayside with incredibly beautiful overviews. The trail as a whole was smooth and with minimal and gradual ascents and descents. Although the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club does a very good job of maintaining the trail, a few recent storms had created some challenging obstacles to pass over, under, through and around. The trail in #snp has been well maintained but this was my obstacle this morning. #at2016 #AppalachianTrail A photo posted by @ompihikes on Jun 22, 2016 at 12:14pm PDT I also found myself frustrated for days with a constant and building pain in my ankle. Personally, I prefer to not take medication or pills whenever possible. But over the last week I have needed Ibuprofen or Naproxen just to be able to walk. After three nights in the Shenandoah National ParkI decided I needed to get off my feet and rest my ankle, not just for a day but for a week. Early on when I stayed at the Top of Georgia hostel run by Triple Crowner Bob, also known as "Sir-Packs-Alot" on the trail, he offered some tips to a successful thru-hike. One was "don't let something small turn into a big problem." Today I hit #900 #miles #snp #at2016 #AppalachianTrail A photo posted by @ompihikes on Jun 22, 2016 at 12:12pm PDT I had just passed mile 900 and was at a Skyline Drive road crossing when a car pulled up and asked if I needed a ride. I took the family up on the offer and hitched with them about 20 miles north. From there I was able to arrange a shuttle that would come pick me up and bring me to a hostel where I am laid up for the next week. I have a trip to Washington, D.C., planned over the Fourth of July with my partner for his birthday and the celebration of our nation's foundation. If all heals well I will begin the second half of my trek north on the Appalachian Trail. Please keep me in your thoughts intentions and prayers for a speedy recovery. Joshua "OmPi" Yearout began hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine in April 2016. He will be sharing regular dispatches with naplesnews.com. You may also follow him on Facebook.com, Twitter.com and Instagram.com as he shares the summits, valleys and lessons he experiences along the way. He also shares more information on his blog. SHARE By Greg Stanley of the Naples Daily News A drive-by shooting involving an East Naples teen has caused concerns after investigators found the accused shooter used a special type of bullet that can pierce body armor. Jamal "Jay-Bo" Hutson, 19, was arrested Wednesday. He faces charges of shooting a missile into a dwelling, possession of a firearm by a felon and using armor-piercing bullets in a criminal act. The use of armor-piercing bullets in Collier County is rare, said Michelle Batten, Collier County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman. "It's something we don't see often," she said. The ammunition is illegal to manufacture and sell throughout the United States with few exceptions, but federal law doesn't ban ownership or use of the bullets. In Florida, however, it's a felony to knowingly own or fire armor-piercing bullets, defined by state law as bullets that can be used in a handgun and made with a steel core ? or of anything as hard as steel ? with flat, truncated tips designed to break through body armor or metal. It's unknown where the bullets used in the Golden Gate shooting came from. Gun owners can't just walk into a store and buy armor piercing bullets for their handguns. The recent drive-by shooting happened in the early-morning hours of Feb. 18 at a home on 52nd Terrace Southwest, according to an arrest report. Deputies said bullet holes were found at the front of the house and through some windows. Six victims were inside the home, but were not injured. The victims initially refused to cooperate with deputies, according to reports. The next day, Hutson's girlfriend went to a Sheriff's Office substation to "clear her name" in the shooting. She said her boyfriend had been arrested in Hillsborough County for an unrelated charge and told deputies he was responsible for the shooting. The girlfriend said Hutson had purchased drugs from someone in the home and wasn't satisfied with the product, reports state. The woman said she was with Hutson and a third friend at the time of the shooting. Detectives later recovered gloves and ammunition in a backpack from the girlfriend that were said to belong to Hutson. Deputies were later able to get sworn statements from four of the six victims. Murder suspects Curtis Wayne Wright, left, and Mark Sievers appear in the a Lee County courtroom Friday, June 17, 2016, during a custody hearing in Fort Myers. (Sarah Coward/News-Press) SHARE Teresa Sievers. (Submitted photo) Curtis Wayne Wright Jr., October 14, 2015. Mark Sievers. Jimmy Rodgers, one of the men accused in the slaying of Dr. Teresa Sievers, waived his right to a speedy trial during a pre-trial hearing Thursday, June 23, 2016, at the Lee County Justice Center in downtown Fort Myers. (Kinfay Moroti/The News-Press) By Melissa Montoya And Ben Brasch, The News-Press Curtis Wayne Wright told authorities he was the first one to hit Dr. Teresa Sievers in the head with a hammer in an attack at her Bonita Springs home that killed her, according to testimony released Friday. Wright told investigators he struck her "just a couple of times" in the head with a hammer. "You know, I have shoulder problems so I guess I wasn't hitting her hard enough," he said. The details are included in a motion filed Friday by Mark Sievers' attorney to have Wright's grand jury testimony revealed. Mark Sievers, 48, and a second defendant 26-year-old Jimmy Rodgers face first-degree murder charges in the 46-year-old doctor's death. The state attorney's office also released about 1,000 pages of phone records as a result of a public information request. Most of the documents paint a picture of the family's day to day life and include text messages from family and friends. Wright, 47, and Mark Sievers often texted about IT problems, but on June 28 the day Teresa Sievers was killed they spoke on the phone as many as five times. According to Wright, the issue Mark Sievers had in the marriage was with the children. A text message exchange between the father and one of his daughters weeks before the slaying released by the state attorney's office alludes to the tension. "Mommy is not being nice she just combed my hair! Hard. And will not let me talk to you," the preteen girl wrote. Mark Sievers, who was with a family member at the time, responded with: "Call me." Four minutes later, she wrote: "sorry for hanging up but I did not think mom would want to hear what I was going to say love you." He said he loved her and reminded her: "I cannot call you. You must call me when you want to talk. Remember, I love you baby and follow the Golden rule with you and your sister and of course mommy too." The motion filed by attorneys alludes to Wright changing his story during multiple interviews with detectives. In August, Wright told detectives he didn't have any involvement with Teresa Sievers' murder. In January, he told them he was outside her Jarvis Road home when it occurred, before he changed his testimony to say he was inside but didn't witness it. Investigators believe Mark Sievers hired Wright to kill Teresa Sievers in exchange for payment from an insurance payout after her death. Wright and 26-year-old Jimmy Rodgers traveled from Missouri to Bonita Springs to commit the killing, according to detectives. It was during Wright's testimony on Feb. 19 that lead to his plea deal and Mark Sievers' arrest when he told authorities he initiated the bludgeoning, but was unable to complete it. Because of the discrepancies of Wright's "various statements," the grand jury testimony should be released, according to the court document. Lawyers have also asked for a complete download of Teresa Sievers' cellphone. Wright's 25-year sentence is contingent on him helping prosecutors in Mark Sievers' case. "I think it's important that we have the statement so we know exactly what testimony he put under oath that led to the indictment of Mark Sievers," said Michael Mummert, with the Faga Law Group. "It's our position that requesting these hearings furthers justice." . In this July 2014 file photo, former North Naples doctor Nicholas Franco leaves a hearing at the Collier County Courthouse. Franco's lawyer, Yale Freeman, is arguing the Collier County Sheriff's Office detectives have withheld evidence, conducted an off-the-books arrest and misled the judge issuing an arrest warrant. (Dania Maxwell/File) By Tim Patterson, timothy.patterson@naplesnews.com; The lawyer for a doctor charged with 100 counts of child pornography argued Friday a detective and prosecutor "made a concerted effort to not disclose" evidence in the case that has gone on for four years. Yale Freeman, representing Dr. Nicholas Franco, of Naples, is asking Collier Judge Michael Provost to dismiss the case. He said Collier County Sheriff's Office Detective Scott Rapisarda and Assistant State Attorney Steve Maresca have withheld evidence and that Rapisarda falsified an affidavit in the case. "This was a false document. This was a lie. This was a forgery," Freeman said as he pointed to a poster-sized blowup of the affidavit. "One of the most crucial documents in this case appears to be a false document." Freeman also alleged Maresca, a prosecutor with 32 years of legal experience, collaborated with Rapisarda to act inappropriately in the case. "Details were hidden by Mr. Maresca in conjunction with Detective Rapisparda," Freeman said. Furthermore, "Maresca lied to the court," Freeman alleged. Assistant State Attorney Deborah Cunningham interrupted Freeman's argument. "There has been no finding at all that there have been any discovery violations in this case whatsoever," she said. During her rebuttal, Cunningham spoke briefly, and she dismissed most of Freeman's accusations as not serious. The bottom line, she argued, is "the forensic examiner found child pornography on a computer in the defendant's home." "Yes, some of the discovery may have been late," Cunningham said. "We can't deny that. But he has not shown that the state destroyed evidence." "He accuses Mr. Maresca of not being truthful to the court in January 2014," Cunningham said, "but it's quite possible Mr. Maresca didn't know about ... those interviews." Freeman was attempting "to misconstrue what he's been given as some kind of malicious attack on his client," Cunningham said. "This does not rise to the level of a discovery violation." The Friday hearing, which lasted two hours, was only the latest drama in a four-year-long criminal case that seems unlikely to end in the near future. Collier County detectives said they traced a suspicious computer IP address to a physical address in Naples belonging to Franco in May 2012. Using a search warrant at Franco's home, detectives said they found three laptop computers in the master bedroom. A forensic analysis found 100 videos of child pornography on one of the hard drives, according to a detective's affidavit. Franco, who first was arrested in June 2012, was scheduled for trial in June 2013. But a series of discovery delays, motions and depositions have drawn out the case. Freeman blamed the trial delays on the State Attorney's Office. "It's taken the state over 48 months to give us information they had all along," Freeman said. "They've had knowledge of witnesses and materials all this time. They didn't turn that over." Provost said he will rule later on the motion to dismiss the case. If he rules not to dismiss, Provost could set a trial date for later this year. SHARE By Daily News Staff A vehicle rolled over and struck a power pole near Livingston Road and Marbella Lakes Drive, causing about 800 people to lose electricity Saturday. One injured person was taken from the accident to NCH Baker Hospital Downtown in Naples. The extent of the person's injuries was unknown, said Collier County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Jamie Mosbach. Bystanders reported hearing an explosion at the time of the crash, Mosbach said. Northbound traffic on Livingston Road was blocked temporarily. Florida Power & Light Co. shut off electricity in the area while its workers repaired the power pole, and electricity was restored by Saturday evening. Florida Gulf Coast University students circulate through campus on Monday, Oct. 13, 2014, in Fort Myers. (David Albers/Staff) SHARE By Thyrie Bland, The News-Press Some Florida Board of Governors members believe Florida Gulf Coast University needs to spend its time improving poor performance areas rather than considering creation of dental and pharmacy schools. The schools are aspirational goals for FGCU , a 60,000 square-foot academic center to house the programs and a 30,000 square-foot clinic that would include classrooms, laboratory space and a research complex. FGCU mentions the dental and pharmacy schools in its 2016 Work Plan, an outline of the university's priorities and goals. The plan sets improvement goals that FGCU hopes to reach in each of the performance categories. "Honestly, speaking with candor, I think this plan misses the mark," Board of Governors member Thomas Kuntz said. Kuntz said FGCU's focus should be on improving in the performance areas it is not doing well in "rather than dedicating what will be a lot of time and a lot of energy to even go prove if there is a need for a pharmacy and a dental school." Florida's public universities get funding based on how well they perform in 10 categories. FGCU scored 67 out of 100 points in its latest performance-based evaluation and is slated to get $17.8 million in funding. FGCU did poorly in the average cost per bachelor's degree, six-year graduation rate and academic progress rate categories. It didn't earn any points in the graduation rate category, making the metric the school performed the worst. "So I guess I am just deeply troubled with the content of this plan, and I may be standing alone here, but just the thought of spending a lot of time researching the need for a dental school is not where I think the university should be spending its valuable time," Kuntz said. FGCU President Wilson Bradshaw said the university is focused on improving its metrics and has developed plans to address each. "We want to improve on all of the performance metrics, and that's really what's driving this work plan for the upcoming year," Bradshaw said. "Not dentistry. Not pharmacy." Bradshaw said the reason the dental and pharmacy schools were mentioned in the Work Plan was because FGCU's board wanted to show that the university is thinking about the future needs of Southwest Florida and the state. "If those programs went away from our narrative today, it would not alter our Work Plan for the upcoming year," he said. "It is focused on improving the metrics that the Board of Governors and our board of trustees embraced as important. That's where we are putting our resources." Board of Governors member Edward Morton said he is not sure there is a need for a new pharmacy school in the state. Three schools in the State University System have pharmacy schools: the University of Florida, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and the University of South Florida. "I think collectively those of us who have looked at it had some reservations about pharmacy because of some of the sociological changes underway that have to do with mail order pharmacies," Morton said. "Just recently I saw where Walgreens laid off 60 people in Florida in pharmacies because of the decreasing demands. It's something that we will have to look at together in terms of feasibility." The University of Florida is the only school in the state system with a dental school. SHARE U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida answers questions from the press as he visits the state Legislature during session, Wednesday, April 1, 2015, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon) By Ledyard King, USA TODAY WASHINGTON If there's anything Bill Nelson likes to be known for on Capitol Hill, it's problem-solving. So when a simmering feud between two senior Republican senators threatened to scuttle a major defense bill, the Florida Democrat sensed a chance to help settle the dispute. The issue was a relatively small one in the context of the $600 billion bill to fund military programs in fiscal 2017. But it was a sensitive topic with important ramifications: How quickly should the Pentagon stop using Russian rocket engines to launch its spy satellites? Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wanted to immediately ban further use of the engines. Continuing to buy them, he said, "puts money in the pockets of Vladimir Putin and his cronies." On the other side of the issue was Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala. Shelby is a powerful appropriator whose state is home to the plant that builds rockets for United Launch Alliance, a Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture and the Pentagon's primary contractor on military launches. Shelby argued the Russian engines are reliable and the Pentagon should be allowed to keep using them while ULA works to develop a U.S. alternative. McCain and Shelby have never gotten along particularly well and, in fact, hardly speak to each other. Their opposing views on use of the Russian engines have developed into an ongoing feud, with McCain conspicuously inserting bans into authorization measures and Shelby quietly undoing them in spending bills. "Two senior Republican bulls, who have been at war for years," is how Nelson describes his colleagues, who have split over other issues as well. But Nelson managed to bridge the divide and guide his colleagues toward agreement through talks spanning several weeks. Under the compromise he helped engineer, the Pentagon would be allowed to buy up to 18 Russian-made rockets to launch spy satellites into orbit through 2022. That deal became part of the defense policy bill. Although the deal clearly favors Shelby, McCain was willing to sign off on it largely because he trusts and respects Nelson. "He brings unique credentials to this issue, given his experience up in space," the Arizona senator said on the Senate floor, referring to Nelson's stint aboard the space shuttle Columbia in 1986. "I thank the senator from Florida for his intermediary work, without whom this compromise would not have been achieved." The compromise means the issue won't be a recurring impediment to future defense bills. "Blessed are the peacemakers," a clearly pleased Nelson said right after the vote, his Florida drawl becoming more pronounced. "It takes a little country boy who happens to be a Democrat to help make peace between 'em where they are now talking." By the time ULA develops an alternative to the Russian engines, it's likely to have competition. California-based SpaceX recently was certified by the Air Force and expects to launch its first satellite in 2018. Nelson sells himself as a centrist, but his voting record is solidly left of center, even liberal, some would say. He voted with the president nearly 99 percent of the time on the Senate floor last year more than any other senator, according to Congressional Quarterly's latest analysis of voting records. But Nelson also isn't known as a hardened partisan. That's largely due to his aw-shucks demeanor and general eagerness to work with Republicans on certain topics even at the cost of irritating allies. This week, he joined moderate Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on a compromise bill to prevent people on the no-fly list from buying guns. Collins offered her proposal after the GOP-led Senate rejected stronger gun control bills supported by Nelson and other Democrats. That compromise, opposed by most Republicans, was panned by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., a leading gun control advocate. She told reporters it didn't go far enough to prevent terrorists from buying weapons. Nelson said he felt compelled to act in the aftermath of the mass shooting earlier this month at a gay nightclub in Orlando. "I owe it to the people of Orlando to try to get something done," he said. It was that same search for middle ground that prompted him to get involved in the Russian engine dispute, especially since many of the rocket launches take place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in his home state. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill, whose state is home to Boeing and who sided with Shelby on the Russian engine issue, said Nelson was indispensable to the outcome. "It has been a contentious, hotly debated, and in some ways divisive issue between appropriations and authorization committees in the Senate," Durbin said on the floor last week. "When Sen. Nelson told me he was willing to step up and try to be that bridge over troubled waters, I welcomed his entry into that conversation." Shelby seemed to downplay Nelson's role when asked about it this week. "We all worked together," the Alabama Republican said. "Everybody's important." Nelson believes he made a difference. "Two months ago, people weren't listening. They got their point of view and that's it," he said. "Every now and then, they would listen to me." Contact Ledyard King at lking@gannett.com; Twitter: @ledgeking SHARE Election 2016 The 2016 ballot is set, except for the formality of the presidential tickets to be finalized at national party conventions in July. Now, it's incumbent on voters to participate. Friday marked the close of the week for candidates to confirm they're in, either for the Aug. 30 primary, the Nov. 8 general election, or in some cases both. At the beginning of the year, we expressed concern that registered voters who are thinking about staying away in 2016 the nonvoters hold the keys to many important decisions. The candidate lineup determined Friday renews a sense of urgency to us because of the number of races that could be decided before we get to the general election. Presidential elections bring out voters in droves. Collier saw 83 percent turnout in November 2012 and 70 percent in 2008. In Lee, the 2008 presidential election attracted 85 percent of those registered and 69 percent in November 2012. Contrast that with turnout in a primary. The dismal August 2014 turnout in Southwest Florida saw an embarrassing 21 percent of registered voters cast ballots in Collier. Lee wasn't much better at 23 percent. In some cases, that election forever carries the stigma about what might be different today if more people had voted. Collier County Commission The five-member Collier County Commission will see a new majority. The commission faces critical decisions such as the direction of redevelopment in East Naples, what steps to take to combat the affordable housing crisis and growth pains road needs, environmental protection, approving future developments, and more. A poor turnout would be magnified in some commission races because of the way Collier elects these important leaders. The first restriction on the number of potential voters is because only those residing within the specific district can choose even though commissioners decide issues of countywide import. Next is the partisan nature of contests. In races with three Republicans running, a plurality as low as 33.34 percent of votes cast Aug. 30 could send the GOP nominee to the November election against a Democrat. If there's a poor turnout Aug. 30, that's putting the decision in the hands of relatively few voters. Open to everyone Some Aug. 30 contests will be open to all voters, notably nonpartisan school board races in Collier and Lee, and the already bitter race between incumbent Collier Clerk of Courts Dwight Brock and Georgia Hiller, who is leaving her County Commission seat to try to oust him. Both are Republicans, but they're the only candidates, which means everyone registered can vote. The Aug. 30 Collier School Board primary has sweeping implications because of a stark 3-2 ideological divide among its current members and a power shift the election could bring. Remember that, because of nonvoters in August 2014, Kelly Lichter landed a four-year term with support of 9 percent of 185,016 eligible to vote. There are only four candidates for two Collier School Board seats, in contrast to Lee with about 20 for four seats, likely meaning few final decisions on Aug. 30 and runoffs Nov. 8 for Lee's School Board seats. Election regrets We recently suggested Collier is growing enough that it should discuss in 2017 a home-rule charter, which could affect the way commissioners are elected. It's unfortunate, too, that the election process allows two-candidate races to be decided during the primary which is destined to have a poorer turnout rather than in November. The two Collier School Board seats and Brock-Hiller come to mind. A few days ago we saw another election bugaboo surface that continues to trouble us. The much-anticipated state Senate matchup between veteran GOP lawmakers Matt Hudson and Kathleen Passidomo could have been open Aug. 30 to all District 28 voters. That changed Wednesday when Raymond Mazzie, who lists a Tallahassee address as a full-time Florida State University student, qualified as a write-in. That shuts out Democrats and voters without party affiliation on Aug. 30, effectively leaving nearly half of Collier's voters no say between Passidomo and Hudson. A similar move was afoot late Friday as Anthony Cetrangelo Jr. of Naples appeared as an active write-in candidate in House District 80, closing the primary between Republicans Joe Davidow and Byron Donalds. Another shutout against Democrats and independent voters. SHARE Kudos Lighthouse of Collier Inc. was honored this month by the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce and county commissioners. Created in 2009, the organization focuses on rehabilitation and assistance for those with blindness or vision loss in Collier. Lighthouse, which recently marked its seventh birthday, offers programs targeted to adults and children, providing services to many of the estimated 14,000 in the county who are blind or visually impaired. The nonprofit, which has a small staff and a few dozen volunteers, was singled out by the chamber and commissioners as Collier's "Business of the Month" for June. "It is our main focus to empower our blind and visually impaired clients to be independent through experiences, education and socialization, leading to an enhanced quality of life for them and their families," a nomination form explains the work of Lighthouse. "Our ultimate goal is for our clients to gain or regain their independence," said Robin Goldstone Garcia, executive director of Lighthouse. July 5-29 is the organization's summer camp for blind and visually impaired children, which she told commissioners was made possible at first through charitable donations from the annual Great Dock Canoe Race. Lighthouse's programs for kids "bring children who are blind and visually impaired together on a continuing basis to experience and teach socialization, developmental and learnings kills while having fun," the nomination form states. Commissioners were so inspired by the recent honors presented to the nonprofit's leadership that they suggested county staff explore ways to help secure grants to help Lighthouse expand services to house adults in need and serve the Immokalee area. More information: www.lighthouseofcollier.org/ Kudos The Goodwill Roberts Community Senior Center in Immokalee will benefit from a grant and the hands-on work of students from Immokalee Technical College, a career training institute of Collier County Public Schools. The senior center provides those age 60 and older with daily meals and nutrition education classes. Aided by a $25,000 grant from Lowe's, iTech adult and high school students in construction technology will plan and complete a kitchen renovation project for the senior center. The school's SkillsUSA Chapter was one of 15 programs nationwide awarded a grant, according to a Lowe's and school district news release. SkillsUSA serves more than 300,000 students and instructors in middle schools, high schools, and colleges, covering 130 trade, technical, and skilled occupations. Kicks Incoming House Speaker Richard Corcoran is off-target in already suggesting the Legislature get rid of taxpayer funding for Enterprise Florida, the public-private partnership that helps with incentives to lure companies to the state. Lawmakers should follow the lead of Gov. Rick Scott, whose job-creation focus has the state's unemployment rate at 4.7 percent, down from about 11 percent when he took office less than six years ago. It's even better in Collier and Lee with pre-recession unemployment rates. Scott has led the way in getting companies to move to Florida. In a state adding hundreds of people every day, jobs are needed for these newcomers. It's apparent some wasteful contractual decisions were made by a former Enterprise Florida administrator. But the state put $100,000 into a financial review of the 20-year-old program. Before cutting off all funding, it would be prudent to see what some recommended changes in administration and programs might bring. Kudos The North Collier Fire Rescue District was recognized as the top special government district in Florida for 2016 among more than 1,600 members active in a state association. The Florida Association of Special Districts chose the North Collier department for its labor-management relations and cost savings that resulted from the merger of North Naples and Big Corkscrew Island fire districts, a press release states. SHARE David K. Jensen, Naples Enforce laws I am sick and tired of listening to all the garbage about gun laws and that we need more of them. We simply need to enforce the laws that are already on the books. The only guns the American citizen needs are these three: 1) a standard shotgun for shooting ducks and pheasants. 2) A good, long, standard rifle for shooting deer, bear and moose. 3) A 6-shot revolver for the bedside table for self-protection. All the rest need to be outlawed for the American citizen. The Uzi, terror machine guns and assault rifles should be for law enforcement and the military only. I do not agree with President Obama on much, but on this gun issue I do and I am a member of the NRA. SHARE Robert Butkiewicz, Naples In the mirror Once again, we are all reminded that conservative politicians, who claim to be Christians, pledge their souls to the NRA, rather than our Lord. Of course, it does not stop there. After every mass shooting, you can go online and find Baptist preachers showing their true religion. I just watched a Baptist preacher on television declare, "The good news is 50 gay perverts were killed over the weekend. The bad news, about 50 more survived." Having been raised Catholic, I spent decades in church on Sundays listening to sermons about God's love, and nothing about angry hate speech, as I have witnessed attending two Baptist churches in the area. I was mortified by both experiences. I felt as a Christian, I was under attack for not hating Democrats. It felt more like a political meeting, with a few prayers and singing a few songs, in between the hostile speeches. So when I hear Gov. Rick Scott declare, "We have to find a way to end the bloodshed," then insist he will continue to allow automatic weapons to be sold to terrorists and their sympathizers, how is that not promoting mass murder in this state? Do you actually believe Fox propaganda that if assault weapons are banned from terrorists, the government is coming to your house next? If you are OK with terrorists buying weapons of mass destruction, and using them on your children, stop blaming Democrats. The problem is in your mirror. SHARE Christian Spilker, Collier Resources Inc. Senior Vice President, on NewsMakers 7-14-13. Mitch Hutchcraft Consolidated Citrus Limited Partnership By Christian Spilker,And Mitch Hutchcraft,And Garrett Wallace, Alico Inc. Guest commentary | Habitat conservation plan Recently, there has been much discussion and misinformation regarding the proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP) that nine property owners, including Collier Enterprises Management Inc., Consolidated Citrus Limited Partnership and Alico Inc., are pursuing, with the support of several leading conservation organizations. The misinformation about the proposed HCP has not only focused on misinterpreting what an HCP means for the future of Southwest Florida's environment and wildlife, but also what an HCP actually does. One element of the HCP that has been grossly distorted is the incidental take permit. Contrary to what has been said, an incidental take permit in no way allows for the intentional killing of an imperiled species. Instead, an incidental take permit is required in the event unintentional harm or death comes to a listed species during the course of implementing the HCP. In fact, panther biologists who collar panthers for research are also required to have incidental take permits. Additionally, there have been several questions raised throughout the course of the discussion on the HCP, for instance how future infrastructure will impact the environment and wildlife. The fact is that all aspects of the project, including infrastructure needs, will be taken into careful consideration by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which will oversee the project, as the agency prepares a draft environmental impact statement (EIS). That said, the private property owners have committed to establishing a fund to dedicate tens of millions of dollars for additional conservation measures, above and beyond what will be required by the permit. Water quantity has also been raised as a concern by some third parties and residents. However, the reality is that there would be an overall net reduction in water consumption. Similar to the construction of infrastructure, FWS will also take into careful account the effect the HCP will have on Southwest Florida's water supply. The HCP also has been criticized for seeking permitting that spans the next 50 years and, as a result, is unchangeable. However, the HCP is a document that is fully adaptable and management practices may change given developing conditions. Yet, it is essential that this planning document be long term, as it is paramount to the goal of preservation planning to ensure certainty and avoid the piecemeal approach that has been utilized in the past and results in a checkerboard of preserved lands, which is contrary to good regional environmental planning. Moreover, as property owners, we believe there are many benefits that come with the HCP that strike the right balance between the need for future development and conservation. First and foremost, the proposed HCP calls for large swaths of privately owned land to be conserved in perpetuity, at no cost to the taxpayer. In fact, the HCP would preserve more than 160 square miles of environmentally significant lands. Of equal importance is the fact that the land to be set aside for conservation is quality, interconnected habitat where imperiled species, like the Florida panther, the red-cockaded woodpecker, the Florida bonneted bat, the eastern indigo snake and others, can grow and thrive. These private preservation areas connect federally owned lands in the south to state-owned lands in the north, ensuring the Florida panther, which according to experts is currently fully occupying all existing habitat in Collier County, may expand its range north of the Caloosahatchee River, which is critical to its survival. Further, HCPs are part of a nationwide regulatory framework aiding large-scale regional landscape planning and have been recognized by the FWS as one of the most diplomatic and collaborative approaches to development and conservation. This HCP would be one of the largest conservation efforts of its type east of the Mississippi River, and will be shaped by the concerns and input of the entire Southwest Florida community. As property owners, we recognize that Florida's continued growth which is largely due to people being drawn to our unique environment and diverse wildlife means that we must plan now for future development. However, we also recognize we must preserve what is unique about Florida through thoughtful, comprehensive and long-term conservation. We look forward to FWS' continued review of the proposed HCP and the objective, scientific and data-driven proposal that we believe strikes the correct balance between the protection of private property rights and the long-term preservation and protection of our natural resources. The HCP gives the Florida panther and other imperiled species the best chance for growth and recovery. Ralph Maccarone: Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award finalist Meet Ralph Maccarone and his cause, Who We Play For. Ralph is one of four finalists chosen for the Betty Jane France Humanitarian award for his dedication to helping children. Presenting the insidious convicted criminal Dr. Farid Fata Meet the deranged, demonic abortionist who 'loves' killing babies: Robert Santella Introducing hate-monger, schizophrenic blogger, oncologist and breast cancer surgeon Dr. David H. Gorski, a.k.a. 'Orac' (NaturalNews) Imagine for a moment that you are diagnosed with cancer, and operated on, and given chemotherapy , only to find out you don't have cancer, and never did. Then imagine that the doctor involvedthat you did not have cancer, but did it all for the money and the reputation, so he could say he cured you, and get more referrals from you, in order to falsely diagnoseinnocent people, operate on them, give them chemotherapy, and even kill some of them with overdoses.That's exactly what happened to thousands of patients over the past decade in Detroit, Michigan, at the Karmanos Cancer Center, thanks to the severely deranged Dr. Farid Fata, who not only committed these crimes of atrocity, but confessed to them all in court, saying that he did it for the money and the popularity. He is now serving the first of 45 years in a federal prison for his crimes, and the victims and their families say he got off lightly. Should this deranged doctor have been hanged, electrocuted to death, or executed by lethal injection, for premeditated mass murder?Fata was not insane. He knew exactly what he was doing and he showed remorse in court. He pleaded guilty less than one year ago to 13 counts of healthcare fraud, two counts of money laundering and one count of conspiracy involving kickbacks. According toand the, a U.S. District Judge in Michigan imposed the sentence, while ordering the insidious doctor to forfeit more than $17 million he embezzled in one of the biggest healthcare fraud schemes ever recorded in U.S. history. Reporting false cancer diagnoses for nearly a decade, Fata administered and injected dangerous and toxic treatments as his tool for stealing millions of dollars from Medicare. He even drugged people to death during their last days of life. After stealing money from Medicare, Fata used those proceeds to administerunnecessary and expensive PET scans to bill private insurers for even more money. It was all a ponzi scheme to get filthy rich and powerful, according to Fata himself. Published court records reveal all of this to be true.Some doctors are so psycho and arrogant that they fear nothing not the authorities, not the media , and certainly not the people protesting their rogue methods of medical treatment, negligence and pure evil. Fortunately, when the timing is right, that's exactly what gets them caught and fired. After years of serious complaints from patients (victims of abortions gone awry), some religious protestors of abortions happened to be in the right place, at the right time, filming their opinions outside the office where a demonic doctor pulls babies from the womb and exterminates them. Outside the clinic, in a very peaceful pro-life protest where the film crew talks to women about God and saving their babies, physician Robert Santella takes it upon himself to terrorize the camera man, and it's all recorded the beginning of the end for a deranged doctor's career of killing babies.As the deranged Dr. Santella holds a pair of scissors near the neck of the man with the video camera, he growls that he has a "dark heart" and "loves" killing babies and tearing them apart. The notorious and nefarious San Diego abortionist, who has a bad reputation with his patients, and has faced several disciplinary measures from the California Medical Board, has botched more than a few operations, injuring patients in the process, and refusing to call in medical treatments they needed afterwards.Until this video was shared on Facebook and with the Family Planning Associates clinic where he worked, Santella was enjoying tearing babies apart for cash and planned on continuing doing so. Here's an excerpt from the videotaped conversation outside the clinic:Mel: "All the babies that you kill..."Santella: "I love it, I love it."Mel: "Yeah, keep tearing the babies apart."Santella: "Yeah, I will."During the years that the insidious Farid Fata was poisoning innocent humans to death with chemotherapy, another freak of nature was (and still is) workingat Karmanos Cancer Center: the nefarious hate-monger, David H. Gorski , surgical oncologist. This guy leaves his post during surgery and blogs replies to his posts, as he has admitted, when someone says something that gets under his skin. The Michigan State Medical Board is well aware that Gorski is still operating on women's breasts, even though he has been caught red-handed plotting psychopathic, hurtful and hateful tricks online.This is Gorski posing under his alias "Orac" on the website he calls "Respectful Insolence" on April 20, 2012 (he still thinks nobody knows his aliases, of which "Orac" is but one of about 20 that he uses for identity fraud and online terror tactics):"Use emotional warfare on anti-vax blogs. Tell emotional stories full of tears and sobbing and unbearable grief and terror, about people in your own family or people you read about, who were sick with or died of terrible diseases. Don't hold back details about bodily fluids and suchlike: the more gross the better. This stuff has a way of infiltrating the minds of readers and subtly influencing their decisions, in a manner similar to advertising. Go in there and 'agree with them' and then say things that appear thoroughly delusional, overtly nuts, blatantly and obviously wrong even to nincompoops, etc. Occasional spelling and grammar errors are also useful but don't over-do. The point of this exercise is to create an impression that drives away undecideds who may come in to check out these sites. It helps to do this as a group effort and begin gradually, so the sites appear to be 'going downhill slowly.' But it is useful to have an email address that can't be traced back, for certain legitimate and ethical uses, just as it is useful to have a mail box at say the UPS store."If you suspect your doctor is a demon, a freak, schizophrenic, a criminal, a fraudster, or is in any way deranged, jump ship! There are plenty of Naturopaths out there who use holistic, non-invasive treatments that havethan any chemical medicine known to mankind. Have you ever seen pink snow? It may seem as if someone tipped a gallon of watermelon juice in the ice, but it is actually a natural occurrence caused by snow-dwelling algae. Pretty as it may seem, scientists reveal that the Arctic's pink snow or "watermelon snow" is something we should worry about as it causes ice glaciers to melt faster. According to a study published in the journal Nature, as global warming continues, populations of the harmful red algae increases, resulting in rapid ice melting in the Arctic. Commonly found in polar and alpine settings like Greenland, Antarctica, the Alps and Iceland, the red algae blooms when they experience a rise in temperature in their surroundings. They accelerate the melting rate by reducing the glaciers' albedo effect by as much as 13 percent. The albedo effect is a process of glaciers to keep the earth cool by reflecting sunlight. However, as these red algae populate the surface, the glacier surfaces' ability to reflect sunlight decreases. Steffi Lutz of the University of Leeds and lead author of the study told Gizmodo that the red algae need water in order to bloom and spread. This means that they will increase as snow melts in the Arctic. "With temperatures rising globally, the snow algae phenomenon will likely also increase leading to an even higher bio-albedo effect," she said. Lutz and her team also estimated the amount of melting that the red algae would have caused. Based on personal observations, a conservative estimate would be 50 percent of the snow surface on a glacier at the end of a melt season. But this can potentially be even higher," she said. This discovery shows how even small organisms such as the red algae could have a greater effect in the long run. As temperature increases, the spread of the red algae in cold places could supercharge global warming. NASA has detected a strange dark vortex on Neptune's surface. Images sent from the Hubble Space Telescope have revealed that a dark spot suddenly opened on the planet's surface and it's perplexing astronomers. According to NASA, this is the first observation of a dark vortex in Neptune in the 21st century. Past observations have occurred in 1989 via the Voyager 2 and in 1994 via the Hubble Telescope. The most famous dark spot discovery in Neptune was in 1989. Tagged as the Great Dark Spot, it was located in Neptune's southern atmosphere and is approximately as large as the Earth, The Verge reports. Dark vortices are formed in Neptune when clouds of air and gas swirl and freeze up. This creates a solid single mass that moves on the planet's atmosphere. Mike Wong, leader of the study from the University of California-Berkley, described these dark vortices as "huge, lens-shaped gaseous mountains that move through the atmosphere. Gizmodo says that the dark vortices appearances, such as their size, shape and lifespan, all differ. However, what's always constant is the stream of pancake-shaped bright clouds accompanying them called orographic clouds. The Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) captured the said dark spot on Neptune in September 2015. To better observe the phenomenon, the team created a higher-quality map of the dark vortex and its surrounding using the new images from Hubble. Wong and his team announced the discovery on May 17, 2016 in a Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (CBAT) electronic telegram. There is still limited data about dark vortices. Through this third sighting, scientists in NASA hope to learn more about the origin of dark vortices, their behavior as well as how they interact with Neptune's surroundings through continued observation. To know more interesting facts about Neptune, check out the video below. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Hawaii is known for its tropical paradise. But the top destination spot is also struggling with a growing number of tourists who have died in its waters. On the island of Kauai, eleven people have drowned just this year. Of the islands, Kauai has had the highest rate of drowning deaths among tourists, even more than Hawaii and Oahu. /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";} The tragedies are higher, critics say, because a guidebook series growing in popularity is enticing Hawaii-bound travelers off the beaten trail to beautiful - but often deadly - spots. One legislator wants to hold these travel guide authors legally responsible for suggesting visitors explore these once-unknown places. But some argue, including the guidebook author himself, that these travel tips should not be targeted as scapegoats for visitors who chose on their own to discover hidden gems. It happened just so quickly, said Joy Chiu, in her first in-depth interview since the tragedy in January. The Berkeley resident watched in her horror as her boyfriend, Brain Baker, was taken out to sea by a rogue wave. Moments later Bakers close friend, Adam Griffiths, was also swept into the waters off South Kalihiwai Point. I was so close to Adam when he got pulled in, she recalled. The group, which included Chiu, Baker, Griffiths, Griffiths' fiancee, and another friend came to the island from the San Francisco Bay Area to explore the islands rugged beauty. They hiked into remote unknown lava pool near Secrets Beach. Chiu said they had no intention of swimming that day. For nearly 30 minutes, they stood together watching the powerful waves roll into the shelves of lava rock on the north shore of Kauai. But without warning, she said the two men were swept out to sea. I knew I couldn't do anything. If they dispatched a helicopter right now it would be too late, she said tearfully. Contrary to other reports, Griffiths tried to save his friend, but was also pulled into the sea, Chiu said. Chiu said Baker had visited the same lava pool before and nothing had happened. J.P. Ryan is Hawaiian local who witnessed a drowning this year in the same area where Baker and Griffiths died. We all had the illusion of safety, that we were out of harm's way, Ryan said. Phua Chuan Chin, 62, had been visiting from Singapore and was staying with Ryan at his home on the island. Ryan, Chin, and another friend were all taking in the beauty of the crashing waves when Chin and the other man were both swept in by a rogue wave. Ryan tried to save both men but Chin did not survive. The Kauai man said he had visited the area many times before, and never realized the dangers. Another man from Northern California also drowned in the rough waters. Last month, 41-year-old Christian Lung of Castro Valley had only been on the island for a few hours when he decided to dive into the waters near the Plantation Hale Hotel in Kapaa, less than 20 miles away. The current was so powerful he drowned. Five months into 2013, Kauai is already close to tripling the four downing deaths seen on the island in all of 2012. The peak year of Kauai drownings was 2008, when there were 16 such deaths. But at the rate of the drownings so far this year, the island could certainly surpass that record high. Over the last decade, more than 100 people have drowned on this tiny island. >> INTERACTIVE MAP: Kauai Drownings (1970 - 2012) Monty Downs, an emergency room doctor at Wilcox Hospital in Kauai calls the drowning an endemic problem to the island of Kauai. Drowning had just been almost been a dirty little secret that Hawaii was willing to sweep under the carpet, Downs said. Hes witnessed drowning victims come in to his emergency room for years. But said this year has been even worst. In part, he believes because the deaths are occurring primarily at non-lifeguarded beaches. The most common victim is a man in his 30s, or 40s, or 50s with children. They come over for their wonderful vacation in Hawaii, and all of a sudden the wife is a widow and the children are without a father, he told NBC Bay Area. I think there's more information out there through blogs, websites, and guidebooks, said Sue Kanoho, the executive director of the Kauai Visitors Bureau. She blamed the published information which sometimes underplay the dangers of the spot - for guiding tourists to high-risk locations on the island. Kanoho has even contacted travel book authors, bloggers, and people who post photos of the locations on Instagram and Facebook. She explained, Thats a dangerous thing for me to do as a visitors bureau person. But at the same time, I think that its right to contact people and say thats really inappropriate, please take it down. To ensure that her guests dont get into trouble, Kanoho even refuses to give directions to visitors who ask how to get to deadly shorelines like Queens Bath. The spot has become very popular because of its rock shelf, but when the weather changes and waves rise it can be deadly. The guidebooks state this, but Kanoho would like to see all references to Queens Bath taken out of the guidebooks . A sign with skull and crossbones at the entrance to the beach keeps a tally of those who have drowned there - 29. On a recent hike down to Queens Bath, the Investigate Unit ran into a steady stream of visitors who said they found the spot through guidebooks. One woman holding a baby said, We shouldn't be here but we just wanted to see it. Another couple visiting from Las Vegas to celebrate their wedding anniversary agreed. I do think its a bit more scary than the guidebooks portray. They do caution you, but being next to the waves is a lot worse than reading about it, Julie Bartlett said. State Rep. Jimmy Tokioka (D- Kauai) first tried to pass a bill in 2011 holding travel book authors and publishers liable. Though it went nowhere, Tokioka vowed to bring the issue up again. We felt it was irresponsible for them to be guiding people to their deaths, he told NBC Bay Area. Tokioka blamed one guidebook author in particular- Andrew Doughty. Doughty, who lives in Kauai, is the author of The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook. Its the No. 1 selling book online and the most popular on the island. The Investigative Unit talked with Doughty by phone. He agreed to an interview and then abruptly cancelled hours later. The author sent an email in part, saying: "Nothing is more important to us than safety. If the last four people that drowned on Kauai had our books and had read it, none would have died because we specifically give detailed warnings about those areas." Others have taken his side, too. In many editorials and comments, those who support the guidebook industry say that travelers have to be responsible for themselves. But Tokioka argued Doughty's warnings don't go far enough. He wants the references to all lava pools to be yanked from the guidebooks altogether. "When people buy this guidebook, it gives them specific information. We were disappointed Mr. Doughty didn't want to come to the table and address those issues," Tokioka said. Still, the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit wanted to give Doughty another chance to respond to the criticism about his book. However, standing in front of his large home on the island he again declined an on-camera interview. Meanwhile, Joy Chiu is still having a hard time coping with Bakers' loss. "I think he is the most beautiful man I will ever know," she said. She read about the dangers, but told NBC that better warnings about how unpredictable the ocean can be would have made her understand the dangers of the lava pools. She explained that if visitors can learn why the beautiful ocean view in front of them can give them a false sense of security, then that might be more useful than a simple danger warning. "It shouldn't have to take deaths to be able make changes like that," Chiu said. Of the hundreds of thousands of spectators pouring into San Francisco to celebrate Pride and the strides of the gay community this weekend, one spectator will have an even greater sense of its meaning. Like many of those celebrating, Cedric Tchante made the decision to "come out" as a gay man. But that decision carried with it additional risks and dangers in his native Cameroon where he grew-up, and where homosexuality is strictly frowned-upon. Following the revelation of his sexuality in his college years, his life was filled with frequent threats, beatings and discrimination. But the threats only deepened his commitment as an LGBT activist, in a country where gay sexual activity is illegal. When you choose to be an activist in Cameroon, Tchante said in the San Francisco office of Climb Real Estate where he works in marketing, you decide to live with the danger. Danger certainly set its sites on Tchante back in Cameroon. Gangs of anti-gay thugs beat him on several occasions outside his home. There were death threats. But it was when those threats took aim at his family that a line had been breached. So when they begin to touch people I love, Tchante said, it was something I cant accept. Back in Camerooon, Tchante sat in a dark room hurriedly packing his belongings, pondering a future far from home in the U.S., a country where hed heard homosexuality was mostly accepted. It was far from the atmosphere in Cameroon where he worked as an activist comforting and supporting others facing the same anti-gay discrimination visiting police stations to rescue gay arrestees listening to Sunday sermons where preachers would warn that gays were inhabited by the devil. In that moment he weighed his decision to appear in a documentary called Born This Way, a film about his underground activities rescuing and supporting gay young people all under the weight of the personal threats to his own life. In one scene he gripped a note that read You think you can run, we will find you. So I decide to be in the documentary because it was very important for me and my community, Tchante said without a trace of regret. The film wasnt shown in Cameroon. But clips made it onto YouTube. He could no longer operate from the periphery he was now out there. Under the cover of darkness he fled his country and eventually made his way to San Francisco where he now lives and works. His boisterous laugh regularly echoes through the offices of Climb Real Estate where co-workers slowly learned of his backstory. I think hes got such an interesting story as an activist, said Climb Real Estate co-founder Chris Lim, as a person whos overcome insurmountable struggles. Though Tchantes re-location to the U.S. took him far from the threats of Cameroon, it didnt end his activism. After work each night he heads home to his computer where he continues to advise LGBT activists back home while providing support for the young LGBT Cameroon community still grappling for acceptance. I always ask them to be strong, to always be happy, Tchante said. When youre happy, you make your enemies mad. Tchantes enemies would probably be furious if they could see him now, joking and brimming with excitement at the new life of acceptance hes found. His joy is infectious, said friend Jenny Raymond, and I think thats just an incredible thing given where hes come from. The tears still come when Tchante thinks of home, and his mother who still lives in Cameroon whom he fondly describes as the only woman Ive ever loved. But now as he walks down the street of the Castro neighborhood where he lives, his eyes are aimed firmly at the future no longer looking over his shoulder. Contra Costa County and the family of a 19-year-old man are being sued by the parents of a boy the man allegedly stabbed to death in Discovery Bay last year for their actions leading up to the incident, according to court records. The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court of Northern California last month, alleges county sheriff's deputies, health workers and the suspect's family failed to properly respond to warning signs before the 9-year-old boy was killed on April 26, 2015. Jordon Almgren was found suffering stab wounds in a bed at a home in the 1900 block of Frost Way by sheriff's deputies at 10 a.m. that day. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital. William Shultz, a friend of Jordon's older brother who had spent the night in the home, was arrested several hours later at a Kaiser Permanente medical center in Antioch on suspicion of stabbing Almgren. It was later revealed that Shultz had undergone a voluntary mental health evaluation the day before Almgren was killed. Sheriff's Deputy Miguel Aguilera was called to the Shultz home after his mother reported she was concerned about his violent behavior, according to the federal lawsuit filed on behalf of Almgren's parents, Aguilera discovered a large Bear Grylls-brand hunting knife in Shultz's knapsack that the teen allegedly used later to kill Almgren, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges the knife was not properly reported and that he was allowed to keep it in his possession after a county mental health clinician evaluated and released him despite signs he was mentally ill. Attorney Michael Verna, who is representing the Almgren family, is arguing in the federal lawsuit that the boy was deprived of his civil rights because of these actions. "It's inexcusable for us to have a system where a sheriff's (office) doesn't do its job and a county health department doesn't do its job ... and the result is that a 9-year-old is savagely stabbed to death," he said. The lawsuit aims to prove the named defendants were "deliberately indifferent" to the danger Shultz posed. Sheriff's officials were not immediately available to respond to the lawsuit. The county has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on legal grounds of immunity. Verna said an opposition to this motion was then filed in response Wednesday. In addition to the county, the lawsuit is also naming Shultz and his parents as defendants. It is alleged that the suspect's parents never warned the victim's family of his violent behavior despite the fact that he was going to sleep at their house the same evening he was evaluated for it. The lawsuit is seeking unspecified financial damages as well as the payment of funeral and burial expenses. Lula Lake Land Trust announced on Friday that it has changed its IRS nonprofit 501(c)(3) filing status from private foundation to public charity. Lula Lake Land Trust continues to operate as a tax exempt charitable organization with the best interests of Lookout Mountain and Chattanooga in mind. Going from private foundation to public charity will help us grow and be a vital community partner and leader in preserving the areas natural beauty, said Lula Lake Land Trust Executive Director Mike Pollock. Were serving more and more people every day and we believe our new status more accurately reflects our mission and reach. The public charity designation allows Lula Lake Land Trust to seek more opportunities in funding, including a matching gifts program, corporate investments and expanded grant opportunities. A man arrested for driving a party bus that was intercepted in Larkspur teeming with minors, drugs and alcohol pleaded not guilty Friday. James Greene, 63, was arraigned at the Marin County Superior Court, and told NBC Bay Area that he just wants to be left alone. The Central Marin Police Authority received an anonymous call around 5:40 p.m. Monday as the bus was about to depart the Larkspur Ferry Terminal. The passenger door of the bus was open and swinging freely when the bus made the left turn out of the terminal parking lot, police spokeswoman Margo Rohrbacher said. On the black and silver bus, police found 33 boys and girls, between 15 and 17 years old, from Larkspur, Tiburon, San Rafael, San Anselmo, Kentfield and Mill Valley. They also smelled alcohol and marijuana, and found 30 containers of hard alcohol, a case of spiked lemonade, a jar of marijuana and a purse filled with an assortment of prescription drugs, Rohrbacher said. The San Francisco man claims he had no idea about the alcohol and drugs on board. Claiming that he didn't know the passengers were underage, Greene said he was just taking them to their parents. He pleaded not guilty Friday to charges, including possession of narcotics, drug paraphanelia, controlled substances, and a switchblade knife. When asked about Greene's case, Public Defender Michael Schroettner said, I can't really discuss anything at this moment. Our office has recently been appointed. A 16-year-old Tiburon resident arranged for the 45-passenger party bus. Galactic Transporter, the bus company that owns the vehicle, told NBC Bay Area it sold the bus about a year ago. It remains unclear who bought it. Greenes next hearing is scheduled for July 29. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to pour into San Francisco for the Pride Parade this weekend. But in the wake of the deadly shootings in Orlando, this year's festival is taking a different tone with improving security a priority. Signs of support following the Orlando shootings can be seen along with an increased police presence in San Francisco's Castro District. "I trust that the community that voted for me trusts me well enough to know and respect my leadership, and would respect my decision that I made not to participate in Sunday's event," said Janetta Johnson, an executive director of the Transgender, Gender Variant and Intersex Justice Project. "And a part of that is the large police presence. The festivities kicked off Friday with the Trans March and the transgender community celebrating the unveiling of Gene Compton's Cafeteria Way, which honors the place where trans people rioted over police harassment in 1966. "I think that the world is ready to see us as people because that's who we are," said Grand Marshall Nya Cruz. The march drew hundreds of participants, but the crowd turned sour when city and state leaders took the mic at Dolores Park to talk about legislative support for the community. Senator Mark Leno was booed off the stage and security personnel hurried Mayor Ed Lee to his car. "This is our time, not a time for politicians," one reveler said. However, politicians like Leno have been fighting for trans rights for years. Meanwhile, Lee just appointed Theresa Sparks as his Gender Equity Advisor. "It's the first time [the position has] ever been created anywhere in the country," Sparks said. As the city revved up for Pride, though, the San Francisco Department of Public Health advised people Friday to get vaccinated after the State Department of Health announced an outbreak of meningococcal disease. Black Lives Matter Bay Area organizers on Friday also said they were withdrawing as Grand Marshals for the Pride Parade in response to the increased police presence and security measures. San Francisco Police Department Deputy Chief Michael Redmond said plain-clothes officers will be out throughout venues and all Pride-related events. There will also be several security check points set up around Civic Center Plaza, police said. New this year will be banning large bags or purses at the event and everyone will have to walk through a metal detector to enter the festival. The city said there are no known threats to Pride Week. Officials are asking eveyrone who will be in the city this weekend to sign up for emergency alerts by texting "alertsf" to 888-777. For more information on the Pride Parade and street closures, visit SFPride.org. NBC Bay Area's Michelle Roberts and Bay City News contributed to this report. A 17-year-old boy has been cleared of a murder charge in the deaths of his parents at their San Jose home in April, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office said Friday. Omar Golamrabbi and his older brother, 22-year-old Hasib Bin Golamrabbi, were accused of fatally shooting their parents at their Evergreen neighborhood home on April 23, prosecutors said. Their parents, 59-year-old Golam Rabbi and 57-year-old Shamima Rabbi, were found deceased at their home in the 300 block of Lucas Court the next day by concerned relatives, according to prosecutors. "Our ongoing investigation determined that there was insufficient evidence to proceed against Omar Golamrabbi," district attorney's officials said. Omar had appeared this afternoon at the Hall of Justice in San Jose before Superior Court Judge Sharon Chatman, who dismissed the case, his attorney Sajid Khan said. "It was unexpected. We learned of this decision this morning," Khan said. Khan had been representing Omar with attorney Jessica Delgado, also of the Alternate Defender's Office. "Omar was nothing more than a witness to this case," Khan said. The attorneys had been preparing to present their arguments in defense of Omar on Monday at his preliminary examination, Khan said. "We are thankful to Deputy District Attorney Matt Braker for examining the evidence in this case with an open mind and for exercising his discretion to dismiss," the attorneys said in a statement. "We are also thankful to Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall Staff and the Santa Clara County Juvenile Probation Department for their care and concern for Omar over the past several weeks," the attorneys said. The 17-year-old boy will be released today from Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall into the custody of his social worker, who will decide whether he will be placed with relatives or other supportive guardians, Khan said. The 17-year-old boy plans to focus on completing high school and furthering his education, Khan said. The brothers gave conflicting accounts of their parents' deaths to police. Hasib Golamrabbi claimed he was assaulted at the home by a stranger who forced him to fire a gun at his father, but didn't see his mother get shot, according to a statement filed in court by San Jose police Sgt. Patrick Guire. Omar told investigators that his older brother shot their parents and didn't say anything about a stranger at the home, Guire said. Hasib Bin Golamrabbi's next court appearance is scheduled for July 13, according to online county jail records. In the wake of the recent Orlando shootings, a Pink Triangle, brightening up the Twin Peaks in clear view of the Castro district and downtown San Francisco, took on a special meaning Saturday. More than 300 volunteers a record turnout, organizers said helped set up the one-acre installation, which reminds people of what can happen when hatred and bigotry are allowed to become law. Although the Pink Triangle honors homosexuals who were persecuted in Nazi Germany, the 49 people killed and 53 injured at a gay nightclub, Pulse, on June 12 shared the spotlight Saturday. The Pink Triangle represents a very sad part of gay history, said Patrick Carney, the events founder. We try to remember the hatred of the past, but we also try to illustrate that we are not out of the woods yet as Orlando so vividly illustrates, he said. Although San Francisco Pride begins with a somber note Saturday, the bloodshed in Orlando shows that people have to be more vigilant than ever, Carney said. He continued: We have been awarded many rights in the last couple of years, but, still, some states are trying to take away those rights. You can be married on a Saturday and then fired on a Monday when you go to work. Carney stressed that the Pink Triangle is a way to raise awareness about discrimination meted out not only to homosexuals, but also Latinos and other minority communities. Senator Mark Leno, Assemblymen Phil Ting and David Chiu, and supervisors Scott Wiener and David Campos were among those who attended the 10 a.m. ceremony, which included a performance of John Lennons Imagine. According to Leno, Omar Mateens actions in Orlando forced people to introspect and engendered greater support from unlikely corner for our community. Although mournful for everyone who died and prayerful for everyone who survived and are recovering, Leno encouraged attendees, Lets not make this more than one sick, crazy person. Pride festivities kicked off Friday with the Trans March, which attracted a large crowd. The tone turned sour, however, when city and state leaders took the mic at Dolores Park to talk about legislative support for the community. Leno was booed off the stage and security personnel hurried Mayor Ed Lee to his car. With hundreds of thousands of people pouring into San Francisco for Pride festivities, the San Francisco Department of Public Health advised people Friday to get vaccinated after the State Department of Health announced an outbreak of meningococcal disease. Security has been beefed up for the weekend and San Francisco Police Department Deputy Chief Michael Redmond said plain-clothes officers will be stationed at all venues and Pride-related events. Black Lives Matter Bay Area organizers on Friday said they were withdrawing as Grand Marshals for Sunday's Pride Parade in response to the increased police presence and security measures. Several security check points have been set up around Civic Center Plaza, police said. Large bags and purses are banned and everyone will have to walk through a metal detector to enter the festival. The city said there are no known threats to Pride weekend. Officials are asking eveyrone who will be in the city this weekend to sign up for emergency alerts by texting "alertsf" to 888-777. The Dyke March starts at 6 p.m. Saturday 18th and Dolores streets. For more information on the Pride Parade and street closures, visit SFPride.org. NBC Bay Area's Michelle Roberts and Bay City News contributed to this report. San Francisco police are seeking the publics help in nabbing two men caught on camera pilfering roughly $500,000 worth of jewelry from a Union Square store. At 3:44 a.m. Thursday, the pair broke into a shop on the 100 block of OFarrell Street, police said. Surveillance footage shows them filling a duffel bag with jewelry cases before fleeing the scene in a Ford sedan. San Francisco Police Department The first suspect is man with dreadlock-style hair, a dark jacket, white T-shirt, tan pants and white shoes, police said. The second was wearing a dark hoodie, which is pulled over his head. People with information are asked to call San Francisco Police Departments Anonymous Tip Line at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with "SFPD." A pet store employee pleaded not guilty Thursday to animal abuse and animal cruelty in the alleged strangulation of a 1-year-old dachshund last month in a San Mateo pet store, according to San Mateo County prosecutors. On May 15, Juan Zarate, 38, of Hayward, took the dog Henry to a back room to trim its nails but got angry when the dog was not cooperative, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said Friday. Zarate rushed to the front of the store three minutes later with the dog, which was unresponsive and had blood foaming from its mouth. A veterinarian at the store was unable to revive the dog, prosecutors said. Police responded at 5:15 p.m. to the PetSmart at 3520 S. El Camino Real on a report that a dog had died. Police arrested Zarate at the store the same day. Henry came to the store with his owner, a 47-year-old San Mateo man, who brought two other dogs with him to have the dogs' nails trimmed, according to prosecutors. Wagstaffe said Henry's owner was in court Thursday and indicated Henry was a beloved member of the family. "It was such an impactful thing for them," Wagstaffe said of Henry's death. A necropsy determined that the dog was strangled. A post-mortem X-ray showed the dog also suffered two broken ribs and a punctured lung. Zarate has no other history of animal abuse, according to Wagstaffe. He is out of jail on a $50,000 bond. A superior court review conference is set for 1 p.m. July 21 and a preliminary hearing for 9 a.m. July 29 in the county courthouse in South San Francisco. An attorney with the San Mateo County Private Defender Program will represent Zarate, but one has not yet been assigned. It has been one month since 15-year-old Pearl Pinson disappeared and her family is still desperate to find her. While the large-scale searches have ended and the public vigils have stopped, her family's pain has not eased. "It's hard going a month without her," sister Rose Pinson said. Police say Pearl was kidnapped as she walked to catch a bus to school near her Vallejo home four weeks ago. But while her alleged abductor, Fernando Castro, was killed during a shootout with police in Santa Barbara County, investigators have found no trace of Pinson. "His family knows where he's at. They have peace," father James Pinson said. "We don't know where our daughter's at, whether she's alive or dead. We just want to bring her home so we can put this all behind us." Solano Co investigators release traffic camera photos of car used to kidnap Pearl Pinson & photo of backpack she had pic.twitter.com/fFFcw5Nv6U Jodi Hernandez (@JodiHernandezTV) May 31, 2016 Solano County Sheriff's investigators say while their tip line has slowed down, the case is still their highest priority. Investigators say the search has had an emotional impact on the entire department. Billboards have gone up across the Bay Area aimed at finding Pearl. "I need her home no matter what," said Annie Pinson, Pearl's mother. "I want her to know I love her and I need her home. I need to see her." Pearl is 5 feet 3 inches tall, 130 pounds with brown hair dyed green and green eyes. She has a metal piercing below her lower lip and was last seen wearing a gray sweater and black leggings. The sheriff's office's tip line is 707-784-1963, and anyone with urgent information should call 707-421-7090 or 911. A pregnant woman was critically wounded in a shooting that left four people injured, three critically, on Chicago's South Side late Saturday morning, according to police. The shooting occurred at 11:43 a.m. in the 1400 block of W 114th Place in the city's Morgan Park neighborhood, authorities confirmed. A 19-year-old woman sustained gunshot wounds to the leg and the back, and taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital, police said. Fire officials later confirmed that she is three months pregnant. A 20-year-old woman was also shot in the leg and back, and taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in critical condition, police said. A 23-year-old man was shot in the buttocks and taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition. A 20-year-old man was shot in the leg and taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition, officials confirmed. Authorities did not release any further information about the shooting. No one is in custody and police continue to investigate. Seven people were killed and at least 48 more including a pregnant woman were wounded in gun violence across Chicago between late Friday afternoon and early Monday. The most recent fatal shooting happened Sunday morning in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side. Officers responding to a call of shots fired at 5:08 a.m. in the 900 block of North Massasoit found 41-year-old Frederick Johnson in the driver seat of a car with two gunshot wounds to the chest, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiners office. Johnson, of the 5300 block of West Crystal, was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:34 a.m. Less than an hour earlier, a man was shot to death in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood on the South Side. Selton Ellis, 30, was standing near the front counter of a gas station near 72nd Street and South Chicago Avenue at 4:27 a.m. when a male entered and shot him multiple times in the torso, authorities said. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 5:18 a.m. He lived in the 7300 block of South Greenwood Avenue. Earlier Sunday on the West Side, a 55-year-old man was killed in an East Garfield Park neighborhood shooting that left two women wounded. Officers responding about 1:30 a.m. to a call of a shots fired in the 700 block of North Ridgeway found two people with gunshot wounds, who said they heard shots and felt pain, police said. Wondale Collier was shot twice in the chest and a 35-year-old woman was shot in the left leg. Collier, of the 700 block of North Lawndale, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:09 a.m., according to the medical examiners office. The womans condition was stabilized at Stroger Hospital. Another woman, 19, later showed up at Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the ankle, police said. She was listed in good condition. Saturday evening, a 20-year-old man was gunned down in the Southwest Side Gage Park neighborhood. Trayvon Wilson was washing his car about 7:15 p.m. in an alley near his home in the 5800 block of South Maplewood when someone walked up to him and fired shots, authorities said. Wilson, who lived on the same block as the shooting, suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the back and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died at 8:41 p.m. Late Friday, a 26-year-old man was shot to death in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood on the South Side. Reginald L. Turner was on the street in the 7700 block of South Sangamon at 10 p.m. when a man shot him in the head, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:17 p.m. Turner lived in the 7700 block of South Peoria. About an hour before that, a 24-year-old man was shot to death in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on the West Side. Officers responding about 9 p.m. to a call of a person shot in the 1000 block of North Harding found him lying on the ground with wounds to the back and shoulder. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he later died, police said. The weekends first homicide happened late Friday afternoon in the South Side Back of the Yards neighborhood. A 25-year-old man was playing dice about 4:30 p.m. on a sidewalk in the 5000 block of South Elizabeth when another male walked up, pulled out a gun and opened fire. The man was shot in the neck and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. Neither of those victims names have been released. Saturday morning, a pregnant woman was among four people shot in the Morgan Park neighborhood on the Far South Side. About 11:45 a.m., she was outside with another woman and two men on a sidewalk in the 1400 block of West 114th Place when someone walked out of a gangway, opened fire, got into a car and drove off, police said. The 19-year-old woman, who is three months pregnant, was taken in critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn with gunshot wounds to the right leg and back, police and fire officials said. A 20-year-old woman shot in the left leg and back was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, as was a 23-year-old man shot in the back. Another man, 20, was listed in good condition at Stroger with a leg wound. At least 42 more people have been wounded in shootings between 6 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Monday. Additionally, an off-duty Cook County sheriffs deputy shot two alleged gang members who fired at people in a vehicle Sunday night in the Marquette Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side. Your trunk may not include a piece of equipment that has typically been sold along with many new vehicles for decades. Doreen Payne-Mays of suburban Park Forest said she experienced a flat tire in her 2016 Hyundai Elantra. But she said she was shocked to find out her car did not include a spare tire. If you havent purchased a car in a while, its something that you expect to be there, Payne-Mays said. Her new car came with a tire inflator kit, which includes an air compressor and a can of sealant. Payne-Mays said she contacted Hyundais roadside assistance and followed their instructions for using the tire inflator kit. However, she said the sealant leaked out of her tire as soon as she inflated it. According to Triple A, the kits work best for punctures in the tire tread surface and may not work for sidewall damage or a blowout. Theyre often more expensive for the consumer, about $300 every single use for these tire inflator kits, which ultimately doesnt work out well for the consumers pocketbook, said AAA Chicago spokesperson Beth Mosher. AAA research shows one-third of all new cars sold in 2015 did not include spare tires. Automakers say removing spare tires makes cars lighter and can improve fuel efficiency. Yet, AAA said the flat tire-related calls it receives have not declined in five years. Were urging automakers to put consumers first and include spare tires in the vehicle, Mosher said. Payne-Mays said she would have paid for a spare tire up front if she knew her car did not come with it. A spokesperson for Hyundai told NBC 5 Responds that only some of its vehicles do not come with a spare tire and that the company tries to make it clear to customers when a spare is not included. Hyundai also said its customers get unlimited roadside assistance for five years. Payne-Mays said after her flat tire experience, she tried negotiating a lower price for a spare tire with Hyundai. Can I get some type of break here? Payne-Mays recalled. After NBC 5 Responds contacted Hyundai for comment, the automaker agreed to provide Payne-Mays a spare tire at no cost. The spare tire kit comes with about a $325 value. It was wonderful, Payne-Mays said. Unfortunately it came to that, but I was very happy with the end result. ML King Boulevard will be closed for eastbound traffic between Market Street and Broad Street, beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. This building maintenance project is scheduled for 10 hours, and the roadway will reopen at 6:30 p.m. that day. Detours will be posted. The 200 block of Market Street will be narrowed to one lane northbound for installation of a storm sewer beginning Monday at 9 a.m. This phase of the project is scheduled for five days and will reopen on Friday, July 1, by 5 p.m. The 1500 block of Bailey Avenue, eastbound only, will be closed for a sewer installation project beginning Monday. The project is scheduled for two days, and the hours of operation will be from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. Detours will be posted. In order to view a map of all of this closure, please visit: http://www.chattanooga.gov/transportation/traffic-engineering-a-operations/special-events-a-street-closures Charges have been filed against a grandmother and teenage father who kidnapped the boys young son in April in northwest Indiana, although the teen remained at large Friday afternoon. Dollie Tecaxco, 36; and 17-year-old Timothy Franklin Jackson have each been charged with burglary and two counts of kidnapping, according to Gary police. Tecaxco was also charged with assisting a criminal. The pair forced entry into a home in the 2000 block of Waite Street in Gary, Indiana, on April 11 and held the homeowners at gunpoint, police said. They then kidnapped Jacksons baby son, who is a ward of the state and was in foster care at the house. The baby, who was 15 months old at the time, was found the next day at a home in the 200 block of Dallas Street in Gary, police said. Jackson and the boys mother were with him when he was found. The mother, also a juvenile, was being fostered at the same house as the baby, but ran away a few days before the kidnapping. Tecaxco, of Lake Station, Indiana, was in custody Friday, police said. She is the babys maternal grandmother. Jackson, of East Chicago, Indiana, remains at large, according to police. Anyone with information about his whereabouts should call Det. Sgt. William Fazekas at (219) 881-1210 or the Gary Crime Tip Line at (866) CRIME-GP. A man has been charged with murder for stabbing a woman to death on a CTA Red Line train Thursday on Chicago's South Side. Arthur S. Jones, 29, has been charged with first-degree murder for the stabbing death of 25-year-old Jessica Hampton, according to Chicago Police records and the Cook County medical examiners office. Hampton, of the 6600 block of South Laflin in West Englewood, was riding a southbound Red Line train as it approached 47th Street just after 12:30 p.m. when police say the man, believed at the time to be her boyfriend, pulled out a knife and began stabbing her. Police believe the couple had been arguing about a child before the stabbing. One passenger, Andrea Patterson, told NBC 5 she was seated near the two when the argument broke out on the train. He asked the young lady a question, she said no and he got up and started stabbing her, Patterson said. She fell to the floor and then he slit her neck. A Facebook page for Hampton shows she listed herself as engaged and worked in cosmetology. Panicked passengers recall watching her murder frozen in horror. A couple of gentlemen were trying to help her but he still had a knife in his hand so nobody wanted to run up, she said. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:15 p.m., the medical examiners office said. Passengers on the train called 911 to report the stabbing, and an officer was already near the 47th Street Red Line stop as the train pulled up, CPD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Thursday. The suspect stepped off the train, saw the officer and surrendered, Guglielmi said. CPD records indicate that Jones was arrested at 12:38 p.m. Thursday in the 200 block of West 47th. Investigators are reviewing CTA surveillance camera video of the altercation. This is domestic in nature, First Deputy Supt. John Escalante said at a brief news conference on the slaying Thursday. Were sure of that. Jones, who lives in the 5300 block of South Carpenter, is also charged with aggravated battery of a police officer and attempting to disarm a police officer or correctional institution employee, according to police records. Court information for him was not immediately available Saturday afternoon. A South Side man exposed himself and tried to sexually assault a CTA bus driver while she was on her lunch break at a West Chatham Pizza Hut, Cook County prosecutors said Friday. Assistant States Attorney Matthew Howroyd said Donell Booker came into the fast food restaurant, in the 7900 block of South LaSalle, drinking a beer on Wednesday afternoon, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting. Soon, Booker started staring at the woman, who was sitting in her CTA uniform waiting for her order in a small carry-out vestibule, Howroyd said. You miss me boo, the 30-year-old allegedly said before grabbing the womans head and pulling it toward his groin. Booker also pulled up his t-shirt, exposing his penis to the woman, Howroyd said. The woman, 46, pushed her assailant away and went to the counter to ask for help, Howroyd said. Booker followed and continued to rub against her, Howroyd said. When the woman shoved Booker away, he allegedly grabbed her. The woman then called 911, and Booker took off, Howroyd said. Officers found Booker hiding in a nearby stairwell drinking beer, according to a police report. He wouldnt follow directions until he was allowed to finish his beer, so officers waited for him before taking him into custody. During his arrest, Booker allegedly yelled that he would kill the woman. The assault was captured on video surveillance, and the woman identified Booker as her attacker, Howroyd said. Booker later admitted to police that he grabbed the womans face and exposed himself to her, Howroyd said. He continued to say that he had done this sort of thing before, usually every day to different women, Howroyd said. Booker, of the 2400 block of West 63rd, attends Kennedy King College and last worked at UPS loading and driving, his assistant public defender said. Judge James Brown ordered Booker held on a $750,000 bond on a charge of attempted criminal sexual assault. State Environmental Conservation police are investigating after two bears were found shot dead in Canton. The first bear was found last week in the area of Canton Road near the Barkhamsted/Canton town line in a wooded area behind a house, according to State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection officials. It was initially believed the bear was struck by a car, but a necropsy revealed the bear was shot. Officials say EnCon police responded to the second incident Friday, when a bear carcass was reported in a heavily wooded area off Barbourtown Road Friday evening. A necropsy revealed that that animal was also shot. Anyone with information should contact State EnCon police at (860) 424-3333. It is unknown if the incidents are related. In an unrelated incident, a Canton homeowner reported she was nipped by a bear while gardening Friday. The Coast Guard has suspended the search for a family that disappeared off of the Florida coast, Capt. Gregory Case announced Saturday. Ace Kimberly, 45, and his three teenage children Rebecca Kimberly, 17, Donald Kimberly, 15, and Roger Kimberly, 13 disappeared Sunday afternoon after departing Sarasota for Fort Myers in a 29-foot sailboat. They were last seen in the Guld of Mexico, the Associate Press reported. The Coast Guard, alongside partner agencies, conducted more than 100 searches covering 33,830 square miles for more than 250 hours in search for the missing family. Two bodied recovered from the waters off southwest Florida have been identified as Ace Kimberly and his daughter Rebecca, Case said at a news conference Saturday. Kimberly's two teenage sons remain missing. "I made the very difficult decision to suspend the active search operations for the Kimberly family," said Case, St. Petersburg Commander. "It is with a heavy heart and sincere condolences to the family and friends that I do this. This is probably the most difficult decision I ever have to make in this position." The Dallas Police Department is asking for your help in finding a critically missing person. Dallas police are looking for 76-year-old James Charles Spencer. Police said Spencer was last seen walking on the 8100 block of North Stemmons Freeway at 3:30 p.m. on June 24. Dallas Police ask that anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Spencer to please call 9-1-1 or the Dallas Police Department Missing Persons Unit at 214-671-4268. Police said Spencer is considered to be a danger to himself. A Dallas County grand jury has indicted a mother and her boyfriend accused of beating the woman's 4-year-old daughter to death in March, The Dallas Morning News reports. NBC 5 News/Grand Prairie Police Department Jeri Quezada, 30, and Charles Phifer, 34, were arrested and charged with felony injury to a child after Quezada's daughter Leiliana Wright died at a North Texas hospital. The indictment was returned Monday; a trial date has not yet been set. Police allege the couple used heroin and repeatedly beat and restrained the girl before she stopped breathing, after which the child was transported to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead. The child's paternal grandmother, Alisa Clakey, said her son was not capable of caring for the girl and that Quezada was in prison for the first two years of the girl's life. Clakely said she noticed her granddaughter had bruising when she would pick her up from Quezada's home. On several occasions, she said Quezada would skip scheduled meetings Leiliana was supposed to have with her grandparents. Eventually, Clakely began calling Child Protective Services to report her concerns. "If we had done something sooner, I don't know," Clakely said. "I don't know." During the investigation, police released an detailed affidavit that outlined the brutal final hours of the child's life. "I've never seen such a crime of evil in my entire career," said Lyle Gensler, spokesman for the Grand Prairie Police Department. "The images were terrible, extremely explicit." At last check, Quezada was being held on $500,000 bond while Phifer was being held on $1 million bond. DV.load("https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2781552-Quezada-Mug-Shot-and-Affidavit.js", { width: 650, height: 800, sidebar: false, container: "#DV-viewer-2781552-Quezada-Mug-Shot-and-Affidavit" }); Quezada-Mug-Shot-and-Affidavit (PDF) A South Texas man has been arrested and charged with shining a laser at a Border Patrol helicopter. A federal affidavit alleges Juan Peralez pointed the laser at the helicopter about 1 a.m. Monday, prompting the pilot to take evasive action to avoid being blinded. Another member of the aircraft crew directed Borde3r Patrol agents on the ground to the source of the laser, where Peralez was seen aiming the laser at the helicopter. The 57-year-old La Joya (HOY'-uh) man was arrested late Thursday and made an initial appearance before a federal magistrate Friday in McAllen. If convicted, he could get up to five years in federal prison and $250,000 in fines. Peralez is free on bond. He has no published telephone number and no attorney listed in jail records. Sunday marks the six-month anniversary of the devastating tornadoes that swept through North Texas on the day after Christmas 2015. Many residents hit by the storms are still displaced and remain without a home. "This is what I hope will become my new house to replace the one that was destroyed by the tornado," said Rowlett homeowner John Carpenter, who lost his home and two cars in the December tornado. "I was thinking to myself, 'Oh, my Lord, this is really happening to us?" And it was over, just that fast," he remembered. But what is not happening fast is the rebuilding process. "I've come more nights than you know and cried," he said, looking at the rubble that was once his home's foundation. Carpenter hoped he would have rebuilt his home by now, but several periods of heavy rains this spring brought construction crews to a halt and left many residents displaced for months. "All of the insurance money is running out. Everything we have invested into, this is taking longer and longer and longer and nothing's happened," said Carpenter. Ryan and Allison Stubbendeck are a husband and wife team with State Farm Insurance. They were deployed to North Texas from Nebraska two days after the storm hit, and they have been here ever since. "What a unique experience to come out and be able to help our policy holders and help the insured through one of the worst things that could possibly happen to you," said Allison Stubbendeck. Her husband said he has been most impressed by the resilience of the storm victims in Rowlett and Garland. "The people of Rowlett and Garland, it has been incredible, the strength in both communities has been unmatched," said Ryan Stubbendeck. John Carpenter says knowing that he's not alone on this journey is what helps him hold onto hope until the rebuilding process is complete. "People have been here and were here at the very beginning and are still here, and that's the most wonderful story about this whole thing," said Carpenter. To commemorate the anniversary of the December tornadoes, Rowlett city leaders are hosting various events throughout the weekend to honor storm victims. What to Know Alaska Airlines Flight 761 was supposed to leave BWI on Friday at 5:25 p.m. As the plane prepared to move to the runway, one of the tires got stuck in a pothole. The airline plans to have the plane ready for an 11 a.m. Saturday departure. An Alaska Airlines flight from Maryland to Seattle, Washington, was cancelled after one of the planes wheels got stuck in a pothole on the tarmac. Flight 761 was scheduled to leave Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Friday at 5:25 p.m. According to a passenger, Elizabeth King, the plane, heading to Seattle-Tacoma Internatinal Airport, was originally delayed due to approaching weather. King said as they prepared to move to the runway, one of the tires got stuck in a pothole. She said the pilot attempted to power out of the hole, but the plane would not move. She said three tow cables broke as ground crews tried to get the plane to move. Cole Cosgrove, a spokesperson for Alaska Airlines, said the passengers deplaned on the tarmac. He said there was damage to the wheel, which is why the flight was cancelled. Cosgrove said repairs to the plane were being made, and they plan to have it ready for an 11 a.m. Saturday departure. The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin Sleep was formed six years ago to act as a forum to exchange ideas and improve the awareness of sleep disorders in the United States and India. The organization initially focused on the Asian-Indian population because OSA affects the South Asian population at a similar rate to the U.S. despite lower rates of obesity. There are also close to a thousand physicians of Indian origin who practice Sleep Medicine in the United States. We must dispel the myth of Obstructive Sleep Apnea being a malady exclusive to patients with the classic buildobese with a large collar size, says Dr. Anuj Chandra, who has served as president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin Sleep for the past three years. AAPIOS encourages and welcomes physicians of any background to join, and it is not an association exclusive to those of Indian origin or South Asian ethnicity. As a call to involve more physicians in AAPIOS outreach, Dr. Chandra says, Sleep is universal, and sleep disorders defy geographical boundaries. In order to expand its agenda of international outreach, AAPIOS welcomes Dr. Umakanth Khatwa, associate professor at Harvard Medical School Boston Childrens Hospital, as its new president. It is my hope to take our efforts to the next level, Dr. Khatwa says. As our membership diversifies and expands, we can lead efforts across the globe. AAPIOS celebrated its 6th annual dinner conference in Denver on June 12. There were 170 attendees despite many competing events that night. The Keynote Speaker, Dr. Jaspal Singh, led an exciting interactive session: The Future of Sleep Medicine from a Business Perspective. The presentation addressed telemedicine and how gadgets already being utilized by patients may provide additional clinical information. A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented by Dr. Teofilo Lee-Chiong to Dr. Suresh Kotagal from Mayo Clinic for his significant contributions to sleep medicine. Dr. Narendra Kumar presented an Academic Excellence Award to Dr. Bindu Kutty from NIMHANS, Bangalore India. The Outstanding Research Award was given to Dr. Sachin Relia from the Cleveland Clinic for Depression Score Changes in Response to Sleep Disordered Breathing Treatment with CPAP in a Large Clinic Based Cohort. Also present were Dr. Atul Malhotra, Dr. Naresh Punjabi, Dr. Sudhanshu Chokroverty, Dr. Neal Friedman and Dr. Sharon Keenan form the School of Sleep Medicine at Stanford. Dr. Deepak Shrivastava, professor and program director of Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine at UC Davis, Sacramento, has joined as a member of the Board of Trustees and brings years of academic and entrepreneurial experience to the organization. Stated Dr. Shrivastava,I envision AAPIOS making a huge impact in the advancement of sleep medicine in the U.S. and South Asia. For more information, please visit aapios.org. An apparently shaken and frantic Kelly McGillis could be heard on a recorded 911 call screaming about a woman who broke into her North Carolina home, saying the woman attacked her and claimed to know her. The 58-year-old actress, who appeared in "Top Gun" and "Witness," wrote on Facebook that she returned to her Hendersonville home June 17 to find a light on and her front door unlocked. She says she was soon confronted by a woman who attacked her when she ran outside to call 911 and took her cellphone. "The incident Friday night has now pushed me over the edge," McGillis said in one post. "It has been my tipping point. No I am not a victim. I am a survivor." Authorities in Henderson County said 38-year-old Laurence Marie Dorn of Clinton, Illinois, was arrested and faces charges including stalking and assault and battery. Dorn was released after posting a $60,000 bond. Online records don't say whether she has an attorney. Dorn did not immediately return a call to a voice message from the Associated Press at a number listed for her. She is scheduled to appear in court on June 28. Dispatchers received a call from McGillis at 9:15 p.m. on June 17 saying someone had broken into her house. "Right now. Help me!" McGillis is heard screaming in a recording of the 911 calls. The next phone call came one minute later with McGillis screaming for help again. "I have somebody in my house. They're beating me up! Please help me! Help me!" The dispatcher asks multiple times for McGillis' address but doesn't get a response. Another call at 9:23 p.m. came from an unidentified woman who said she'd been stopped by a woman who told her someone had broken into her house. "I came home, door unlocked, lights were on. I said 'hello, hello' and she came out and just said a bunch of (expletive) about how I knew she was coming and how could she do this to me, why don't I get her a hotel," said McGillis, whose conversation with the dispatcher was punctuated by a wheezing cough and heavy breathing. "I don't know. I think she's a freakin' thief. She's trying to act crazy." McGillis writes that she was left scratched and bruised but is otherwise OK. She says she has gotten a concealed-carry gun permit to protect herself. McGillis played a flight instructor and Tom Cruise's love interest in "Top Gun." In "Witness," she played an Amish mother whose son is protected by an undercover police officer after witnessing a murder. The British vote to leave the European Union and not the clothes were the talk of the front row crowd at menswear shows in Paris on Friday. It started at Maison Margiela, a house for whom Briton John Galliano is at the creative helm, one of many examples of cross-pollination in European fashion. Galliano was not present at the somber show, with some fashion insiders commenting that the slow-beat Leonard Cohen soundtrack aptly defined the mood of many British attendees, all of whom The Associated Press spoke to were opposed to a British exit, or Brexit, from the EU. "It's terrible," repeated several top British fashion editors at the show in the storied Latin Quarter in Paris. Fashion is one of the global industries where Britons are at the forefront of power and influence so the Brexit vote was of particular interest. The most French of industries haute couture was even invented by an Englishman, Charles Frederick Worth, in the 19th century. Arguably the most powerful person in the industry is London-born U.S. Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, sister of the Guardian's diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour. The Guardian, which has a big online presence, urged people to vote against Brexit. Vogue's number two, Grace Coddington is also British and part of a fashion galaxy that include myriad designers. In addition to Galliano, Alexander McQueen's Sarah Burton, Celine's Phoebe Philo and Chloe's Clare Waight Keller are among high-profile British artistic directors of Paris-based houses. At Givenchy's show the chatter continued. Flaunt Magazine editor Long Nguyen compared those who voted for Brexit to supporters of U.S. presumptive Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump. "It's a look inward instead of outward like those in the U.S. thinking he (Trump) will make America great again," said Nguyen, borrowing from Trump's campaign slogan. Many British fashion insiders who work in Milan and Paris rely on the European Union's tenet of free movement for their jobs. One fashion industry professional arriving on the Eurostar at Paris' Gare du Nord, Simon See, expressed concern that his job freedoms would suffer. "It affects my trade already. I'm here for Paris Fashion Week and to sell and I came out here nervous now instead of optimistic which I usually am," he said. "Every one of my friends who is here doing a show... here with their brands from small to medium size businesses are extremely worried.... we're nervous now about the future." Nicolas Garriga in Paris contributed to this report. The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art announced Friday that Chicago will no longer be considered a potential site for the museum "in light of extensive delays caused by Friends of the Parks." The museum will instead move to California, officials said. No one benefits from continuing [Friends of the Parks] seemingly unending litigation to protect a parking lot, "Star Wars" filmmaker George W. Lucas, founder and chairman of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, said in a statement. The actions initiated by Friends of Parks and their recent attempts to extract concessions from the city have effectively overridden approvals received from numerous democratically elected bodies of government. The announcement comes exactly two years to the day after Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson revealed they had chosen Chicago as the site of the highly-anticipated museum. "The opportunity for a city to gain a brand new museum is rare, and this particular opportunity - gift worth approximately $1.5 billion - would have been the largest philanthropic contribution in Chicago's history," Emanuel said in a statement Friday. "Unfortunately, time has run out and the moment weve consistently warned about has arrived Chicagos loss will be another citys gain. This missed opportunity has not only cost us what will be a world-class cultural institution, it has cost thousands of jobs for Chicago workers, millions of dollars in economic investment and countless educational opportunities for Chicagos youth." Museum officials had earlier said they were "seriously pursuing" locations outside of Chicago after the parks group said it opposed any site along the city's lakefront, including a recently proposed McCormick Place Lakeside Center plan. A lawsuit by the group first targeted the museum's original site, located between Soldier Field and McCormick Place, but Friends of the Parks later warned it would either amend the existing lawsuit to encompass the new McCormick Place site or file a new suit. Friends of the Parks had recently released a memo, however, outlining stipulations under which it would settle its lawsuit, including a legally binding promise from Chicago to protect the lakefront from development for the next century. The memo also claimed the group wants 5 percent of museum revenues allocated to park improvements. It is unfortunate that the Lucas Museum has made the decision to leave Chicago rather than locate the museum on one of the several alternative sites that are not on Chicagos lakefront," Friends of the Parks Executive Director Juanita Irizarry and Board Chair Lauren Moltz said in a statement. "That would have been the true win-win." Hobson previously claimed efforts to build the museum in Chicago were co-opted and hijacked by Friends of the Parks. When the Friends of the Parks sued the city in order to preserve a parking lot, we were offered a different and feasible solutionthe replacement of an underutilized and outdated convention space that would also add more than 12 acres of new parkland, Hobson said in a statement. Yet, even with this additional park space, an organization that claims to preserve, protect, improve and promote the use of parks and open space' now opposes this as well. Still, Lucas said Friday, While Chicago will not be home to the museum, my wife and I will continue to enthusiastically support a wide variety of educational and cultural activities throughout the city. Mayor Eric Garcetti wasted no time Friday in making another pitch to George Lucas to bring his museum which would showcase the filmmaker's art collection to Los Angeles, now that plans for building it in Chicago have been abandoned. When news came in May that San Francisco was being explored as an alternative site for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art which faced delays and legal opposition in Chicago Garcetti said Los Angeles also would love to have the museum. Garcetti reiterated that Friday, saying "The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art would be perfect for Los Angeles." "Tens of millions of people visit our city every year and LA has unquestioned stature as a world arts capital, thanks to institutions like the Broad, the Getty, MOCA and LACMA,'' Garcetti said. "We would welcome the opportunity to be a permanent home for this incredible collection, which would become part of a museum culture that is unrivaled in the United States. David Perry, a spokesman for the museum, said Los Angeles was being considered as a potential location, along with San Francisco. Garcetti in 2014 wrote a letter to Lucas suggesting Exposition Park, which contains the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, as a site for the Lucas museum. Councilman Curren Price, who represents the area, joined Garcetti on Friday in issuing a statement, saying "A museum of this caliber is worthy of a world-class home and that is just what Los Angeles offers." Price said the museum "would enhance an already thriving museum campus at Expo Park, and enrich the lives of Angelenos of all ages," adding that his district "welcomes the Lucas Museum and this investment in South LA with open arms." The museum will feature pieces from Lucas's art collection, which includes works by Norman Rockwell, N.C. Wyeth and Maxfield Parrish, as well as exhibitions centered around "narrative art" used in storytelling, usually in popular mediums such as film and illustrated books. A state appeals court panel Friday upheld a man's conviction for murdering three men, including two brothers, in a West Hollywood apartment during an apparent drug deal that went bad. The three-justice panel from California's 2nd District Court of Appeal found that "compelling circumstantial evidence" pointed to Harold Yong Parkas the gunman who killed Pirooz Moussazadeh, 27, his older brother, 38-year-old Shahriar Moussazadeh, and Bernard Khalili, 27. The three were each shot in the head Aug. 26, 2010, in an apartment in the 600 block of North Kings Road. In a 27-page ruling, the appellate court justices noted that the most reasonable inference is that Park "robbed Pirooz at gunpoint, and then shot the three potential witnesses against him." Detectives determined that there were many phone calls to and from Pirooz Moussazadeh's cell phone from a phone belonging to Park, according to the ruling. "Numerous text messages to Pirooz indicated that defendant had been recently purchasing large quantities of marijuana from him, and that defendant and Pirooz had arranged to meet at Pirooz's home on the night of the murders for defendant to make such a purchase," the justices noted in the ruling. The appellate court panel noted that at the time of his arrest a few days later Park had all of his clothing in his car, along with his birth certificate and passport photos, "suggesting he was preparing to flee the country, and suggesting a consciousness of guilt." A Los Angeles County sheriff's sergeant who searched Park's vehicle testified that he found a suitcase containing two large bags of marijuana that would have a street value of $40,000 to $50,000 if the drug was divided into smaller parcels, according to the ruling. Park gave varying accounts to Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators about what happened, including his final account that he brought a handgun with him into the apartment, shot the men in the head after one of them smirked at him when he tried to negotiate with $2,000 in cash and took a bag of marijuana, the justices noted. He subsequently contended that he had confessed to crimes that he did not commit in an attempt to satisfy the detectives so he could leave the sheriff's station, according to the ruling. Park was convicted in September 2014 of three counts each of first-degree murder and residential robbery and one count each of burglary and transportation for sale of marijuana. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark Windham -- who heard the case after Park elected to have a non-jury trial -- also found true the special circumstance allegations of multiple murders, murder during a robbery and murder during a burglary. Park was sentenced in November 2014 to three consecutive life prison terms without the possibility of parole. A 16-year-old girl from Alabama went missing in Van Nuys earlier this month, and now police are asking for help to find her. Jeida Moore has not been heard from by her family since June 15, according to LAPD. She was last seen that night around 10:30 p.m., when Moore left a group home in the 14500 block of Sylvan Street in Van Nuys. Moore has no family in California and is not familiar with the area. Police describe her as black, with brown hair and brown eyes, 5-feet-4-inches tall and 165 pounds. She was last seen wearing a silver bow headband, black long-sleeved shirt, black pants and green shoes and carrying a green cinched backpack, police said. LAPD asks that anyone who has seen Moore or has information about her whereabouts contact missing juvenile Detective Darrell Van Roy at (818) 374-0001 or Officer Roel at (818) 374-0005. Those with information can also call (877) 527-3247 or the anonymous line 800-222-TIPS, or text 274637 with a message beginning with "LAPD." A long-established downtown Los Angeles music space could be safe from the wrecking ball for another year. Notices posted outside The Smell, an all-ages punk club, as well as the theater next door and another building on the block at the intersection of 3rd and Spring streets warned that an application for a demolition permit had been filed for the buildings. "We didn't get any other notice prior from the city or the property owner," said Jim Smith, the club's owner and founder. Smith contacted the L&R Group, which owns his building and his neighbors', as well as parking facilities like WallyPark and Joe's Auto Park, which have lots on each side of The Smell. The company's COO, Kevin Litwin, told Smith there aren't any plans for his building, or any of the others. Smith and Litwin met last week to discuss The Smell's options. Smith said Litwin told him his lease is good for at least a year, and he's helping Smith look for a new location. Litwin said the demolition scare was accidental. L&R files demolition permits for all their buildings, and it's usually just over-the-counter. But because the buildings were over 30 years old, the city had to post a notice to let the community know. Though The Smell is safe for now, Litwin said there will probably be plans for the building in the future. Just last year, the company put the property up for sale, pitching a retail and housing development they called "The Hub." Litwin took it off the market earlier this year. Smith, hoping to avoid the panic of potential eviction in the future, started "Save the Smell," a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to buy a building of his own. So far, it has raised more than $20,000. Smith said he understands why developers look to build in downtown, but he worries about what's lost in the progress. "[We're] part of downtown's cool vibe," he said. "There is really not going to be anything to enjoy of what made downtown what it is." Founded in 1998 in North Hollywood, The Smell calls itself an affordable, alcohol-free music and arts space for people "who are interested in participating in and supporting an environment of creativity and artistic innovation and freedom." A man is speaking out after he says he was the victim of a violent hate crime at a bus station in Miami. "The major thing he did when he bit into my chest, as you can see it's really swollen, he kind of really held on. The swelling's gone down now," Travis Bognear exclusively told NBC 6. The bite hurts but it's the gay bashing Bognear says he experienced at the Omni Station that hurts more. "As soon as I sat down 'f**.' And I was like ok. And then after that I continuously heard 'f*** do you hear me, God's gonna get you for your sins. Gods gonna get you. Do you hear me?'" Bognear said. Going to work Thursday morning on the 3 at the Omni station, Bognear says he was sitting down, minding his business when the man, Jose Banos, started to throw homophobic insults at him. "I wasn't paying any attention to it. The person stood up behind me and he said, 'f*** f** do you hear me? God's gonna get you for your sins. God's gonna get you.' And he proceeded to walk and stand over me," Bognear said. "At that point I felt threatened and so I stood up and I faced him. And I said 'God bless you.'" Banos allegedly threatened to kill Bognear with a knife he had in his backpack. During all of this another passenger tried to stand up for Bognear and confronted the suspect. That's when a fight broke out. "This is the same type of person with the same type of mentality that walked into a club in Orlando and murdered 49 people because of what he believed," Bognear said. Bognear says he wrestled Banos to the floor, holding him until police arrived. And that's when the suspect allegedly took a big bite in his chest and kept a lock for several seconds. Banos, 55, was arrested and charged with battery. He appeared in court Friday where his bond was set at $1,500. It's unknown if he has an attorney. "To the guy on the bus who stood up for me and the women, thank you from the bottom of my heart and I appreciate everything you did," Bognear said. Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman combined for three innings of perfect relief for the second straight game, Rob Refsnyder hit a tiebreaking single and the New York Yankees took advantage of three errors to rally past the Minnesota Twins 5-3 Friday night. Masahiro Tanaka (5-2) beat the Twins for the second time in seven days, allowing three runs and seven hits in six innings. New York's "No Runs DMC" relief trio improved to 11-0 when all appearing together, with Chapman striking out three batters on 11 strikes - for his 14th save in 15 chances. His first 10 pitches were all 100 mph or more on the scoreboard before freezing Kurt Suzuki with a changeup for a called third strike. None of the three relievers have allowed a ball out of the infield in their last two outings. After New York scored three unearned runs, former-Twin Aaron Hicks hit his first right-handed home run this year, an eighth-inning drive off Buddy Boshers. New York beat the Twins for the fourth time in five meetings this season and won for just the 10th time in 24 games when opponents started a left-hander. The Yankees (35-35) got back to .500, while the Twins dropped to a big league-worst 23-50. Making his first big league start since April 25, Tommy Milone (0-2) allowed four runs - three earned - six hits and two walks in 3 2/3 innings. He also made a big mental mistake, forgetting to cover first on Hicks' fourth-inning grounder that went off first baseman Joe Mauer's glove for an error that loaded the bases. Milone had been 4-0 with a 1.66 ERA in four Triple-A starts. Former Yankee Eduardo Nunez hit a two-run single in the third for a 2-0 lead and No. 8 hitter Kurt Suzuki had an RBI double in the fourth that put the Twins ahead 3-2. But Milone struggled at times against a Yankees batting order that had just two left-handed hitters. After shortstop Eduardo Escobar allowed Austin Romine's leadoff grounder in the third to kick off his glove for an error, Carlos Beltran hit a two-out RBI double and scored on Alex Rodriguez's single. Chase Headley walked leading off the fourth, Didi Gregorius reached on a bunt single to third and Mauer's error loaded the bases. Romine's sacrifice fly tied it and Refsnyder's hit put New York ahead. Neil Ramirez relieved with the bases loaded and struck out Rodriguez. TRADE TALK With the Yankees 3 1/2 games back of a wild-card berth at the start of the night, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said, "We are definitely not sellers righty now." He said whether than could change ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline "depends how far out we are with the playoffs." THE MICK David and Danny Mantle, sons of the Hall of Famer, threw out ceremonial first pitches on Mickey Mantle bobblehead night - which marks the 60th anniversary of his Triple Crown season. TRAINER'S ROOM Twins: 3B Trevor Plouffe was sidelined after straining his right groin Thursday and hopes to avoid the DL. "He's better than I thought he was going to be today," manager Paul Molitor said. ... 3B Miguel Sano, who hasn't played since May 31 because of a strained left hamstring, was 0 for 1 with a walk in five innings at third base for Triple-A Rochester. Yankees: 1B Mark Teixeira, who hasn't appeared for the Yankees since June 2 because of torn right knee cartilage, is expected to be activated Saturday and start. He went 1 for 9 during three minor league injury rehabilitation games, then was given Friday off. "You have to watch his at-bats carefully. You have to watch how he's moving, and make decisions from there," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. ... LHP CC Sabathia, who rolled his right ankle twice during Wednesday's start against Colorado, should be able to pitch through the injury, according to Girardi. "There's really no swelling," Girardi said. "We just might have to tape it." UP NEXT RHP Ervin Santana (2-7) starts Saturday for Minnesota and RHP Michael Pineda (3-7) for New York. Santana beat the Yankees on June 19, allowing three runs - two earned - in 7 1/3 innings. Pineda didn't get a decision at Minnesota on June 18. When I served as sheriff of Bradley County, we partnered with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a Criminal Alien Program to help ensure illegal aliens from any nation who committed other crimes in Bradley County were deported when they finished their sentence. At one point, I recall seeing that we had turned over about 250 criminal illegal aliens to ICE for deportation, during my tenure as sheriff. Deporting illegal aliens who commit crimes in the U.S. is the right thing to do. No one should be allowed to come into our country illegally and then willfully or violently jeopardize the safety of our own citizens, without facing the full consequence of the law and being deported upon conclusion of their sentence. On the other hand, the vast majority of those coming into our country from any nation are not hardened criminals or terrorist. They are simply people, like our own ancestors once were, seeking a better life for themselves and their family, looking for work or fleeing oppression. It does not seem right, from a humanitarian and common-sense standpoint, to begin rounding up 11 million plus illegal immigrants already in the country, many of whom have been working and raising families here for years already and haven't committed crimes in the U.S. A mass deportation will just uproot and tear apart children from parents, husbands from wives, parents from grandparents etc. and hurt our own economy, which is doing pretty good right now. For these immigrants we should find a reasonable pathway to citizenship without deporting them first. Even Republican Ronald Reagan recognized this importance and with the help of both parties in congress, granted amnesty to about three million illegal aliens who had not committed other crimes. The Statue of Liberty has long been welcoming immigrants into our country. We should continue to be welcoming and encourage legal immigration. We need our elected leaders to work together for a better immigration policy that keeps out criminals and terrorist, but allows plenty of fellow human beings from all nationalities and backgrounds to come into our nation, assimilate and build better lives for themselves and their families. It helps strengthen us as a people and will help build a better global economy for everyone. The vast majority of immigrants, legal and illegal, are hard working, decent, moral people who do not commit crimes. In these upcoming elections, I plan to vote for candidates that will show some reasonableness and compassion toward fellow human beings on this issue, just like Reagan did. We need leaders who will work across the aisle to have a reasonably welcoming immigration policy while taking sensible measures to prevent criminals and terrorist from coming and staying here. Mass deportation of over 11 million people and building a huge expensive wall between us and Mexico are not the solutions. It comes across as racist, fear mongering and isolationist. America is at her best when we are generally welcoming to others and engaged in world affairs. Tim Gobble * * * Mr. Gobble, your statement that most illegal immigrants have not committed any crime is factually incorrect. It is simply stated in the description of those individuals entering our country, illegal immigrants Their first act in coming to this country was by definition a crime and therefore every day they are here they continue in an act of breaking the law and are thus criminals. You cannot compare these people to ones who have come here over the years the legal way. We have established laws which govern the process in how to come to our country legally and there is no reason they cannot follow those laws. We have a path to citizenship and these illegal immigrants refused to follow it because our government has done nothing to enforce the laws. The security of our nation and taxpaying, law-abiding citizens is much more important to me than the 11 million illegal immigrants you so desire to protect. The Democrat party with its liberal agenda has created sanctuary cities who protect illegal immigrants from deportation even after they have committed further crimes. Simply because some illegal immigrant has been able to skirt by the system and avoid deportation for 20 years does not make them a law-abiding citizen. In fact they have for 20 years continually broken then law, including not paying taxes, driving without a license, no insurance all, while we the taxpayers educate their children and pay for their medical expenses.There are consequences to actions and they knew that when they came here illegally. So they have established a family and have children here you say. Well they shouldnt have and now they are going to pay the price for their actions. If I commit a crime and hide for 20 years, establish a family and work productively without committing another crime do I get a free pass? No, I face the law and am prosecuted. Mr. Gobble, you and anyone else who thinks like you can call me a racist or a bigot all you want, but I follow the law and illegal immigrants did not and do not. Mike Cox Chattanooga What to Know A 21-year-old is dead after a hit-and-run in Hoboken. Police are searching for a large black SUV, such as a Yukon, Tahoe or Escalade. Authorities are reviewing surveillance video obtained from a nearby funeral home. A 21-year-old cousin of the NBA's top draft pick was killed early Saturday by what police say was a hit-and-run driver. Zackhary Simmons, of Ramsey, New Jersey, was struck at about 3:30 a.m. at Willow Avenue and 6th Street in Hoboken, police said. His cousin, Ben Simmons, who was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, expressed his sadness on social media. [[384434741,C]] "Hearing the news this morning is a reminder to never forget the important things in life," he wrote in a Twitter post. He also posted a photo of himself wearing a Sixers cap with his cousin. [[384418961, C]] Zackhary Simmons was taken to Jersey City Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 4:25 a.m., police said. Authorities are searching for the driver of a large SUV who hit Simmons before fleeing the scene. The vehicle, possibly a Yukon, Tahoe or Escalade, is also believed to have a New York registration. Authorities are reviewing surveillance video obtained from a nearby funeral home. Residents in the area said they arent surprised to hear about the hit-and-run. Jesse Bradshaw, of Hoboken, said the streets are often cramped and motorists are driving irresponsibly. "They need to follow the rules," Bradshaw said. "People need to slow down." A Colorado man traveled to Long Island and made inappropriate sexual contact with a 16-year-old girl, police said Saturday. Luke A. Tilsley of Denver was arrested Friday by Nassau County Police at the Long Island Rail Road station in Merrick. Police say Tilsley began communicating online with the teenager in October. He traveled twice to Merrick in April and allegedly touched the girl in an inappropriate manner. When the teenager was seen with the 36-year-old Tilsley again on Friday, he was arrested. He was charged with two counts of forcible touching, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of third-degree sexual abuse. The name of an attorney to speak on Tilsley's behalf was not immediately available. Police say an elderly man was found stabbed to death inside the bedroom of a New York City apartment. Police say the body of an 83-year-old man was found with multiple stab wounds to the torso late Thursday afternoon in a 25th-story apartment in the Co-op City section of the Bronx. The New York Daily News reports that police say Reynold Dobson was found by his 52-year-old son, who called police. A knife was found in the living room. The city medical examiner's office is expected to determine his cause of death. No arrests have been made. What to Know Richard Rosario was arrested after two witnesses identified him as the man who shot a 17-year-old in the head in June 1996 No forensic or physical evidence tied Rosario to the crime, and he said he had been staying with friends in Florida at the time Rosario was released from prison in March, but authorities held off fully clearing him as they reinvestigated the case A man who spent 20 years in prison for a New York City killing he says happened while he was in Florida could have his murder charges dropped, but asked a judge Friday to keep his case open so he can be fully vindicated. Richard Rosario's unusual request came after prosecutors said they were ready to drop murder charges against him but stopped short of fully exonerating him. Surprised, Bronx state Supreme Court Justice Robert Torres agreed to leave the case open at least through Aug. 30, over objections from prosecutors who said they had already robustly reinvestigated the killing. Rosario, 40, had been freed in March, when prosecutors agreed he had been wrongfully convicted in the 1996 killing of Jorge Collazo, also called George Collazo. But they held off fully clearing Rosario as they reinvestigated. He was released after newly installed Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark agreed that Rosario's former attorneys hadn't done enough to find and talk to 13 people Rosario said could vouch that he was in Florida when Collazo was killed on a Bronx street. "I've been in prison for 20 years for a crime I didn't commit," Rosario said at the time. "My family didn't deserve this. I didn't deserve this, and nor did the family of the victim." Collazo's sister has said, however, that his family remains convinced of Rosario's guilt. Rosario's case, which has been featured in a "Dateline" digital series on NBCNews.com, is among more than 25 convictions from New York City's high-crime 1980s and '90s that prosecutors have disavowed in the last five years. Rosario's attorneys have called his case an illustration of unreliable eyewitness testimony, bungled defense and the difficulty of fighting a guilty verdict. He had lost multiple appeals over the years. Rosario was arrested after two witnesses identified him from a police photo book as the man who'd shot the 17-year-old Collazo in the head after an exchange of words on a street on June 19, 1996. No forensic or physical evidence tied Rosario to the crime. He said he'd been staying with friends in Deltona, Florida, and he listed over a dozen people he said had seen him there. Police didn't contact those people, according to Rosario's current lawyers. And his own court-appointed attorneys at the time didn't fully explore the alibi witnesses, either. After phoning the witnesses proved difficult, his first attorney got a judge's OK to pay to send a private investigator to Florida but then never dispatched the investigator, according to a 2010 appeals court decision. Another defense lawyer took over before Rosario's trial, mistakenly thought the court had nixed funding for the investigator's Florida trip and didn't pursue it further. Some of the witnesses did testify at Rosario's trial, but prosecutors at the time urged jurors to discount them because they were friends of Rosario's. During Rosario's appeal, a judge said additional alibi witnesses wouldn't have added significantly to his defense. Rosario's lawyers argue otherwise. A water tank truck overturned in the Bronx Friday night after crashing into a pole, fire officials say. A truck carrying water lost control and crashed into a pole on East 149th Street in Mott Haven at about 9 p.m., the FDNY said. The truck overturned, but the driver wasn't hurt, officials said. Police are investigating. The police officer shot in a small Delaware County, Pennsylvania, borough Friday morning was sitting up and waiting for visitors Saturday morning, according to family and friends, a seemingly miraculous turn after an alleged gunman shot him seven times. Officer Chris Dorman, 25, was joking with people as they arrived at Penn Presbyterian Hospital, according to Folcroft Police Chief Robert Ruskowski. Dorman's cousin tweeted about the officer's recovery Saturday morning, with a photo of the two in the officer's hospital room: "My cousin Chris Dorman is up talking and is expected to make a full recovery thanks to everyone for the prayers." https://twitter.com/Jack_Horan63/status/746714221887492096 Dorman was shot in the neck, face and shoulder around 9:45 a.m. behind an apartment building on Elmwood Avenue near Folcroft Train Station on Friday, according to Delaware County officials. One of the officers who rushed him to the hospital said Dorman managed to keep talking the whole ride to Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital. He was later transferred to Penn Presbyterian. "I was scared the whole time," police Sgt. William Bair said. Folcroft Officer Chris Dorman expected to make a full recovery after he was shot 7 times responding to a drug call Friday. NBC10s Keith Jones talked to friends of Dorman. He was, "Up and talking, awake and talking, so that's great," Folcroft Fire Chief Tom Weber said late Friday evening. Dorman also serves as a volunteer firefighter, something he's been doing since he was 16 years old. We would like to thank all law enforcement officer's and agencies that assisted us today. Officer Dorman is expected to make a full recovery FolcroftPolice (@FolcroftPD) June 25, 2016 Dorman's bulletproof vest stopped four bullets, which officials say saved his life. The suspect has been identified as Donte Brooks Island. Island was arraigned Friday on attempted murder and other charges, and was held on $1 million bail. Federal court records show that Island was on parole for an illegal gun possession conviction. He served 110 months in jail and was nearing the end of three years' supervised release when he allegedly shot Dorman Friday. Police in Delaware County held a press conference Monday night giving updates on the accused cop-shooter Dante Brooks Island. Island allegedly shot Officer Chris Dorman Monday morning seven times then turned the gun on a second officer. Island's parole was scheduled to end the day after the shooting, according to court records, which further indicate that Island stopped reporting to his parole officer last July. Numerous attempts to reach Island failed, the records show, and he missed five scheduled drug tests during the nearly 12 months he failed to report as ordered by federal court. It remains unknown if Island has an attorney. A Delaware County officer was shot in the head, neck, and shoulder Monday morning, sparking a manhunt for the shooter. Officer Chris Dorman is in stable but critical condition, and his shooter is in custody. NBC10s Brandon Hudson has the story. Ruskowski said Friday Dorman, a part-time police officer, was working toward becoming a SEPTA police officer.[[384285691, C]] "You don't want him to leave. He's that type of guy," Ruskowski said. "Great sense of humor." In his initial exchange with a police dispatcher Friday, Dorman can be heard shouting: "I'm shot in the face! I'm shot in the face!" Fifteen seconds later, he told the dispatcher: "I'm shot! I'm shot! I'm shot!"[[384303791, C]] The shooting scene was Folcroft Station Apartments on Elmwood Avenue, a short distance from the Folcroft police station and SEPTA's Folcroft train station near Philadelphia International Airport. According to a resident of the Folcroft Station Apartments, the suspect was smoking marijuana outside the building in the 1500 block of Elmwood Avenue prior to the shooting. The building, on Elmwood Avenue, is near the Folcroft police station and SEPTA's Folcroft train station near Philadelphia International Airport. The shooting of a Delaware County police officer is a wake up call for small towns, the police commissioner said. Residents of Folcroft got that wake up call after being ordered to stay indoors on Friday after officer Chris Dorman was shot in the head, neck, and shoulder behind an apartment complex. Ruskowski confirmed that Dorman responded to a report of people smoking drugs in the rear of the apartment building. SWAT teams surrounded the building just before 12 p.m. and various Delaware County municipal police forces searched nearby train tracks used by SEPTA and Amtrak for the suspect. Officers asked residents to stay in their homes during the investigation. [[384278111, C]] "I heard the shots. I looked out my windows and see police with sniper rifles running around," said Lawrence Ladd, who lives next to the apartment building. NBC10s Deanna Durante is outside Penn Presbyterian Hospital where police officers have started to arrive looking to help a shot Folcroft officer in any way they can. Elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, sent their support to the officer. Please keep the police officer shot in Folcroft in your thoughts and prayers. Bob Brady (@BobBradyPhilly) June 24, 2016 The mother of a 4-year-old girl killed Thursday by a bullet wound to her face has been charged with third degree murder, according to police. The mother was identified as 25-year-old Shakeya Holmes. An arrest warrant was also issued for Holmes' boyfriend in connection with the little girl's death.[[384320141, C]] Earlier Friday, police said the girl appeared to have shot herself with a handgun. Police have not yet identified the girl, who was found by police with a gunshot to her eye at a North Philadelphia house where she lived with her mother and a younger sister.[[384217951, C]] The investigation has revealed that the gunshot appears self-inflicted, a police spokeswoman said. Charges against the mother was confirmed on Friday evening. EMS rushed to the Montgomery Townhomes on the 1800 block of North 20th Street shortly after noon Thursday. Medics then took the girl to Hahnemann Hospital where she died around 1 p.m., police said. [PHI] 4-year-old shot The girl's mother and a 3-year-old sister were in the home when the child was shot, police said. Police recovered a gun from inside the home. Neighbors said the mother ran outside holding her daughter and yelled for help. "Her little sister standing over her, I said what happened, she said, she got shot with a gun," Margie Malabet recalled the frantic scene when she ran to help after hearing the mother's cries, "Save my baby, please, save my baby." NBC10s Deanna Durante was live on the scene as the story was developing Thursday afternoon Eight days of fun and festivities at the Wawa Welcome America! Festival culminated Monday night with two big events -- the concert on The Parkway and Fireworks! Wawa Welcome America! July 4th Fireworks - 10 p.m. Benjamin Franklin Parkway Showcasing patriotism and significant movements in history through amazing musical works and powerful quotes from US leaders, this firework spectacular will be the perfect way to end our July 4th celebration! Recap of Past Events The Wawa Welcome America festival begins Monday June 27, and will last for eight days. NBC10 is giving you exclusive access to all of the festivities. NBC10s Tim Furlong is on the Ben Franklin Parkway with more. MONDAY June 27 Free Museum day at the Ben Franklin Museum: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. The museum features artifacts, computer animations, and interactive displays geared towards visitors of all ages. 3rd & Chestnut Streets Our Flag Unfurled Mural Dedication: 2 - 3 p.m. Join Philadelphia's Mural Arts Program and Philadelphia STYLE Magazine at the newly restored 'Our Flag Unfurled' mural at 500 North Columbus Boulevard. Go 4th & Learn About Science Behind Pixar - 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at Franklin Square, 6th & Race Streets Go behind the scenes and take a unique look at beloved animated films as the Franklin Institute brings Pixar to life! Philly @ the Movies: Finding Nemo at Franklin Square - 8:30 - 10:30 p.m. Watch a movie under the stars with a free screening of Finding Nemo. Children and adults will enjoy this fun-filled night. NBC10s Lauren Mayk met with the four finalists of the Wawa Foundation Hero Award. The finalists are working with children and adults who have autism and intellectual disabilities. Several exciting events took place on day 2 of Wawa Welcome America. NBC10s Lauren Mayk shows us movie night at XFinity Live. TUESDAY June 28 Free Museum Day - Museum Without Walls "A "multi-platform" interactive audio experience - available for free by cell phone, mobile app, audio download, or on the web - Museum Without Walls: AUDIO offers the unique histories that are not typically expressed on outdoor permanent signage." Philly @ the Movies: The Legend of Tarzan Advance Screening Be the first to see The Legend of Tarzan at an exclusive screening at the Perelman theater at Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Sign up here to win tickets! Philly @ the Movies: The Good Dinosaur at XFINITY Live! 5 - 8 p.m. Bring the kids to XFINITY Live! for a screening of Disney Pixar's The Good Dinosaur! Kids will enjoy a themed menu along with activities and crafts. People are gathering at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the infamous Rocky steps for a screening of the original Rocky film as part of Wawa Welcome America. NBC10s Tim Furlong has all the details on the eight day festival. WEDNESDAY June 29 Go 4th & Workout Like Rocky - 6:25 - 7:30 a.m. at The Steps at The Philadelphia Museum of Art All ages and fitness levels are welcome to train like Rocky Balboa. Get up early and get your work out in for the day! Free Museum Day at the Rodin Museum - 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Learn about Rodin and his large collection of artwork with a variety of activities during this day at the Rodin Museum. Go 4th & Read: Citywide Reading at ALL Free Libraries - 2 - 4 p.m. Find your new favorite story at one of the 54 branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Click here to find the library closest to you. The crowd at Independence Mall were treated with thousands and thousands of hoagies during Wawas Hoagie Day. NBC10s Tim Furlong has the details. THURSDAY June 30 Free Museum Day - National Constitution Center (Courtesy of Wawa) 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. 5th & Arch Streets Celebrate American history with exhibits at the National Constitution Center. Plus, you'll be able to "vote" for the next new featured Hoagie variety! Philadelphia International Airport Special Exhibition - 10 - 11 a.m., Terminal A East Travel through Philadelphia's Presidential Convention History from 1848 through 2016. Ticketed passengers only. Wawa Hoagie Day - 12 - 1 p.m. Independence Hall The annual Wawa Hoagie Day honors our troops and expands on Wawa's partnership with the USO. If you go, you'll get FREE Wawa Hoagies and enjoy speical appearances by Food Network Chef Robert Irvine and a performance by the USO Show Troops. Go 4th & Learn About Music and Culture - 5 - 7:30 p.m. Mummers Museum 2nd Street and Washington Avenue Learn about the history and art of one of the longest running traditions in our country! Feeling creative? Visit the costumer station or learn to strut! Summer Mummer Concert - 8 - 10 p.m. Mummers Museum The 2016 Champions, South Philadelphia String Band, take the stage for a free concert. Get your golden slippers ready! Philly @ The Movies: National Treasure - 9 - 11 p.m. Penn's Landing Watch as Ben Gates races through Philadelphia in search of the leendary treasure that is secretly mapped out on the back of the Declaration of Independence. NBC10 reporter Brandon Hudson is at Penns Landing where Wawa Welcome America events are taking place, Brandon is focusing on what the kids can do and if the rain might ruin any of Friday nights plans. NBC10 reporter Tim Furlong is at the Navy Yard where the firework show is scheduled for tonight but the weather might have different plans. The fireworks will hopefully set off after the Philadelphia orchestra plays their concert at Penns Landing. NBC10 reporter Rosemary Connors is at Penns Landing where the free Wawa Welcome America! concert featuring the Philadelphia orchestra will start at 8 p.m. The Philadelphia Orchestra along with special guest Bobby Hill performed a free concert at Penns Landing Friday night. The concert was followed by a spectacular fireworks display that lit up the night sky. NBC10s Brandon Hudson has the details. Free Philadelphia Orchestra Concert and Fireworks at Penn's Landing FRIDAY July 1 Free Museum Day at the African American Museum - 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 701 Arch Street Visit the African American Museum to experience the richness of African American heritage with galleries full of exciting history and art. Philadelphia Orchestra Neighborhood Concert at Penn's Landing - 8 - 9:30 p.m. "As a part of the Neighborhood Concert Series presented by Wells Fargo, the world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra performs a free concert followed by a spectacular fireworks display presented by Comcast NBC Universal & Pyrotecnico." Wawa Welcome America! Waterfront Fireworks - 9:30 p.m. Enjoy a fireworks spectacular light up the sky at Penn's Landing! The show begins at 9:30 p.m. The floats featured in this years 4th of July parade are nothing short of colorful, entertaining, and eye-catching. NBC10s Drew Smith got an exclusive preview of the floats that will take off Monday morning. Visitors enjoyed a U.S. Army Band concert and a spectacular fireworks show at Penns Landing Saturday night. NBC10s Aundrea Cline-Thomas has the sights and sounds from the event. SATURDAY July 2 Free Museum Day - National Constitution Center (Courtesy of Wawa) - 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. 5th & Arch Streets Celebrate American history with exhibits at the National Constitution Center. Plus, you'll be able to "vote" for the next new featured Hoagie variety! U.S. Army Band, "Pershing's Own" Concert at Penn's Landing - 8 - 9:30 p.m. "The United States Army Band, one of the nation's premier musical organizations, returns to the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing for an evening full of music, followed by a patriotic fireworks display presented by Comcast NBC Universal & Pyrotecnico." Wawa Welcome America! Waterfront Fireworks Enjoy a fireworks spectacular light up the sky at Penn's Landing! The show begins at 9:30 p.m. Thousands of people crowded Independence Mall on Friday to celebrate Philadelphias annual block party. Some families came from local neighborhoods while others traveled a long distance to enjoy the festivities. The Philly POPS orchestra performed with two special guests at Independence Hall Sunday night for the Wawa Welcome America celebration. NBC10s Aundrea Cline-Thomas has the sights and sounds from the concert. SUNDAY July 3 Free Museum Day - Philadelphia Museum of Art - 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Discover artwork from around the globe at one of the most revered museums in the country. Free Museum Day - Barnes Foundation (PECO Free First Sunday) - 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. The greatest private collection of impressionist, post-impressionist and early-modern paintings can be found at the Barnes Foundation. Visitors can enjoy talks, performances and activities through out the day. Historic Philadelphia Block Party - 1 - 7 p.m. 5th & 6th Streets between Market & Chestnut Streets The streets surrounding Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell transform into a block party our forefathers would approve, complete with food, music and fun for all ages! POPS! on Independence at Independence Hall - 8 - 9:30 p.m. "Enjoy a patriotic and entertaining performance by Music Director Michael Krajewski and the 65-piece Philly POPS orchestra featuring Broadway and opera hometown talents, Allison Blackwell and Justin Hopkins." MONDAY July 4 [[385444371, C]] Free Museum Day - National Museum of Jewish American History - 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Enjoy educational programs and experiences that preserve and celebrate Jewish history in America! Celebration of Freedom Ceremony - 10 - 11 a.m. Independence Hall The City of Philadelphia invites residents and visitors to pay tribute to our great nation through inspiring remarks, patriotic music and a reading of the Declaration of Independence from notable guests including Mayor Jim Kenney and Hamilton's Leslie Odom, Jr. [[385461141, C]] Independence Day Parade - 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Reflecting the words of our Constitution, more than 4,000 participants including colorful floats, military, marching bands and cultural groups perform along the 1.2 mile long parade route. [[385461131, C]] Party on the Parkway - 12 - 5 p.m. Benjamin Franklin Parkway Celebrate July 4th with 10 hours of FREE fun! Different stages along the Parkway will feature performances by top local talent and food festivals and concerts will be happening around the city! Wawa Welcome America! July 4th Concert - 5 - 10 p.m. Benjamin Franklin Parkway The concert kicks off with performances by Philadelphia's Leslie Odom, Yazz the Greatest, Brotherly Love and more special guests followed by a high-energy celebration of the music of Gamble & Huff performed by The Sound of Philadelphia favorites The O'Jays, Harold Melvin's Blue Notes & The Intruders. The Philly POPS returns with the full 65-piece orchestra for a patriotic performance, with special guest performers. For more information on all of the listed events, visit the Welcome America website. People inside Chula Vista bank experienced frightening moments Friday when a man wielding a hammer and a flare gun tried to rob the business, using rope to tie the doors shut from inside. The Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) said suspect Clinton Thinn, 29, walked into a Bank of America located at 295 E St. just before 6 p.m. holding a claw hammer and a flare gun. Thinn demanded money from a teller and when that teller refused him, he confronted a bank security guard and fired a round from his flare gun toward the guard. CVPD investigators said employees inside the bank ran for cover, locking themselves inside a room behind security glass to escape from Thinn. While in hiding, the scared group called 911 and reported the robbery in progress. As they waited for officers to arrive, Thinn allegedly used his hammer to attempt to force entry into the secure area. When he couldnt smash his way through, Thinn demanded money again from the employees through the glass and threatened to harm them, witnesses told police. At this point, CVPD officers descended on the bank and realized Thinn had used rope to tie the entrance doors shut from the inside. Officers were able to open the doors. Thinn was arrested on the spot without further incident, the CVPD said. None of the employees inside the bank were hurt. Thinn, the lone suspect in this attempted bank heist, was booked into San Diego Central Jail on several felony charges including using a person as a shield, second-degree burglary, possession of an explosive device and false imprisonment. Thinns bail was set at $100,000. Hes scheduled to appear in court Wednesday. The incident remains under investigation and anyone with information can call the CVPD at (619) 691-5151. A girl missing for about two hours Saturday in Pacific Beach has been found safe, San Diego police confirmed. The girl, who vanished around 12:30 p.m. near the 700 block of Grand Avenue, was found around 2:20 p.m. quite a distance away at the Mission Jetty, the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) confirmed. The young girl wandered off in search of seashells, her father told police. San Diego police, firefighters and lifeguards launched a search for the girl after she was reported missing near the water's edge. Authorities launched the search near the pier and worked their way south. Police said the girl was wearing hot pink clothing. High surf and strong rip currents pounded San Diegos beaches Saturday, and the conditions were expected to linger through Sunday. At first, authorities feared the girl may have gotten pulled into a current. At 2:05 p.m., the SDPD told NBC 7 lifeguards had found a girl on south Mission Beach that matched the description of the missing 4-year-old. Further details were not released. According to a news report, the University of Pittsburgh is now telling students what is and is not proper English. This "suggestion" has nothing to do with a desire to create a more expressive, imaginative, or beautiful world of language. "Proper" is that which is "gender-inclusive" and "non-sexist." Use of improper language in classrooms and elsewhere on campus will be considered "disrespectful and dismissive." It is quite clear that this suggestion will eventually lead to a ban on traditional language and literature, the product of centuries of cultural and intellectual development. They don't conform to current standards, not only of language, but of thought. If feminists today have their way, however, that cultural expression will become unreadable within mere decades. The "canon" will have been consigned to the trash heap of history. Instead of standing on the cultural past as a mountain from which to look, our culture will seek to begin again under the oozy sea. We won't be able to read Shakespeare, or any other traditional author, for any insights, because he will have none worth preserving. The professor in the classroom will have little to lecture about because the present will be sacrosanct and the past unspeakable. In fact, there will be no professors, because they represent past knowledge. All there will be is an ever-present "now." It will be a sad and ugly world. Nothing will ever please us but our current selves. Our collective memory will be erased. We will no longer have access to traditional themes, motifs, and means of expression. Archetypes will be lost. Heroism will be dead. What we are witnessing today is cultural suicide. When the past is gone, we will have nothing to compare to the present. We won't know if the present is good or bad. We will be alive but mindless slaves, lobotomized by the profoundly ignorant who wield the scalpel and the ice pick. Marcus Sheffield Police are searching for a man suspected of stealing a donation box from a La Jolla store on Friday. Employees at My Sister's Closet in University Town Center told NBC 7 they are wondering why anyone would steal money that was meant for shelter animals. They say the man walked into the store around 3:45 p.m. and had been acting strangely. He was a little jittery, Randy Patterson, a sales associate said. He even said to me Im not homeless, dont worry about it. Randy says the man said he was waiting for his wife. But the moment they left him alone, he took off with the donation box. Surveillance cameras caught the man stuffing the box into a backpack. He literally walked up to the register, grabbed the box of money, Patterson said. The donation box had been filled to the top with cash. Employees say there were only $100 inside but it was meant for the Rancho Coastal Humane Society. Youre stealing from people who really need this money, animals that need this money. They need every cent they can possibly get, Patterson said. Patterson told NBC 7 his manager chased the man but he got away on his bicycle. The suspect did leave behind a bag of his belongings. The San Diego Police Department is investigating. Pope Francis is wrapping up his trip to Armenia with a Sunday liturgy in the Apostolic cathedral celebrated by his Orthodox hosts and a visit to Armenia's closed border with Turkey amid new tensions with Ankara over his recognition of the 1915 "genocide." Turkey issued a harsh rebuttal late Saturday to Francis' declaration upon arrival in Armenia that the slaughter was a planned genocide to exterminate Armenians. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli called the comments "greatly unfortunate" and said they bore the hallmarks of the "mentality of the Crusades." Turkey rejects the term, saying the 1.5 million deaths cited by historians is an inflated figure and that people died on both sides as the Ottoman Empire collapsed amid World War I. When Francis first used it last year, Turkey withdrew its ambassador for 10 months and accused Francis of spreading lies. Canikli said the term "does not comply with the truth." "Everyone knows that. We all know it, the whole world knows it, and so do the Armenians," he added. Francis made the remarks at the start of his three-day visit and followed up with a call for the world to never forget or minimize the "immense and senseless slaughter." On Sunday, he was turning his attention more toward religious affairs, participating in a liturgy in the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Etchmiadzin, the seat of the Oriental Orthodox church here. The landlocked nation of 3 million was the first nation in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301. The Armenian Apostolic and Catholic churches split in a theological dispute over the divine and human natures of Jesus Christ, arising from the fifth-century Council of Chalcedon. While still divided over the primacy of the pope, the Armenian church has established friendly relations with the Vatican, and Francis' visit here has been a visible testimony to their close ties. After the liturgy, Francis was due to head west toward Armenia's border with Turkey. Turkey closed the frontier in support for its ally and ethnic kin, Azerbaijan, after the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict erupted into a full-scale war in 1992. The blockade has worsened Armenia's economic problems. Francis has said he would love to see the border reopened, given his longstanding call for countries to build bridges, not walls, at their frontiers. Francis is due to release a dove of peace near the border at the Khor Virap monastary. The monastary is one of the most sacred sites in Armenia and lies in the shadow of Mount Ararat, where according to legend, Noah landed his Ark after the great floods. On Saturday, Francis paid his respects at Armenia's imposing genocide memorial and greeted descendants of survivors of the 1915 massacres. "Here I pray with sorrow in my heart, so that a tragedy like this never again occurs, so that humanity will never forget and will know how to defeat evil with good," Francis wrote in the memorial's guest book. "May God protect the memory of the Armenian people. Memory should never be watered-down or forgotten. Memory is the source of peace and the future." Francis also greeted descendants of the 400 or so Armenian orphans taken in by Popes Benedict XV and Pius XI at the papal summer residence south of Rome in the 1920s. "A blessing has come down on the land of Mt. Ararat," said Andzhela Adzhemyan, a 35-year old refugee from Syria who was a guest at the memorial. "He has given us the strength and confidence to keep our Christian faith no matter what." Francis returned to the theme of memory during a Mass in Gyumri, where several thousand people gathered in a square for his only public Catholic Mass of his three-day visit to Armenia. Nestled in the rolling green hills and wildflower fields of northwestern Armenia, Gyumri has long been a cradle of Christianity, and Francis came to pay homage to its faith even in times of trial. "Peoples, like individuals, have a memory," he told the crowd from the altar. "Your own people's memory is ancient and precious." Francis again raised the importance of memory at an evening prayer in Yerevan's Republic Square, which drew the largest crowds of his visit, some 50,000 according to Vatican estimates. With the patriarch of the Apostolic Church, Karekin II, by his side and President Serzh Sargsyan in the front row, Francis said even the greatest pain "can become a seed of peace for the future." "Memory, infused with love, becomes capable of setting out on new and unexpected paths, where designs of hatred become projects of reconciliation, where hope arises for a better future for everyone," he said. He specifically called for Armenia and Turkey to take up the "path of reconciliation" and said: "May peace also spring forth in Nagorno-Karabakh." Two people were killed and several others injured after a shooting outside a Texas dance studio during a party involving a group that the facility's owner said wasn't authorized to be there. Fort Worth police said the shooting happened just after midnight Saturday in the parking lot of Studio 74 on East Lancaster Avenue near Beach Street. When officers arrived, they found one victim dead in the parking lot and several others wounded, Fort Worth police spokesman Daniel Segura said in a statement. The injured victims were transported to area hospitals. A second victim died at a hospital, according to police. Fort Worth police have identified the victims as 22-year-old Treavon Lewis and 18-year-old Jordan Larkin. Police said in a statement Saturday afternoon that the shooters had fled the scene by the time officers arrived. [[384386971, C]] Laura Reyna, owner and artistic director of the studio, called it an unauthorized event. She said she didn't even know the group of about 60 people was there until one of her instructors called her at 12:45 a.m. to report a commotion at the facility. "I would consider it trespassing just for the fact that as the owner and operator of this facility I did not know, nor was there an exchange of any formal contract for people to be inside there," said Reyna, who has owned the facility for four years. An employee of the facility, Jason Moore, was working at the time and said he used a towel to compress the chest of one of the victims, who later died right outside the front door of the studio. "He got hit in the lungs, so there was no coming back for him," Moore said. Moore said several members of the group were carrying guns and that he thought he heard shots fired inside as well. Reyna said Moore was unaware that the group wasn't supposed to be at the facility. No one has been arrested and police do not know how many shooters were involved. NBC 5 crews on scene counted more than a dozen shell casings on the ground outside the club. Some of the casings appeared to be shotgun shells. Some of those casings were also found across the street from the dance hall. According to its website, Studio 74 is a nonprofit organization that teaches classes in hip-hop, ballet, break dancing, tumbling and more. The dance studios mission is to provide outreach and education programming to K-12th graders in Fort Worth by offering in-school and after-school programs and other opportunities. Studio 74's Facebook page shows a calendar posted on Thursday showing the studio available for rentals on Friday. NBC 5 was told on the scene that the facility was rented out for an event. Inside Studio 74, a non-profit dance & artist studio, it's a mess, unauthorized event led to gunfire, 2 dead @NBCDFW pic.twitter.com/WALirw8rib Chris Van Horne (@CVHReports) June 25, 2016 According to the website, the group previously operated out of the citys Thomas Place Community Center in the Arlington Heights neighborhood in Fort Worth. Fort Worth Police say homicide detectives are investigating whether gangs were involved. NBC 5's Tess Griesedieck contributed to this report. Though classes at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia have ended for most students, several will spend their summer working on a project. A group of eight students are making a documentary about two acclaimed track runners, Noah and Josephus Lyles -- also students at T.C. Williams. The Lyles brothers are becoming national names after winning state and national track titles. They've also garnered wide support in the community. In 2015, the two raised over $7,000 to cover costs as they competed in Canada, Colombia and Cuba. "We live together, we sleep together, eat together, [we're] doing everything together," Josephus told News4 in 2015, "We're like best friends and brothers." Drew Jones, one of the student documentary makers, expressed his admiration for the two. Theyve sort of stuck to who they are,Jones said, Which is really cool. The students goal is to create a full-length documentary and a digital page chronicling the brothers journey. Production began in November, as a part of a TV production class; however, the students have continued working on the documentary even past graduation. Its hard not to take an opportunity when weve got potential Olympians that are in our math classes, in our history classes with us, Jones said. The students hope the Lyles Brothers make it to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Summer Olympics -- and that word of their documentary follows. As far as what weve seen, it doesnt seem like they ever slow down, Jones said. What to Know An early Saturday morning crash along Interstate 270 in Montgomery County, Maryland, shut down traffic in both directions. A Maryland State Police cruiser with a trooper inside was on the shoulder of the road when it was struck. The scene is located between Maryland Route 28 and Interstate 370, near Exit 6. Investigators said alcohol may be to blame for a three-car crash along Interstate 270 in Montgomery County, Maryland, that injured a Maryland State Police trooper and five other people. The crash happened early Saturday morning between Maryland Route 28 and Interstate 370, near Exit 6. At one point, both northbound and southbound lanes of I-270 were closed. The road was fully opened by 9:45 a.m. Maryland State Police investigators said a trooper in an unmarked cruiser was on a traffic stop on the left shoulder of northbound I-270. Just before 7 a.m., a Lexus SUV struck the rear of the cruiser, causing it to strike the Acura the trooper had stopped, police said. Witnesses said the female driver of the Lexus veered from the travel lanes, striking the rear and driver's side of the cruiser and pushing it into the stopped Acura. Montgomery County Fire and EMS spokesman Pete Piringer said the trooper was trapped inside the unmarked cruiser and had to be extricated. A Maryland State Police spokesperson said the trooper is listed in stable condition. State police said the driver of the Lexus was injured and taken to a hospital. The man driving the Acura and three passengers, including a woman and two young children, were also taken to the hospital as a precaution. Piringer said all appeared to have non-life-threatening injuries. State police investigators said the driver of the Lexus is suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and charges are pending. Banking, using electricity, going to a hospital everyday services we rely on may be vulnerable to terrorists. Local cyber security expert John Moynihan of Minuteman Governance is concerned, following the Orlando massacre, that terrorist groups are capable of radicalizing Americans to carry out cyber warfare on key private institutions. "It would be dangerously naive for us to not think about, and prepare for, the fact that similar radicalization could take place in the cyber realm," Moynihan said. He says the attacks could be carried out from "nerve centers" of these critical infrastructures. "There are many reports that terrorist groups are trying to develop cyber capabilities, and the best way they could carry out a cyber attack is radicalizing an IT person with authority within a network," Moynihan said. Moynihan, who's spent the past 20 years detecting insider threats, says a dangerous virus could be carried into a company on flash drive by an employee, something that would normally be detected through a firewall if the attack was from the outside. "There are not many checks and balances for privileged superusers," Moynihan said. "For regular IT people or regular users that are logging onto the computer, there are controls, but if you are a privileged user, you have tremendous flexibility within an organization." Just this week, National Defense Secretary Ash Carter was in Washington, saying national security in 2017 will now transition into new realms, like protecting Americans from cyber electronic warfare. As for what what steps we can take to minimize the risk, Moynihan believes it's two-fold. "One is really aggressive robust background screening, looking at someone's social media activity, talking to ex-employers," Moynihan said, adding, "Companies have to aggressively monitor activities of IT staff, see what they're doing, are they installing software." Carter said the 2017 budget denotes funds to cyber electronic warfare here at home. A Massachusetts State Trooper and four other people were hospitalized after a multi-car crash involving a cruiser. The accident happened early Saturday morning on the Southbound on Route 93, near exit 18. State police say a Honda Accord, driven by a 24-year-old Everett man, hit a police cruiser, causing the cruiser to crash into a third car. Police believe the Accord was speeding when it slammed into the cruiser, which was off to the right of the road with emergency lights activated. The impact pushed the cruiser into the travel lanes, where it struck another vehicle. The 37-year-old trooper was conscious and alert after the crash. He was treated for a concussion and a head laceration before being released from a hospital. The investigation indicates that the trooper was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash. The driver of the Accord was taken to Tufts Medical Center with extensive serious injuries. Two of the Accord's passengers were taken to Boston Medical Center, and another was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital. All of their injuries are considered serious. "This morning's crash on Route 93 in Boston affirms, once again, that there is no such thing as a routine incident for state troopers and any first responders, highway workers and tow truck operators," Colonel Richard D. McKeon said. "Every motor vehicle stop, and every response to a crash, puts troopers, police officers, and emergency and maintenance responders at risk for their own safety. We are very grateful to these professionals for the dangers they accept routinely as part of doing their jobs. We are especially grateful that the injuries to the trooper hit this morning were not far, far worse. That they were not, is a reminder of the critical importance for any motorist to wear a seatbelt. We are hopeful for a full recovery for him, and we also wish recoveries for the other victims. Once we complete our investigation, we will file whatever charges are appropriate against the driver responsible for causing this crash." The investigation is ongoing to determine if charges will be sought and for what offenses. A western Massachusetts police chief is on administrative leave, according to necn affiliate WWLP. Montague Police Chief Charles Dodge has not been charged with a crime, but the town's board of selectmen will vote Monday on whether he should be returned to active duty. Richard Kuklewicz, a member of the board, told WWLP Dodge's leave was related to "an ongoing investigation by the Attorney General's office," referring to it as "a personell matter." No further details about the investigation were immediately available. Kuklewicz told WWLP the board would meet with Dodge privately Monday night. Cambridge police announced a fatal shooting occurred on Harvard Street in Cambridge Saturday. On a beautiful summer morning, families gathered at the Green Rose Heritage Park to find a murder scene across the street. "One of the reasons I moved to Cambridge was to get away from the violence in town," said Tara Dendy. "It seems like it's following us." Just after midnight Saturday, authorities found 49-year-old Anthony Clay suffering from a gunshot wound. Clay was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. This is an open and active homicide investigation being conducted by the Cambridge Police Department and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Massachusetts State Police at (781) 897-6600 or Cambridge Police at 617-349-3300. Those who would prefer may also send an anonymous tip here or by dialing the anonymous crime tip hotline at 617-349-3359. A 20-year-old woman was arrested after police say she attacked someone on an MBTA platform and stole her iPhone in Boston. Police arrested Bianca Telheiro of Boston Thursday at Park Street Station. The previous evening, transit police say, she assaulted a female victim on the Red Line platform at Downtown Crossing. Telheiro was arraigned on charges of larceny over $250 and assault. It was not immediately clear if she had an attorney. Also on Thursday, Telheiro was interviewed by necn's Ally Donnelly about the dangers of fetanyl being produced to look like Oxycodone, saying that the extremely powerful opiate left her mother dead. "My mom did a shot of it and she didn't know it was fentanyl," said Telheiro. "She thought it was dope and she died." Hamilton County Commissioners Geno Shipley and Chip Baker, thank you so much. I am so grateful to yall for restoring Mowbray Mountain back to the city of Soddy Daisy and Sale Creek District 1. The recent redistricting stripped Mowbray Mountain from District 1, and moved us to District 2. I never thought in a million years it would be possible to restore Mowbray Mountain and ... (click for more) My gas and diesel are up, it's going up again. Saudi Arabia cut 2 million barrels a day after Biden asked them to produce more. They said they did it for economic reasons. They did. The dollars they receive are worth less because of Biden and his lockstep Dems in congress printing trillions of extra dollars chasing the same amount of goods. The Saudis understand inflation and ... (click for more) Vermont's Bennington College will be participating in a pilot program that will allow eligible incarcerated Americans to receive Pell Grants so they can pursue postsecondary education. The goal of the program is to help the grant recipients get jobs and support their families when they are released. The grant recipients were announced Friday. Bennington College's Prison Education Initiative was launched last fall. Currently more than 20 incarcerated individuals at Great Meadow Correctional Facility - a maximum security prison in Comstock, New York - have taken courses from Bennington faculty who travel to the prison. The funding from the U.S. Department of Education will enable Bennington's prison initiative to offer a liberal arts education to the men incarcerated at the maximum security prison. Amos Oz. [China Daily] Amos Oz, an acclaimed Israeli writer, came to Beijing this week to receive an award given by Chinese students on Wednesday and to release the Chinese edition of his novel Scenes from Village Life on Friday. Oz was the recipient of The 21 University Students International Literary Award, which was set up by Renmin University of China. The award had a jury of 21 Chinese students, ranging from undergraduate to doctoral students in the School of Liberal Arts, and it was co-hosted by Tencent Culture. "I have received in my life maybe 40 or 50 literary prizes, all of them are from a jury of professors and scholars. This is the first time I get a prize from students. This is very special for me," Oz told China Daily after the award ceremony. Speaking of the Nobel Prize for Literature, of which Oz has long been considered a possible winner, Oz said humorously that "I can assure you, if they never give me the Nobel Prize I am not going to die an unhappy man." This is Oz's second visit to China. "I have read Mo Yan and some other Chinese writers in translation because I am intrigued by this country. Particularly Mo Yan's work on World War II, on the experience of Chinese people under the Japanese occupation." This year marks the 400th anniversay of Chinese dramatist Tang Xianzu and William Shakespeare (file photo) The Confucius Institute at the University of Sheffield, in collaboration with the London Confucius Institute at SOAS, will be hosting the competition as part of the 1616: Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu Festival, which is scheduled to take place at the end of November 2016 in London. The competition, which marks the University of Sheffield's ongoing commitment to global humanities, will offer the winners the chance to see their creative skills taken from script to stage by receiving funding to perform in one of the three cities in China: Beijing, Shanghai or Nanjing. Entrants are invited to submit a 1,000 word proposal either for a new China themed or Chinese play performed in English, or any existing play performed in Chinese - both around 30-45 minutes long. As part of the proposal, entrants are requested to share their ideas on their creative approach to the drama, including staging style, design and costumes in about 300 words. Deadlines for entries will be 15 July 2016 and the successful winners at the pre selection phase will be able to claim up to 500 for the production of the play after the competition, as well as additional transport costs. The University has a long history of playwrights amongst its diverse alumnus, including Lucy Prebble, Jack Rosenthal and Stephen Daldry. Lucy, who won the PMA Most Promising Playwright Award while studying at the University, has since authored a host of plays including The Sugar Syndrome, as well as the television series Secret Diary of a Call Girl. Contemporary dramatist Jack Rosenthal, who graduated from the University in 1953 with a degree in English Language and Literature, wrote nearly 130 early episodes of the ITV soap opera Coronation Street and over 150 screenplays, including original TV plays, feature films, and adaptations. In recognition of his talent, the University holds a collection of manuscript copies of most of the scripts created during his 40 year career. Stephen Daldry, English Director and producer of film and theatre, who graduated with a BA in English Literature in 1984, made his feature film directorial debut in 2000 with Billy Elliot and has gone on to win several awards for his work, which has involved an array of Hollywood stars. Stephen was chairman of Sheffield University Theatre Company (SuTCo) during his time studying and joins hundreds of current and former students who have rehearsed at the Universitys first class Drama Studio, which features a 200 seat theatre, three rehearsal studios and other production facilities. The Drama Studio has been at the centre of the performing arts community for both the University and the local area for more than 40 years, with the most varied and busy programme of drama, dance, opera and music in the city. Submissions for the competition will be reviewed by an eminent panel of judges which is expected to include a playwright and stage director from Shanghai, among others. This year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. But in 1616, 5,000 miles from Stratford-upon-Avon, the great Ming Dynasty playwright Tang Xianzu also died. The 1616: Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu Festival is just one of a host of celebrations being held to honour Shakespeare and his Chinese contemporary Tang Xianzu - the greatest playwrights of their respective theatres. The Festival itself will be broken down into two parts: Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu in dialogue: a series of conversations and the theatre competition. For the first project, the aim will be to hold a public fora at a series of universities between leading specialists on Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare, as well as public talks about the experience of a Chinese playwright. Dr Lucy Zhao, Director of the University of Sheffield's Confucius Institute, said: Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu are playwrights of the same era. The two literary giants encapsulate their respective society and culture in their plays. We look forward to watching how today's students interpret and reproduce Renaissance England the Ming Dynasty China. It is going to be fascinating to see how the two cultures differ, but more importantly to see how the Chinese and British people share the same emotions and aspirations in life more than 400 years ago and 5000 miles apart. The competition forms part of the university's ongoing links with China and Chinese culture, through research partnerships and cultural studies. Earlier this year, the University of Sheffields Confucius Institute for the promotion of Chinese language and learning was recognised for this commitment and named global Confucius Institute of the Year. The University of Sheffield was one of the first universities in the UK to host a Confucius Institute, which offers a programme of activities and classes designed to give staff, students and the local community a fascinating insight into Chinese language and culture, as well as offer language courses for businesses that are members of the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce. It has also helped organise Chinese business seminars as part of the MADE festival and played a key role with Sheffield City Council and the Doncaster Chamber of Commerce on trade delegations. The University of Sheffield has been a home for students from China for over 100 years, with the first graduation of a Chinese student from the University in 1906. It is now home to Chinese undergraduate and postgraduate students in all faculties from engineering and medicine to architecture and law. Professor Sir Keith Burnett, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Sheffield and the recipient of an award from the Chinese government for his personal contribution to the understanding of Chinese language and culture, said: I am genuinely delighted to see the launch of this competition which will create a tremendous opportunity for new writing and reflection on the relationship between the UK and China, inspired by the insights of our greatest thinkers and writers who have done so much to shape our view of ourselves and the world. The University of Sheffield is deeply proud of our work as a global community of scholarship which builds bridges of understanding between people and nations in everything from science and engineering to medicine and the arts. Giving this opportunity for new writers to reflect on our identity and society is a wonderful way to engage with one another, and to do what literature and drama does best to show us ourselves and ask us to reflect on what this means for our society. I am really looking forward to seeing the talent I know will emerge through this process. You are here: Home Business leaders are keenly waiting to hear key policymakers' thoughts on their economic strategies, as well as their views on how to better recognize and adjust to the challenges posed by new technologies, in the Summer Davos Forum. The Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, also known as the Summer Davos Forum, will be held at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin between June 26 and 28. [Photo / VCG] This year's forum, which will be held from Sunday to Tuesday in Tianjin, carries the theme "The Fourth Industrial Revolution and Its Transformational Impact". That theme will serve as guidance and a view of the future, as well as looking at new expectations for global economic development, according to Tianjin Mayor Huang Xingguo. Jing Ulrich, managing director and vice-chairwoman of Asia Pacific at JPMorgan Chase & Co, said she hoped policymakers at the forum would take a keen interest in discussing new ideas and measures to resuscitate the global economy, which is still growing at a slow pace. "Many economies have become too reliant on central banks to generate growth. Effective fiscal policies and supply-side measures need to be used in tandem with monetary stimulus to produce the best possible growth outcome," said Ulrich. Zhang Shishi, president of New Finance Group, a peer-to-peer lending and wealth management company, said the Chinese government has deepened reforms of the financial regulatory system and has started to standardize and further develop internet-based financing, moves which have played an important role in the country's economic life. Zhang added that he is hoping for more policy messages from the forum. Bernhard Kotanko, a partner in global management consulting firm Oliver Wyman, said that in recent years the Summer Davos Forum in China has become a premier platform for global discourse about the transformation of China and its effects on the global economy and society. Business leaders are also expecting to learn about ways to better recognize and use new technologies in the Forth Industrial Revolution, characterized by the speed of technological innovation and digital transformation of many industries. Themes and number of participants 2007, Dalian: Shifting Power Equation Over 1,500 participants from more than 80 economies 2008, Tianjin: The Next Wave of Growth Over 1,200 participants from more than 80 economies 2009, Dalian: Relaunching Growth Over 1,000 business leaders from more than 80 economies 2010, Tianjin: Driving Growth Through Sustainability 1,000 participants attended 2011, Dalian: Mastering Quality Growth More than 1,600 participants from 90 economies 2012, Tianjin: Creating the Future Economy 2,000 participants from 86 economies 2013, Dalian: Meeting the Innovation Imperative Over 1,600 participants from more than 90 economies 2014, Tianjin: Creating Value Through Innovation Over 1,900 participants from more than 90 economies 2015, Dalian: Charting a New Course for Growth Over 1500 participants from more than 90 economies 2016, Tianjin: The Fourth Industrial Revolution and Its Transformational Impact Over 1,700 participants from more than 90 economies Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping (3rd R) and leaders of other Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states pose for a group photo before the 16th SCO Council of Heads of State meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, June 24, 2016. [Xinhua] Leaders of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) vowed on Friday to raise the regional cooperation to a qualitatively new level. The heads of state of the SCO signed the Tashkent Declaration of the 15th Anniversary of the SCO at the 16th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, a two-day summit in Tashkent. The leaders noted that the SCO cooperation has produced fruitful results and that "all preconditions are in place now" to upgrade the cooperation, according to a report on the outcomes of the meeting. The new level of cooperation will be "characterized by increasing the efficiency of cooperation in the spheres of politics, security, economy, development of cultural and humanitarian ties," said the report. The leaders at the meeting also reaffirmed that the organization, currently grouping China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, is open for accession by interested states which meet the criteria and conditions. PAIRING OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES The leaders noted that the world economy is still suffering from the effects of the global financial and economic crisis. The SCO member states should "strive for a profound transformation of the global economy through large-scale, structural reforms, diversified and improving competitiveness of economies and innovative development on a long-term basis," they said. The significant potential for trade and economic relations and investment cooperation within the SCO framework, accumulated over the past 15 years, provides for the expansion of the cooperation, they said. The member states vowed to seek the pairing of their national development strategies and strengthen the cooperation in their economic and trade programs. The leaders reaffirmed the support for the Silk Road Economic Belt, a regional development initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 that seeks to boost regional economic activities by linking China with Europe through Central and Western Asia by inland routes. They promised to jointly construct the Silk Road Economic Belt, which they said can be one of the tools for facilitating regional economic cooperation. The member states also agreed to continue mutually beneficial multi-faceted cooperation in energy, transport corridors, public health, science and technology, education, environmental protection, sports, tourism and preservation of cultural and natural heritage. SECURITY COOPERATION REMAINS ONE OF PRIORITIES The leaders at the Tashkent summit held important consensus on security cooperation. The SCO member states called for joint and consolidated efforts and comprehensive measures to deal with the growing threat of international terrorism and extremism and address their root causes. It remains one of the priorities of the SCO cooperation to fight against the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism in all their manifestations, illicit drug production and trafficking, smuggling of arms, ammunition and explosives, as well as proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and various means of delivery. The heads of state voiced their support for the early adoption of the United Nations Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. They also voiced support for closer cooperation in fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism, curbing the spread of extremist ideology, especially among the youth, and preventing ethnic, racial, religious discrimination and xenophobia. The member states will continue working on the preparation of the SCO Convention on Combating Extremism, which will be an important part of the legal basis of the cooperation in this regard. The SCO member states also pledged concerted work in combating transnational organized crime, as well as crimes that make use of modern information and communication technologies. STEADY PROGRESS TOWARD BLOC EXPANSION The SCO member states signed memoranda on obligations of India and Pakistan to obtain the SCO member state status, a key step in the process of the two countries' moving towards SCO membership. The move will enrich the potential of the SCO and contribute to the enhancement of its role in the international arena, they said. The member states stand ready to continue improving the mechanism of regular consultations with the observer states and dialogue partners. They reiterated that activities of the organization are not directed against other states or international organizations, and that they are willing to develop contacts and cooperation with other countries, and regional and global organizations that share the goals of the SCO Charter and other fundamental documents. They stressed the importance of enhancing mechanisms of global governance based on the UN Charter, so as to achieve a fairer and more equitable world order. The member states said they are committed to further strengthening the central coordinating role of the UN in international relations, and support consultations in search of a "package solution" to the reform of the UN Security Council. They welcomed the beginning of the practical implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue. Spooky events, stomp grapes and the return of the Kings this weekend Its the spookiest time of the year, and there are a few events happening this weekend in Newport County to mark the occasion. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. The use of medical marijuana for millions of patients suffering from a wide range of health conditions and the subsequent therapeutic benefits has long been documented. Twenty-three states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam, have determined that Cannabis sativa (a.k.a. marijuana) can benefit patients suffering from a wide range of conditions, including cancer, epilepsy, chronic pain, and post-traumatic stress disorder. So given all the health benefits for people experiencing debilitating health issues, why does the federal government continue to stifle valid, externally valid scientific research on Cannabis sativa? In a recent paper published in Science, researchers at The University of New Mexico including Associate Professor Jacob Vigil in the Department of Psychology and Assistant Professor Sarah Stith in the Department of Economics, concluded that the federal government continues to make it extremely difficult to conduct any meaningful research on the risks and benefits of medicinal use of Cannabis sativa. "Millions of patients have been granted the authorization to use medical Cannabis and Cannabis-based products by their respective state Health Departments and four states have begun taxing and regulating Cannabis sold for 'recreational' purposes," said Vigil and Stith. "However, the federal government continues to categorize Cannabis sativa as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, a more restrictive categorization than that used for cocaine, methamphetamine and PCP." The definition of a Schedule I drug includes a "high potential for abuse," and "no currently accepted medical use," implying "a lack of accepted safety use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision, according to Vigil and Stith. National Institute on Drug Abuse control The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) controls the supply of Cannabis sativa to researchers. The active agent in Cannabis, Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, has potency levels in the products that NIDA supplies that fall far below those of medical Cannabis sativa regularly sold and used in the U.S., significantly limiting the external validity of most clinical research designed to study the effects of Cannabis sativa on health, both positive and negative. "This has created a truly unique and an unnecessary paradox in modern medicine, in which physicians are authorizing treatments to patients, and patients are regularly using medication without a scientific basis of knowledge on patient outcomes, forced rather to rely only on scientifically invalid or anecdotal information," Vigil and Stith said. Apart from following internal human subject protection procedures, such as Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, a scientist designing a clinical trial on the effects of Cannabis sativa using human subjects must conduct several independent and lengthy procedures that include filing for an Investigational New Drug (IND) with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), registering the study and obtaining approval from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and purchasing the Cannabis sativa to be used in the study through NIDA. "An IND requires a level of specificity that may be difficult to achieve with a plant product or even undesirable when one takes into account the variation of natural phenotypes and the range of products used by patients, Vigil and Stith said. "In the case of new drug development with the intent to commercialize, such oversight may be prudent, but it is unclear why a study on, for example, the effects of smoked Cannabis sativa on driving impairment would also require an IND after receiving approval by a qualified Institutional Review Board." DEA approval After filing for and receiving IND approval from the FDA, the scientist must also register the study and receive approval from the DEA, an organization tasked with the conflicting interest of "enforcing controlled substances laws and regulations," which currently prohibit possession or distribution of Cannabis sativa, obvious components of any clinical investigation. The only exception is for Cannabis sativa purchased through NIDA. In other words, all Cannabis sativa used for research purposes must be purchased through NIDA, despite the fact that NIDA's stated mission is to bring "the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction." No mention is made of research related to therapeutic benefits or the potential for non-addictive recreational use. Lab Diagnostics & Automation eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today Despite petitions from other universities, the NIDA Cannabis sativa supply is grown exclusively at the University of Mississippi since the passage of the Controlled Substances Act in 1970. It is not uncommon for researchers to invest several years navigating this system only to receive a rejection from one of the controlling federal entities, and typically the DEA, which carries a notorious record of stalling, impeding, or otherwise obstructing sound medical Cannabis research, according to the U.S. Drug Policy Alliance (Drug Policy Alliance, accessed January, 2016). Potency issues Another issue with what little research the U.S. government has approved is the limited potency of the Cannabis sativa products available through the University of Mississippi. Reliance on this single source completely restricts researchers from conducting clinical trials using products that match the potency levels of products used in vivo, i.e., studies that would enable scientists to assess the therapeutic benefits and negative side effects of the medicinal Cannabis sativa actually used by tens of millions of people in the U.S. The highest level of THC currently available through NIDA is 12.4 percent (National Institute on Drug Abuse, accessed January 2016). As of December, 2015, out of all the currently funded NIH grants with the term 'Marijuana' (n = 51) or 'Cannabis' (n = 50) in the Project title, nearly every study addressed Cannabis use as a problem behavior, and only two studies measured the (analgesic) effects of Cannabis sativa in real time, each using products with potency levels between 3.5 percent and 7 percent THC. In contrast, a study presented by the owner of a state-certified Cannabis sativa testing laboratory at the 249th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society found that the Cannabis sativa sold in Colorado averaged 18.7 percent THC levels with some strains registering as high as 35 percent THC. In addition to dosing directly with the plant product, a variety of concentrates have been developed for vaporizing or ingesting edibles, both arguably healthier options than smoking. In New Mexico, the Department of Health has presently capped the THC potency levels in such products at 70 percent (a level that was widely protested as to low by visibly ill patients that attended a recent public medical advisory board hearing). "Clearly, results from studies using Cannabis sativa obtained from the University of Mississippi offer little to no insight into the effects actually experienced by medical marijuana patients in terms of both therapeutic benefits and negative side effects, if any," Vigil and Stith said. What physicians think A recent poll conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine showed the vast majority of physicians in the U.S. believe that medical Cannabis is a safe and effective pharmacological agent for certain mental and physical health conditions (Adler & Colbert, 2013). "With increasing morbidity rates associated with prescribed narcotic abuse (particularly among non-Hispanic Whites) there is a legitimate place for Cannabis sativa as an alternative and perhaps primary therapeutic option for patients with a broad range and severity of negative health symptoms," Vigil and Stith said. The substitutability of Cannabis sativa for alcohol might also reduce the exorbitant number of deaths and costs associated with alcohol abuse and drunk driving. "Unfortunately, both the costs and benefits of medicinal use of Cannabis sativa remain essentially unknown, and because the federal government effectively bans clinical research on Cannabis sativa, citizens, including many severely ill individuals, may suffer and die unnecessarily from both the unknown risks and the unknown benefits of consuming Cannabis sativa," Vigil and Stith added. A group of Western Illinois University student and faculty researchers are spending the summer conducting surveillance of tick-borne diseases and mosquito-borne arboviruses in regional counties. The Vector Biology Program at Western, led by Assistant Professor of Biology Catherine Miller-Hunt, will soon begin studying how the Zika virus gets into human cells and researching ways to inhibit those entry ways. Miller-Hunt has also done successful research on the measles virus and portions of the Ebola virus at other universities and at WIU. The Zika virus is spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. The virus is most dangerous when it is contracted by a pregnant woman. It can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly, where a baby's head is smaller than the typical size. Currently, the main mosquito vector that can transmit Zika virus is not found in Illinois, and the risk of Zika virus and this vector making it to western Illinois in the near future is slim. However, it is important to learn as much about this virus as possible, before the virus becomes more of a problem than it already is. This summer, "Team Vector" at WIU is being headed by Jason Hunt, of Vermont (IL), a doctoral student in the Institute for Environmental Studies. The team is searching out the types of mosquitoes found in McDonough, Cass, Schuyler and Fulton counties. "Team Vector will also determine if any of these mosquitoes harbor viruses, including West Nile Virus and other viruses," said Miller-Hunt. By Eleanor McDermid Patients with Type 2 diabetes often receive unnecessarily intensive treatment for long durations, increasing their risk of severe hypoglycaemia, research shows. Rozalina McCoy (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA) and colleagues found that 25.5% of 31,542 diabetes patients identified in an administrative database received treatment that was more intensive than recommended in the guidelines for their particular glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) level. And this total included "nearly 20% of patients with clinical complexity whose advanced age and comorbidities placed them at risk for treatment-related adverse events without substantial long-term benefit", the team writes in JAMA Internal Medicine. In all, 26.5% of patients with low clinical complexity and 18.7% of those with high clinical complexity were receiving intensive treatment. Furthermore, 76.0% of patients on an intensive regimen continued on the same medications even after they had achieved their target HbA1c level. Lab Diagnostics & Automation eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today Intensive treatment came at a cost, especially in the complex cases. Among patients with low clinical complexity, the 2-year incidence of severe hypoglycaemia was 1.02% with standard treatment and increased nonsignificantly to 1.30% with intensive treatment. But among those with high clinical complexity, the corresponding incidences were 1.74% and 3.04%. Complex cases had a significant 1.72-fold increased risk of severe hypoglycaemia versus low-complexity cases even with standard treatment, rising to a 3.05-fold increased risk with intensive treatment. Being placed on a sulfonylurea or a meglitinide/glinide more than doubled patients' risk of having severe hypoglycaemia, but this did not underlie the increased risk associated with high clinical complexity. In a related commentary, Eve Kerr and Timothy Hofer (University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, USA) say that the findings underline the lack of guidance on when intensive treatment should be stopped or reduced. While noting that clinical trials of deintensification are needed, they stress that "we cannot wait for new evidence to accrue before we act." The commentators say: "When guidelines are silent on the limits of generalization, the default in clinical practice and pharmaceutical marketing is often to generalize to the entire population all treatment benefits in the absence of definitive proof of harm." They therefore call on guideline makers to specify the extent to which clinical trial findings can be generalised and to "be willing to make recommendations to avoid or stop treatment in cases in which the evidence for benefit is sparse and that for harms is more likely." Source: JAMA Intern Med 2016; Advance online publication Licensed from medwireNews with permission from Springer Healthcare Ltd. Springer Healthcare Ltd. All rights reserved. Neither of these parties endorse or recommend any commercial products, services, or equipment. Racial discrimination, whether it's derogatory language or unequal treatment, impacts communities and individuals in different ways. For children, the effects are sometimes emotional scars, and as a University of Houston researcher discovered, even thoughts of death. UH psychology professor Rheeda Walker was the lead researcher on the study "A Longitudinal Study of Racial Discrimination and Risk for Death Ideation in African-American Youth." It soon will be published in the journal Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior and can be viewed online. Walker used data previously collected from interviews with 722 African-American children recruited from schools in Georgia and Iowa. These boys and girls were interviewed at age 10 and again at age 12. In her analysis, Walker noted that more than one-third of the adolescents reported death ideation, or thoughts of death or dying. This ideation was accounted for in part by experiences of racial discrimination. Although thoughts of taking one's life were rarely expressed or asked about during interviews, Walker indicated that death ideation can be a predictor of suicide. Her findings may assist in drawing attention to students in crisis, as recent studies have found an increased number of suicides by African-American children. Walker addressed this issue in a recent online op-ed for Ebony magazine. During interviews, students responded to questions related to racially motivated slurs, insults and unfair treatment, as well as experiences in which low expectations were placed upon them because of their race. Walker's findings offer crucial insight for educators and parents, who can perhaps implement interventions if they suspect or observe mistreatment of children because of race, as well as feelings of anxiety or stress following incidents of discrimination. She observed that girls who expressed nervousness, fear or depression as a result of racial discrimination were somewhat more likely to think about death than boys. Although her study does not detail possible interventions, Walker indicated that parents and educators can implement or encourage adaptive coping methods to support children affected by racial discrimination. Adaptive coping methods include encouraging children to talk about their feelings either with parents or friends or documenting them through journal entries. "When a child experiences discrimination, he or she may say to themselves, 'I'm not worthy' or 'I'm not good enough,'" Walker said. "Effective interventions can offset these feelings and help a child's self esteem." Additional interventions could take the form of multicultural curriculum in schools that promotes inclusivity, she said. The data that Walker studied is part of the Family and Community Health Study (FACH), a nonclinical study of risks and resources affecting the development African-American youth. The FACH study was coordinated at the University of Georgia. Walker's study also originated at the University of Georgia. What Vice President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden will host a Cancer Moonshot Summit in Washington, D.C. at the White House. Cheryl Willman, MD, Director and CEO of The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, will attend. At the same time, the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center will host a local Cancer Moonshot Summit. Local summits will take place in 99 other locations throughout the United States. Vice President Biden will address the summits in a video. Why The Cancer Moonshot Summit will bring together leaders from sectors that have a role to play in making progress on the Cancer Moonshot goals, to share new ideas and to launch new collaborations. President Barack Obama launched the initiative on Jan. 12 during his State of the Union Address. Vice President Joe Biden is leading the initiative. The vice president is working with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to increase research funding and accelerate cancer discoveries. Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today The Vice President lost his son, Beau, to brain cancer in 2015. His wife, Second Lady Jill Biden, PhD, started the Biden Breast Health Initiative in Delaware in 1993 after four of her friends were diagnosed with breast cancer. The UNM Cancer Center is the only NCI-designated cancer center within a 500-mile radius. It serves the entire state of New Mexico, which has a unique and rural population. The UNM Cancer Center has made several breakthroughs in cancer research, including breakthroughs in nanotechnology, cancer care delivery, and using genomics to personalize medicine. At the Cancer Moonshot Summit in Washington, DC, Willman will share research ideas and collaboration opportunities with others throughout the country. The local summit will feature a panel of cancer scientists who will talk about cancer research in New Mexico; bringing the newest, most advanced treatments to our state; and how the Cancer Moonshot initiative will help New Mexicans with cancer. Who Cheryl L. Willman, MD, has served as director and CEO of the UNM Cancer Center since 1999. She is a distinguished professor of pathology and internal medicine at the UNM School of Medicine, where she holds the Maurice and Marguerite Liberman Distinguished Chair in Cancer Research. She is an internationally recognized leukemia researcher, whose work now focuses on the use of comprehensive genomic technologies to identify novel targets for improved diagnosis, risk classification and therapy, and the translation of these new targets to diagnostics, therapeutics and clinical trials. Where and When The Cancer Moonshoot Summit will take place Wednesday, June 29, 2016 The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. The local summit will take place Wednesday, June 29, 2016, 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center 1201 Camino de Salud, NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102 Source: University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center With the dream of seeing their car driven by Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton someday, 40 engineering students from the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) in Tamil Nadu have put their head together to design a Formula car.Pravega Racing, as the team of these engineers is called, participated in the 'Formula Car India' contest where teams from engineering colleges in India compete to build a Formula Car. The team from VIT tops the ratings in the competition and is all set to take its car in the Formula Car Germany contest.The team has designed, manufactured, tested and raced a single-seater, open-wheel, open-cockpit formula style race car.Pravega Racing reached the competition in Germany with a worldwide third rank in the qualifying quiz and are at the top among the five teams from India that will participate in Formula Student Germany.Formula Student Germany is the biggest engineering competition that takes place every year at the F1 track in Hockenheimring. Automotive giants such as AUDI, BMW, Porsche, Bosch and SKF among others are associated with the event and provide valuable insights into the working of the automotive industry.caught up with these innovative minds in an exclusive interview:Pravega Racing is a team of motivated engineers who apply engineering fundamentals into practical applications in the context of building a Formula style race-car. We participate in international competitions organized by SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) such as Formula Student Germany, which is the biggest engineering showdown in the world. We are currently the top-ranked team from India in the world rankings.Formula Student is not a race, it is an engineering competition. The competition is divided into two segments:Design Event, Cost and Manufacturing Event and Business Presentation.Acceleration, AutoX (read as AutoCross), Skidpad and Endurance.Formula Student/Formula SAE competitions have a total of 1000 points, of which the majority of points are of dynamic events. It may look like a racing competition and yes we do race our cars but the primary motive of the competition is to focus on better engineering practices so as to be of better service to the Automotive industry in the future.Engineering is all about practical application of knowledge, and building a Formula-style race-car incorporates multiple aspects of engineering and makes the students ready to work in the industry. This project also inculcates management skills in the members that aids in developing their personality.We work under budget constraints as it is a student project; and as we are only partially funded by the University, we have to rope in sponsors from the industry. The entire season budget is around Rs. 35 lakh, which includes building the car, logistics to Germany and other aspects of the competition.We have some sponsors who provide us with monetary support, but most of our sponsors provide us with product support. We have support from the automotive industry; and major corporations such as BMW, SKF, and Hitachi among others have put their faith in us. We also receive product support from industry leaders such as Motul, Henkel and LiquiMoly. Continental Tyres have been our sponsors for a very long time now. Of course, there are many others without whom our team would not have been successful.We make a new car every season and our current race-car PRV-15 took us five months to build, which includes designing, manufacturing and assembly of the car.A race-car that is not tested is not reliable in a competition environment, so we emphasize a lot on car testing. We test our car for two months before the competition to make sure it is race-ready and all the parts are integrated perfectly to gain peak performance at the event.Formula Student Germany is the biggest engineering competition. It is a great learning experience for us to interact with other teams and knowledge-sharing is an integral part of Formula Student.Yes, why not! An F1 champ like Hamilton will provide us with invaluable inputs on our car. His expertise, especially in driver feedback, will help us make our car more driver-friendly. We did approach Petronas for sponsorship and technical support almost a year back and they seemed very interested and intrigued. Unfortunately, due to some policy issues at the Malaysian HQ, we could not partner with them.We have made numerous technical changes in our car and we would like to see how they work out in Germany. We are confident of achieving a great result in Germany. Our aim is to constantly progress and become one of the best teams in the world. Currently the Formula Student world is dominated by teams from Germany and USA, but we aim to reach the top and make Indias presence felt.We are currently doing research on a number of technical developments in our race-car and we are in the process of testing the feasibility and performance. There are major developments in the aerodynamics and composites section.We are the first team from India to have employed a fully functional Aerodynamic package. Organisations such as National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) are also guiding us in the process. Our next car will be faster, lighter and stronger than our current car. Deeply anguished to learn of the death of CRPF personnel in an ambush at Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir today Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) June 25, 2016 : Eight CRPF personnel were killed and 24 others injured when terrorists ambushed their bus in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir.The two terrorists were also killed in retaliatory firing by the security personnel. The attack took place at Frestbal in Pampore, 14 km from Srinagar.Inspector General of CRPF, Nalin Prabhat, said both terrorists appeared to be from Pakistan and may have belonged to the Lashkar-e-Toiba.Later, the terror group claimed responsibility for the attack.As soon as the two terrorists were gunned down, evacuation process was carried out and the injured CRPF personnel were rushed to Army's base hospital.The bus was attacked when it was returning to Jammu after a training session in Srinagar.Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police K Rajendra, who visited the spot, said the two terrorists had been neutralised but "unfortunately we have suffered some causalities too".Shortly after the attack, Home Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted, "My heart goes out to the families of the CRPF men who lost their lives in Pampore. I also pray for the speedy recovery of the injured."This is the second attack on a bus carrying security personnel within three weeks. On June 3, terrorists had fired at a bus carrying BSF personnel in Bijbehara, killing two personnel. Chennai: The Chennai police released the CCTV footage of the suspect in the Infosys employee murder case on Friday. A special probe team was formed to arrest the accused at the earliest amid severe criticism from the daily commuters about the deteriorating law and order situation in the area. The victim has been identified as Swathi (24). On Friday, around 6 am her father dropped her at the Nungambakkam railway station and left. Preliminary inquiry revealed that a man approached Swathi and they were heard arguing with each other over some issue. The man suddenly pulled out a chopper and hacked her to death in front of other commuters and walked away unchallenged. Local people complained that they don't feel safe with the increasing crime cases in the city and demanded that the state government should intervene to prevent such gruesome incidents. Since June, the city has witnessed at least 5 murders in broad day light, according to police records. Meanwhile, the local police claimed that they have all the leads and will soon arrest the killer. Govindarajan, Swathi's Uncle, said, "We are shocked with the incident. She didn't tell us about any problems she faced in recent times. She was a soft spoken girl and still finding it difficult to accept that she is no more. We want stern action against the accused person." Swathi's friends too expressed shock over the incident and termed as a disciplined employee of Infosys. "I know Swathi. I came to know about the incident through Facebook. I can't believe that she was killed," one of her friends said. Chennai: A 36-year-old man was arrested for allegedly faking the abduction of his two minor sons in a bid to extort money from his father to repay loans, City police said on Friday. Kiran Kumar was arrested along with two of his accomplices for staging a kidnap drama of his sons, aged 11 and 8, they said. The children were allegedly 'kidnapped' on Thursday following which Kumar received a call for Rs 30 lakh as ransom, police said in a release, adding, a special team was constituted based on a complaint by the accused and his relative. However, investigations revealed that the kidnap was a 'drama', police said, adding that one Rabi was held based on call records received on Kumar's phone. Rabi told the police that Kumar had planned the kidnap with three others identified as Asif Ansari, Rixon, an inmate of the Puzhal camp for Sri Lankan refugees and Ilango. Kumar planned to extort money from his Bengaluru-based father faking the kidnap, police said. The children, who were with Ilango and Rixon in a car as part of the 'fake abduction', were dropped by the two at Red Hills from where they were rescued by the special police team, they said. A search is on to nab the absconding Rixon and Ilango, they said. Kalaburugi: Three senior students of a Karnataka nursing college were arrested on Friday night in connection with the alleged ragging of a first year Dalit girl student from Kerala. Kalaburugi Superintendent of Police N Shashikumar said that those arrested were identified as Lakshmi, Athera and Vishnupriya. All of them have been sent to judicial custody, he said. The victim is now being treated at a hospital in her home state for severe damage to her internal organs after she was made to drink toilet cleaner. 2 of the suspects are still absconding. In a letter addressed to her lawyer - the victim had said that she was being harassed for being dark and was attacked by her seniors after she said she despised them. Nineteen-year-old Aswathi was allegedly force-fed toilet cleaner by her seniors at the hostel of Al Qamal College of Nursing in Kalaburigi on May 9, seriously damaging her internal organs. She is now battling for life at Kozhikode Medical College hospital, where she was admitted on June 2. Based on her statement, police in Kozhikode had registered an FIR on June 22 against five of her seniors. National Human Rights Commission took cognizance of media reports of the incident and asked the state government and Kozhikode district authorities to file a report on it and action taken. It observed that ragging has been banned in educational institutions and guidelines on recommendations of the Raghavan Committee to curb ragging have been issued in this regard. NHRC said the Apex Court has also referred to ragging as an ugly scar, which needs to be obliterated from educational institutions. The college authorities were legally bound and responsible to ensure protection of students from the menace of ragging, the Commission stated. A Karnataka police team probing the incident is now in Kozhikode and will visit her on Saturday to record her statement. Kerala Women's Commission also wrote to its counterpart in Karnataka, urging it to intervene in the matter. (With Inputs from PTI) A leading Greek foundation on Friday unveiled a sprawling new park, opera and national library in southern Athens designed to "give hope" to a country brought low by a six-year economic crisis. The 1,400-seat opera, library and adjoining park designed by famed Italian architect Renzo Piano cost nearly 600 million euros ($680 million) and took eight years to design and build. "We thought it was very important to give hope," Andreas Dracopoulos, co-president of the Stavros Niarchos foundation that funded the project, told a news conference. Piano, an honorary Italian senator who famously co-designed the Pompidou Centre in Paris in the 1970s, said he wanted to evoke "the poetry of the Mediterranean" in the project with both buildings open to abundant sunshine and a sea canal close by. "Cities need these institutions...beauty is something everybody needs, especially in difficult moments," the 78-year-old award-winning architect said. The new Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center, expected to fully open in mid-2017, occupies 20 hectares (50 acres) overall near the coast of Faliro in southern Athens. The centre opened late Thursday for a brief four-day series of events but will close again for a process to transfer ownership and operations to the state. "It should be governed by the state for the people...we know nothing about libraries or opera," Dracopoulos said. The new national library can easily accommodate the 700,000 volumes that currently make up Greece's state depository, with eventual space for up to two million books, organisers said. The opera has an adjoining 450-seat stage, numerous rehearsal facilities and a recording studio. There are already concerns that the Greek state will not be able to run a project of this magnitude given its poor showing in other public areas. The city's contemporary art museum took 16 years to open, several venues built for the 2004 Olympics were allowed to fall into disrepair, and vandalism and theft of outdoor art is rife in the city. "The state should fulfil its obligation and run it properly. And the people should show that they respect it," Dracopoulos said. "If you can't run those things as a state, as a country, let's lock up everything and jump in the Mediterranean," he added. Founded in 1996 by one of Greece's leading shipowning families, the Niarchos foundation has also donated some 300 million euros to Greek non-government organisations fighting poverty during the country's six-year economic crisis. While Salman Khans controversial rape comment drew strong criticism from all quarters, Bollywood has maintained a stoic silence on the issue. Khan had compared his condition after grueling action sequences in the forthcoming Sultan to that of a raped woman recently. While most were appalled at his insensitivity over the entire matter, Bollywood celebrities decided to not react on the issue altogether. Surprising, considering our present day stars are vocal about injustice in the society. In an recent interview to CNN News18s Bhupendra Chaubey, versatile actor Irrfan Khan expressed his opinion on why Bollywood decided to maintain silence on the entire matter. The actor said, If you express your opinion, people get ruffled. We as an industry are not united. Everyone is looking for their own interest Khan took a diplomatic stand and stated that he wasnt aware of the context in which Salman had made that comment but added, Why do we always expect celebrities to say the right things? When Chaubey asked if Bollywood decided to keep mum because money is involved, Khan said an Yes. As professionals we are expected to bring back money. And actors are entitled to their own opinion, the talented actor added. Are Bollywood actors hypocrites? prodded Chaubey to which the actor replied. We are vulnerable people. Maybe hypocrite but also vulnerable. NSG: How to lose a negotiation by Narendra Modi #FailedModiDiplomacy Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) June 24, 2016 Indo-US nuclear deal by Congress in 2008 opened the gate for India's membership of technology control regimes.Seoul a diplomatic failure.1/2 Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) June 24, 2016 NDA must develop on bilateral civil nuclear deals of UPA which ended 34 year long nuclear apartheid without joining NPT & CTBT 2/3 Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) June 24, 2016 A dozen of our allies including Swiss, Austria, Brazil & New Zealand abandoned us in Seoul. Dramatization of diplomacy is isloating us. 3/3 Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) June 24, 2016 PM Modi has completely failed on foreign policy front. He owes explanation on what did he do on his foreign jaunts? https://t.co/rNHlzWS02Q Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 24, 2016 On NSG, the vote against India by Swiss and Brazil also needs investigation. Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) June 24, 2016 Congress and other Opposition parties targeted the Narendra Modi government over India's failure to clinch a membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) calling it a diplomacy failure.Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who is out of the country, hit out at Modi tweeting, "NSG: How to lose a negotiation by Narendra Modi #FailedModiDiplomacy"Congress chief spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted, "Indo-US nuclear deal by Congress in 2008 opened the gate for India's membership of technology control regimes. Seoul a diplomatic failure. NDA must develop on bilateral civil nuclear deals of UPA which ended 34 year long nuclear apartheid without joining NPT & CTBT. A dozen of our allies including Swiss, Austria, Brazil & New Zealand abandoned us in Seoul. Dramatization of diplomacy is isolating us."Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who never misses to an opportunity to target the Centre, too attacked Modi saying he owed an explanation on his foreign trips. "PM Modi has completely failed on foreign policy front. He owes explanation on what did he do on his foreign jaunts?"Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Subramanian Swamy tweeted, "On NSG, the vote against India by Swiss and Brazil also needs investigation."In a clear setback to India's efforts to join the 48-nation grouping, a two-day NSG plenary ended in Seoul after deciding against accepting India's membership application.China, which had made no secret of its opposition, succeeded in scuttling India's bid despite a significant majority backing the Indian case. Thirty-eight countries supported India, according to Indian officials.Beijing was unrelenting in thwarting India despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting in Tashkent on Thursday to support India's case on its merits.An upset India later accused "one country", a clear reference to China, of persistently creating procedural hurdles during the discussions on its application."We understand that despite procedural hurdles persistently raised by one country, a three-hour-long discussion took place on the issue of future participation in the NSG," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said."The NSG plenary in Seoul earlier in the day decided against granting India membership of the grouping immediately and said it will continue to have discussions on participation of countries which have not signed the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)."An overwhelming number of those who took the floor supported India's membership and appraised India's application positively. We thank each and every one of them. It is also our understanding that the broad sentiment was to take this matter forward," he said.Besides China, countries like Brazil, Switzerland, Turkey, Austria, Ireland, New Zealand were also opposed to India's entry because it is not a signatory to Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).In its statement, at the conclusion of the plenary, NSG declared its "firm support" for the "full, complete and effective" implementation of the NPT as the cornerstone of the international non-proliferation regime.However, it said it had discussions on the issue of 'Technical, Legal and Political Aspects of the Participation of non-NPT States in the NSG' and decided to continue its discussion.(With additional information from PTI) New Delhi: The BJP has taken a serious view of its Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy's implicit attack on Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and is likely to strongly convey to him to be restrained in his comments pertaining to party leaders and government officials, party sources said. A party office bearer said the leadership has taken dim view of Swamy's remarks pertaining to Jaitley and government officials and regards these as "indiscipline." "The party is not happy with the remarks of Swamy. Despite advice to the contrary, he is targeting party leaders and government functionaries," said the office bearer, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "The remarks amount to indiscipline and the party would not tolerate it further," he added. Another party leader said that party chief Amit Shah could talk to Swamy over the next few days. He said that Swamy may have come to the Rajya Sabha on the backing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh but the organisation does not favour personalised attacks. Swamy on Friday made an implicit attack on Jaitley and criticized those "giving me unasked for advice of discipline." "People giving me unasked for advice of discipline and restraint don't realise that if I disregard discipline, there would be a bloodbath," Swamy tweeted. Though the MP did not name Jaitley, his tweet followed Jaitley's public admonition of Swamy after the latter called for the sacking of Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian. Jaitley had said: "The party has said it doesn't share Swamy's view. I will also add one more fact from the point of view of discipline of Indian politicians... to what extent should we attack those, the discipline and constraint of whose offices prevent them from responding and this has happened more than once." In another tweet on Friday, Swamy urged the BJP leadership to ask ministers to wear traditional Indian clothes when they go abroad. "BJP should direct our ministers to wear traditional and modernised Indian clothes while abroad. In coat and tie they look like waiters," he wrote. Jaitley's photographs of meeting with the Bank of China Chairman in Beijing in a lounge suit appeared in several newspapers on Friday morning. Swamy had on Thursday also targeted Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das and Jaitley had strongly backed the official. New Delhi: The Home Ministry on Friday returned 14 bills passed by the Delhi Assembly saying proper procedures were not followed by the AAP government while adopting the legislations. A senior Home Ministry official said since Delhi is a Union Territory, any bill it wants to adopt in the assembly has to be first sent to the central government for approval. If the nod is given, then only it can be moved for legislative approval. When the assembly passes the bill, then it has to go to the Lieutenant Governor and again to the central government for Presidential assent. In none of the 14 bills, the Delhi government took prior approval from the central government and straightway passed the bills in the assembly. Since proper procedures were not followed, all the 14 bills were returned to the Delhi government for correction, the official said. This came weeks after President Pranab Mukherjee refused assent to a legislation that sought to protect 21 Aam Aadmi Party MLAs, who have been appointed Parliamentary Secretaries, from disqualification for honding office of profit. The bills which were returned in the last few weeks include the Janlokpal Bill 2015, the Minimum Wages (Delhi Amendment) Bill 2015, Delhi School (Verification Of Accounts and Refund of Excess Fee) Bill 2015, Delhi School Education (Amendment) Bill 2015, Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Delhi Amendment) Bill 2015 and a Bill related to working journalists. This development is likely to trigger a fresh dual between the AAP government and the Centre that have been locked in a face-off over various issues. (With inputs from PTI) Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party on Saturday called off its controversial merger with gangster-turned politician Mukhtar Ansari's Quami Ekta Dal after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav disapproved of it. SP's parliamentary board annulled the merger that was announced by senior cabinet Minister and Akhilesh Yadav's uncle Shivpal Yadav on June 21. CM Akhilesh Yadav also decided to take back Balram Yadav, who had been thrown out of his cabinet for spearheading the merger. His removal had given a clear signal that Akhilesh was not happy with the merger. After reports of his disapproval catching media attention, quick steps were taken to control the damage, with Shivpal rushing in to meet the sulking chief minister. Akhilesh however has not been expressing his annoyance in public, saying the decision will be discussed in an appropriate forum within the party. Eyes were thus on the crucial Parliamentary board meet held in Lucknow. Sources say that during the two-hour long meeting, Akhilesh voiced his objection to the merger. He was also supported by party general secretary Ramgopal Yadav. Akhilesh said the merger at this stage discredited the government commitment towards improving law and order and also weakened his poll agenda of development. A firm no from the young chief minister, who is also all set to lead the party's campaign in the 2017 state elections, led the meeting presided by Mulayam singh to roll back the decision. However, as a compromise formula, Akhilesh was asked to relent on Balram Yadav and reinduct him in the cabinet. The SP parliamentary board thus gave the message that Akhilesh - often seen as a weak chief minister - has the bigger say as far as UP polls are concerned. Modi declares emergency in Delhi. Arresting, raiding, terrorizing, filing false cases against all those whom Delhi elected Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 25, 2016 Dinesh mohaniya arrested from his press conference in front of all TV cameras. What msg does Modi want to give to everyone? Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 25, 2016 On June 23, Mohaniya was booked after he allegedly misbehaved with a group of women for protesting severe water crisis in Sangam Vihar area in the national capital. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA and Vice Chairman of Delhi Jal Board, Dinesh Mohaniya, was arrested while he was addressing a press conference at his office on Saturday afternoon.A team of Delhi police officers visited Mohaniya's office around 12.10 pm and detained him for questioning."Aap dekh sakte hain Police kaise gundagardi karke mujhe le jaa rahi hai (You can see the way I was arrested and the highhandedness of the Delhi Police)," he said while officers taking him to the police van.Soon after his arrest, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused the Centre of vendetta politics. He tweeted, "Modi declares emergency in Delhi. Arresting, raiding, terrorizing, filing false cases against all those whom Delhi elected.""Dinesh mohaniya arrested from his press conference in front of all TV cameras. What msg does Modi want to give to everyone?," his another tweet reads.Mohaniya's arrest came minutes after he said that BJP is trying to divert issue from MM Khan murder case by leveling false charges against him.NDMC official MM Khan was allegedly murdered for refusing to take bribe from Delhi hotelier Ramesh Kakkar. He was shot dead outside his house in Jamia Nagar on May 16 by two motorcycle-borne assailants.Police sources said the MLA was booked on charges of causing hurt, criminal intimidation and using word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman, police said."An FIR has been registered under Sections 323, 506 and 509 of IPC against Mohaniya at Neb Sarai police station following a complaint by the group of women," DCP (South-East) Mandeep Singh Randhawa said.A section of Sangam Vihar residents including women alleged that Mohaniya and his accomplices manhandled and threatened them after they sought his intervention in the water crisis faced by them.Mohaniya rubbished the charges and said that he was being targeted on the basis of a purported video aired by some news channels.He said that he was not present at the place at the time of the alleged incident."I am ready to cooperate with the police investigation but the allegations against me are baseless," he had said.(With PTI inputs) Congratulations to J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti for the phenomenal victory in the Anantnag assembly by-election. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 25, 2016 Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday comfortably won Anantnag seat in south Kashmir by over 11,000 votes.Eight candidates including Mehbooba Mufti of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hilal Ahmad Shah of the Congress and Iftikhar Hussain Misgar of the National Conference were contenders for the seat.Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Mehbooba over her win. "Congratulations to J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti for the phenomenal victory in the Anantnag assembly by-election," tweeted Modi.The constituency has over 84,000 eligible voters and a total of nearly 28,500 voted on June 22 despite poll boycott called by separatist politicians and militants.The by-election in Anantnag was necessitated because of the death of the then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who represented the constituency in the 87-member legislative house.Sayeed died in New Delhi on January 7 after a brief illness.Mehbooba Mufti assumed power after being sworn in as the Chief Minister of the PDP-BJP coalition government on April 4.It is mandatory for a chief minister or any other minister in the state to become a member of either house of state's bicameral legislature within six months of being sworn in.At present, Mehbooba Mufti represents the south Kashmir Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency in Parliament.(With additional information from IANS) A huge blast followed by heavy gunfire rocked a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Saturday, a resident and reporters said, the latest in a string of attacks targeting hotels and restaurants. "There is heavy fire going on inside the hotel, it started after the massive explosion but we cannot know what is going on," resident Abdihafid Mudey, who lives near the hotel, told AFP. There were no immediate reports of casualties but several security sources confirmed to AFP that an attack was under way. Eyewitnesses in Mogadishu said a powerful explosion was heard at around 16:30 pm (1330 GMT), followed by two other blasts. The Naasa Hablood hotel in southern Mogadishu is often used by politicians and members of the Somali diaspora visiting the city. Somali security forces cordoned off access to the neighbourhood in which the hotel is located, an AFP photographer said. Saturday's attack came just three weeks after another assault quickly claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab group on the city's Ambassador hotel left 10 dead including two lawmakers when a huge car bomb ripped the front off the six-storey building. Shabaab gunmen besieged the Ambassador hotel for more than 12 hours. Spike in violence The Shabaab lost their foothold in the capital in 2011 but continue their battle to overthrow the Somali government and launch regular attacks on military, government and civilian targets like hotels and restaurants in Mogadishu and elsewhere. In November last year, the Islamists carried out a similar attack on the Sahafi hotel in central Mogadishu, leaving at least 12 dead. Across the border in Kenya, five policemen were killed on Monday when suspected Shabaab fighters attacked their convoy. Shabaab insurgents have staged repeated attacks in Kenya, including the killing of at least 67 people at Nairobi's Westgate Mall in 2013 and the massacre of 148 people at a university in Garissa in April 2015. The Shabaab earlier this month confirmed the death in a special forces raid of a commander named Mohamed Mohamud aka Dulyadin, who was suspected of organising the Garissa University attack. In recent months they have also claimed attacks on bases of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM). The authorities in Nairobi have vowed to send back 350,000 Somali refugees living in Dadaab camp in northeast Kenya. The UN refugee agency however has called on Kenya to ensure the repatriation is carried out "in a humane, dignified manner, in line with international principles". The vast majority of residents of the sprawling Dadaab complex of camps close to the Kenya-Somalia border fled Somalia's more than two-decades long conflict. Many remain fearful of returning to a country where insecurity remains rife and poverty is widespread. Kamla: Case guillotined She fired this salvo at Al-Rawi as she contributed to debate on a no-confidence motion against Al-Rawi in the House of Representatives. As she expressed agreement with points raised by Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal when he opened debate on the motion, Persad-Bissessar said Al-Rawi had forgotten what his responsibilities as AG were. She reminded MPs that the according to the Constitution, the AG and the Prime Minister constitute the Cabinet. In stating that the AG is also the guardian of the public interest, Persad-Bissessar charged that Al-Rawis actions with respect to the discontinuance of the matter against Jones, showed he had failed in this aspect of his job. Claiming that Al-Rawis only focus in this matter was about judicial time and wasted costs, Persad-Bissessar wondered how much will Jones have to be paid as a result of the discontinuance. She also wondered whether the discontinuance had anything to do with Port-of-Spain North/St Anns West MP Stuart Young being an attorney for Jones. Persad-Bissessar asked whether Young was still an attorney on record for Jones. She also claimed Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had failed on a promise he made to provide all legal documents on this matter to the House. Persad- Bissessar hinted at referring this issue to the Parliaments Government Assurances joint select committee. Describing Jones as a member of the PNM Royal Family, Persad- Bissessar claimed that the discontinuance of the WGTL matter was a plan to bring back the four Js. She identified the four Js as Petrotrin chairman Andrew Jupiter; Professor Ken Julien and Jones (who are now members of Cabinets Standing Committee on Energy- which is chaired by Rowley) and former Atlantic LNG chairman John Andrews. Persad-Bissessar claimed Andrews was associated with a company which recently purchased the remnants of the WTGL plant from Petrotrin. Tobago records 1st Zika case The release noted that the Division has mounted an immediate response through the Tobago Public Health Emergency Response Team (TPHERT). Surveillance continues, as well as measures to control the Aedes Aegypti mosquito population, the vector that spreads the Zika virus. The Division is reminding everyone to take measures to avoid being bitten by the mosquito. Awareness and being proactive is one of the best ways we can avoid contracting the Zika virus, County Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) Dr Vishwanath Partapsingh said. We have been preparing for the virus in Tobago, and we continue our programme of educating the public, as well as vector control, to minimise the chances of the virus spreading. The public has an important role to support these efforts by taking steps to avoid being bitten and by removing possible breeding sites. Such precautions include using properly secured bed nets, and wearing light-coloured clothing that covers your arms and legs. The use of insect repellent containing 20 per cent DEET as an active ingredient is also recommended. It is also important to dispose of all unwanted containers or other items that can collect water and serve as mosquito- breeding sites, and tightly seal all water storage containers, including tanks, barrels and buckets, with a mosquito-proof covering. The public is also reminded to support by clearing drains and guttering to allow the free flow of water, and to empty and scrub all water vases frequently, or consider using dirt or sand instead of water to support flowers. The Division remains committed to securing the health of the Tobago population. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has issued a press release advising persons travelling from Trinidad and Tobago to carry their International Immunization Card with proof of the Yellow Fever vaccination when travelling to Caribbean Countries, Latin American Countries, African Countries and Asian countries. It indicated that effective Wednesday June 22, 2016, booster doses or revaccination for Yellow Fever will no longer be required as one dose of the Yellow Fever Vaccine will be valid for travel regardless of when the vaccine was given. The International Immunization Card will still be required. In the event that a person has never been immunized for Yellow Fever, it is advised to get the vaccine at least 10 days prior to travelling. Persons who are travelling to the said countries are advised to visit their County Medical Offices of Health within two weeks prior to departure from Trinidad and Tobago with proof of travel as well as proof of Yellow Fever immunization. Thanks to FDA, Women Will Be Told of Their Breast Density (Newser) Appropriate parenting or criminal behavior? That's the question being asked across the US in regards to the case of a Louisiana woman arrested Monday for whipping her young sons after they burglarized a neighbor's house. Among the people speaking up for Schaquana Evita Spears, a 30-year-old single mom of six, is Lisa Nicholsonthe woman whose Baton Rouge home Spears's sons, ages 13, 12, and 10, broke into. "I would prefer for her to spank her own kids than for them to come into someone's house and for [the homeowner] to kill them," Nicholson tells the Advocate. The fate they faced instead after allegedly stealing what the Advocate reports was $1,700 in goods, including a computer and hoverboard: Per the East Baton Rouge Sheriffs Office report, the oldest boy's wounds were bleeding, and the 12-year-old's skin was broken by the lashes. WBRZ reports the 13-year-old's injuries were on his arms, with marks on his body, and he told police an RCA cable was used; the youngest boy had a small scratch on the hand. In a statement, the District Attorney Hillar Moore said the case is under review and noted "the law does not allow excessive pain or cruelty but does allow physical parental discipline." But some experts, referencing a 2016 study, tell the Advocate that corporal punishment is not effective and can actually lead to worse behavior. "It's been hell," Spearswhose kids were, as of Wednesday, in the care of a grandmothertells WBRZ. "I never could imagine trying to be a good mother would end me up in jail." A GoFundMe page set up for Spears says she lost her job over the incident. "Jus [sic] want my life back," she wrote on Facebook on Friday. (These bank workers were publicly spanked for "not exceeding themselves.") (Newser) When Jensen Walcott and her good friend, Jake Reed, both got hired at Pizza Studio in Kansas City, Kansas, on the same day, the 17-year-olds were initially excited. Then Reed mentioned to Walcott that he'd be making $8.25 per hour. Walcott would only be making $8 per hour, even though she was hired for the same position and had the same degree of experience. Thinking there must have been a mix-up, she called her boss just an hour after being hired to ask about the wage discrepancyand was promptly fired, she tells Fox 4 KC. Jensen says the manager told her it's against company policy to discuss wages with co-workers, but both teens say that policy was never mentioned to them before the phone call. Reed was also fired. "At face value it appears, that the young lady was terminated because she complained about unequal wages. That's illegal," an attorney tells the station, adding that, per the National Labor Relations Board, it is perfectly fine for colleagues to discuss wages. He thinks Jensen may have a legal claim on her hands, but for now, Jensen just wants to bring some attention to what happened. Fox 4's story came out last Friday, and the station noted that when it reached out to a corporate rep for Pizza Studio, he promised to investigate but never called the station back. Fox 4 hasn't offered any updates since then, but the story got wide pickup this week, with many outlets decrying the fact that Walcott was apparently terminated for requesting to be paid as much as a male counterpart. (Read more wage gap stories.) (Newser) Multiple industry insiders tell Light Reading that a major revolution is about to hit Netflix. Well, major as far as watching old episodes of Frasier goes. "My expectation is that by the end of the year Netflix will be launching download-to-go as an option for their customers," one source says. That's right, Netflix users could soon be watching Orange Is the New Black without an internet connection. A Netflix spokesperson wouldn't confirm to the New York Daily News that downloading is coming, but Amazon Prime debuted downloading last fall, and Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said he was open to the idea earlier this year. If Netflix's service is anything like Amazon Prime's, users would be able to download select content onto their devices then watch it at their leisure, WiFi or no. (Read more Netflix stories.) (Newser) With GOP convention is now just a few weeks away, some delegates think they still have a chance to stop Donald Trump. One of them, Virginia delegate Carroll Correll Jr., filed a federal lawsuit Friday to challenge the state law that penalizes convention delegates who vote for somebody other than the primary winner, the Hill reports. The First Amendment guarantees delegates the right "to vote their conscience, free from government compulsion, when participating in the selection of their party's presidential nominee," states the class-action lawsuit filed by Correll, who was co-chair of the Ted Cruz campaign in Virginia. Correll "will not vote for Donald J. Trump, whom Correll believes is unfit to serve as President of the United States," the complaint states, per Raw Story. "A vote for Trump would violate the dictates of Corrells conscience." The suit also notes that Trump "prevailed in the Republican primary with a slim plurality of 34.7% of votes." NBC notes that the Virginia GOP awards its delegates proportionately, which conflicts with the state statute. Correll's lawsuit states that he "is concerned that voting against Trump at the convention may subject him to retaliatory litigation by Trump." (He'll probably make it through the convention, but the electoral math is not looking good for Trump.) (Newser) All Karol Dunford has left is a dirty nightgown, caked in mud from the floodwaters that ravaged her West Virginia town and killed at least 23. She lost the trailer where she lived for 30 years. As the deluge swamped southeast West Virginia on Thursday evening, Dunford, a 71-year-old Air Force veteran of the Vietnam war, sat immobile in her wheelchair in her living room as the pitch-black floodwater rose past her ankles, to her knees, up to the armrests. Hundreds of others were stranded, too. Teams across the state rescued people from second-story windows, the hoods of cars, the tops of trees. They saved Dunford from her flooded trailer in the middle of the night, just as the water started licking her shoulders . More than 100 homes were destroyed, some torn from their foundations and carried away. Families were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Dunford's tiny town of Rainelle in Greenbrier County took the brunt of the devastation. County Sheriff Jan Cahill described "complete chaos." At least 15 people were killed in the county and officials fear more will be discovered as they start sorting through the rubble the storm left behind. "This was so violent," Wayne Pennington, the fire chief in Lewisburg, the seat of Greenbrier County, tells the AP. "It removed structures. It swept cars away. It destroyed trees, guard rails. It churned up the earth. It exposed water lines and broke them. It was just mass destruction on a scale I've never seen." (Read more West Virginia stories.) (Newser) A Texas mother shot and killed her two daughters Friday afternoon in a comfortable, middle-class subdivision" near Katy, the Houston Chronicle reports. According to CNN, she was then shot and killed by a police officer after refusing to drop the gun. KPRC identifies the women as 42-year-old Christy Sheats, 22-year-old Taylor Sheats, and 17-year-old Madison Sheats. Police were called to the neighbor for reports of gunshots around 5pm and found the two daughters lying in the street. One was pronounced dead at the scene; the other died at the hospital. "It was a family argument that turned into a shooting," the Chronicle quotes Sheriff Troy Nehls as saying. "But we're still trying to put the pieces together." The father and husband was home at the time of the shooting and was distraught, though uninjured. He was taken to the hospital as a precaution. "He's going through a very difficult time," the Chronicle quotes Nehls as saying. An acquaintance of the family says "they were always cheerful." "Those parents are good. They are hard-working," a neighbor tells KTRK. I do not know how this happened. However, other neighbors say there may have been marital problems. And deputies had been called to the home in the past, though it's unclear why. (Read more murder stories.) (Newser) Gunmen who stormed a hotel in Somalia's capital have taken an unknown number of hotel guests hostage, police said Saturday, as the attackers set up snipers on the rooftop and threw grenades. Islamic extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the latest in a series of hotel assaults in Mogadishu. At least 15 people have been killed, according to CNN. Capt. Mohamed Hussein said some attackers had moved to the second floor and were using machine guns to resist security forces. Police said the attack on the Nasa-Hablod hotel in Mogadishu began when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at its gate. The AP reports gunmen fought their way inside, and a witness said they began shooting randomly at hotel guests. Hussein said security forces have killed two of the attackers. He also said he saw four bodies, thought to be civilians, lying outside the hotel. It was not known how many attackers entered the hotel, nor how many guests were inside. The attackers "took positions behind blast walls and sandbags; fighting is still ongoing," Hussein said, as gunfire could be heard in the background. A witness, Ali Mohamud, said the attackers randomly shot at guests. "They were shooting at everyone they could see. I escaped through the back door," he said. Yusuf Ali said he evacuated 11 people injured in the attack to hospitals. "Most of them were wounded in crossfire," he said. The Somalia-based, al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab extremist group has been waging a deadly insurgency across large parts of Somalia and often employs suicide car bomb attacks to penetrate heavily fortified targets in Mogadishu and elsewhere. (Read more Somalia stories.) (Newser) A former Indiana University student charged with raping two women will get off with a year of probation and one day in jail, WXIN reports. John Enochs took a plea deal and was sentenced Thursday, pleading guilty to misdemeanor battery. According to the New York Daily News, it's unclear why prosecutors decided to drop the rape chargesfelonies punishable by up to 16 years in prisonagainst Enochs. But that didn't stop the sentence from immediately being compared to the infamously lenient one issued against Stanford swimmer Brock Turner earlier this month. A woman says she was at an April 2015 party at the Delta Tau Delta fraternity when she went inside to use the restroom, WISH reports. She says the next thing she remembers is being naked and alone with an unknown man having sex with her. She says she told him to stop multiple times, but he wouldn't. She suffered a laceration to her genitals in the attack. Authorities say security video showed Enochs enter the room with the victim and leave 24 minutes later. Police found a similar case from 2013, and that victim agreed to work with authorities; DNA evidence, eyewitness statements, and IDs from the women led in September to the two rape charges against Enochs. Indiana University has been criticized for how it handles sexual assaults on campus and currently has three Title IX complaints against it. (Some Aussie cadets claim they were forced to rape each other.) (Newser) An 8-year-old Pennsylvania boy was killed this week because he didn't clean up his room, KDKA reports. JonMarquis Stepich was in the care of his mom's fiance, Orlando Williams, last Sunday, while his mom was at work. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, JonMarquis was sleeping when Williams, who had been drinking, tried to walk through his room to get to another room. Williams tripped over a laundry basket and woke JonMarquis up to yell at him to clean his room. When JonMarquis didn't start cleaning, police say Williams grabbed the boy and tried to slam him onto the bed. He missed, and JonMarquis ended up on the floor. Police say Williams told JonMarquis to get up three times, but the boy was "unresponsive." He allegedly carried the boy downstairs and put him in a chair. Williams and JonMarquis' mom took the boy to the hospital in the morning. Doctors called police because of the seriousness of JonMarquis' injuries, the AP reports. JonMarquis had a herniated brain stem and subdural bleeding. He also had bruising all over his body. JonMarquis was placed on a ventilator in intensive care and died Thursday. On Friday, Williams was charged with homicide, recklessly endangering another person, and endangering the welfare of a child. He's being held without bail. (Read more child abuse stories.) Coral bleaching and reef die-off has been a matter of discussion among environmentalists for quite some time now. Adding to the existing concerns, the the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have predicted that the condition of the coral reefs will only grow worse in the coming year and that there is no end to coral bleaching in the near future. According to reports, NOAA has predicted that coral reefs around the world will be exposed to abnormally high temperature for the third year in a row. This will, in turn, expose them to further bleaching. The director of NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program, Jennifer Koss says that now it is time for the environmentalists around the world to shift their attention to the conservation of the amazing organisms that face the threat of the global bleaching event that has no visible end. Koss further believes that only local conservation efforts are not enough at all. In fact, environmentalists and experts around the world should collaborate and figure out the type of efforts that must be taken to fight the effects of climate change. Coral bleaching starts to take place when dirtier and warmer water disturb the symbiotic relationship between coral and the zooxanthellae algae that live inside the corals. While corals provide shelter, algae provides nutrients to the corals, in addition to the bright colors. With an increase in temperature due to climate change, the corals expel the algae. In the absence of nutrients and bright colors, the corals turn white and gets calcified. However, this process is reversed when the temperature of the water cools down. That is, the algae returns to the corals when the water cools down. In case the water doesn't cool, the coral die off. This is particularly concerning, especially considering the fact that the global temperature has been increasing since mid-2014. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Srinagar: Separatist leaders from Jammu and Kashmir, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, have been invited by the Pakistan High Commission for the annual Iftar party in New Delhi on Saturday. Most of the top and middle-rung separatist leaders from both factions of Hurriyat Conference as well as the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front have been invited to the event. "Yes, we have received an invitation from Pakistan High Commission for an Iftar party on June 25," Ayaz Akbar, spokesperson for the hardline Hurriyat faction led by Geelani told PTI. Akbar said around 30 members belonging to various constituents of the Geelani's faction have been invited by the Pakistan High Commission. They include Geelani, Ashraf Sehrai, Shabir Shah and Nayeem Khan, Akbar said. Though it was not yet decided whether Geelani would attend, the Hurriyat will be represented at the Iftar party, he said. The moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and its other executive members have also been invited, Mirwaiz's media advisor Shahid-ul-Islam said. Apart from Mirwaiz, former Hurriyat chairmen Moulana Abbas Ansari and Abdul Gani Bhat have also been invited, he said. Islam said no decision has been taken yet by the Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat faction on attending the party. "We have some days till Saturday to decide on it," he said. JKLF chief Mohammad Yasin Malik has also been invited, a party spokesperson said. However, as Malik is under police custody, a decision on attending the Iftar party has been not taken, the spokesperson said. Meanwhile, Union Minister of State in PMO, Jitendra Singh reacted with caution to the issue, saying the Ministry of External Affairs will take a call on it. "I think the Ministry of External Affairs will take a call on it," Singh told reporters. He was replying to a question on whether the invitation extended to the separatists for Iftar by the Pakistan High Commissioner was a provocation by the neighbouring country with regard to normalisation of Indo-Pak relations. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. London: After David Cameron announced his resignation another shocker came from the European Union itself. EU chiefs have asked Britain to start negotiations to quit the bloc as soon as possible. We now expect the United Kingdom government to give effect to this decision of the British people as soon as possible, however painful that process may be, said a joint statement after Britons voted for a Brexit. Any delay would unnecessarily prolong uncertainty. The statement was issued by EU president Donald Tusk, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, EU Parliament leader Martin Schulz and Dutch premier Mark Rutte, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the bloc, after crisis talks in Brussels. Cameron announced he would step down to make way for a new leader by October, adding that the new prime minister would be responsible for officially triggering Article 50 of the EUs Lisbon Treaty to start Britains divorce from the bloc. But European leaders made it clear they were keen to get the process over with as quickly as possible and wanted Britain to start talks immediately. We have rules to deal with this in an orderly way, the joint statement said. We stand ready to launch negotiations swiftly with the United Kingdom regarding the terms and conditions of its withdrawal from the European Union. It added that Britain remained bound by EU law until it is no longer a member. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington: Hours after the Nuclear Suppliers Groups plenary meeting ended in Seoul with no decision on Indias membership in face of strong China-led opposition, the US said that there is a path forward for India to become a full member of the group by the end of the year. We are confident that we have got a path forward by the end of this year, a top Obama administration official said. It needs some work. But we are confident that India would be a full member of the (NSG) regime by the end of the year, the official told PTI on condition of anonymity. Refusing to divulge the discussions and opposition to Indias membership within the 48-member grouping, the official said details of the internal deliberations are confidential. But the US strongly believes in Indias membership in the NSG and the Obama Administration has worked closely with New Delhi and other countries on this issues, the official said. Without going into details of deliberations, the official referred to a similar discussion within the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) to which India was inducted early this month after months of discussions within its member countries. Like NSG, decisions within MTCR is taken with consensus. We expected a discussion on the role that India will play and where it has been, said the official. We were able to end discussion this week and we have a clear path forward for India to become a full member by the end of the year, the official asserted. Thats our expectation, the senior administration official reiterated when asked if US expects that Indias NSG membership could be achieved by the end of this year. Our expectations is that this would be finished by the end of this year, the official said. The NSG ended its plenary meeting in Seoul with no decision on Indias membership. China, which had made no secret of its opposition, succeeded in scuttling Indias bid despite a significant majority backing the Indian case. Thirty-eight countries supported India, according to Indian officials. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Lucknow: BSP supremo Mayawati on Saturday slammed Swami Prasad Maurya, saying he was "disloyal" to the party and worked for his own "selfish interest" ignoring his community. She also made it clear that he will not be able to rejoin the party. "The few people who have left BSP are selfish, Swami Prasad Maurya is a traitor," said Mayawati in a press conference after meeting leaders from her party. Mayawati said though Maurya has quit BSP, the community members were solidly behind her party. BSP chief Mayawati on Saturday chaired a meeting of all party MLAs in Lucknow with an objective to avoid any further defections. As many as eight BSP MLAs have been sacked by the party in last one month, including five who had voted against party whip in the Rajya Sabha polls. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: AAP MLA and vice chairman of Delhi Jal Board, Dinesh Mohaniya, was on Saturday arrested for allegedly slapping a 60-year-old man and misbehaving with a woman, reports said. The slapping incident took place on Friday in Tughlakabad locality when Mohaniya was there for a visit. Locals told police that Mohaniya slapped the man identified as Rakesh after he failed to recognise him. Other AAP workers also attacked the old man and misbehaved with him, they said. The AAP MLA is likely to be arrested. On Thursday, Mohaniya was booked for allegedly misbehaving with a group of women who approached him with a complaint regarding water crisis in their locality. The Sangam Vihar MLA was booked on charges of causing hurt, criminal intimidation and using word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman, police said. An FIR has been registered under Sections 323, 506 and 509 of IPC against Mohaniya at Neb Sarai police station following a complaint by the group of women, Nupur Prasad, Additional DCP (South), said on Thursday. The complainants, who are residents of Sangam Vihar, alleged that Mohaniya and his accomplices manhandled and threatened them when they sought his help in the water crisis faced by them.The AAP MLA, however, denied the charge and said that he was being targeted on the basis of a purported video aired by some news channels. He said that he was not present at the place at the time of the alleged incident. I am ready to cooperate with the police investigation but the allegations against me are baseless, he said. (With PTI inputs) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Very soon, people living across East Delhi will be able to enjoy free WiFi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has announced. By the end of this year, more than 500 locations across East Delhi will be turned into high-speed WiFi zones, the Delhi government said. However, the access to free internet will be allowed till a pre-determined limit every day. It was one of the key poll promises of AAP to provide free WiFi across the national capital. Vice-chairman of Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) of Delhi, Ashish Khetan, however, did not reveal the usage limit. But he said that it would be consistent with the average daily usage of an individual as defined by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The nodal agency in implementing the project will be the IT department and the tenders will be floated soon, said Khetan. He also said that the government has also decided to lay down a common fibre-optic network across the city in order to make it possible for Delhiites to access the web in gigabit speed. According to him, 1000 WiFi enabled hotspot zones in around 521 pre-identified locations in the trans-Yamuna region will cater to around 1,20,000 people at any given moment. The Delhi government has prepared the wi-fi project, which is set to be the largest such project in the world. These 571 pre-identified locations will have 1,000 hotspot zones. Each hotspot zone will have three access points and will cater to around 120 people at a time, Khetan said. If needed, 3000 more access points will be added, he said. The tender will have details of free data usage limit. But at this point, I can say that the benchmark would be average data usage by an individual per day as defined by TRAI, Khetan said. Khetan said that for the optic-fibre project, the Public Works Department is the nodal agency. The optic-fibre project is an essential pre-requisite for a smart city, he added. The fibre to home project will let people access internet in gigabit, he said. Such high-speed internet was imperative towards bringing definitive changes in the areas of education, health, power, water, public transport and security, Khetan said.Fibre optic network in the whole of Delhi up to your home. This is a big decision by delhi government. Congrats Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : Environment Ministry today cleared that report of a study done by Indian Institute of Forest Management in Bhopal was inadvertently uploaded on its website. The Ministry also said that the draft National Forest Policy and that the policy document was yet to finalised. The Ministry has not issued any draft notification on National Forest Policy. What has been uploaded on the website was a study done by Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal," Director General of Forest Sharad Negi said in a statement. The study report prepared by IIFM-Bhopal was inadvertently uploaded as draft forest policy on the website, he said, adding that it has not been evaluated by the Ministry. The Ministry has not taken any decision on the draft forest policy as it has an elaborate procedure for preparing draft policy document, which takes into account multiple inputs from all stakeholders, etc, Negi added. In the study, IIFM-Bhopal has proposed a host of measures including taking up habitat enrichment, provision of adequate compensation for people affected by wildlife and establishment of rescue centres to treat animals to manage the problem of human-animal conflict. For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Chennai: In a huge jolt to the Congress party in Tamil Nadu, Congress Committee President E V K S Elangovan has tendered his resignation owning moral responsibility for the poor performance of the party in the last months Assembly elections. Our partys state unit chief submitted his resignation on June 15 itself as electoral results were not on expected lines, party functionary Sivaraman, a close confidant of Elangovan, told reporters. He resigned owning moral responsibility for the electoral performance of the party, he said. Stating that the resignation was submitted in the office of the party chief in Delhi by Elangovan, he said the party high command, however, has not accepted his resignation so far. So far they havent accepted it. We are also not aware about when there will be a communication from them on the status of his resignation, he said. Elangovan, who often found himself in the midst of controversies, began steering the party after former Union minister and now Tamil Maanila Congress chief G K Vasan quit the party, along with his supporters. Gnanadesikan, then TNCC chief, quit the party to join Vasan. Congress could win only eight seats out of the 41 seats it contested as part of the DMK alliance in the Assembly polls held last month. DMK romped home in 89 seats ending up as a robust opposition party though it could not capture power. Congress faced criticism that it was due to its lesser than expected performance that DMK could not return to power. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on her phenomenal victory in the bypoll for Anantnag assembly seat. Congratulations to J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti for the phenomenal victory in the Anantnag assembly by-election, he tweeted. BJP is running a coalition government in the restive border state for the first time with Mehboobas Peoples Democratic Party. Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday won Anantnag by-polls by a huge margin of around 12,000 votes. Peoples Democratic Party President secured more than 17,000 out total 28,000 polled votes. Her rival Congress' Hilal Shah got 5,589 votes. (With inputs from PTI) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : Ruby Rai, Bihar district topper who was accused of cheating earlier this month, has been arrested by the Special Task Force investigating the case. Rai had topped the Bihar's Class 12 exams in the Arts stream this year but failed to answer a simple question about her subject. Another student who secured top marks in Science was not able to answer elementary questions which later highlighted their incompetency and questioned their ranks. Baccha Rai, chairman of VCR College has already been arrested by Bihar police. Former BSEB chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh and wife Usha Sinha have been already been arrested by the SIT. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Srinagar: In a major strike, two terrorists gunned down eight CRPF men and injured nearly 24 others before being felled in retaliatory action by the security personnel in South Kashmirs Pulwama district today. The incident took place at Frestbal in Pampore, 14 km from here, when the terrorists fired at a bus carrying CRPF personnel. The Road Opening Party (ROP) of the CRPF retaliated and, in the fierce gun battle that ensued, over three dozen paramilitary personnel were injured. As soon as the two terrorists were eliminated, evacuation process was carried out and the injured CRPF personnel were rushed to Armys base hospital. The sources said that five personnel were declared brought dead, while the condition of four others was stated to be critical. As many as 28 other personnel were still admitted with gunshot wounds. Inspector General of CRPF Nalin Prabhat rushed to the spot and was leading the combing operations as the security agencies suspected two militants could have been removed from the spot with some local help. Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police K Rajendra, who visited the spot, said the two terrorists had been neutralized but unfortunately we have suffered some causalities too. He did not give the number of CRPF causalities and said our focus is on nabbing the culprits. Asked whether the slain terrorists were from across the border, Rajendra said, In all probability they seem to be from Pakistan. This is the second attack on a bus carrying security personnel within three weeks. On June 3, terrorists had fired at a bus carrying BSF personnel in Bijbehara, killing two personnel. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. London: UK Prime Minister David Cameron today called out to the worlds LGBT community to live freely and openly. In his first message since he announced his impending resignation outside Downing Street yesterday over Britains vote to leave the European Union (EU) in the Brexit referendum, the British premier hailed the Pride in London event this weekend, which is an annual gay pride celebration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Sadly, many people in the LGBT community feel the need to filter their behaviour, or hide who they are. But Pride says to Londoners, Britain and the world: be yourself. Live freely and openly, he said. Treat others with respect and tolerance, and expect that same treatment yourself. And in the wake of Orlando as we come together in solidarity with one another today, what better message could there possibly be, he added. Praising the #NoFilter theme for this years Pride in London, he urged, Lets not change who we are. Lets not hide who we are. Lets live life with no filter. He also highlighted the achievements of his government in the form of the Same-Sex Couples Act, so that people in this country can celebrate their love for one another, regardless of their sexual orientation. One of the strongest legislative frameworks to tackle discrimination. And a zero-tolerance approach to homophobic bullying everywhere. Now there is, of course, more that needs to be done. Especially on issues such as the availability of Pre Exposure Prophylaxis; mental health in the LGBT community; and on the vital task of working internationally to change laws and attitudes, he noted. Describing the recent attack at a gay nightclub in the US as a direct attack on the LGBT community, he said, So we stand with the people of Orlando, and we send our deepest condolences to the families and friends who are grieving today. As we remember those who were lost, we should also resolve to never allow this attack, this terror attack, to change who we are or how we go about our lives. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: Even as speculations were rife that actress Jacqueline Fernandez will be seen in Don 3, she rubbished such claims today. Actress Priyanka Chopra had played the role of Roma in Farhan Akhtars Don and Don 2. However, gossip mills were abuzz that the Quantico actress will not be part of the third instalment of Don and that Jacqueline Fernandez has replaced her. However, when quizzed about it, Jacqueline said, I also saw it on instagram and heard about it, but dont know about that project. I dont know where it is coming from. That conversation has not happened with me. I have not spoken to anyone close to Don team. Jacqueline, who will be seen as a judge on dance reality show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa is quite excited about it. The Kick actress was talking at the store launch of American brand Aeropostale at a mall in suburban Mumbai. The 30-year-old actress said it is important for actors and actress to dress up according to how they want to and what they are. To be yourself is a huge fashion statement. It is not about make-up or best dresses or wearing most expensive things just wear what you like and what you are comfortable with, she added. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Russia will likely deploy advanced nuclear-capable missiles by 2019 along NATO border Russia plays by its own rules. This has never been more apparent than the present, with Vladimir Putin and company doing whatever they want in spite of the potential blow-back from other countries around the globe. It has now been reported that Russia is likely to deploy missiles with nuclear capabilities along the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) border by 2019. The missile formally known as SS-26 Stone, but nicknamed Iskander has a range of roughly 300 miles. By all accounts, its an extremely deadly piece of hardware. Russia burns bridges faster than most countries could ever dream, and this latest stunt just serves as yet another nail in the coffin of their relationship with the Western World. Yahoo! News reports, NATO is holding a summit in Warsaw next month to decide how best to deter Russia after Moscows lightning annexation of Ukraines Crimea in 2014. The United States, Britain and Germany have said they will command new battalions in Poland and the Baltics to send Moscow a message. The director of the Center for Strategic Trend Studies in Moscow, Ivan Konovalov, believes that the key to prevent these missiles from being launched is to dissolve tensions between the East and the West. He has claimed that the Iskanders are our ace card in the standoff over missile defense and NATOs activity around our borders. We need to use it cleverly. Theres a big game going on and we dont want to throw it away at the start. Well play it when Russia needs it most politically. You may disagree with Russias policies and justifiably so but their transparency regarding issues like this one have potential to resolve the situation peacefully, instead of kick-starting a full-blown war. Hopefully cooler heads prevail and Russia begins to understand where NATO is coming from. Sources: Yahoo! News The Daily Caller Submit a correction >> BETHEL A day after state Democrats ruled that Thomas Burke is not eligible to force a primary in Connecticuts 2nd Assembly District, the marine veteran has vowed to continue his fight. This is absolutely a miscarriage of justice, Burke said. The state Democratic Party chose to make a decision superseding the decision of the delegates of the 2nd District. Democatic delegates in May nominated 24-year-old Raghib Allie-Brennan over Burke, 26, in an 8-3 vote. But because Burkes three votes equate to more than 15 percent of the delegates, he said he has the right to force a primary. The 2nd Assembly District includes Bethel, Danbury, Newtown and Redding. Allie-Brennan challenged Burkes attempt, however, arguing that he has not been a member of the Democratic party long enough to appear on a primary ballot. On Friday the Democratic State Central Committee sided with Allie-Brennan, saying that Burke did not have full Democratic privileges, including the right to a certificate of candidacy form with the Secretary of State because he has not yet been a Democrat for three months. Burke registered as a Democrat March 29. The panel unanimously directs legal counsel to submit a letter to the Secretary of the State requesting that Mr. Burke not be placed on the primary ballot for the 2nd Assembly District, the ruling concluded. Allie-Brennan said it is time for Burke to end his bid for the 2nd District and for both Democratic candidates to focus their efforts on defeating Republican Will Duff, who was chosen to run when Dan Carter, the incumbent, decided to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. Now it is time for us to move forward and defeat Will Duff in the general election, Allie-Brennan said in a statement. I call on Thomas Burke Jr. to accept the state partys ruling and work with me towards this goal. I know together we can win this seat back for the Democratic Party." But on Saturday, Burke said he will challenge the partys ruling, and, if unsuccessful, might mount an independent bid. Im going to file a complaint with the superior court, Burke said. I will most likely petition to run as an unaffiliated candidate in the 2nd. The lingering questions about who will challenge Duff are also spilling over into the race for the 107th District, which includes Brookfield along with portions of Bethel and Danbury. Shortly after losing out to Allie-Brennan in May, Burke was tapped to run against incumbent Republican Stephen Harding in the 107th. While Burke lives in the 2nd District, he said at the time that he would soon move to a family home in Danbury within the 107th Districts lines. On Saturday, however, Burke said he is unsure if he will continue to run against Harding, who he said was the right man for the job. I really think Steve is best for 107th, Burke said. I dont want to run against him. awolff@newstimes.com; 203-731-3333; @awolffster H John Voorhees III / H John Voorhees III A Bethel woman who police say wildly swung a machete during a 2 a.m. tirade faces several charges after she slashed a car and threatened to kill a person. Police on June 19 arrested Maria Medina, 47 of Greenwood Avenue in Bethel, after they said she struck a victim and threatened to kill that person. Police said Medina then got her machete from a car and slashed the vehicle, damaging both the inside and outside. TORONTO, June 24, 2016 /CNW/ - The Law Society of Upper Canada expresses grave concerns about the harassment and imminent expulsion of lawyer Taimoor Karimi in Bahrain. Taimoor Karimi is a Shi'ite Muslim lawyer who took part in Bahrain's pro-democracy protests in 2011 and defended some of the prominent activists who were jailed afterwards. In 2014, Taimoor Karimi was one of 10 individuals whose Bahraini citizenship was withdrawn without due process. Bahraini authorities have obstructed Taimoor Karimi's right of appeal and refused to justify the decision to revoke his citizenship. Taimoor Karimi has fought the order for three years, during which time he has lost his government-issued identification, job and bank account. On 10 August 2014, the public prosecutor issued a court summons to Taimoor Karimi for "violations of asylum and immigration law" that include remaining in Bahrain without the residence licence that all non-nationals over 16 are required to have. Since the Appeal Court in Manama upheld his sentence on 23 May, he has been at imminent risk of expulsion from Bahrain. The Law Society of Upper Canada urges the government of Bahrain to consider Articles 16 and 23 of the United Nations' Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers. Article 16 states: Governments shall ensure that lawyers (a) are able to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference; (b) are able to travel and to consult with their clients freely both within their own country and abroad; and (c) shall not suffer, or be threatened with, prosecution or administrative, economics or other sanctions for any action taken in accordance with recognized professional duties, standards and ethics. Moreover, Article 23 states: Lawyers like other citizens are entitled to freedom of expression, belief, association and assembly. In particular, they shall have the rights to take part in public discussion of matters concerning the law, the administration of justice and the promotion and protection of human rights and to join or form local, national or international organizations and attend their meetings, without suffering professional restrictions by reason of their lawful action or their membership in a lawful organization. The Law Society urges the government of Bahrain to: a. immediately reinstate Taimoor Karimi's citizenship; b. put an end to all acts of harassment against Taimoor Karimi as well as other lawyers and human rights defenders in Bahrain; c. Immediately and unconditionally withdraw all charges against Taimoor Karimi; d. guarantee all the procedural rights that should be accorded to Taimoor Karimi and other human rights lawyers and defenders in Bahrain; e. ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards and international instruments. *The Law Society of Upper Canada is the governing body for more than 50,000 lawyers and 8,000 paralegals in the province of Ontario, Canada. The Treasurer is the head of the Law Society. The mandate of the Law Society is to govern the legal profession in the public interest by upholding the independence, integrity and honour of the legal profession for the purpose of advancing the cause of justice and the rule of law. SOURCE The Law Society of Upper Canada For further information: please contact Susan Tonkin, Communications Advisor - Media Relations, at 416-947-7605 or [email protected] The Law Society of Upper Canada, Osgoode Hall, 130 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M5H 2N6, www.lsuc.on.ca, Follow us on Twitter @LawsocietyLSUC TORONTO, June 24, 2016 /CNW/ - The Law Society of Upper Canada expresses grave concerns about the harassment of human rights lawyer Nabeel Adib Abdallah in Sudan. Nabeel Adib Abdallah is a prominent lawyer and rights activist. The Law Society has received reports that on 5 May 2016, Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) agents raided Nabeel Adib Abdallah's office, confiscating property and arresting several university students. The authorities have provided no justification for the raid and have not cited any specific charges, nor any other information about the removal of Nabeel Adib Abdallah's property. It is unclear whether Nabeel Adib Abdallah himself was also arrested at the scene. The raid came after the Vice Chancellor of the University of Khartoum reportedly shut down the university indefinitely and dismissed 17 students for their involvement in recent human rights demonstrations. The students went to Nabeel Adib Abdallah's office in order to engage him to challenge the dismissal decision when they were arrested. The Law Society of Upper Canada urges the government of Sudan to consider Articles 16 and 23 of the United Nations' Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers. Article 16 states: Governments shall ensure that lawyers (a) are able to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference; (b) are able to travel and to consult with their clients freely both within their own country and abroad; and (c) shall not suffer, or be threatened with, prosecution or administrative, economics or other sanctions for any action taken in accordance with recognized professional duties, standards and ethics. Moreover, Article 23 states: Lawyers like other citizens are entitled to freedom of expression, belief, association and assembly. In particular, they shall have the rights to take part in public discussion of matters concerning the law, the administration of justice and the promotion and protection of human rights and to join or form local, national or international organizations and attend their meetings, without suffering professional restrictions by reason of their lawful action or their membership in a lawful organization. The Law Society urges the government of Sudan to: a. put an end to all acts of harassment directed toward Nabeel Adib Abdallah as well as other lawyers and human rights defenders in Sudan; b. guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Nabeel Adib Abdallah; c. guarantee all the procedural rights that should be accorded to Nabeel Adib Abdallah and other human rights lawyers and defenders in Sudan; d. ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards and international instruments. *The Law Society of Upper Canada is the governing body for more than 50,000 lawyers and 8,000 paralegals in the province of Ontario, Canada. The Treasurer is the head of the Law Society. The mandate of the Law Society is to govern the legal profession in the public interest by upholding the independence, integrity and honour of the legal profession for the purpose of advancing the cause of justice and the rule of law. SOURCE The Law Society of Upper Canada For further information: Please contact Susan Tonkin, Communications Advisor - Media Relations, at 416-947-7605 or [email protected] The Law Society of Upper Canada, Osgoode Hall, 130 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M5H 2N6, www.lsuc.on.ca, Follow us on Twitter @LawsocietyLSUC The man, Lekan Shonde, who allegedly killed his wife, Ronke in Lagos state, on Friday appeared before an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates Cou... The man, Lekan Shonde, who allegedly killed his wife, Ronke in Lagos state, on Friday appeared before an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates Court in the state.Lekan who was arraigned on a one-count charge of murder had appeared before the court on May 20 and was remanded in prison custody after the case was adjourned to June 24 (today) for further hearing.When Shondes appeared in court today, the prosecutor, Insp. Chinalu Uwadione, informed the court that he had received a copy of the legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, DPPs when the case was mentioned.But the counsel to Shonde, Mr. I. B. Mohammed, responding to Uwadiones submission, told the court that he was yet to be served his own copy of the advice and would like to apply for it.The prosecutor further stated that the offence contravenes Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011 which prescribes a death sentence for convicts.The Chief Magistrate, Oluwayemisi Adelaja, ordered that Shonde should remain in prison custody and adjourned the case to July 8 for mention.It will be recalled that the 51-year-old was alleged to have murdered his wife, Ronke Shonde, 37, on May 5 at their residence on 3, Tiemo Street, Egbeda area of Lagos state. Charles Okah, brother of Henry Okah, jailed leader of the Movement For The Emancipation of Niger Delta, has escaped from Kuje Prison in Ab... Charles Okah, brother of Henry Okah, jailed leader of the Movement For The Emancipation of Niger Delta, has escaped from Kuje Prison in Abuja. He was has been on trial in Abuja for allegedly master-minding the 2010 Independence Day bombing that killed 27 people.A prison inmate told SaharaReporters that Okah escaped last night by simply scaling the prison walls of the prison around 7:30 PM Nigerian time.He reportedly escaped with another prison inmate.A massive manhunt has commenced to find and rearrest him. The Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Gospel Church Tudun Nupawa, Kaduna South local government, Kaduna State Thursday donated assort... The Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Gospel Church Tudun Nupawa, Kaduna South local government, Kaduna State Thursday donated assorted foodstuff to Muslims within its domain as part of efforts to ensure religious and peaceful coexistence.The church presented the gift to cushion the present hardship people are going through and as a way of associating with them in the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan.The beneficiaries from the Panteka union and the Tudun Nupawa communities which host the Church were given rice, beans, maize, indomie, Millet among others.The senior Pastor of the Church, Reverend Yunusa S. Nmadu said, The gesture by the Church to provide food items to members of the host community during Ramadan is to demonstrate the Biblical injunction that we should love our neighbours as ourselves.He said that it was important for the church to positively impart the lives of the people of the community as the only way to practicalized the command of God from the Bible.Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Sarkin Dutse, Alhaji Shaibu Balarabe commended the understanding of the ECWA by consistently assisting his people during the Ramadan fast in the past three years, adding that he inherited the protection of the Church from his late father. Mr Kola Oluwawole, the Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly has commended civil servants in the state for calling-off their four-wee... Mr Kola Oluwawole, the Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly has commended civil servants in the state for calling-off their four-week old industrial action. Oluwawole also commended the state governor, Mr Ayo Fayose for his maturity and commitment in handling industrial harmony in the state. This is contained in a statement signed by his Media Aide, Mr Stephen Gbadamosi and made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday. Oluwawole noted that the desired development of the state could not be achieved in an environment laden with acrimony.I want to salute our civil servants for their understanding for calling-off the strike. Gov., Ayo Fayose, also deserves praises for his transparency in running the finances of the state. Industrial rifts cannot always be avoided between employer and employee, but we have to find a way of coming to the round table so that our state can progress, Oluwawole said.He reiterated the commitment of the state Assembly to continue to provide common ground to strengthen the relationship between the executive and workers. The much-sought-after development of our dear state can only be achieved in an environment devoid of rancour.He appealed to workers in the state to always negotiate meaningfully first, before embarking on any industrial action. Militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, on Saturday asked President Buhari to also call for a referendum on Nigeria just like his British co... The Nigeria President Buhari should visit Ugborodo host to Chevron crude oil Export terminal/EGTL gas plant, Ogulagha host to Shell For cados Crude Oil Export terminal/tank farm, Bonny Island host to Shell Bonny Crude Oil Export terminal/NLNG gas terminal, Brass host to Agip/ENI export terminal, Ibeno host to ExxonMobil Qua Iboe crude export terminal. These are just the export terminals not talking about the numerous oil and gas flow stations and the oil Wells that criss cross the length and breadth of the Niger delta.Mr. President come and see for yourself what the host communities are going through in the hands of Nigeria government and the multinationals. Brig.Gen Moduch Agbinibo Spokesman President Buhari borrow a leaf from PM David Cameron, call for a referendum and let Nigerians decides like they did to vote you into Power. Niger Delta Avengers (@NDAvengers) June 25, 2016 The group said the referendum would help Nigerians decide if they still wanted to stay together.The stated this in two tweets on their twitter handle.They also released a statement asking President Buhari to visit the Niger Delta region to see for himself the deprivation host communities have suffered in the hands of oil companies that operate in their communities.Tweets and statement below... The new deadly militant group, the Asawana Deadly Force of Niger Delta, ADFND, which on Thursday claimed to have taking over from the Nige... The new deadly militant group, the Asawana Deadly Force of Niger Delta, ADFND, which on Thursday claimed to have taking over from the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, yesterday slated coming Saturday July 2nd, 2016,as the day it will bomb Bonga Field, Onitsha -Asaba bridge, Third Mainland bridge, and other major bridges across the southern of the country.A statement by the group, signed by its leader, Commander Olomubini Kakarakokoro, a.k.a No Mercy, We are bombing Bonga field, Onitsha -Asaba bridge, Third Mainland bridge, and other major bridges across the southern of the country, on Saturday 2nd July,2016.This is not a mere threat. The only way out is for the Federal Government to relocate all headquarters of major oil companies to Niger Delta. They are built with our oil money. They must be moved back to the Niger Delta region.If the federal government fails before the said day, we shall surely carry out the attack. The companies which headquarters we want back now include; Chevron,Agip and Shell which has their headquarters in Lagos.In addition, the federal government should move all refineries to the Niger Delta. This is without further delay as we shall meet further delay with corresponding colossal damage in the mentioned places on the said date.We wants to tell President Buhari that now that the going is getting tough, the tough has to get going, it says. Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, announced the planned increase on Friday during a visit by the Governor of Kaduna State, M... Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, announced the planned increase on Friday during a visit by the Governor of Kaduna State, Mr Nasir El-Rufai.Air Marshal Abubakar said the Air Force had acquired 10 helicopters and was awaiting 10 other training aircraft in a bid to enhance its operations to adequately support both the internal and external security challenges confronting the nation, in line with globally accepted standards.Beyond the partnership, the Chief of Air Staff announced ongoing reforms in the Air Force aimed at further contributing to fighting Nigerias internal and external security challenges.At the meeting, Governor El-Rufai expressed his gratitude to the Air Force for its contribution to tackling security challenges in the North-West especially in Kaduna State.The agreement at the meeting was that Nigeria was better off when the civilian authority and the military worked together for the common good. An armed robbery suspect, Chris Oboko, a corporal attached to the C4I unit of the Nigeria Police in Rivers State, has revealed how an info... An armed robbery suspect, Chris Oboko, a corporal attached to the C4I unit of the Nigeria Police in Rivers State, has revealed how an informant lured him into a gang of car snatchers.Thirty five-year-old Oboko, who has now been dismissed from the force, was recently arrested in Port Harcourt, during a mop-up of criminal elements responsible for incessant robberies and carjacking in the state by the Inspector-General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team.Oboko, who joined the force in 2003 said he was living at the police barracks on Iche Street, Borokiri, Port Harcourt, while moonlighting as a robber.He said in his statement, In 2015, I met Johnpaul Amandi, one of our informants when he took two vehicles he stole from one of his kidnapping victims to one Victor Nwogu to sell. I met them while they were negotiating the price and I told them I would join their operation.After I became a member, I always found a way to get the members of the gang released whenever they were arrested by the police. I am even the resident Pastor of Battle Axe Assembly Church at Chuba Allo in Port Harcourt. I know this business is evil and shouldnt have joined but I could not resist the temptation.The police have said efforts are on to arrest other members of the gang, while Oboko would be charged with armed robbery soon. The Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province (Anglican Communion), Most Revd Emmanuel Chukwuma on Friday accused President Muhammadu Bu... The Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province (Anglican Communion), Most Revd Emmanuel Chukwuma on Friday accused President Muhammadu Buhari of being insensitive to sufferings of the masses.Chukwuma, who was delivering his address at the sixteenth Synod of Enugu Diocese held at the Church of Resurrection Power, New haven, Enugu, equally declared that Buhari was running a corrupt administration.While condemning the Presidents leadership style, he said it was sad that Buhari, who brags about anti corruption, had taken delight in plunging the people he was elected to serve into hardship and suffering through his policies and programmes.It is corruption on your part if you increased prices of almost every thing without palliatives to the people.There is hunger in the land, the people are complaining and crying and the one elected to serve us is enjoying his life at Aso Rock. That means he is corrupt. He did not increase salary, he did not promote workers.The other day, he addressed workers at Aso rock, he did not talk about their welfare but only asked them to shun corruption. How can somebody who is hungry shun corruption? I think there is a limit to what people can take. I advise him to be careful so as to avoid people taking laws into their hands, he stated.He maintained that the federal government should reduce interest in the fight against corruption and introduce policies and programmes that would impact on the well being of the people.Speaking on the increased militancy, terrorism and civil unrests, Chukwuma warned that the situation was bound to increase with the alleged governments silence to the plight of Nigerians.He said, Today, there is no electricity anywhere, shops and businesses are closing by the day due to high prices of goods and services. Petrol is not affordable, like wise kerosene and cooking gas.It will appear that there is no leadership. All the promises made by the APC upon which the people voted them in have fallen apart. We cannot continue like this. We need to give the people some measure of hope and show them that government is concerned by the situation of things.Calling for restraint in the bombing of oil facilities by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), he stated that time had come for justice to prevail in the entire thing by paying adequate attention to the plight of the people of the area.He said: Only a leadership that is totally committed to justice and a properly structured Nigeria can solve the identity, resource ownership and other crisis of development in Nigeria.While the provision of the infrastructure and sustainable development is important, there can be no enduring peace in the area or any part of Nigeria, for that matter, if injustice to the people of the Niger Delta is not comprehensively addressed. Specifically, a truthful commitment to the principle and practice of federalism is what can bring peace and prosperity to Nigeria.It is high time government took a total look at the plight of the people, feel their pains and redress the situation of the long suffering majority who has not been the real beneficiaries of the token tagged Amnesty programme.While the programme has made some militant rich, it has not addressed the huge infrastructure challenges and poverty in the area.Continuing, Chukwuma said that the renewed militancy and terrorism had further crippled the economy, stressing that immediate, medium and long term solutions should be found to the problems. The Rivers Government today denied withdrawing N11 Billion from the Central Bank of Nigeria and Zenith Bank. Read the state government&... Read the state government's statement below...The attention of the Rivers State Government has been drawn to a publication in The Punch newspaper of Friday, 24/06/ 2016. The report alleges that one Mr Kinsgsely Fubara, said to be a Director of Finance and Administration, in the Rivers State Government House, made repeated financial withdrawals from the Central Bank of Nigeria and Zenith Bank, to the tune of 11 billion Naira.According to the report, the suspicious withdrawals on behalf of the Rivers State Government were made between December 2015 and February 2016.The government categorically denies this fabricated and irresponsible publication by the Punch.The Rivers State Government never conducted such financial transactions and the report is patently false.The Rivers State Government has no record of any staff known as Kingsely Fubara. This must be a fictional character created by the All Progressives Congress (APC)) and the Punch newspaper to embarrass the State Government and deceive the public.The Punch report also indicated that the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe these so-called withdrawals. Such a directive, if true, would be a manifestly illegal and ridiculous proposition.By law, the Rivers State Government is accountable to the Rivers State House of Assembly and the people of Rivers State, not to the Attorney General of the Federation.This is a totally fictitious report typically orchestrated by the APC and its media allies.But the story raises fundamental questions about the moral horror that confronts a nation where an anti-graft agency becomes openly partisan in all its intentions and actions.There is universal concern that the EFCC is playing an extremely corrosive role in the current political dispensation. Rather than fight corruption in a professional and dispassionate manner, the EFCC behaves shamelessly like an integral organ of the APC.An anti-graft commission that targets only opposition politicians and critics of the failed policies of the APC government is a national embarrassment.Has the EFCC ever heard of one Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, the former governor of Rivers State and current Minister of Transport? Despite receiving over three trillion Naira in eight years as governor, Amaechi left the most abandoned projects in the history of Rivers State, since 1967. Several petitions against Amaechi, supported by sworn affidavits, have all been summarily ignored by the EFCC.Even chieftains of the APC have publicly acknowledged Rotimi Amaechis stupendous financial contributions to the partys presidential campaign in 2015. These financial contributions, estimated to be in billions of Naira, constitute serious financial crime against the people of Rivers State.The Government and people of Rivers State will resist any politically-motivated targeting of its leaders by any agency of the Federal Government, by whatever name it is called.Signed:Dr. Austin Tam-George,Commissioner for Information and Communication,Rivers State. The Nigerian Police Force has finally stated reasons why it decided to disqualify applicants with tattoo for the ongoing recruitment exerc... The Nigerian Police Force has finally stated reasons why it decided to disqualify applicants with tattoo for the ongoing recruitment exercise.Reacting to this stance, the Niger State Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Marafa, said that applicants for the ongoing police recruitment who have tattoos were rejected to avoid hiring cultists into the Force.At an inspection of the recruitment process in Minna by the Federal Character Commission, (FCC), Marafa said people know that tattoos are associated with cult membership and the Police Force will not recruit people with them.He disclosed that the recruitment exercise has been successful in the state as measures had been put in place to ensure that the applicants hired had even spread across the state.The coordinator of the military recruitment for the sub-zone of Kogi, Kwara and Niger holding in Minna, Brigadier General Gabriel Ochigbano, told the visiting officials that the applicants had been screened down to 150 per state from the 350 per state on the average that showed up for the recruitment. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Get a dose of adorable in your inbox Receive local adoptable pets PLUS updates for pet lovers in your inbox every week! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy For the second time in a year, a Boyd couple is suing the Stanley-Boyd School District over the treatment of their son who has an autism spectrum disability. Timothy and Michelle Schwartzmillers filed the latest lawsuit Wednesday in Chippewa County Court. The child now attends classes in the Eau Claire School District. Stanley-Boyd Superintendent Jim Jones on Thursday said he had not had a chance to read the lawsuit, and declined comment on it. The couple claims the school district acted with malice by attempting to force the Schwartzmillers out of the school district. The lawsuit calls the school districts actions extreme and outrageous. It asks for the couple to be given compensatory damages and that they be reimbursed for payments to maintain residency in the Eau Claire School District. They have to maintain an apartment and utilities within the school district in order to get their child (enrolled there), said the Schwartzmillers attorney, John Manydeeds of the Ryberg Law Firm of Eau Claire. The suit, which lists the couples address as Boyd, wants the district to make a permanent agreement with the Eau Claire district for the education of their son. First lawsuit The Schwartzmillers filed a complaint in Chippewa County Court on Dec. 16, 2015. On April 5, Judge James Isaacson said the couple first had to exhaust administrative remedies before taking the case to court. A due process hearing was scheduled by the Wisconsin Division of Hearing and Appeals for April. But before the hearing, Administrative Law Judge Sally Pederson dismissed the couples claims, saying they were not made in a timely manner and the couple was no longer a resident of the Stanley-Boyd School District. The couple then filed the lawsuit Wednesday. Attention seeking According to the lawsuit: The boy attended the first grade in Stanley-Boyd for the 2014-15 school year. When he fails to communicate properly, the boy uses attention seeking behavior, including kicking, punching, biting, spitting and slapping after failing to communicate properly. Stanley-Boyd refused to properly address (the boys) attention seeking behavior and used restrictive holds on (him) whenever the attention seeking behavior was used for communication. Manydeeds said the restrictive holds used on the boy by school personnel varied. School district personnel also placed the child in whats called a seclusion room. (The) Stanley-Boyd School Districts use of the seclusion room and the restrictive holds were inappropriate and dangerous to the growth and education of a special education needs student. In March 2015, the school district decided to restrict the boy to 30 minutes of supervised schooling a day while it tried to set up a cooperative agreement with Eau Claire Academy to have the boy transferred there. The lawsuit says the Stanley-Boyd School District failed to offer reasonable alternatives to the couple. Stanley-Boyd refused to properly address (the boys) attention seeking behavior and used restrictive holds on (him) whenever the attention seeking behavior was used for communication. Waterfront towns will continue to have little say over how the public accesses New Jersey's beaches and other waterways after the state's highest court let stand a ruling that wiped out a set of controversial environmental regulations. With the New Jersey Supreme Court's refusal last week to hear an appeal in an ongoing battle over waterfront access, the state Department of Environmental Protection is not permitted to enforce a set of rules that gave towns a role in deciding how the public accesses the state's waterways. This latest development, hailed by the environmental groups that brought the suit, now puts the focus on state lawmakers' efforts to address the decade-old issue. "The legislature has to come up with a law directing what kind of rules (the DEP) can and cannot write," said Bill Sheehan, executive director of the Hackensack Riverkeeper. "That's what we wanted all along." The Riverkeeper, along with the NY/NJ Baykeeper, sued the DEP over a set of rules the state agency adopted in 2012 that gave towns a role in deciding how the public could gain access to the waterfront in their respective communities. In crafting those rules, the state also stripped away a provision that required waterfront property owners seeking waterfront development permits to pay into a fund if they couldn't provide public access to the water. That fund had been used to build off-site public access, such as waterfront parks. Sheehan said the system worked under previous regulations, adopted under then-Gov. Jon Corzine in 2007. He noted pocket parks were built along the waterfront in Bayonne and Newark with money from that fund. By no longer requiring the payments or any other type of mitigation, the state was essentially reducing public access to the waterfront, particularly in the more urban, highly populated counties along rivers in the northern part of the state, the environmental groups argued. "It diminished our ability to get quality public access up here on the river," Sheehan said. So the two environmental groups sued. And in December, an appellate panel invalidated those waterfront development rules and said the DEP did not have the authority to develop and adopt those rules. It said the DEP did not have jurisdiction over public access to the waterfront. As a stopgap measure, the state in January enacted a law giving the DEP that jurisdiction. But lawmakers didn't address the waterfront waterfront access rule issue while the court case was still pending. That law is what the DEP relies on to continue to address public access issues, said agency spokesman Bob Considine. "The bottom line is the legislature unanimously approved, and the governor signed, a bill reaffirming DEP's authority over public access," he said. MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook. We'll start with the ongoing and popular question of who's likely to run for mayor of Jersey City. Is that too much? OK, let's take it down to the usual one or two people and determine when it will become official. It would be easier to say just about everyone wants to be mayor once Mayor Steve Fulop says he's running for governor -- should he win a November referendum on when the city election will be held. We're not talking numbers of qualified candidates with the depth of, say, the "Zero Dark Thirty" cast. Still, there are enough potential would-be mayors for this newspaper (The Jersey Journal, of course) to present a small photo slideshow on its website -- please add to the clicks. Some may even announce their City Hall desire way before the present occupier of the city's highest elected position announces his official intention of running for governor. The two "independents" of the council and the focus of this piece, Michael Yun of the Heights and Journal Square's Richard Boggiano, should reveal themselves first. Earlier this month Yun held a big fundraising event in Fort Lee, home to many Korean residents and businesses. You have also seen the banners on fences and a few other locations calling for "Boggiano for 2017." They're not rooting for the latter's re-election to the City Council. I have no doubt, and neither do you, that Yun will run for mayor because he's someone who is capable of organization and raising money. I wasn't so sure about Boggiano for various reasons, but this has changed. He has become a great deal more vocal, more than usual, and seems driven. Boggiano's favorite gripe is about the soul-crushing traffic jams in his district. He also didn't take kindly to the expected replacing of local bridges connecting the Heights and Journal Square and the time it will take. His Facebook post: "The traffic caused by the Palisades Avenue bridge closure is the number 1 traffic issue facing our Ward right now. Please help me tell the DOT how important this issue is to our quality of life by emailing or calling. "My 3 recommendations are: "1) They accelerate the project by working 24/7 to get it completed ASAP. "2) That they hire more off duty cops to direct traffic and to target the double parked cars that make the traffic worse. "3) Better planning for future closures as the work on (Route) 139 progresses. "The Department has a project hotline telephone number, 973-776-7400, and email, Pulaski.Skyway@dot.nj.gov. Please make your voices heard." Thursday Boggiano posted on his Facebook a critique of the overall state of city streets, upon returning from his vacation in North Carolina the previous week. See below: "Last Friday I flew to North Carolina and drove back on Saturday with my son and 8-year-old grandson. We got off the turnpike and drove up Montgomery St. and made a left on Baldwin Ave. My grandson said, 'Grandpa why are the streets so filthy here and paper all over. "I thought I would put this on here after seeing a post about a new (street cleaning) machine being used Downtown. So an 8 year old noticed the difference between the Charlotte area and New Jersey." Boggiano's ire has turned on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Following Thursday's official reopening of the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal in Liberty State Park after $20 million in repairs after damage sustained by super storm Sandy, the councilman was dismayed to learn there were no plans to fund repairs to the original ferry slips. Critics of Boggiano unfairly claim he is a member of the City Council and should be fixing everything instead of complaining. Riiiggght. Perhaps he could do more as mayor. Boggiano has a strong Journal Square following, including friends among leaders of Middle Eastern residents and religious leaders. Emotion can take you so far. I'm skeptical about his influence in other (southern) wards where he may be viewed as just a grumpy old white guy. Nevertheless, I would look for him to come out perhaps next month, definitely this summer, and officially say what we all know; he wants to be mayor. The clock is ticking. INSIDER NOTES -- Who is going to fill these seats with the passing of Elnora Watson, 67, the executive director of the Urban League of Hudson County, and Frances O. Thompson, 74, the first African-American woman to hold elected municipal office in Hudson County? The past Jersey City councilwoman was also director of the Hudson County Office of Minority and Women Business Enterprise. Several sources say the Urban League post could attract someone like Councilwoman Joyce Watterman and even 31st District Sen. Sandra Cunningham. There's some clout to heading up an agency that attracts millions of dollars for programs that "elevates the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities." I believe sometime Cunningham adviser Joe Cardwell is a paid consultant for the historic civil rights group with an office in the Jersey City-based organization. Perhaps Joe would like to protect his interests and push for Cunningham? As for Thompson's county job, it is considered by some in south Jersey City as an African-American woman's post -- or so I'm told. This means we'll have to wait and see who Fulop wants. ;) Oh yeah, for non-Hudson readers, everyone mentioned in this column is a member of the Democratic Party. -- Speaking of Cunningham, her legislative bill to ban state colleges and universities from using public funds to pay speakers at graduations has been approved by the Higher Education Committee. "We want to make sure state funds are being used for operational expenses as opposed to auxiliary expenses," she said. Her press release notes: "In 2011, Rutgers University paid Nobel laureate Toni Morrison $30,000 to address the class of 2011. Kean University paid Director Spike Lee $25,000 to speak at the school's 2006 graduation. However, at other universities such as The College of New Jersey, since 2008, the commencement speaker has been a faculty member selected by the graduates. "The purpose of this bill would be to promote efficient and effective government. It would eliminate the use of State funds to pay these individuals in light of the reduction in State funding to public institutions of higher education and as a way to taper the steady increase in tuition and fees ..." This year, President Obama did not receive an honorarium, money, for speaking to Rutgers graduates, and journalist Bill Moyers turned down $35,000 for his address. Both speakers accepted honorary degrees. Remember, even Kermit the Frog received an honorary degree. I don't know what a frog gets for an honorarium. -- Things are looking upscale for Jersey City's Journal Square if Starbucks is planning to open there. Well, more like within the protected confines of the PATH station, probably so as not to feel pressured into selling lottery tickets. The barista operation must be expecting more commuters in the area soon. -- There are some who do not agree with my assessment last week that the partnership between Fulop and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka places the Jersey City mayor in a powerful position for his eventual run for the governor's office. Their argument is that, while he should do well with the state's African-American community with the help of Baraka, Fulop will do poorly in Jersey City. They also say that Essex is not an African-American county and that county Executive Joseph DiVincenzo -- who appears to lean toward south Jersey boss George Norcross who is behind Senate President and Fulop Rival Steve Sweeney -- has a big following among Latinos, including the Portuguese community. I suggest that in a Democratic Party primary those who come out to vote are the elderly and African-American citizens. Any problems with Jersey City's African-American communities may be muted when primary voters follow party leadership. We'll find out next year. -- It may be too late for most of you, by the time you read this, but early today, the New Jersey Black Caucus will hold a community forum in St. Peter's College's Gannon Hall, 850 Montgomery St., Jersey City. Called "Face to Face to Face," those expected to attend include Cunningham, Sen. Ron Rice of Newark, Freeholder Gerard Balmir of Jersey City and others. Registration is at 8 a.m. Balmir is smart to stay in the public eye and out of ex-Freeholder Jeff Dublin's. -- On June 29, Union City officials are expected to name 36th Street, from Palisade to New York avenues, Rev. Gary Kugler Way after the late pastor of St. John Lutheran Church. I consider it a well deserved honor. As a beat reporter I came in contact with Kugler who opened a homeless shelter in the basement of a small church in the 1980s. It was the time of the Mariel Cuban boatlift wave of refugees when many came to North Hudson. The reverend worked day and night to help them. He didn't close the shelter after the boatlift wave passed because homelessness remained. A genial man with a big moral compass, Kugler probably didn't anticipate what he was tackling, but he never shied from the responsibilities. -- Christos Genes, a retired Hudson County Sheriff's lieutenant, loved to talk politics. I could expect to get a minimum half-dozen calls a week, most in the evening, from the Bayonne resident. Once he called while stuffing envelopes with a former Jersey City mayor for the Hudson County Democratic Organization while laughingly denying it. In 2015, Christos Genes ran unsuccessfully for a Bayonne school board seat. He is seen speaking at a local Rotary Club public forum on Oct. 1, 2015 for 18 of the 20 Board of Education candidates vying for the five open seats in November's election. He had strong opinions and took me to task for some things I wrote. One thing he knew were all the owners of Greek diners. At times it was like dealing with a big kid. He was not well. I'd see him at meetings and political events awkwardly walking with a big cane. The past year I started getting those calls from a hospital room. He was fighting complications from diabetes. Yesterday, I saw a post on his Facebook page from his brother, George. "To all my friends and my brother's friends, I regret to inform you that tomorrow on (6/24/16) I will be taking my brother off his ventilator. May our good Lord take him into his arms peacefully & quickly. I am heartbroken and a piece of me has been ripped out of me. Arrangements will be posted for next week." There are many people I have known well when I worked on the paper who have since departed. My phone rings less often. My condolences to the Genes family. EDITOR'S NOTE: Agustin C. Torres' columns appear in The Jersey Journal every Saturday. By Julia Sass Rubin Gov. Chris Christie announced a radical -- and dishonest -- proposal this week: a new school funding formula that he claimed would provide each public school district with $6,599 per enrolled student without discontinuing aid for special needs students. Christie said he also would protect charter school funding, but otherwise would "take the amount of aid we send directly to the school districts today (in excess of $9.1 billion) and send it equally to every K-12 student in New Jersey." Although numerous commentators pointed out the devastating impact that Christie's proposal would have on children who live in communities with high rates of poverty, none actually verified the governor's claim - that dividing state aid equally among all New Jersey students would result in $6,599 per pupil funding. Had they done so, they would have found that the $6,599 per pupil figure, and the promises of property tax reductions predicated on it, are both false. There simply is not a $9.1 billion state education budget available to distribute across New Jersey while also protecting special education funding and charter schools. State special education funding alone accounts for almost a billion dollars. And state funding pays for less than a third of all special education expenses. So if the governor distributed state aid evenly, he would eliminate the ability of many districts to provide special education services as their local tax base is inadequate to fund the additional costs. Then there's the state funding Christie would need to set aside to protect charter schools. In 2015-16, charter schools received in excess of $600 million in funding, primarily in the form of state aid pass-throughs from high poverty districts. And charter school funding is growing rapidly as the Christie administration increases the number of charter school students. The governor's numbers also ignore other programs he is unlikely to cut, such as pre-school funding and choice aid. Eliminating state pre-school funding would remove another $656 million from the funds Christie could distribute to all districts. Cutting the funding would not only be bad public policy, it also would jeopardize federal preschool funds New Jersey currently receives. The $54 million in choice aid funds the popular Interdistrict Public School Choice program that the governor supports and that benefits many small, rural districts. There are many other examples. When all is factored in, the actual amount that the governor's plan would distribute is approximately $4,800 per student -- nearly $2,000 less than he promised in his speech. Why would the Christie administration make the blatantly false claim that each student would receive the higher figure under his plan? Perhaps because $4,800 per student would create many more losers and many fewer winners for the governor's proposal. Rather than the 70 percent of all districts seeing a state funding increase, as the governor claimed, the distribution of winners and losers would be closer to 50/50. Perhaps because it is clear that $4,800 is not enough money to educate a child, and there are many New Jersey school districts that would be forced to do so on little more than that, if the Christie plan was adopted. For example, Union City, which Christie lauded for producing "extraordinary growth under very trying circumstances," would see its state and local funding drop from approximately $16,400 to $6,100 per student -- a funding level below that of Mississippi. Perhaps Gov. Christie put forth an inflated per pupil funding amount because he knew that his proposal had no chance of being adopted. It was meant as political theater rather than a serious policy recommendation. Whatever his reasons, it is clear that Christie lied to the people of New Jersey about an issue of great importance to our state. Julia Sass Rubin is associate professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. Follow NJ.com Opinion on Twitter @NJ_Opinion. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. Sometimes when I think about the Bridgeton community through my "mayor eyes," it almost comes about in the same way that a doctor might think about his or her patient. That is to say clinical, dispassionate, and business-like. This clinical thing doesn't happen often because Bridgeton is filled with people I know and care deeply about, but it happens enough that I pay attention to it when it occurs. What prompted the latest bout of clinical "mayor eyes" was a report on urban poverty from the John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy at Thomas Edison State University. The report, entitled "The Cost of Poverty: The Perpetuating Cycle of Concentrated Poverty in New Jersey Cities," looked at four urban communities: Trenton, Perth Amboy, Passaic, and Bridgeton to understand the chronic nature of urban poverty in our state. We tend to think of South Jersey as exclusively rural, but that's not quite accurate. Bridgeton, like many other urban communities, struggles to overcome problems that can only be understood in the same way we understand a patient with systemic problems --things that are foundational-less a symptom than a cause. Maybe understanding this difference is part of treatment. One systemic or foundational thing in the report is New Jersey's ongoing reliance on the local property tax as being the only real way municipalities have to fund their budgets. This dependence means distress when the property tax base erodes, as has been the case here. The burden gets placed on the shrinking base. Another issue is the number of tax exempt properties in urban communities and the impact they have on the base. In Bridgeton, some exempt properties come from being a county seat and having certain state and county facilities. But a lot of exempt properties in cities exist in response to helping the poor. It's no surprise that nonprofit, social service, and faith-based agencies "cluster" where they are most needed. Nonprofits do a lot of good in other ways, but it's forgotten when it comes to tax revenue. That's a big part of why Gateway, my nonprofit agency, and Complete Care run by Council President Edwards, willingly pays property tax, so as not to burden a communities' ratable base. Cities do receive state funding known as "CMPTRA" or Consolidated Municipal Property Tax Relief Aid along with the Energy Receipts tax, but this aid has been reduced a lot over the past 10-15 years. Less revenue means more distress and unlike funding for schools, the money is not necessarily given out based on need. One possible answer might be a non-resident or "commuter" tax. Unfortunately, New Jersey does not let cities charge non-resident taxes as happens with those commuting into Philadelphia to work. This would be a way to ease the property tax burden for urban cities where a lot of the jobs are located. What would that mean for a city like Bridgeton? It would mean an inflow of revenue from those commuting in to work at places like the county court/jail complex, state prison, school system, hospital, City Hall, and some of our larger factories and businesses. What gets spent at local stores helps local business, but it's not enough to lessen the burden in urban cities. The report included a number of other recommendations -- everything from tax credits and nutrition programs to minimum wage increases, affordable housing, child care subsidies, literacy programs, pay equity, and paid family leave. While important, these are larger issues that get played out on a larger stage if at all. Until then, we still have an obligation to provide services for residents, including a unique labor force that works almost exclusively in the surrounding townships -- the opposite of the commuter. The difference here is that the bulk of this group is outside the financial mainstream so they can't easily be a part of growing the base. What is needed are some new tools on the state level, tools that will allow for new and creative ways to ease the burden of urban cities, whether a commuter tax, a new set of tax incentives that are user-friendly for small businesses in urban areas, ways to mitigate the exempt inventory, or a needs-based formula for handing out state aid. Whatever it is, my hope is that the state will work with urban cities to come up with creative tools that can help leverage what is unique to the states' urban cities. Albert B. Kelly is mayor of Bridgeton. Contact him by phone at 856-455-3230 Ext. 200. Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com How about this for a sign of the times: Thousands of Muslims fleeing the collapse of civilization and mindless sectarian murder in the Arab Middle East are turning for safety and security to...whom? And where? To the infidels of the mostly Christian West -- the very people fundamentalist Islam teaches deserve death unless they convert. It's just one of the paradoxes plaguing our bizarre moment in time. The 21st century is struggling to find a new political order and equilibrium as the post-World War II order formed by the victorious allies does a slow dissolve. Disorder is the rule of the day almost everywhere. Even the House of Representatives, as starched-shirt an institution as man ever devised, had its own confrontation with disorder last week, a sit-in by Democrats demanding a vote to toughen gun regulations. Naturally, they didn't get the vote they wanted. The vote they got was on a Republican motion to take a two-week vacation. You expected something better? The House uprising came to naught but it nevertheless told us something, namely that no institution is safe in today's angry and uncompromising climate. Change is in the air almost everywhere. We're adrift on uncharted seas, as the cliche has it. Take Europe, a place we thought we'd finally fixed for good. The Middle East refugee tide threatens to destabilize the place and has put its great achievement, the European Union and its open borders, in jeopardy. Nations across much of the continent, which only yesterday celebrated the openness that marked the end of a thousand years of warfare, are now taking a critical look at this new, borderless regime. Denmark has all but closed its border with Germany. And the Swedes, normally a welcoming people, are having second thoughts on how generously to lavish welfare on Middle East immigrants. Ditto the nations of Eastern and Southern Europe, the gateway to the good life in northern and western Europe for most of those fleeing the Middle East. Most of uproar in Europe's latest crisis centered on the British, who on Thursday voted to leave the European Union. Emotions ran high. Those for remaining in Europe portray the departure as a kind of economic and political Armageddon, at very least a threat to London's premier place in world finance. The pro-leavers see open immigration and rule-making by the European Commission in Brussels as undermining British culture and national sovereignty. Actually, both sides had it right as far as I could tell, which only made the choice more difficult and the decision more polarizing. The signal it sends to other Euro bloc nations -- namely that threatening to leave or even actually leaving is no longer unthinkable -- could have repercussion in the days ahead. The British are hardly the only Europeans irked by the arrogance of Brussels bureaucrats and their indifference to distinctive national cultures and the unimpeded influx of foreigners. Then there's the policing cost involved in assimilating thousands of foreigners, many who can't speak the national language. France, Belgium, Germany, Britain and Italy have all incurred increased police and public safety costs growing out of racial, religious and cultural frictions between local and the newcomers. Trump on #BrexitVote: They wanted to take their borders back https://t.co/4QjUxY0AIu https://t.co/8qtUpfoCXg The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) June 24, 2016 It's nice to be neighborly and welcoming to hard-pressed refugees. It's the moral thing to do as well. But it can raise hell with the home folks if it costs too much or threatens prevailing racial, religious or cultural traditions. We've seen some of that here this year in our own presidential election, with the Donald Trump tirades against immigrants in general and Mexicans and Muslims in particular. Nothing more starkly captures the essence of the Trump campaign than "the Wall," his pledge to build one across our southern border and -- this is still really goofy -- get Mexico to pay for it. What Trump is gambling on is that he can rally enough whites against the growing non-white presence here to gin up an election day majority. He's got a partly receptive audience already. White men haven't voted for a Democrat for president in more than 50 years -- since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Trump's rhetoric makes it plain that he's banking on a white versus non-white election outcome. Nothing less. It's his ticket to the White House. Follow NJ.com Opinion on Twitter @NJ_Opinion. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. Donald-Trump.jpg On the issue of truthfulness, Donald Trump has little ground to stand on. (Photo by Drew Angerer | Getty Images) In a speech this week in which he called his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, a "world-class liar," Donald Trump lied. Repeatedly. We'd list all these lies, but our space here is limited. So, based on the level of absurdity, we've curated some of his greatest hits. 1) Trump claimed to be a self-made success, saying he started out "with a small loan and built a business worth over $10 billion." In fact, it was a princely $1 million loan from his father and an inherited company with property holdings all over New York City. Details. Trump lashes into Clinton as a 'world-class liar' 2) He argued Clinton is weak on foreign policy, citing the Benghazi attack in which Ambassador Chris Stevens "was left helpless to die, as Hillary Clinton soundly slept in her bed." In fact, according to the 11-hour Benghazi hearing last year, Clinton "did not sleep all night." No matter. A "Trump fact" is one that makes the story better. 3) He repeated some of the same false claims he's been called out on before: That our trade deficit with China rose 40 percent during Clinton's time as Secretary of State (it was 12 percent), and that she will "virtually abolish the Second Amendment." Once again, he provides no evidence of either. 5) His most reckless whoppers by far, though, were about Muslims. First, he repeated an erroneous early report that the father of the Orlando shooter was a Taliban supporter, based on what CNN later found was a mistranslation of a YouTube video. Then, somehow, Trump connected the Orlando shooter, a U.S. citizen, to refugees, saying Clinton would admit "hundreds of thousands of refugees from the most dangerous countries on Earth -- with no way to screen who they are or what they believe." Donald Trump isn't just a bigot. He's a liar. | Editorial In fact, there is a way. An extensive way: Rigorous screening procedures to vet refugees are already in place, taking up to two years and involving five government agencies. 6) Most outrageously, Trump tried to spin his bigoted ban on Muslims as having nothing to do with bigotry. "I only want to admit people who share our values and love our people," he said. Please. He has suggested no way to verify whether Muslims share our values or love our people. He has simply called to ban them all from entering the country. And we can't even tell what religion people are without ethnic profiling. How on earth could we tell who loves our people? But perhaps we should expect no better from the candidate awarded Politifact's 2015 "Lie of the Year Award" -- not for any particular lie, but for his cumulative portfolio. As many as three quarters of Trump's statements are untrue, according to Politifact's analysis. Another outlet, Politico, found he lies about once every five minutes. Many of these wild fictions are on meaty policy issues, too. So while polls say voters don't find Clinton trustworthy, Trump is by far the biggest fabricator in this race. If anyone's a "world-class liar," it's him. MORE: Recent Star-Ledger editorials Follow NJ.com Opinion on Twitter @NJ_Opinion. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. CLIFTON -- The crowd erupted in applause, rejoicing in a first for the city's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community on Saturday when an LGBT rainbow pride flag was hoisted for the first time outside City Hall to fly alongside America's stars and stripes. A crowd of roughly 100 gathered around a flagpole outside City Hall and heard several speakers -- including LGBT advocates and state officials -- who said it wasn't merely a flag being raised, but an important symbol for the city, which has the second largest LGBT community in Passaic County. However, in the wake of the recent attack by a lone gunman at a gay bar in Orlando, Florida -- leaving 49 people and more than 50 injured -- speakers acknowledged the Orlando victims and noted the work that remained in the fight for LGBT equality. "Sometimes people say, 'What's the importance of a flag?" said state Assemblyman Timothy Eustace (D-Bergen), who is openly gay and has sponsored several pieces of LGBT legislation. "It really is the fabric that holds us together ... We in the LGBT community are a part of the larger fabric of society." The ceremony to raise the flag came after a narrow vote earlier this month by the City Council, which had been split on the measure before Mayor Jim Anzaldi provided the tiebreaking vote. North Haledon Councilman Michael Galluccio stood with his husband and son before the crowd and said that in the end, the city did the right thing. Galluccio and his husband had fought a state law that had banned gay couples from being able to adopt. That statute was eventually reversed. He said as a councilman; he works to ensure the government is doing the right thing for its citizens. "It's not always easy," he said. "And I don't know if everyone always grasps how far-reaching a flag raising can be. It would quite literally save lives." Jane Clementi, co-founder of the Tyler Clementi Foundation -- named after her 18-year-old son who committed suicide in 2010 after his roommate at Rutgers University broadcast to friends his intimate encounter with a man -- also spoke and said she was proud of Saturday's achievement, as well as the many other victories for the LGBT community in recent years. However, she said there was more work to be done. "We can't lose sight of that work that we need to do," she said. "There is much to celebrate, but there is much work also to be done. It seems like as you take one step forward, you get (pushed backward). We can't let that happen; we need to continue the forward momentum." During the raising of the flag, the Unity Chorale Group sang "America the Beautiful," and when it reached the top of the pole, everyone in attendance cheered and applauded for a first in Clifton history. After the ceremony, Eugene L. Farrell , a 72-year-old Vietnam War veteran, said the type of ceremony held on Saturday was exactly for what he and others fought for during the war -- freedom for all Americans. "50 years ago I went 12,000 miles away for people to be free," said Farrell, who has lived in Clifton since 1949. "How could I come home to my country and deny freedom for Americas regardless (of their sexual or gender identity)." Farrell is not a member of the LGBT community, but he nevertheless said for any veteran, if "somebody is being oppressed, we get nuts. We went halfway around the world so they can be free." Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook. Some New Jersey commuters are lucky enough to walk through historic train stations with stories as unique as the cities and towns in which they were built. Of the state's historic train stations, some have been preserved and enshrined in the National Register of Historic Places. They range from majestic terminals to simple wood frame buildings. Others stations, cast off by a railroad, have been recycled as local museums, community centers and restaurants. Some remain derelict, with uncertain futures. Here are some with backstories beyond serving masses of travelers. NJ Transit spent $19.8 million in fiscal year 2016 to maintain all of its stations, said Lisa Torbic, a spokeswoman. How much is spent on historic stations isn't separated from that total, she said. Restoring a historic station isn't easy or inexpensive. In 2014, NJ Transit spent $2.5 million to stabilize and do a reconstruction of Red Bank's station, one of the agency's oldest, and which had fallen into disrepair. It was built in 1876 and rebuilt to its historically-accurate appearance, down to the correct colors of paint. Its claim to fame is that the King of England stopped off there while on a pre-World War II train trip. Many historic stations have similar stories. Most of NJ Transit's stations were built by the predecessor railroads that now make up the agency's rail system. Some have architectural features that were particular to that railroad or built in style to honor a town's past. In New Brunswick, the Pennsylvania Railroad paid tribute to the city's Revolutionary War past by building a station with architecture similar to that of a large Colonial-era home. Feds ask NJ Transit, unions to extend deadline Califon officials felt the community deserved a better station and paid the Central Railroad of New Jersey to build the borough a large stone building, which became the centerpiece of its downtown and is now a museum. While New Jersey hasn't lost a station on the scale of New York's magnificent old Pennsylvania Station, two of four large terminals located on the Hudson River in Hudson County were demolished in the early 1960's. The Erie Railroad Pavonia terminal site became the Newport residential neighborhood and Pennsylvania Railroad's Exchange Place station was redeveloped as the commercial district bearing the same name in Jersey City. Some smaller buildings, such as Denville's station, were lost to fire. Other stations defied the odds, such as the former Jersey Central Railroad Terminal in Liberty State Park, which is used for events. It was abandoned by the cash strapped railroad in 1967, along with the rail yards, which were used for the park in 1976. The Victorian building reopened in June after damage from Hurricane Sandy was repaired. The state's two signature stations, Penn Station Newark and Hoboken Terminal, never stopped serving commuters. Restorations revealed 1930's era art deco features in the Penn Station waiting room. In Hoboken, restoration work uncovered a Tiffany stained glass ceiling in the waiting room, which had been painted black during World War II. Newark's Penn Station celebrated its 80th anniversary last year and Hoboken Terminal's 100th birthday was in 2007. Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook. NEW YORK -- Just enough. The Yankees got just enough from Masahiro Tanaka. Just enough from their reliably unreliable lineup. And just enough Twins being the Twins. It all combined for a 5-3 Yankees win before an announced crowd of 44,808 at Yankee Stadium on Friday night. Benefitting from a trio Minnesota errors, Masahiro Tanaka gave the Yankees a quality start (six innings, three runs) that buoyed what qualifies these days as an offensive explosion. Rob Refsnyder's fourth-inning RBI single -- scoring Didi Gregorius from third -- handed the Yankees a one-run lead they wouldn't relinquish. Backup catcher Austin Romine, starting in place of regular starter Brian McCann, hit a sacrifice fly two batters earlier, bringing home Chase Headley to tie things at 3-all. Aaron Hicks' solo shot with an out with an out in the eighth made it 5-3 Yankees. It was his third homer of the year and his first since May 9. The Big 3 did its job. Dellin Betances worked a clean seventh inning, Andrew Miller had a scoreless eighth and Arodlis Chapman nailed his 14th save with a strong ninth, reaching 104 mph with a fastball Kurt Suzuki somehow fouled off. According to MLB.com's Statcast, it was the fastest pitch in the majors this season. And Tanaka mostly did his job, too. Typically, the Yankees worry about how to get Tanaka an extra day's rest between starts -- he's been better with the extended time off. But this time they was given two extra rest days, thanks to a pair of off days this week, and he wasn't quite as sharp as usual. Still, Tanaka (5-2, 3.01 ERA) outdueled his counterpart, lefty Tommy Milone, who lasted just 3 2/3 innings, giving up seven hits and throwing 77 pitches. Milone surrendered four runs, but just one was earned. The Twins (23-50), entering the night with the league's worst record, made two errors in the third and one in the fourth. The big boo-boo was when shortstop Eduardo Escobar booted Austin Romine's easy grounder to lead off the third, getting the inning rolling for the Yankees (36-36), who are at the .500 mark for the fourth time since falling a season-high seven below the threshold on May 6. They're staring up from fourth in the American League East. TANAKA Tanaka's stuff was there, but his command seemed a bit off. He walked two batters but struck out seven and got four groundouts to three walks -- a ratio falling in line with his game plan this season. EARLY COMEBACK Ex-Yankee Eduardo Nunez, angling for his first career All-Star bid with a hot first half, had a two-RBI single in the third, giving Minnesota a 2-0 lead. But that evaporated quickly. Carlos Beltran's run-scoring double in in the bottom half cut the lead in half and then Alex Rodriguez singled, scoring another and tying things at 2-all. TEIXEIRA TO RETURN First baseman Mark Teixeira is set to return from the disabled list and start on Saturday. Teixeira has been nursing a partial tear in his right knee cartilage for more than two weeks. He went 1-for-9 in three rehab games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre from Tuesday-Thursday and is hitting .180 with three homers in 48 games in the majors this year. The Yankees will have to make room for Teixeira and candidates to lose their spot include utility men Ronald Torreyes and Rob Refsnyder, and backup first baseman Ike Davis. NEXT Yankees righty Michael Pineda (3-7, 5.82 ERA) will face Twins righty Ervin Santana (2-7, 4.83 ERA) at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday at Yankee Stadium. Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook. STANLEY Ronald Lyons has been in the Stanley Correctional Institution for six years for an armed robbery in Kenosha. He has another seven years to spend in the medium-security prison. On Friday, the Joliet, Illinois, man got to change out of his jail uniform and into a cap and gown. You may move your tassels, Jay Dressler, the education director at the prison, told Lyons and 41 others at the end of Fridays graduation ceremony at Windy Meadows School at the prison. With that simple switch, prisoners became graduates of various courses the prison offers, including some through Chippewa Valley Technical College. For Lyons, a high school graduate who attended one year of a community college, Fridays graduation meant a lot. I can now take what I learned and turn it into a positive when I get out, he said. He studied custodial service, apprenticeship and human relations, skills he never thought of studying before coming to Stanley. He has a goal in mind with what hes learned. I want to own my own business, he said. He hopes the Stanley Prison will offer more classes he can take during his time there. But first he got to enjoy Fridays ceremony. I was very proud. I accomplished something I set out to do, he said. My family can be proud of it too. Lyons said he enjoys working in the Can Do Canines program at the prison, where prisoners help train young dogs to eventually become therapy dogs. The prison has eight dogs that began training at the prison when they were three months old. The dogs are now eight months old, and two attended Fridays ceremony. Large graduating class Friday marked the third time State Sen. Terry Moulton (R-Chippewa Falls) has attended a graduation ceremony at the Stanley Prison. This years 86 students is the largest graduating class hes seen. This is an excellent program, Moulton said, adding he talked with a tutor for the schools students who is now designing items for the state. Moulton said he favors sending people who have drug and alcohol convictions to alternative programs instead of prisons. He said perhaps the money that could be saved with that move could be used to offer more programs such as the ones at Stanley, where graduates can learn skills they can use after leaving prison. Moving forward This is no small day. You guys accomplished a major accomplishment, said Nathan Melton of the Windows 2 Work program, who was the keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony. He urged the prisoners to continue rebuilding their lives. Your story is not done, he said. Your story is just beginning. That was the lesson the graduation ceremonys student speaker, Lee Phillips, stressed. Phillips said at age 15 he and his father started a welding company that became successful. I had it made, he said. Then his life took another turn. Today, he said he is broke and divorced. But hes decided success hinges on improving your mental, spiritual, physical and emotional outlook. Today, he wants to work as a therapist and help others. Life is bigger than me, he said. Voters like Chris Coughenour, a Pittsburgh-area truck driver, may represent presidential candidate Donald Trumps biggest challenge. Those like Cherie Spena, a hair stylist, and Brian Easter, a limo driver, are his best hope. Together, they explain why, despite recent controversies, Trump remains competitive in the Rust Belt and, as a result, in the election. I was a big Trump fan, Coughenour said during a focus group of Pennsylvania voters Monday in Pittsburgh. He is a good businessman and all that. But, at the same time, he doesnt know much about being president and anything to do with government. As a result, although the 24-year-old Republican agrees on issues with Trump, he is thinking of voting for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. But comments by Spena, 48, an independent who initially called herself undecided, made clear she leans toward the presumptive Republican nominee. I trust him, she said. He just makes me feel very comfortable and safe. And Easter, 37, an independent who initially tended toward Democrat Hillary Clinton and worried Trumps loose tongue could cause a war, said he is becoming more comfortable with the idea of voting for Trump. Hes more honest, he said. Clinton leads most national polls, and public polls show the race very close in Pennsylvania, which Democrats have carried six straight times by 5 points (310,000 votes) in 2012. Trump may have to win it to win the White House. He should benefit from the fact Pennsylvanias population is older, whiter and less-educated than states like Colorado and Virginia, the Cook Political Reports David Wasserman noted in a recent FiveThirtyEight analysis. That means votes from people like Coughenour, Spena and Easter in western Pennsylvanias blue-collar suburbs could offset Democratic strength in Philadelphia and its white-collar suburbs. Only one of 11 participants in the focus group conducted by veteran Democratic pollster Peter Hart for the University of Pennsylvanias nonpartisan Annenberg Public Policy Center had a four-year college degree a pro-Clinton 27-year-old web designer. Most were either Republicans or independents. The Trump voters seemed more certain in their opinions than those tending to Clinton. For example, though Danyale Victor, 45, an African-American homemaker, said she is a big supporter of Clinton and considers Trump a racist, she waffled on voting for the former secretary of state because Clinton is a woman and I dont think she can run the country. On the other hand, Raymond Fisher, 50, a Republican maintenance man, said that, while he doubts Trump is prepared for what hes going to get, hes solidly behind him. I think he will bring back manufacturing to this country, he said. I think he stands a better chance of that than Hillary. One striking aspect of the discussion was the absence, except in vague references, of many hot-button issues that have dominated daily cable news and newspaper coverage of the campaign, such as Trumps advocacy of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, his call for banning Muslim immigrants and his recent denunciation of an Indiana-born judges Mexican heritage, plus the controversy over Clintons use of a private email server. When asked directly about the wall, about half supported it and seemed confident it would be built. But even those backing Trumps call for banning Muslim immigration were skeptical it would happen. Still, neither that nor his lack of governmental experience bothered his supporters, who like the fact Trump is not a politician. Hes unapologetic, which I think is kind of nice because its a change from those dirty politicians, said Dara Held, 40, a stay-at-home mother who sells jewelry and purses. Hes not that. Hes a businessman. Sarah MajKowski, the pro-Clinton web designer, agreed Trump was honest but likened him to the way a child is honest because they dont know any better. On the other hand, many comments about Clinton echoed the finding in polls that many voters consider her dishonest. I lost respect for her as a woman when she had an issue with her husband and never addressed it, said Spena, the independent leaning to Trump. Megan Carpenter, 32, a homemaker and pro-Trump Republican, questioned her credibility, declaring: Her lack of accountability really just grates on me. A recent letter to the editor (May 24 Herald) from Jeff Peck, an area farmer and politician, left me a bit confused about the status of the cow. Mr. Pecks letter applauded the cooperative movement, praised the county extension offices and appeared to criticize government regulators and business interests. His final statement was that Wisconsin should make the cow great again. My confusion comes from what kind of cow he means. I would go along with the typical family cow. You remember the 40- to 80-cow dairy herd that grazed over maybe 120 to 240 acres. That cow was also known as the family farm and was the backbone of the Wisconsin dairy industry. Those tied to family farms remember the days of milking twice a day, 365 days out of the year. All family gatherings were planned around milking time. The family cow required daily attention, plenty of water and good feed. The cows were allowed out into the pasture and returned to the barn at milking time. Many cows were held in pasture until the weather became too inclement to allow them out. The family farm often had a bull around to provide for the needs of the cows and to scare the heck out of kids. When the family cow outlived her usefulness, off to the slaughterhouse she went. Misbehaving bulls were often turned into baloney. The family farm is rapidly being replaced by the corporation farm. CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) often run between 300 to more than 1,000 cows. The CAFO cow is part of a factory operation, sort of an assembly line working cow. There are several CAFO farms in the area. CAFO farms present challenges to making the cow great again. CAFO farms often require high-capacity wells; and produce manure in such quantities that you almost need a municipal wastewater/sewer system to manage the solid and liquid waste. They can be a problem for the neighbors, the area water tables and waste disposal. The problem with the CAFO cow is that it started out as a family farm and grew and grew beyond all recognition. It is the family farm cow on steroids. Cows are in a production line, some are milked three times a day and those cows that get used up and die may end up out back in a pit, or, as in a couple of cases, in a huge pile of refuse. The problem is not making Wisconsin cows great again it is having the farmers agree on what they want the cow to look like. My father-in-law was a milk hauler for more than 40 years. He went from hauling can milk with one truck to having three hired men and himself driving four trucks with tanks on them. He knew farmers and cows. He had a saying that farmers could get ahead if they could all sit down and agree to cooperate with one another. As we all know, there is no one as free and independent as a farmer. Sometimes that freedom and independence works against them. Mr. Peck probably remembers his campaign against Ms. Bernier, where fliers went around that he was a member of a UNION of all things. Yes, he was a member of the Wisconsin Farmers Union. Heaven forbid if all farmers in this state formed a union and worked together for their own common good. Could we have a union cow? You may check my figures, but family farms are disappearing, the average age of a Wisconsin farmer is 56 and not many young people are going into farming. The cost of land, feed equipment and the like all play into it. Yet, as the old song goes, How ya gonna keep em down on the farm, after theyve seen Paree. How ya gonna keep em away from Broadway, jazzin around and paintin the town. How ya gonna keep em away from harm, thats a mystery. Theyll never want to see a rake or plow, and who the deuce can parleyvous a cow? How ya gonna keep em down on the farm after theyve seen Paree. I think the Wisconsin cow is doing just fine. The Wisconsin family farmer may be another story. Good luck, Mr. Peck, and happy Dairy Month! The CAGO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) cow is part of a factory operation, sort of an assembly line working cow. There are several CAFO farms in the area. CAFO farms present challenges to making the cow great again. Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox Residents in Beeston are furious with their local MP after she made remarks about the "white working class" voting against staying in the EU. Anna Soubry, the Conservative representative for Broxtowe, made the comments on Friday morning, shortly before Prime Minister David Cameron announced he was stepping down following the result. The small business minister said a large part of the Leave vote was "white working class Labour supporters" who have "probably never seen a migrant" rather than voting with their traditional party. On the busy streets of Beeston today, at the heart of her constituency, local people were angry at their representative. Jos Dent, of Beeston, called Ms Soubry "an embarrassment." The 33-year-old added: "I think a lot of remain voters are scared by the outcome, myself included, but some people are lashing out because of that. "There's been a lot of discussion in the media about class voting, but, to be honest, I don't think many people listened to politicians of either side, regardless of the class or ethnic origin of the voter. "The interesting thing about her quote is that she specifies 'Labour supporters' and says that they won't listen to her. Seeing as she's our MP, clearly we're a Conservative area and if she can't connect to voters, that's her lack of skills, not a problem with the people she's failed to communicate with." Dominic Price, also of Beeston, said whilst he saw her point about the working class, her attitude was "elitist." The 36-year-old said: "I expect that she is most likely factually correct that working class voters in England and Wales supported the Leave vote. But her elitist attitude and her directing of blame towards those voters is an indictment of why they voted that way. "When their elected representative doesn't appear to speak for them, they will try and find other ways to make their voices heard." Julie Holmes, 47, who was in Beeston shopping, also disagreed with the comment. She said: "It wasn't just working class people. The decision was made by lots of people from everywhere. It is stupid to say it." Whilst Nora Ackroyd, 71, of Beeston, added: "What a silly thing to say. I voted Remain and I'm not happy, but you can't blame it on one group." And one woman who lived in the area, but did not want to be named, said: "I completely disagree, as I am a white, working class, non Labour voter, who voted remain based on the information I was given. "What an utter knee jerk, Teflon coated response to failure from Soubry. The next ridiculous point, she'll blame global warming solely on the cows and all other contributing factors are null and void." We are still waiting to hear back from Ms Soubry for a response. WASHINGTON The Obama administration is trying to make it easier for students who have been misled or defrauded by their colleges to have their loans forgiven. The Education Department says a rule proposed Monday would lay out a clear relief process for borrowers who believe they were lied to about job prospects after college or otherwise deceived in order to enroll in the school. It also aims to hold schools accused of fraud or at financial risk more accountable by requiring them to notify prospective and enrolled students, as well as set aside money that could help cover future claims against the school. The proposal follows the collapse last year of Corinthian Colleges, one of the largest for-profit college companies. "A college degree remains one of the best investments anyone can make in his or her future," Education Secretary John B. King Jr. said on a call with reporters. "But that's only true if it's a meaningful degree that helps you land a better job, not if it's a worthless piece of paper that's an artifact of deception rather than proof of accomplishment." The proposal would streamline debt relief for groups of students if they all experienced the same misconduct by a school, such as instances of wide misrepresentation meaning they all wouldn't have to file individual applications for loan forgiveness. The new provisions also would bar colleges from forbidding students from class-action lawsuits as part of enrollment agreements, something Corinthian had done. The Education Department continues to vet thousands of requests from Corinthian students for relief from their federal loans. So far, it has erased the debt for more than 8,800 former Corinthian students, totaling more than $132 million. But that's only a small fraction of the estimated $3.6 billion in federal loans given to Corinthian students. A growing number of Northwest Indiana fireworks shops are open 24/7, at least for the week leading up to the Fourth of July, raising the question of who's out buying fireworks at 3:30 a.m.? Often, it's out-of-state residents. It's no secret that Northwest Indiana's 100 licensed fireworks sellers benefit greatly from bans in nearby states. Fireworks shops are clustered along the state line, and their owners estimate 75 percent to 90 percent of business comes from Illinois, where fireworks sales are forbidden. They also get business from Michigan, which only allowed fireworks sales a few years ago, and from Wisconsin where a patchwork of local regulations has resulted in limited selection that doesn't include the big aerials many backyard pyromaniacs prefer. China Lightning Fireworks at 9401 Melton Road, in Gary's Miller neighborhood, stays open 24 hours a day, seven days a week partly to cater to Illinois residents who prefer to buy their fireworks under cover of night in the wee morning hours. Illinois State Police used to camp out by the state line, pull over drivers with Illinois plates coming out of Indiana, check their trunks and confiscate any contraband fireworks they found, China Lightning Fireworks owner Robert Tomsich said. They don't do that anymore, but people are still spooked, said Tomsich, who owns the fireworks store with his wife, Darlene. "That was years ago," he said. "Anyway, you can possess fireworks, they just can't catch you lighting them." China Lightning Fireworks even sells fireworks by the case, so Chicago residents can resell the firecrackers individually in their neighborhoods. "We sell by the case to bootleggers. The bootleggers are a huge part of our business," he said. "A lot of retailers don't like to sell wholesale, because you don't make as much money when you're selling firecrackers in bricks. But I lived in Chicago. I get it. Some people rely on public transportation and aren't driving out to Indiana to get their bottle rockets and fountains." People come from as far as north of Milwaukee to shop for fireworks in Indiana, and often get in late after leaving from work in the frenzied final few days before the Fourth of July, said Kris Zambo, manager of Dynamite Fireworks at 4218 Calumet Ave in Hammond. The store, which is open year-round, does about 75 percent of its sales in just a few days before Independence Day, and is busy at all hours, he said. "Amazingly enough, you do have sales at 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. in the morning," he said. "People are out looking for a good time, or on an excursion far from home." From the retailer's perspective it makes good business sense to stay open 24/7 on the last week, since employees are already in the building. "They're restocking inventory," he said. "It gets so crowded in July we need to restock every night, because there are so many customers in the store." You may have noticed the flashing signs, the hundreds of billboards, the ubiquitous drawing of the straightjacketed Krazy Kaplan clutching a stick of dynamite, and bright colors bursting overhead. That's right, it's fireworks season in Northwest Indiana. About 100 stores sell fireworks in Northwest Indiana, many in Lake County near the Illinois state line, according to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. Sales of fireworks in Northwest Indiana have zoomed upward ever since Indiana legalized 1.4G artillery shells aerial consumer fireworks that look like they could be used in a professional show for use on private property a decade ago. And fireworks sales are expected to skyrocket by 20 percent to 40 percent in Northwest Indiana this year since Independence Day is on a Monday, making it a three-day holiday weekend. Business also is booming nationally, with national fireworks sales more than doubling to $755 million last year from $284 million in 1998, according to the American Pyrotechnic Association. Sales always take off when the Fourth of July falls on a Monday, lengthening the holiday weekend, said Robert Tomsich, who owns China Lightning Fireworks at 9401 Melton Road, in Gary's Miller neighborhood. Tomsich, whose store imports fireworks directly from Chinese manufacturers and puts on a public demonstration every year, said people end up shooting off firecrackers all weekend long, instead of just on the Fourth. "People go out and buy fireworks on Friday, then they can't wait and shoot them off the next day," he said. "Then they come back and stock up again." Tomsich gives customers tutorials on how to organize and time full fireworks shows like the professionals do instead of just lighting off firecrackers one by one, since many of his customers spend hundreds of dollars and are looking to entertain everyone on their block. 'Fireworks tourists' Fireworks store owners estimate as much as 75 percent to 90 percent of business comes from out of state, especially neighboring Illinois, where fireworks are banned. The result is "fireworks tourism," where visitors might stop for gas or at a restaurant or even make a day of it in Indiana, said Kris Zambo, manager of Dynamite Fireworks in Hammond. There's also a lift in sales tax revenue since fireworks have an additional 5 percent tax for a total sales tax of 12 percent. "People come for a lot of the big aerial stuff," he said. "They want Comiskey Park in their backyard ... They come in wanting to do a show, wanting to outdo their neighbor." Zambo said that's not hard, since fireworks have been getting "bigger and better and louder and longer." Sparks-spraying tanks that once fit in the palm of one's hand are now 10 times as large, he said. Sparklers that were once 8 inches long are now 40 inches, and they're safer since they have wooden sticks that keep people from burning themselves. "They're much better quality than they were 15, 10, even five years ago," he said. "The marketplace wants better, safer stuff, so that customers return." Many fireworks shops depend on returning pilgrimages from loyal customers in the last few days leading up to the Fourth of July. Dynamite Fireworks is open year-round and also gets business from celebrations of the Diwali festival of lights, Cinco de Mayo and New Year's, and even weddings, where sparklers have become a trend, Zambo said. Fourth of July still king But he estimates about 95 percent of sales are still for Independence Day, with about 75 percent concentrated in the first few days of July. He has to boost seasonal staff to more than 40 people, often hiring college students for a few weeks. Northwest Indiana's largest fireworks vendor, Krazy Kaplans, which started 25 years ago in shuttered shoe stores in Hammond and Griffith, now employs around 250 people at seven locations across Northwest Indiana. Other fireworks store owners credit Krazy Kaplans owner Greg Kaplan for helping build up Northwest Indiana's fireworks industry with his aggressive advertising, which includes hundreds of billboards along any highway leading into the state. This year, one can drive southbound on Interstate 94 in Calumet City and see half a dozen Krazy Kaplans billboards in a row. He's taken out 20 percent more billboards, including more digital ones, after noticing competitors were getting savvier about advertising. "I'm being more aggressive because it's worked," he said. "It's obvious I believe advertising works, because it's built up my customer base." Kaplan designed and drew the iconic logo of a bug-eyed man in a straightjacket and an Uncle Sam hat that graces so many of his billboards. It's helped build his fireworks empire, which stretches from the Illinois to the Michigan state lines and includes four superstores in Hammond alone. "It hasn't evolved in a good 15 years," he said. "I met a man from the (famed advertising agency) Leo Burnett who did the Snap, Crackle, Pop character, and he told me the character speaks a thousand words." The Krazy Kaplan character can be seen on billboards on Interstates 80, 94, 65, Indianapolis Boulevard, U.S. 30 and Cline Avenue. "If people can't find me, it's only because their car broke down," he said. Krazy Kaplans' sales have steadily risen 3 percent to 5 percent a year, and he operates superstore warehouses as big as 22,000 square feet. "There's no secret to it," he said. "We have the Walmart concept of the bigger the store and the better the planning, the more sales you're going to have. It's certainly evolved from me selling fireworks out of my basement." EAST CHICAGO One Public Works Department employee was fired in April and another resigned in May after an independent investigation into alleged thefts, an official said Friday. The employee was terminated April 27 after admitting to stealing oil, said Tom Dabertin, a consultant for East Chicago who conducted the investigation. Dabertin said he also investigated an anonymous tip regarding the theft of tires from the city, but he found no definitive proof any tires had been stolen. A Public Works employee accused of taking the tires initially denied the allegations. That employee subsequently resigned in early May, Dabertin said. Dabertin said Mayor Anthony Copeland took the allegation about tire thefts seriously and asked him to look into it, but his investigation ended in a dead end. I talked to a number of employees and looked at a number of videotapes, he said. Basically, the only thing it showed was people moving tires. Dabertin also followed up on information tires allegedly were taken to a retail business, but staff there denied knowing the employee or having any city tires, he said. Dabertin saw some of the tires, which had been moved from one city facility to another. The city keeps a log of tires, but it only accounts for certain sizes. Dabertin said he recommended the city begin recording the individual identification number on each tire it purchases as a result of his investigation. He declined to identify the employees, but said law enforcement was not notified, and no criminal charges have been filed. In general, employers often dont notify law enforcement when investigating alleged theft by employees, he said. Copeland replaced Public Works Director Monsie Corbsie on May 23. Her departure was based on Copelands desire for a change in management at the Public Works Department, Dabertin said. GARY A Orem, Utah, man selling alarm systems in the city's Brunswick neighborhood was robbed Wednesday, police said. The 20-year-old man told police he was out canvassing the 900 block of Hovey Street when two men in a dark Chevrolet Monte Carlo pulled up and one of the men got out and pointed a gun at his head. The Utah man handed over his tablet, cellphone and credit cards, Lt. Dawn Westerfield said. The suspect then got back into the car, and the men headed south on Hovey Street. The man with the gun was described as black and in his early 20s with a dark complexion and thin dreadlocks. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (219) 881-1210. To remain anonymous, call (866) CRIME-GP. PORTAGE Jeremy Parker, 38, is facing felony theft charges after he allegedly stole alcohol from a local liquor store twice on Thursday. Police tracked down Parker from video surveillance and a quick witness who wrote down his license plate number. They arrested him at his home in the 2800 block of Richard Street. According to police, about 4:30 p.m. Parker entered Old Town Liquors, 5454 Central Ave., and was seen sticking bottles of Crown Royal Black and Hennesy in the waistband of his pants before walking out. He was seen again at about 7:30 p.m. taking another bottle of Crown Royal Black, sticking it in pants and walking out. The alcohol was valued at about $90. According to police, Parker allegedly told them he stole the first two bottles because he owed his drug dealer some money. After the initial theft, Parker told police he and the dealer did some cocaine and he returned to steal another bottle. Parker was transported to Porter County Jail. MUNSTER Police are looking for help identifying a man suspected of robbing a Speedway gas station, 444 Ridge Road, on two separate occasions. In the most recent incident Friday, the suspect went into the backroom and stole about six cigarette cartons before being confronted by a store employee, according to Munster police. The offender reportedly threatened the employee with a knife, and then fled the scene in a dark vehicle. The same man is accused of stealing approximately 10 cigarette cartons from the same gas station April 21. In that incident, he fled the scene in a gold vehicle. The offender is described as white, between 5 feet, 8 inches and 6 feet tall, with a skinny build, a beard and possibly no teeth. Anyone with information about the offenders identify is asked to contact Detective Tim Nosich at (219) 836-6658 or tnosich@munster.org. Callers can remain anonymous. CROWN POINT Calling the arrest of a 20-year-old accused of dealing pills to area high school students the tip of the iceberg, Lake County Sheriff John Buncich announced Wednesday the uncovering of a massive drug trafficking operation centered around Crown Point High School. Petar Velkov, of Crown Point, was arrested Feb. 27 for his alleged involvement in the drug trafficking operation. Velkov was believed to be working with a network of others, both juveniles and adults, to supply marijuana, narcotics and other pills to area students, and on university campuses statewide and in the Region. It has mushroomed to the point where its somewhat unbelievable the amount of drugs that were sold, Buncich said during a news conference Wednesday. He pointed to a clear bag on the table in front of him, filled with about 5,000 Xanax tablets recovered during the investigation. It's believed high school students bought Xanax pills for anywhere between $10 to $20 each, he said. Velvok in February was charged with dealing in narcotic drugs, a class 2 felony. He was later charged in May for dealing in a controlled substance, a class four felony. Since Velkovs arrest, the Lake County Sheriffs Drug Task Force has uncovered additional evidence and suspects. Its frightening that this is going on in our schools that this individual and his cohorts, who are still under investigation, had such a volume of business. Its thousands and thousands of dollars, Buncich said. The investigation so far has led to the seizure of more than $65,000 in drugs and cash. Police seized more than five pounds of marijuana, 300 grams of THC oil, about 5,000 Xanax pills, 100 other pills, and more than $20,000 in U.S. currency associated with the crimes. Velkov allegedly bought the drugs by mail order. Drugs were shipped to Indiana from as far as Georgia, California and Washington, Buncich said. The 20-year-old is also accused of taking part in drug peddling to students at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Purdue University Lafayette, and Indiana University in Bloomington. This is not just a kid buying a joint or something, Buncich said. The time has come for an intense investigation. Three juveniles have also been arrested in connection with the sale of narcotics in and around the high school, he said. More arrests are expected. Crown Point Police Chief Peter Land said Wednesday his officers periodically conduct K-9 sweeps of Crown Point High School in cooperation with the administration, he said. But I could have never envisioned this massive [trafficking operation] taking place, Land said. Since January, the sheriff's drug task force has tallied more than 230 arrests and charges, recovered 21 firearms relating to drug and gang activity, and seized drugs estimated to be worth more than $457,000. HEBRON A 51-year-old woman wanted for parole violation in South Dakota was found early Friday sleeping in a stolen car behind an abandoned Porter County gas station. Marguerite M. Engle with addresses in New Whiteland, Indiana, and Pierre, South Dakota faces charges of vehicle theft, burglary, and the outstanding warrant in South Dakota, according to a Lake County sheriffs news release. Patrol officers spotted Engle about 1 a.m. Friday sleeping in the back of a 2003 Chevrolet Impala in the area of Ind. 2 and Interstate 65. They detected a strong odor of alcohol on Engle upon asking her to step out of the car. The vehicle was found to be reportedly stolen out of Minnesota. A stolen .45-caliber Springfield Armory handgun with a magazine clip and five rounds of ammunition also was discovered in the vehicle. Engle told police she stole the firearm Thursday from a location just down the street from where she was spotted. Engle was transported to the Lake County Jail. The vehicle was impounded. The firearm and alcoholic beverages found in the vehicle were collected as evidence. The case remains under investigation. HOBART Ongoing flooding issues outside of homes near 83rd Avenue and Grand Boulevard have several residents concerned about a new development planned there. Tom Garzella received subdivision and site plan approval from the Plan Commission recently for a project to create a 12,000-square-foot structure near the 83rd Avenue and Grand Boulevard intersection. During a public hearing on the subdivision request, multiple residents explained there are major flooding problems around their homes. Some indicated their properties are heavily saturated during rains. They believe the property for the new development, which will serve as a maintenance facility for a vacuum truck rental business, could contribute to flooding issues. Residents said they want current drainage problems addressed, and they dont want to see new issues if the new structure is built. Garzella said a pond on the property will be increased to hold more water when it rains. There also will be other improvements to ensure stormwater wont run off to nearby properties. City Engineer Phil Gralik said he is aware of the areas flooding issues. He said the stormwater work associated with the maintenance facility should improve some of the drainage problems encountered at nearby properties. Gralik said the city will examine its storm lines in that area to determine if they need to be cleaned or replaced. The area also will be reviewed in the new stormwater master plan, he said. In other matters, the commission supported other projects in the city. The panel approved subdivision and site plan requests for a new 125,000-square-foot facility in the NorthWind Crossings business park east of Mississippi Street near Interstate 65. The facility will become a warehouse and distribution center for NB Coatings, which produces coatings for plastics in the automotive industry. A new Dunkin Donuts proposed to open near U.S. 30 and Colorado Street also received the commissions site plan approval. GARY The Gary Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors honored city businesses as well as Community Civility Counts at its annual Business Awards Appreciation Reception on Thursday. Chamber Board Executive Director Charles 'Chuck' Hughes and Secretary OMerrial Butchee served as the master and mistress of ceremonies for the reception, held at the recently reopened Diamond Center at the U.S. Steel Yard. The two praised the efforts of businesses and entrepreneurs in the community. The Gary Chamber of Commerce is endeavoring to not only support Gary, Indiana, but we also hope to branch across Northwest Indiana, Hughes said. Your efforts are extremely cohesive to this community. Methodist Hospitals was named the business of the year at the reception, beating out the Gary South Shore RailCats and The Times Media Co. The chamber also set aside time during the event to praise the efforts that created Community Civility Counts in Northwest Indiana. Civility Counts is an initiative created jointly by the Gary Chamber of Commerce and The Times Media Co. to promote civility in the community. The chamber honored Tom Dabertin, president of the Whiting-Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce, for bringing the initiative successfully to Pierogi Fest, and Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, for presenting Civility Counts to 120 nations. "This initiative has brought pride to Northwest Indiana," Hughes said. "This is something that has never been contested; two chambers have worked together to make community civility work." Butchee said she hopes to see further community collaboration to improve the lives of Northwest Indiana youth. "When I look at Northwest Indiana and I think about whats beautiful, I think about working with the kids, Butchee said. "I am looking for growth, development and organization within our communities that we can collaborate on to bring positive exposure to the kids." Among the other award winners, Global Effect Movers and Shakers (GEMS) Network was named small business of the year, Edgewater Behavioral Health Services won the health and wellness award, Northern Indiana Public Service Co. was corporate citizen of the year, and Lighthouse Academies of NWI received the education award. The chamber of commerce also recognized the NAACP's Gary Chapter and Rieth-Riley Construction Company for 100 years of service in Gary. "It is essential that we not only observe, but celebrate a business's longevity," Hughes said. The Chairmans Award was presented to Yvette Irons-Johnson, chairman of the Chamber Board. And the final award of the evening was the Gary Chamber Champion of the Year, which went to Fresh County Market. The award goes to a company that shows support to the chamber. "I dont think there is any company in this room that Fresh County Market has not accommodated," Hughes said. During a brief Gary Chamber of Commerce meeting at the reception, Irons-Johnson, Dr. Gordon Bradshaw, Butchee and Maria Guillen were added to the Chamber Executive Board. Janelle St. John, Leon Davis, Chaerice White, Michael Labroi, Eddie Melton, Michael Radbel, Gerald Mohamed and Gary Miller were named to the Board of Directors. HAMMOND A Hammond landlord has won a rehearing in his legal battle against the city over one of his rental properties. Jose Andrade has various rental units in East Chicago and Hammond, including a five-unit structure at 6609 Jefferson St. that has been at the center of a nearly 3 1/2-year battle with the city over its use as a multi-unit apartment building. The citys Board of Public Works and Safety eventually held an unsafe building violation hearing on the property on May 14, 2015, and a dozen days later ruled the structure was originally a single-family structure and must be returned to that use. Andrade and his attorney, who said they were never properly notified about the meeting, fought back by filing lawsuits in both state and federal courts. On Thursday, Lake Superior Court Judge Calvin Hawkins said there were ambiguities regarding the notice and entered summary judgment in favor of Andrade. As a result, the board is expected to hear the case again later this year. At the 2015 board hearing, it was reported that research by building inspector Matt Saliga showed the building was constructed as a single-family residence and improperly converted to a multi-unit structure. Andrade, however, said his research shows the building was always used as a multi-unit structure. A report by Saliga also allegedly said there were electrical issues, no fire separation, improper landings and ceiling heights and inadequate supports. The city contends it found the property to be unsafe and uninhabitable, according to the minutes of the hearing. Andrade and his attorney argue that because they didnt receive proper notice of the 2015 hearing, they were not there to present their side. Among their arguments is that Andrades building constructed in 1927 cannot be held to current codes if the usage hasnt changed or an unpermitted major modification hasnt been made. Attorney Curtis Vosti and Andrade say they were prepared to have State Building Law Compliance Officer Dean Illingworth testify on their behalf on this point Thursday and plan to call him at the upcoming board meeting. Andrade, who also has filed a federal lawsuit against the city, said other landlords have been in similar battles with the city over the use of their property. Hammond Corp. Counsel Kristina Kantar said there are some components of an older structure that can be grandfathered in when it comes to modern codes, but they had to have been legal at the time the building was developed. She contends in regard to the Jefferson Avenue home there was some activity taken that was not legal at the time it was developed as a multi-unit structure. For example, she contends the manner in which the building was constructed could never have been legally used in creating a 5-unit structure. Its not a fire safe means of building a multifamily house, according to Kantar. While Vosti said he and his client won Thursday on the claim that Andrade was denied due process, Kantar said it wasnt a victory, but rather a do-over. John M. McCrum, an attorney with the Eichhorn & Eichhorn law firm representing the city in the case, said the city believed Andrade had been given adequate notice, but the court disagreed. He estimated another hearing before the board would be held later this summer. Vosti said he and his client are ready for an honest hearing before the board. A Portage resident is attending the funeral in Florida for one of his friends, a victim in the Orlando Pulse nightclub attack. Adam Clough flew out Friday with some of his friends to celebrate the life of Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34, one of 49 patrons of the club killed in what became the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. Clough met Sotomayor a few years ago during a Drag Stars at Sea cruise, which Sotomayor coordinated. Ive been traveling with him the past two years on cruises, Clough said. Thats how weve all gotten to know each other and have grown close to Edward. Weve become this close family that travels together. Clough, program director at the Lake Station Boys & Girls Club, said what really touched him about Sotomayor was how the 34-year-old Sarasota man would walk with a sign offering free hugs. Thats how he spread the message of love, Clough said. Through his free hugs to everybody. Clough said many other friends from other parts of the country are flying out to Sotomayors funeral, which is being held at Sarasotas Robarts Arena. The celebration of Sotomayors life will continue after the memorial when the group takes part in a candlelight walk in the St. Pete Pride Parade. Theyve asked us to wear white T-shirts and top hats, Clough said. On the cruises, Eddie was always wearing a top hat. Top Hat Eddie was his nickname. Clough and his friends will return home in time to bring NWI Pride to the Gary SouthShore RailCats game on Sunday, where a friend of theirs, Jared Riddle, is performing the national anthem. Although they wont be attending Chicagos Pride Parade, Clough plans to celebrate pride with friends at a party at his home. . Just like 9/11, you dont want anyone to feel like they won and take things away from you, Clough said. Clough said when he first heard reports of the Pulse shootings, he, like others, were trying to reach Sotomayor through Facebook messages and texting. Clough was watching CNN when he saw that Sotomayor became the first victim to be identified. My stomach sunk, Clough said. Clough said Sotomayor is an angel now. His wings are spread wide to hug everyone and spread the message of love. From the brick ruins of a 19th century South Carolina military fort, I watched a half-staff U.S. flag flapping in the Atlantic Ocean wind. The location and its lowered flag combined earlier this month in a moment of poignant symbolism and a lesson in what can happen when we allow hate and division to have their way. On any given day, the positioning of a flag halfway up the pole at Fort Sumter National Monument would seem appropriate. Fighting there 155 years ago launched America's Civil War. The four-year war led to upwards of 700,000 American deaths more than any of our other wars combined. More than 200,000 Hoosiers fought in the war, and hundreds died, including dozens of Northwest Indiana men. And it all started in April 1861 with the first shots of the war fired at Fort Sumter. But on this hot June Monday, a half-raised flag flew at the site of America's bloodiest war because of a more recent historic tragedy. About 24 hours before my June 13 visit to Fort Sumter, a gunman espousing ties to Islamic extremism killed 49 people and wounded 53 others in an Orlando, Florida, nightclub. The victims, all gathered in the gay nightclub, fell in what became our nation's deadliest mass civilian shooting. So the sight of Sumter's half-staff flag was powerful: our nation's quintessential symbol flying from a position of mourning for the victims in our country's deadliest mass shooting and at a location that launched America's deadliest war. Adding to this powerful sight earlier this month was another somber realization. June 17 just four days after my Sumter visit marked the one-year anniversary of a man with white supremacist ideologies opening fire in a historic black Charleston church, killing nine parishioners. The city where that shooting occurred overlooks the harbor where Fort Sumter is located. These impressions of my June 13 trip to Fort Sumter National Monument swirled together into a powerful lesson of what extreme ideologies and extreme actions can do to us. It also served as a reminder of the work we all must do to fight such extremism and be more civil to one another amid political and ideological disputes. Venomous rhetoric not unlike many 1860 political speeches in the pre-dawn of Civil War abounds in the 2016 presidential election. Today's overall social landscape is different than 150 years ago, and I don't suggest we're now on the cusp of anything like the Civil War. But we all must wonder what will be left of our society if hateful rhetoric, riotous attacks during campaign rallies and unchecked extremists often mentally ill ones continue to flourish. It seems throughout history the worst things happen when we fail to see the humanity in each other when we refuse to recognize opportunities for common ground. The existence of slavery in southern states played a central role in sparking and sustaining the Civil War. A population of some 4 million black slaves were regarded by a segment of our society as being less than human. Today, it seems we're all enslaved by a lack of civility, with some sides characterizing others as being evil or lacking worth because of differing views. Meanwhile, the extremists seem to be gaining a new foothold as factionalism divides those who should be seeking compromise. As the half-staff flag flapped away at Fort Sumter two weeks ago, it was apparent our society has yet to fully absorb a lesson from long ago. If we spent more time identifying ground upon which we agree rather than engineering divisive battlegrounds we might not be so quick to ignore the humanity in each other. And we might not be so vulnerable to the whims of the extremists, who establish fortresses within our gaps of disarray from which they seek to destroy us. Bill Pelke and his Journey of Hope crossed my desk the other day. Pelke, who has been in 40 states and 20 countries in his quest to eliminate the death penalty, said he is about to embark on the most important journey he has undertaken. Its in Nebraska. You may recall Pelke is the grandson of Ruth Pelke, the 77-year-old Bible school teacher who was murdered in her home in the Glen Park section of Gary in 1983. Paula Cooper, 15, and three other high school students killed Pelke for what amounted to pocket change. That brutal attack forever changed Pelke, who has devoted his life to ending the death penalty. In what became an incredible act of humanitarianism, Pelke led the effort to have Cooper removed from death row. She was the youngest person on death row in the country. Her sentence was commuted to 60 years in 1989. Pelke and Cooper became friends and pen pals. Cooper was released in 2013. She killed herself two years later. Journey of Hope is led by murder victim family members who oppose the death penalty. Pelke said the November vote in Nebraska could help dictate the future of the death penalty in America. In May 2015, the Nebraska Legislature voted to end the death penalty. Gov. Pete Ricketts, an ardent supporter of the death penalty, vetoed the bill. Legislators overrode the veto. But Ricketts, with money from his billionaire father, collected enough signatures to get the issue on the November ballot. Ricketts is asking voters to repeal the bill that eliminated the death penalty. Journey of Hope will spend 10 days in Nebraska in July seeking support to retain elimination of the death penalty. When Nebraska (voters) kill the death penalty for good, I believe other states will follow at an even quicker pace than the one which has seen seven states abolish the death penalty in the last 10 years, Pelke said. Nebraska would be the 19th state to eliminate the death penalty. Indiana, unfortunately, still has people on death row and periodically puts someone to death. State Sen. Lonnie Randolph, an East Chicago Democrat, has tried three times to have Indiana abolish the death penalty. Sen. Michael Young, the Republican committee chairman, last year wouldnt give Randolphs bill a hearing. If Nebraskans vote in November to retain elimination of the death penalty, it will be a significant statement by a red state. Could it lead the Journey of Hope to next turn its attention to Indiana? It would only be fitting, given that the journey started in the Hoosier state because of the compassion of Bill Pelke a man who remained positive even though he seemingly had every right to be bitter. OTTAWA, Ill. Thousands of boaters are still active on Illinois waters, but their numbers have declined significantly over the past several years due to the struggling economy. The number of mechanically-powered boats registered in Illinois has gone down by about 30 percent since 2009, according to data from the state Department of Natural Resources. There were about 277,620 registered mechanically-powered boats in 2009, compared with about 198,150 in 2015. Boating reached its peak before the recession, but when it hit, people were less willing to spend money on recreation, boat shop owners told the (LaSalle) News Tribune (http://bit.ly/28NyqVk ). "Around 2007 and 2008 boating registration was at a high, but it got hurt. Now it's starting to come back a little," said Joe Troha, owner of Illinois Valley Outdoors in Spring Valley. Jeff Hiemsoth of Quest Watersports in Ottawa agreed that the boating industry is starting to see some growth, but it's been slow and not even close to what it once was. "It really is kind of defined by the recession," Hiemsoth said. "In our area it definitely has not come back to pre-recession levels." Jeremy Fowler, manager of the marina at Heritage Harbor in Ottawa, said he has noticed more rental boats on the Illinois River. "For a lot of the Millennials, they're more about the experience than owning the boat," he said. Although the numbers are still down, some boaters believe there's a returning interest now that the economy is more stable. "People are just refocusing on what they're doing with their recreational dollars, but we're seeing slow growth," Fowler said. ___ SPRINGFIELD The interminable budget impasse at the Capitol has crippled public universities, cut off mental health and social services to people in need, and even left Illinois unable to pay its water and power bills for prisons and other state facilities. As the state nears the start of its second fiscal year without a full budget in place, voters looking to assign blame for the gridlock likely are quick to point the finger at Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democrats who control the General Assembly. But they may also need to look in the mirror. Thats the message of a recent report from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University. Reviewing data from public opinion polls taken since 2008, the report, titled The Climate of Opinion in Illinois 2008-2016: The Roots of Gridlock, concludes: Our data support the argument that the voters themselves bear significant responsibility for the current debt crisis and gridlocked government. Not only did they elect the leaders responsible for this state of affairs, but their steadfast insistence on the untenable high-service/low-tax status quo gave the politicians permission to drive the vehicle of state to the edge of the cliff, where it teeters today on the brink. However, John Jackson, a political science professor at the Simon Institute and the reports lead author, said this does not excuse elected leaders from all blame. The leadership class bears major responsibility for misleading the voters, particularly at campaign time, he said. This was especially true during the gubernatorial and legislative elections in 2014, when the temporary state income tax increase instituted in 2011 was a key issue, Jackson said. Lawmakers who voted in favor of raising the personal income tax rate from 3 percent to 5 percent and supported postponing the rollback that began in January 2015 failed to make a strong case, he said, and opponents most notably then-candidate Rauner werent honest with voters about the help the additional revenue provided in catching up on the states backlog of unpaid bills or what its loss would mean for the state budget. When Rauner took office, the personal income tax rate was allowed to roll back from 5 percent to 3.75 percent, blowing a $5 billion hole in the budget. At the heart of the problem, according to the report, is voters adamant insistence, in effect, of having our cake and eating it too. The institutes polling shows that the largest share of voters 57 percent in 2009 and 47 percent in 2016 think the best way to balance the budget is by cuts alone. But there isnt a major area of state spending that a majority of voters would support cutting. (The largest share, 49 percent, supported cuts to spending on state employee pensions in the 2016 poll.) The report says this apparent contradiction results from the bedrock belief that waste and fraud are widespread and consume major proportions of the total state budget. As long as a majority, or near-majority, think the solution is easy and generally painless and that it only requires sacrifice from someone else, then it is going to be very difficult to have a rational public dialogue about the realities of budgeting in this state, it says. Kent Redfield, an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield, said this too comes from politicians lack of candor with the people they represent. It is a failure on the part of legislators, governors, legislative leaders to really educate the public and be honest with the public, Redfield said. Despite the general lack of appetite for raising revenue through new or expanded taxes, there are some proposals that a majority of voters would support, according to the Simon Institutes polling. In this years poll, 54 percent said they would support taxing retirement income of more than $50,000, 66 percent supported a tax system that would charge higher rates for people with higher incomes, and 75 percent supported an additional tax on income of more than $1 million. The latter two ideas would require amending the Illinois Constitution, and efforts to put the proposals to voters in November failed to win legislative approval this spring. After reviewing the data, Jackson said one silver lining is the small increase in the share of voters who favor some combination of spending cuts and revenue increases to balance the budget. That group was up to 33 percent this year from 27 percent in 2009. Rauner has said he favors this strategy, coupled with approval for portions of his pro-business, union-weakening turnaround agenda, but he has yet to publicly endorse any concrete proposal on taxes. I wont negotiate new revenues without major reforms to protect our taxpayers and grow our economy, the governor said last week at the annual meeting of the Taxpayers Federation of Illinois. The U.S. International Trade Commission slapped more tariffs on cheap steel imports that ArcelorMittal and U.S. Steel said were dumped here. All six ITC commissioners voted that domestic steelmakers were hurt by imports of corrosion-resistant steel from China, India, Italy, Korea, and Taiwan. As a result the U.S. Department of Commerce will impose antidumping and anti-subsidy duties that range from 3 percent to 450 percent. The United States consumed $17.1 billion worth of corrosion-resistant steel last year, and a glut of cheap imports grabbed 21.1 percent of that market share, according to the International Trade Commission. The United Steelworkers union blames the flood of imports, which stole a record 29 percent of overall steel market share last year, for more than 14,500 steelworkers layoffs nationwide. "The domestic steel industry has suffered dramatically due to the increase in unfairly traded imports, but today's decision is an encouraging step toward a level playing field," U.S. Steel CEO Mario Longhi said last week. The United States has been clamping down and just imposed tariffs of more than 500 percent on cold-rolled steel from China and Japan. State Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, commended the decision. These unfair methods negatively affect our national economic health and the state of Indianas economic well-being," he said. "In Indiana, we have the sixth most jobs supported by domestic steel production, with each of those jobs supporting up to seven other jobs in our economy. The U.S. steel industry doesnt mind competition, but China and Japans business practices are putting the domestic steel industry at risk of sliding back into a recession. More than five thousand people continued Pride Week celebrations Saturday at Central Park as part of the 35th annual Front Runners New York LGBT Pride Run. NY1's Natalie Duddridge has the story. Ahead of Sunday's gigantic march in Manhattan, runners of all ages and backgrounds, wearing every color of the rainbow, made a 5-mile trek through the park. "We've been running together. We've been married for two years; together for six," one participant said about his husband. "He's a runner, champion, he's really good!" There was a clear air of celebration along the course. But there was also a feeling of reflection and remembrance for the 49 people killed at a gay nightclub in Orlando on June 12, the deadliest mass shooting in United States history. "It's been a really emotional week, and this is the best thing to do," said another runner. "Show how proud we are, and be here together in love. You can't hold us down." A banner with the names of the 49 victims hanged at the start line. A moment of silence was followed by the national anthem, sung by cast members of the Broadway musical "Fun Home." "At the beginning of the race, when I heard the national anthem, I was crying, just like feeling that this is such a good moment for us," one runner said. "But at the same time we're not celebrating. We have in our mind what happened in Orlando." "The moment of silence was followed by kind of a moment of cheer, asking everybody to be loud and proud [and] never be silent about their love," said Jason Flugge of Front Runners, a running and multi-sport club for LGBT and LGBT-friendly athletes. Many participants said they may have expected the race to have more of a somber, serious mood than in years past. Instead, they said it was a bigger celebration than ever. But they say the fight for LGBT rights must continue. "Everybody is not treated equal, and there are still states that discriminate," participant Ruth Gursky said. "We're very lucky to be in New York State, which doesn't discriminate, but there are still various places in this world, and there is still a fight to be had." Some proceeds from Saturday's race are slated to go to GLSEN, INC, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, which aims to assure students are comfortable in their academic environments, regardless of sexual or gender orientation. And while Saturday's race was a marathon qualifier, for most it was not about the scoreboard, but unity and pride. The city's annual Pride March kicks off at noon Sunday. It starts at 36th Street and 5th Avenue in Midtown, heads south to 8th Street, then moves west to Christopher Street, and ends at Greenwich Street in the Village. NY1 will have full coverage of the march with reports all day from along the route. The Jamaica Hills community celebrated the end of a $1.2 million makeover to the land leading to the Captain Tilly Park's Goose Pond. Before the renovation, excess rain water would run down the park's hill and erode the land. Now, new plants and grass will give the water a place to go so it doesn't hurt the historic area. "And there are precious few of these left, but this really is, this goes back to this area's geologic heritage, and it's important that we preserve it," said James Gennaro of NYC Sustainability and Resiliency. "This work, much-needed work. I'm very happy, actually, that I got to see the work done," said Fakrul Islam Delwar of Community Board 8. A second round of renovations to the park's plaza, with more plants and new benches, is set to begin this fall. Charlotte Rampling, in an Oscar-nominated role, plays a wife forced to view her husband in a new light during Andrew Haighs exquisite 45 Years. In Center Stage: On Pointe, modern dance is served with a side of cheese. And Harvey Fierstein and The Advocate receive Trailblazer Honors. Whats Streaming 45 YEARS (2015) on Amazon and iTunes. A happy marriage is thrown into crisis when, on the cusp of celebrating her 45th wedding anniversary, a wife (an Oscar-nominated Charlotte Rampling) receives news about a long-dead former girlfriend of her husband (Tom Courtenay) and starts to wonder What if? in Andrew Haighs haunting portrait of memory and desire. Mr. Courtenay, a naturally demonstrative actor, registers a convincing blend of longing, confusion and shame, A.O. Scott wrote in The New York Times. Ms. Rampling, a stiller, deeper-running pool, conveys emotions so strange and intense that they dont quite have names. The film, he added, suggests that even after decades together, two people can remain perfect strangers. The New York City department charged with overseeing day care centers routinely failed to test the centers water for lead and for years falsified reports that the tests had been completed, in order for the centers to receive operating permits according to a sharply worded audit released on Friday by the city comptroller, Scott M. Stringer. The audit found that the citys Department of Health and Mental Hygiene had not tested the water from faucets and fountains in 70 of 119 day care centers even though the health code mandates that drinking water at day care centers be tested for lead and fixed if the levels are unsatisfactory. Of the 49 day care centers that had been tested, five had unacceptable levels of lead, the audit found, though the levels were later brought to acceptable levels. The audit suggested that thousands of children were put at an increased risk of lead exposure. The audit also found that records had been altered to indicate, incorrectly, that satisfactory water test results were logged for the 70 centers that had not been tested. Thousands of New York City residents who are H.I.V.-positive will become eligible for public assistance for housing, transportation and food under a significant expansion of a state program that some activists had feared was being delayed. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Thursday that low-income city residents who are H.I.V.-positive but asymptomatic would get the same assistance as low-income residents who show symptoms. About 6,500 to 7,000 additional people are expected to benefit from the expansion of the program, known as the H.I.V./AIDS Services Administration, or HASA, which now helps about 32,000 people. The announcement came after what some advocates described as a series of broken promises by Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, to expand the program, fully administer a plan meant to end H.I.V. and AIDS in New York by 2020 and finance that plan. Jeremy Saunders, an executive director of VOCAL-NY, a nonprofit focused on helping low-income people with H.I.V. and AIDS, said activists had been frustrated by Mr. Cuomos failure to move forward on the expansion more quickly. Advocates were preparing to pressure Mr. Cuomo just before New York Citys annual gay pride parade and festival this weekend. We are thankful to the governor that he has finally taken this step forward after a hard-fought campaign, Mr. Saunders said. THE Supreme Courts decision this week in Fisher v. University of Texas is a profound relief, and a cause for celebration among those of us in higher education who have long insisted that affirmative action is vital to our schools missions and to society as a whole. The ruling means we can continue to assemble diverse student bodies and it has validated college administrators judgment about the qualities needed to achieve educational goals. More important, the opinion greatly strengthens earlier precedent, set in Grutter v. Bollinger in 2003, that race-conscious admissions policies are constitutional. Yet its worth remembering the limits of todays affirmative action landscape, even after Fisher. The courts landmark 1978 decision in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke outlawed quotas but permitted the consideration of race to achieve a diverse student body; in doing so, it stifled deeper conversations in courtrooms and classrooms about why we need affirmative action and what it can achieve. And by severing the connection between affirmative action and our past, the court forfeited the opportunity to inform Americas conversation about racial discrimination with the awareness that comes only from understanding history. Justice Anthony M. Kennedys majority opinion in Fisher slightly opens the door to a broader discussion. He acknowledged that the University of Texas admissions program, which automatically admits a percentage of the top students at all public high school students in Texas, yields diversity primarily because of the stunning level of segregation in the Texas public school system. BALTIMORE Barry G. Williams knows how to make a strong case against a police officer. He spent eight years working for the civil rights division of the Justice Department, where he investigated, tried and convicted officers accused of brutality and civil rights violations. Legal experts say that left him uniquely qualified to find himself at the center of the sprawling prosecution of the six officers charged in the fatal arrest of Freddie Gray but perhaps not in the way some might have expected. On the one hand, his background reflects an unquestioned sensitivity to the issues of police behavior and the rights of individuals who come in contact with them, like Mr. Gray, the 25-year-old black man whose death from a spinal cord injury that occurred while in police custody caused riots and chaos a year ago. But experts say it has also made Judge Williams a meticulous evaluator of a prosecution case that was in trouble even before his Thursday ruling acquitting Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr. of seven charges, including second-degree murder, because he knows the burden of proof all too well. He has an understanding of what police can and cannot do, said Barry Kowalski, who prosecuted the Los Angeles officers accused of beating Rodney King and worked with Judge Williams at the Justice Department. And at the same time, he has an understanding that the government must have evidence that proves guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Kansas lawmakers passed an education funding bill on Friday night in a move they hope will stop the State Supreme Court from carrying out its threat to close public schools by next week. On the second day of a special session, lawmakers rushed to come up with $38 million to meet the courts order to fix inequities that it considered harmful to poorer school districts. In May, the court said that the Legislatures current funding formula creates intolerable, and simply unfair, wealth-based disparities among the districts, and gave the Legislature until June 30 to find a solution. Many in Kansas had feared a constitutional showdown between the Republican-controlled Legislature and the left-leaning State Supreme Court. But the House voted 116 to 6 in favor of the bill and the Senate approved it 38 to 1. Gov. Sam Brownback has indicated that he will sign the bill without delay. If the court does not accept the Legislatures solution, it could close schools statewide by July. Alan Rupe, a lawyer representing four school districts that sued the state over funding, said that the vote was a victory for his plaintiffs. This amended legislation represents a compromise which will satisfy the court and allow schools to open, he said in an email statement. JERUSALEM A little more than a day after President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority accused rabbis in Israel of calling for their government to poison the water used by Palestinians, he retracted the allegation in a statement on Saturday, saying it had become evident that it was baseless. Mr. Abbas made the unsubstantiated allegation during an address to the European Parliament on Thursday. The remarks echoed anti-Semitic claims that led to the mass killings of European Jews in medieval times. The Palestine Liberation Organization had initially published the allegation on a website run by one of its offices, and it spread through some regional news media outlets. Mr. Abbass retraction was sent to reporters early Saturday morning, issued by the P.L.O., of which Mr. Abbas is the chairman. It said that Mr. Abbas rejected all claims that accuse him and the Palestinian people of offending the Jewish religion. It added that he also condemned all accusations of anti-Semitism. Last month, a recipe for lemon cake filled with pastry cream and lemon curd spread quickly on Facebook, garnering 6,200 shares and 9,900 likes. Of the 300-plus commenters, some had followed the recipe and were displaying photos of their frosted creations, while others asked baking questions or inquired about dairy- and gluten-free versions of the recipe. Another contingent was just plain hungry. I need a piece of that cake right now, one person wrote. The recipe and the Facebook page are those of King Arthur Flour, which began importing flour to Boston from Britain in 1790. Now based in Norwich, Vt., the company makes and sells its own products, including dozens of flours along with baking supplies and equipment. Jesse Cloutier, the companys digital engagement supervisor, quickly wrote a playful reply to the Facebook user who was desperate for an immediate lemon-cake fix. Weve got a piece right here that well be happy to mail to yo..., Mr. Cloutier wrote. Oh! Oh dear. Im afraid there are only a few crumbs lef aaaaaand those are gone too. Mr. Cloutier isnt just on staff at King Arthur Flour; like 340 other employees, hes also a partial owner of the company. Never before have we had so much information about the worlds billionaires. We know their average age (63), their marital status (90 percent are married, 6 percent divorced), their most common alma mater (Harvard) and even their most common sign under the Chinese zodiac (the snake). We can get daily updates on their net worth and their competitive positions within the wealth rankings. An entire cottage industry has grown up around probing and publicizing billionaire wealth. At least six different companies now compile billionaire lists. Look, the billionaires control more than 4 percent of the wealth on the planet, said David Friedman, president of Wealth-X, a private company that tracks and ranks billionaires. Theres a lot of interest in who they are and how much they have. As long as there has been wealth, there has been a fascination with who has the most. Yet determining how much the billionaires have and exactly how many there are in the world depends on whos counting. The fast-growing number of rich lists has produced wildly different sets of numbers on the population and wealth of the worlds billionaires. While one company says there are more than 2,400 billionaires in the world, another says there are about 1,800. One says China has the most and that Beijing is the worlds billionaire capital, while another says the United States has twice as many as China. The Bureau of Prisons responded with vows to improve. A longtime prison-reform advocate, Pat Nolan of the American Conservative Union, said the deficiencies extend beyond teaching skills to perform particular jobs. To make prisoners employable, prisons need an injection of real-world business smarts in their programs, said Mr. Nolan, a former California lawmaker who served a federal prison sentence on corruption charges. That means focusing on the jobs that are in demand on the outside. And it requires teaching prisoners to think of themselves as employees. Its getting up on time, cleaning up, showing up when youre supposed to, putting in a full days work for a full days pay, not pilfering from the cash drawer or the supply room you know, the basics, Mr. Nolan said. Making matters more complicated, often the ex-prisoners are young people who have never had an adult in their life that had a regular job and that they could emulate. The numbers are daunting. The National Employment Law Projects conservative estimate is that 70 million Americans have some sort of criminal record. Each year nearly 700,000 people emerge from prison. More than half of them will boomerang back within three years without having found legal employment. Fifteen years ago, Mr. Anders said, the St. Louis federal probation office faced a different sort of numbers gap: No one knew precisely how many of its 2,000 or so ex-offenders were unemployed. Back then, Mr. Anders said, he and his colleagues figured, If theyre not working, they dont want to. A new boss, Douglas Burris, came in and ordered up the numbers, which showed that, despite the booming economy at the time, convicted felons supervised by the office were three times as likely to be unemployed than the average local worker. Mr. Anders was given a new job: start trying to fix that. LYNCHBURG, Tenn. Every year, about 275,000 people tour the Jack Daniels distillery here, and as they stroll through its brick buildings nestled in a tree-shaded hollow, they hear a story like this: Sometime in the 1850s, when Daniel was a boy, he went to work for a preacher, grocer and distiller named Dan Call. The preacher was a busy man, and when he saw promise in young Jack, he taught him how to run his whiskey still and the rest is history. This year is the 150th anniversary of Jack Daniels, and the distillery, home to one of the worlds best-selling whiskeys, is using the occasion to tell a different, more complicated tale. Daniel, the company now says, didnt learn distilling from Dan Call, but from a man named Nearis Green one of Calls slaves. This version of the story was never a secret, but it is one that the distillery has only recently begun to embrace, tentatively, in some of its tours, and in a social media and marketing campaign this summer. Its taken something like the anniversary for us to start to talk about ourselves, said Nelson Eddy, Jack Daniels in-house historian. This article was first published in 2002. He calls grown-up women child, and his coterie of young friends muffin. Bill Cunningham has been a habitual presence on the streets of New York for nearly 50 years, and Paris and London know him, too. But as a subject, he has been elusive, a shadow on the run with his camera, who still worries, at 73, about falling into the traps of the rich. Here, people who have known or observed him since his hat-making days in the 1950s turn their gaze on him. CHAPPY MORRIS, Investor My mother, Edna Morris, was one of the last of the grandes dames. She was very tall, very thin, with every hair always in perfect place. She knew Bill from around town and from Saratoga, too. You know, Bill loves the old-time people. It was a time of great style and gentility, and wonderful clothes. One day, many, many years ago, I had gone clothes shopping with my mother. I think I was just out of college. We were walking down 57th Street, and Bill was there, at the corner of Fifth. He snapped our picture and then sent a copy to my mother. It was one of her favorite pictures until the day she died. All big smiles. ANNA WINTOUR, Editor in Chief of Vogue I dont know how many times he has taken my photograph, but we all dress for Bill. You feel hes the only one who notices or cares how you dress. I wonder if Bill will like this. And its always a flattering picture he chooses. He picks everything carefully, so you will look your best. Hes a very seductive guy. LESLEY VINSON, Former art director of Details I was this punk rocker with pink hair. I couldnt believe he was interested in me, because no one else was. But Bill was interested. Why are you wearing that plastic bag, Muffin? I was totally fascinated by this man. I had come from Detroit, and he was exactly what I thought New York would be. Then I realized Bill was one in a million. A 4-year-old boy was fatally shot by his 6-year-old brother in East Orange, N.J., on Saturday, the authorities said. The older boy was playing with his mothers gun at the familys third-floor apartment on Norman Street when he accidentally shot his brother in the head shortly after 11 a.m., Connie Jackson, a city spokeswoman, said. The younger boy died at around 4:25 p.m. at University Hospital in Newark, Stacie Newton, a hospital spokeswoman, said. No charges had been filed as of Saturday afternoon, but the case was being investigated by the police and the state child welfare agency, Ms. Jackson said. Representative Joe Heck, a Republican from Nevada and one of the two sponsors of the letter, has helped broaden support for the cause. Mr. Heck, a doctor, was medical director of the Casualty Care Research Center at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences from 1998 to 2003. He has served in the Army Reserve since 1991 and ran an emergency room combat hospital in Baghdad during one of his deployments. The letters other sponsor was Representative Jackie Speier, a California Democrat. Separately, several medical associations including the National Medical Association and the American Medical Student Association have recently endorsed Mr. Johnsons bill, which would require the Pentagon to stop using animals for medic training by 2020. It shouldnt take an act of Congress for the Pentagon to give up this practice. Among the 28 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, 22 have banned the use of animals for medic training. The vast majority of programs in the United States that train civilian medical workers in trauma care use simulators exclusively. Theres no reason the Pentagon should continue inflicting cruelty on animals. The New Jersey Supreme Court mandated this approach in Abbott v. Burke, a case named for Raymond Abbott, a student in Camden who received no services for a learning disability and was barely literate at the age of 15. The court ruled in 1990, and in many rulings since, that New Jersey was bound by the State Constitution to fund districts at a level that allows all children to receive an education that enables them to participate in the economy and a democratic society. As Tom Moran of The Star-Ledger of Newark reported last week, the proposal would gut the Newark school system, which relies on the state for about 85 percent of its budget. The district would have to cut more than half of its budget, which would clearly mean firing staff and shuttering schools. Wealthier districts would, meanwhile, get more state aid so they could cut local property taxes. No one in education policy could credibly defend a flat formula, because children in different communities have different needs. The states current funding formula, adopted by the Legislature in 2008, begins by determining the cost of educating a typical student, and then adds amounts for educating English language learners, poor children and so on. The 31 New Jersey school districts formerly known as Abbott Districts educate nearly a quarter of the states students, more than 40 percent of its poor children and 56 percent of its English language learners. Critics of the way state funding works like to say that money doesnt matter. But it does. A 2013 study of children who had participated in Abbott District preschool programs made significant gains in literacy, language, math and science through the fourth and fifth grades. Beyond that, a national study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that court-ordered spending increases led to higher graduation rates, higher adult earnings, higher family incomes and fewer in poverty for those who had benefited as children. Mr. Christie has repeatedly thumbed his nose at equity in public education. He now proposes to get around the court orders by persuading voters to amend the Constitution. Influential Republican lawmakers support this disastrous proposal. But the Democrats who control the Legislature need to make sure it dies a swift death. Our gaze was so determined we could hardly see. Like figures moving in a fog. And each one of us worried about losing the others. But grief is a divider; it moved each one of us into a territory of private shadows, where the torment was incommunicable, so horribly outside of language. I kept thinking about the word fall. Why did he say fall into a bottomless abyss when surely he meant be thrown? Fall implied he had a role in the matter. It brought to mind a man being taken to the edge of sanity, then falling. And the description of the abyss as bottomless unnerved me even further. The word abyss is bad enough. Why add the adjective? That, for reasons I could not explain then, upset me more than any other detail in the letter. It shook a place in me that remains dislodged. By choosing to define the kind of abyss he would have been cast into, Father had, unintentionally, revealed a dark truth. In this underworld from which he was writing, there were clearly a variety of abysses. Furthermore, he had, by the time he wrote his letter, been acquainted with several of them. Some had seemed bottomless but then turned out not to be. But the threat the letter presented was one that would not offer any relief. One of the frustrations of prison life, which is also one of its intended consequences, is that the prisoner is made ineffective. He is unable to be of much use. The aim is to render him powerless. The frustration builds up until he takes an unreasonable risk. In October 1995, five and a half years after his abduction, Father crossed this line. He wrote a letter to an associate, a wealthy Libyan dissident he had known well, who was living in London. In it, Father explained that a fellow prisoners family had fallen on hard times and that he was writing to ask for a loan of $8,000 to be given to the bearer of the letter. Let me be clear, Father writes. This is a loan which I will repay you once I am free. If that day never comes, then my sons, Ziad and Hisham, will repay it. Included in the letter is the usual warning, emphasizing the importance of keeping the letter secret. When Ziad and I offered to repay Fathers loan, the man revealed that he had never given the bearer the money. This angered us. After all, Father and several others had risked their lives to deliver the message. Fathers associate simply said, I couldnt be sure the man who brought me the letter was genuine. We asked if he knew how to reach the man. He said he didnt and couldnt even recall his name. Furthermore, for reasons I will never understand, whether deliberately or out of sheer stupidity, the man published Fathers letter in an Arabic-language newspaper. The bottomless abyss opened up. In 2011, when Tripoli fell in the midst of the rebellion against Colonel Qaddafi and all prisoners in Abu Salim were released, Ziad met a man who had been in the cell next to Fathers. The man recalled the interrogation provoked by the publication of the letter. He told Ziad he heard it by placing his ear against an opening in the wall. He relayed it in the following way: The interrogator said: I want to know who delivered the letter. Your father responded: What letter? OVER the course of the past two months, Donald J. Trump has assailed Hillary Clinton as a world-class liar, suggested that she had a role in the death of a White House aide while Bill Clinton was president, darkly referenced Mr. Clintons marital affairs and said in a 41-minute rip of a speech on Tuesday that Mrs. Clinton had perfected the politics of personal profit and theft. Once again, the nation seems to be marching toward another brutally nasty presidential campaign, with Mr. Trump leading the parade. But in a year when so many staples of American politics have faltered television advertisements, polling, big-ticket endorsements, to name a few will the negative campaign, whether wielded by Mr. Trump or Mrs. Clinton, be the reliable weapon it has proved to be in presidential campaigns over the course of American history? Is there anything left to say about two candidates who are so well known and so polarizing? Mrs. Clinton is already viewed unfavorably by 55 percent of the American public, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll released June 15. She has been in public life for a very well-examined quarter of a century. Even accounting for the Clintons tendency to serve up the unexpected damaging revelation (no one was talking about Mrs. Clintons emails 18 months ago), it seems fair to wonder how much could be left in the opposition research pantry. And Mr. Trump, whom Mrs. Clinton hammered with a series of hard-hitting television advertisements about his temperament over the past week, is in even worse shape in that poll: 70 percent of Americans hold an unfavorable view of him. He has been pelted with damaging information. That did not stop him from sweeping aside a packed Republican field and briefly leading Mrs. Clinton in some national polls. Alresford is my personal hell. We are not used to thinking that a place like this a pleasant town with a pretty center might actually be hell. There is almost no poverty and only the occasional act of violence. There are good schools, a range of shops, a heritage railway. In fact, its somewhere that a lot of people, apparently, actively want to live: Houses in the center easily sell for upward of a million pounds. (What they will cost once the vote to leave the European Union makes the economy crater remains to be seen.) But dig below the surface, and you will find the demons crawling. You can see them in the looks that residents give you when they pass; sneering snobs glaring down their noses with entitlement; small-minded townies, bullying you with eyes that you recognize from the primary school lunchroom; the old people, 80 and above, wearing blank stares. You can hear it in their bothered tutting at the bus stop (especially if they ever hear a visitor mispronouncing the name of the town), the shots that constantly ring out from across the countryside as they set about murdering as many of the local pheasants as they can. As with any hell, the thing that really makes it so is that you can never leave. For one thing, poor public transportation makes leaving impossible in a practical, everyday sense at least if you cant drive. For another, the town thwarts any ambitions that stretch beyond its borders. From what I can tell, a young person from Alresford, forced to move back in with his parents after college, will typically find himself unable to get work that is not based in Alresford. As a result, it is full of people around my age, 27, stuck in dead-end jobs. And it is impossible to leave Alresford, because Alresford is not just a place: It is an ideology that infects your very soul. Lets call it Alresfordism. It is an ideology of smallness, of contraction, of wanting to curl up in our own personal, financially secure hole and will everything amusing or interesting or exciting in the world away. Since my late teens, every effort I have ever exerted has been with the intention of escaping Alresford. And yet, I am an early-career academic and so I am forced to move back, every summer, to live with my parents because I cannot afford to pay rent elsewhere after my temporary teaching contract ends. Then, sometimes, I think: What if Im actually secretly comfortable here? What if I have chosen the security of death in Alresford over the risks of life elsewhere? What if I am in fact fully in the clutches of Alresfordism? ON THE GUATEMALAN-MEXICAN BORDER CRISTOBAL, a 16-year-old Honduran refugee fleeing a drug gang that wants to kill him, has never heard of anyone named Barack Obama. Neither can he name the Mexican president, Enrique Pena Nieto. But Cristobal, along with many others, could end up being murdered because of these two presidents he is unaware of. Obama and Pena Nieto have cooperated for two years to intercept desperate Central American refugees in southern Mexico, long before they can reach the U.S. border. These refugees are then typically deported to their home countries which can be a death sentence. If Im sent back, they will kill me, says Cristobal, who is staying temporarily at a shelter for unaccompanied migrant kids in Mexico. He says he was forced to work for the gang as a cocaine courier beginning at age 14 a gun was held to his head, and he was told he would be shot if he declined. He finally quit and fled after he witnessed gang members murder two of his friends. Now the gang is looking for him, he says, and it already sent a hit team to his home. Yet he may well be sent back under a policy backed by Obama and Pena Nieto. I admire much about the Obama administration, including its fine words about refugees, but this policy is rank with deadly hypocrisy. Despite these benefits, church attendance has fallen substantially among the members of the white working class in recent years, just when they need it most. Though working-class whites earn, on average, more than working-class people of other ethnicities, we are in a steep social decline. Incarceration rates for white women are on the rise, white youths are more likely than their peers from other groups to die from drug overdoses and rates of divorce and domestic chaos have skyrocketed. Taken together, these statistics reveal a social crisis of historic proportions. Yet the white church especially the evangelical church that claims the most members has seemingly disappeared. Though many working-class whites have lost any ties to church, they havent necessarily abandoned their faith. More than one in three identify as evangelical, and well over 75 percent claim some Christian affiliation. But that faith has become deinstitutionalized. They may watch megachurch broadcasts or join prayer circles on Facebook, but they largely avoid the pews on Sunday. Consequently, many absorb the vernacular and teachings of modern Christianity, but miss out on the advantages of church itself. This deinstitutionalization of the faith has occurred alongside its politicization. Its hard to believe that in 1976, evangelicals helped deliver the White House to the liberal Democrat Jimmy Carter. But fueled by social issues like abortion, the religious right soon began to exercise broad influence among American Christians. By 2004, values voters became so synonymous with the Republican Party that George W. Bushs re-election was largely attributed to them. While its hard to fault people for voting their conscience, this fusion of religion and politics necessarily forces people to look externally. The sometimes tough love of the Christian faith of my childhood demanded a certain amount of self-reflection and, occasionally, self-criticism. While faith need not be monolithic it can motivate both voting behavior and character development focus matters. A Christianity constantly looking for political answers to moral and spiritual problems gives believers an excuse to blame other people when they should be looking in the mirror. Evangelicals appear to have taken this message to heart. The most significant evangelical contribution to fiction in the past 20 years was the apocalyptic Left Behind series. The books are riveting, but their core message is that corrupt, evil elites have gone to war against Christians. Some version of this idea whether delivered in church or on TV finds its way into many topics in a modern evangelical sermon: Evolution is a lie that secular science tells to counter the biblical creation story, the gay rights movement usurps Gods law. Recently, a friend sent me the online musings of a televangelist who advised his thousands of followers that the Federal Reserve achieved satanic ends by manipulating the worlds money supply. Paranoia has replaced piety. WHEN the history of elections in 2016 is written, one of the central points is likely to be how little voters knew about the donors who influenced the contests. At the federal level, dark money groups chiefly social welfare nonprofits and trade associations that arent required to disclose their donors and, thanks to the Supreme Courts Citizens United ruling, can spend unlimited amounts on political advertising have spent three times more in this election than they did at a comparable point in 2012. Yet the rise of dark money may matter less in the race for president or Congress than for, say, the utilities commission in Arizona. Voters probably know much less about the candidates in contests like that, which get little news coverage but whose winner will have enormous power to affect energy company profits and what homeowners pay for electricity. For a relative pittance less than $100,000 corporations and others can use dark money to shape the outcome of a low-level race in which they have a direct stake. Over the last year, the Brennan Center analyzed outside spending from before and after the 2010 Citizens United decision in six states Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Maine and Massachusetts with almost 20 percent of the nations population. We also examined dozens of state and local elections where dark money could be linked to a particular interest. We found that, on average, 38 times more dark money was spent in these states in 2014 than in 2006. Thats an even greater increase than at the federal level, where dark money rose 34 times over the same period, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Compounding the problem was the growth in gray money, spent by organizations that are legally required to disclose their donors but receive their funding through multiple layers of PACs that obscure its origin. Undoubtedly the split was ideological, the most conservative four on one side and the most liberal four on the other. But what were the views that couldnt be reconciled? Was the disagreement over whether Texas had standing to sue the Obama administration? (Standing to sue requires a concrete injury, and the states almost fatuous claim to standing was that issuing drivers licenses to newly eligible immigrants would cost too much.) Over whether the deferral policys promulgation was procedurally flawed? Over whether the president overreached his authority under immigration law or under the Constitution itself? This is how the court handles tie votes in fact, how it has handled the other three this term in the wake of Justice Antonin Scalias death in February. Its not as if the justices designed a curtain to hide behind solely for the immigration case. But while familiar in form, the opacity in this instance seems to me to have a more explosive consequence, and not only because of the decisions devastating impact. I see it as devastating for the Roberts court as well, a court that has seemed for the past few years to teeter on the brink of becoming a tool of partisan warfare, only to be rescued occasionally by the deft hand of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. This time, he failed himself and his court. Its hard to think of a more politically infected case than this lawsuit. There are federal courthouses throughout Texas, with several dozen federal district judges. The states lawyers chose to file their case in Brownsville, where there are two active federal judges. That gave them a 50-50 chance of getting the judge they wanted, Andrew S. Hanen, known for his strident critique of the Obama administrations immigration policies. They got lucky. A year earlier, Judge Hanen excoriated the Department of Homeland Security for failing to prosecute women who brought their young children across the border by paying smugglers. The smugglers themselves were prosecuted when caught, but the agents followed a policy of reuniting the children and their undocumented-immigrant mothers. This was both dangerous and unconscionable, Judge Hanen declared in an opinion that veered far from the matter at hand sentencing a convicted smuggler and that quickly won rave reviews on right-wing news sites. The D.H.S. should cease telling the citizens of the United States that it is enforcing our border security laws because it clearly is not, he wrote in December 2013 in United States v. Nava-Martinez. LONDON BREAKING up is never easy. But how do you break up with a country? Thats the question that I along with many fellow Britons am asking now that the country has voted to leave the European Union. Dont get me wrong. Ive grudgingly accepted that 52 percent of my fellow citizens wanted to leave the European Union, a 70-year-old project that has united much of Europe into a somewhat unwieldy economic and social colossus, allowing roughly 500 million people to travel and work unhindered from Ireland to Greece. But for me, those benefits particularly as a reporter who has lived and worked across the Continent are worth holding on to. And thats why, with a heavy heart, Im applying to become an Irish citizen, saying goodbye to Britain just as it wants to say goodbye to Europe. My change of allegiance is by no means a one-off. Many Britons like me have parents or grandparents who were born in various countries in Europe. And, under the quirks of European rules, we are eligible to apply for another countrys citizenship, as long as we can produce documents like a birth certificate to prove our forebears connections to the country. We can still hold onto our British citizenship, too. Apart from creating economic turmoil, Britains calamitous vote to leave the European Union could have no less profound foreign policy consequences, weakening the interlocking web of Western institutions and alliances that have helped guarantee international peace and stability for 70 years. This is also a testing moment for President Obama, who has been understandably preoccupied with building alliances in Asia, but must once again make Europe and the trans-Atlantic alliance a priority and find ways to rebuild consensus and chart a united path forward. Otherwise, the major beneficiaries will be Russia and China, both challenging the established Western-led order. Since World War II, the United States, aided principally by Britain, has worked to reduce the potential for international conflict, with particular success in Europe; encourage democratic governance; promote free markets; and lift billions of people out of poverty. This was achieved by working with its allies to establish multiple reinforcing institutions, including NATO, the military alliance that now has 28 members; the E.U., the economic alliance that will have 27 members when Britain leaves; the World Bank; and the International Monetary Fund. In short, together America and Europe wrote the rules and norms by which much of the world now lives. The policies pursued by the West have sometimes been flawed and sometimes failed, but the system that linked America and Europe in a common defense and common political cause ended the Cold War, reunited Germany, built a new Europe and sought in one way or another to address every other major threat. A crucial brick in that system is now in danger of being removed. For Hillary Clinton, Britains emotionally charged uprising against the European Union is the sort of populist victory over establishment politics that she fears in the coming presidential election. Mrs. Clinton shares more with the defeated Remain campaign than a similar slogan her Stronger Together echoing its Stronger In. Her fundamental argument, much akin to Prime Minister David Camerons against British withdrawal from the European Union, is that Americans should value stability and incremental change over the risks entailed in radical change and the possibility of chaos if Donald J. Trump wins the presidency. She offers reasonableness instead of resentment, urging voters to see the big picture and promising to manage economic and immigration upheaval, just as Mr. Cameron did. She, too, is a pragmatic internationalist battling against nationalist anger, cautioning that the turmoil after the so-called Brexit vote underscores a need for calm, steady, experienced leadership in the White House. But prudence is cold comfort to people fed up with more-of-the-same. According to their friends and advisers, Mrs. Clinton and former President Bill Clinton have worried for months that she was out of sync with the mood of the electorate, and that her politically safe messages like Im a progressive who gets results were far less compelling to frustrated voters than the political revolution of Senator Bernie Sanders or Mr. Trumps grievance-driven promise to Make America Great Again. When Mitt Romney traveled to Europe as a presidential candidate in 2012, he created an uproar when he wondered aloud whether London was sufficiently prepared to host the Summer Olympics. British tabloids derided him as Mitt the Twit and CNN declared: Romneys Trip Begins in Shambles. When Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey went on a trade mission to Britain, he was roundly criticized for an errant comment about vaccinations amid a measles outbreak back home. A Vaccine for Gaffes? Chris Christie Needs It was the headline in Commentary. Those moments seem quaint when compared with Donald J. Trumps news conference in Turnberry, Scotland, a day after Britain voted to leave the European Union. Over the course of 40 minutes, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee made pronouncements, predictions and asides that would have set off serious backlash for almost any other candidate. But Mr. Trump seems to be graded on a different curve. Here are some of his more provocative remarks: He defended Vladimir Putin. A reporter asked Mr. Trump about the suggestion from some pundits that both he and the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, would be the biggest political beneficiaries of the Brexit vote. Mr. Trump agreed that Mr. Putin could gain, and could not resist pointing out that Mr. Putin has been kind to him. ORLANDO, Fla. After news media reports suggested that the man who carried out the massacre at a gay nightclub here may have himself been gay, the company that bills itself as the worlds largest gay hookup site put out what amounted to a distress call, asking members who may have been in contact with the gunman, Omar Mateen, to come forward. In an attempt to find an account connected to the killer, the site, Adam4Adam combed through the profile photos of every one of its 300,000 Florida members and researched 20 email addresses used by Mr. Mateen over the years that the company said had been provided by the F.B.I. Adam4Adam came up with nothing. I think it was a hoax, David Lesage, a spokesman for the Montreal-based company, said about the reports that Mr. Mateen had used Adam4Adam and other dating sites and apps for gay men. Two weeks after Mr. Mateen barged into the Pulse nightclub on June 12 and opened fire on the crowd, leaving 49 people dead and another 53 wounded, investigators are still trying to determine the underlying motive for the slaughter. Although federal officials have said Mr. Mateen had become radicalized to some extent online, at least half a dozen men have come forward with claims that hint at another potential motive, reporting that they had seen Mr. Mateen at gay clubs, encountered him online or had romantic encounters with him. Mr. Lewis, 76, an unabashed liberal who has represented his Atlanta congressional district since 1987, clearly had no such qualms. In a news conference on the Capitol steps, he promised to continue pushing for gun-control legislation, and invoked the lyrics of the folk song, based on the old standard Gospel Plow, that served as a soundtrack to a movement he helped lead. Dont give up! he bellowed. Dont give in! Keep the faith, and keep your eyes on the prize! For a younger generation of liberals, whose knowledge of the 1960s can only come from books, movies and museums, and their parents, it was as though the movement, trapped in the amber of the past, had been reanimated before their eyes. Dr. King, John Lewis and the other participants in the civil rights movement had an objective to change America for the better, and there were those who were resistant and wanted to maintain the status quo, said Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York, a 45-year-old African-American lawmaker who participated in the sit-in. These days, he added, there are those in Congress, representative of both Republican leadership and rank-and-file members, who want to maintain the status quo and do nothing in the face of mass shooting after mass shooting after mass shooting. Many conservatives find such analogies deeply unfair. Nearly all conservatives in American public life now agree that the civil rights movements push to dismantle segregation was necessary and appropriate. But many of them bristle when the movement is invoked to justify liberal positions on gay rights, economic equality, health care and gun control, which they often view as cynical efforts to wrap bad ideas in sanctimony. The most outrageous policy proposals are invariably described as the promotion of civil rights, the conservative author Ann Coulter wrote in her 2012 book Mugged: Racial Demagoguery from the Seventies to Obama. As long as liberals label something a right, they never have to explain why its a good idea. Jim Jess, vice chairman of the Georgia Tea Party, said in an interview Friday that he saw no connection between gun control and civil rights. In fact, he said, a lot of people in the African-American community are likely to want to exercise their right to bear arms, so its sort of disingenuous. According to witnesses and government officials, the attack started around 4 p.m. with a car bomb at the gates of the Naso Hablod Hotel, before fighters ran in and shot at guests. The Shabab militant group, which has been terrorizing Somalia for nearly a decade and claimed responsibility for the attack, has struck at least four other hotels in Mogadishu in the past year. A deafening car bomb at the hotel gates is typically how such attacks begin. BEIJING A new Chinese-led international development bank announced its first four loans on Saturday, pledging to lend $509 million for projects to spread electric power in rural Bangladesh, upgrade living conditions in slums in Indonesia, and improve roads in Pakistan and Tajikistan. At the first of the annual general meetings of the institution, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the banks president, Jin Liqun, said the projects were financially sound and environmentally friendly and had been accepted by the people in the project areas. The projects of the 57-member bank, founded last year as an effort by China to both challenge lending institutions and cooperate with them, are relatively modest. The road in Tajikistan is just three miles long, but it will help clear traffic congestion on an important trading route near the capital, Dushanbe. A $100 million loan to Pakistan is for 40 miles of highway in Punjab Province that would complete the last section of a national artery, the M-4, the bank said. BEIJING In a sign of growing friction between China and Taiwan, mainland diplomats said Saturday that they had suspended contact with their Taiwanese counterparts because the islands new leader would not endorse the idea of a single Chinese nation. Beijing said it had cut off communication because President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan failed to endorse the idea that Taiwan and the mainland are part of one China, a concept known as the 1992 Consensus. The move was the latest effort by the Chinese government, led by President Xi Jinping, to increase pressure on Ms. Tsai, who took office last month and has unsettled Beijing with her reluctance to disavow calls for Taiwanese independence. The cross-strait communication mechanism has been suspended because Taiwan did not recognize the 1992 Consensus, the political basis for the One China principle, An Fengshan, a spokesman for Beijings Taiwan Affairs Office, said in a statement posted on its website. WASHINGTON When people discuss the stakes of Britains decision to leave the European Union, they often talk about implications for the European project, the continuing post-World War II effort to unify the Continent politically and economically. But within hours of the polls closing on Thursday, it appeared that something much more basic could be at risk: Britain as a multinational state. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as it is formally known, is one of only a handful of countries that consist of multiple nations, politically and legally distinct but united under a common government. That system of government has been the subject of far less frenzied commentary than European unity, because it is smaller, and because it has seemed so stable. But the crisis-ridden, relatively young European Union may well outlast the 300-year-old United Kingdom, a prospect that speaks to both the underappreciated audacity of Britains multinational experiment and the strength of the forces that could now put it to an end. There has long been political jostling among the four nations that constitute the United Kingdom, but the so-called Brexit referendum has divided them in ways that mean they may not come back together again. England and Wales voted to leave the union. Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay. Within hours, Scottish and Irish politicians raised the possibility that their nations would leave the United Kingdom so they could remain in the European Union. LONDON Britains historic vote to leave the European Union is already threatening to unravel a democratic bloc of nations that has coexisted peacefully together for decades. But it is also generating uncertainty about an even bigger issue: Is the post-1945 order imposed on the world by the United States and its allies unraveling, too? Britains choice to retreat into what some critics of the vote suggest is a Little England status is just one among many loosely linked developments suggesting the potential for a reordering of power, economic relationships, borders and ideologies around the globe. Slow economic growth has undercut confidence in traditional liberal economics, especially in the face of the dislocations caused by trade and surging immigration. Populism has sprouted throughout the West. Borders in the Middle East are being erased amid a rise in sectarianism. China is growing more assertive and Russia more adventurous. Refugees from poor and war-torn places are crossing land and sea in record numbers to get to the better lives shown to them by modern communications. Accompanied by an upending of politics and middle-class assumptions in both the developed and the developing worlds, these forces are combining as never before to challenge the Western institutions and alliances that were established after World War II and that have largely held global sway ever since. Iran does not keep official statistics on marijuana use. But anecdotal evidence and figures from rehabilitation clinics indicate that pot smoking is widespread in Iranian cities. Hossein Katbaei, the director of one such clinic, Camp Jordan, said the number of patients his staff was treating for marijuana abuse had quadrupled over the last five years. Mr. Katbaei, a former truck driver with a long ponytail, and other addiction experts say young Iranians often become caught up in a vicious cycle. With widespread unemployment and forbiddingly high house prices, many young adults are forced to live at home, leading to lives of isolation and depression that they seek to escape through marijuana. Marijuana is internationally often viewed as a nonaddictive drug. But those using it frequently can become dependent on it. According to the United States National Institute of Drug Abuse, teenagers using marijuana are four to seven times more likely than adults to develop a marijuana disorders. In severe cases, the institute says, this can lead to addiction. Iranian experts point out that a growing percentage of marijuana produced inside the country is laced with other drugs. Also, most seeds are smuggled in from Amsterdam, and many are genetically enhanced to produce more strength. With the rise in marijuana use, the patients in Mr. Katbaeis clinic have changed. They are from middle-class families, often reasonably well off, said Youssef Najafi, a former drug addict who is now a counselor at the clinic. They feel useless. Live at home. Their future is one big unknown. Some years ago we would only have a couple. At first they think it is harmless, but those who use it too much get depressed and ultimately psychotic. Few older Iranians, whether health officials or parents, know much about marijuana or its effects, Mr. Najafi said. There is no government effort to inform people about the effects of marijuana use. In 2013, the current head of the police, Ali Moayedi, told state media that marijuana did not exist in Iran. But during a counseling session at the camp, marijuana was very much on the top of the list of what most patients had been using while they were out. Here in Iran at least, marijuana is really a gateway drug, Mr. Najafi said 807 has now joined the ranks along with 001 and 005. It's dead in the bay in WP. [Redacted] is attempting to get it jumped but given the condition of it, I will guarantee it's not going to last long. Please, all three of these vehicles respond to calls for contracted 911 services. They are first line response vehicles, they are not for admin purposes. We need them in service desperately. SANTA ANA A 19-year-old man pleaded guilty Friday and was immediately sentenced to a year in jail for beating a great-grandfather with an aluminum bat when the senior citizen tripped and fell on top of the suspects car. Samuel Elijah Alvarez was also placed on five years of formal probation. Alvarez, who was initially charged with attempted murder, had the felony dropped in April after a preliminary hearing. Judge Kathleen Roberts dismissed the attempted murder count, which included a sentence-enhancing allegation of premeditation and deliberation, which would have mandated a life sentence. The Santa Ana resident pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and battery with serious bodily injury, both felonies. He also admitted a misdemeanor charge of possessing a deadly weapon. Sentencing enhancement allegations for personally using a deadly weapon were dismissed along with a felony count of inflicting injury on an elder adult. Alvarezs attorney, Michael Garey, said video of the assault was shown to the judge multiple times during the preliminary hearing in April. The Feb. 7 attack on the 71-year-old victim took place at a 76 gas station at 4502 Westminster Ave. about 7:25 p.m. As he was walking out of the station, Jose Chacon of Santa Ana tripped and fell on top of Alvarezs car, Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said. Alvarez got out of the car and the pair argued. He then grabbed an aluminum bat out of his vehicle and began charging at Chacon, who went to get a small pipe out of his truck to protect himself, according to police and prosecutors. When Alvarez raised the bat in a threatening manner, the victim swung the pipe at the defendant, but missed, prosecutors said. The defendant struck the victim with the bat on his body and then slammed it on his head, causing him to fall down. Prosecutors said the victim sustained three jaw fractures that required him to undergo surgery and have his mouth wired shut, along with four loosened teeth, bruises to his left arm and scrapes to his hand. His daughter said he also required stitches in his face, which was so severely bruised as to make him unrecognizable. At the Bowers Museums Mummies of the World exhibit there are mummies from Brazil, Hungary, Germany and of course, Egypt. Some are thousands of years old, others only centuries. One that stands (or lies) apart from the rest is MUMAB. His name stands for Mummy of the University of Maryland at Baltimore and hes only been a mummy for 22 years. In 1994, two researchers, Egyptologist Bob Brier and anatomist Ronn Wade, recreated ancient Egyptian mummification techniques at the University of Maryland, Baltimore to preserve the remains of a man who donated his body to science. They made replicas of ancient tools and even gathered key ingredients from Egypt to make the process as close as possible to original practice. Brier, currently a senior research fellow at Long Island University, will talk Sunday at Bowers about the creation of MUMAB and mummification in ancient Egypt. Why would someone want to make a modern-day mummy? I realized that a lot of what people were saying about mummies was wrong, Brier said. While writing a book about mummies (one of 10 hes written on the subject), Brier imagined how he would carry out a mummification. Then I realized there were all these questions that nobody had an answer to or had a clue about. Did ancient Egyptians drain blood from the bodies? Brier has studied many Egyptian mummies but hasnt seen major incisions over arteries that would be used to drain the blood. What about the brain? Any kid can tell you ancient Egyptians used a hook to pull it through the nose, but Brier and Wade found out how it was likely done. I realized the only way Im going to answer these questions is Im going to mummify a cadaver in the ancient way. The ancient Egyptians never recorded the details of the process, Brier said. That was kind of a trade secret. The process of mummification took about a day, but the legwork took a year. Brier traveled to Egypt for 600 pounds of natron from Wadi Natrun, the same place ancient Egyptians got their natron to preserve bodies. Natron is a naturally occuring compound of what we know as table salt and baking soda. Getting untreated linen, used to wrap the body, in todays markets was a challenge, but Brier found some in Ireland. As for the draining of the blood, Brier said he and Wade opted not to do that. Instead, putting the body in natron was enough to dry it out, and shrink its weight from 180 pounds to 35. At Bowers, MUMAB is lying in a glass case. So, does it stink? He has a strong smell, the result of all the different oils used in preparing the body, Brier said. If you could lift the glass case that hes in, you might smell ancient Egypt in a way. Hes stable, meaning once we mummified him he hasnt changed, he said. I think we got it right, but well have to wait a couple thousand years to be sure. Mummies of the World has been a popular exhibit for the Bowers since it arrived at the museum in March. Brier has some thoughts on why its been such a success. Youre looking a human being that lived 3,000 years ago, and hes a recognizable human being, Brier said. The goal of the Egyptians was to live forever, and in some ways they did it. And I think were envious. Contact the writer: aboessenkool@ocregister.com SANTA ANA A private investigation of City Manager David Cavazos initiated by the city found that he failed to disclose a romantic relationship with a Santa Ana employee until a year after the fact, and that his complaint of sexual harassment by a councilwoman was meritless. Though the report investigating a half-dozen concerns about Cavazos does not indicate he violated city personnel policies, Mayor Miguel Pulido said the actions expose the city to millions of dollars in potential liability and that he will be taking legislative action to protect our residents. Pulido, along with Councilwoman Michele Martinez, initiated the investigation in an email to City Attorney Sonia Carvalho on Sept. 27 that raised six concerns involving the citys top employee. Carvalho sought the Cerritos-based firm Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo for the investigation, and the resulting report dated June 21 confirms several allegations about Cavazos relating to romance as well as the workplace. The report revealed that Cavazos had complained Martinez sexually harassed him. Investigators found the accusation to be without merit. Cavazos said Martinez invited him to her hotel and a non-work-related happy hour in 2013 and that she questioned his housing allowance, eligibility for a bonus and performance evaluation because he had rejected her supposed romantic interest. Investigators determined Martinezs statement that she gave Cavazos bicycle shorts as a friendly gesture was credible. A preponderance of the evidence establishes that Councilmember Martinez did not engage in sexual conduct towards Mr. Cavazos, the report states. The report concluded that Cavazos began a romantic, consensual relationship with a city employee in August or September 2014 and intentionally did not disclose it until a year later in an Aug. 27 email to the mayor. Cavazos wrote that he confirmed with the executive director of the citys Personnel Department that his relationship did not violate Santa Anas policy and that no disclosure form or process exists. Given that this individual is not a direct subordinate, works in a different department and I have no work interaction and absent a policy, we decided to keep this matter private, Cavazos wrote. In the same email, Cavazos wrote he met his romantic interest outside of work and soon thereafter learned about their employment with Santa Ana. However, the report states that as of their first meeting, both individuals knew the other was employed by the City. Additionally, the report said Cavazos asked a city employee, whose name was redacted, to write a memo about a phone call the employee had with Pulido regarding an appointment to a different position. Investigators determined that Pulidos and Martinezs emails had been searched without authorization, but it was not clear due to redactions whether Cavazos, accused of signing off on the monitoring, ordered it. Finally, investigators said they did not have sufficient evidence to show that Cavazos improperly influenced recruitment of an employment selection panel last August and September. Cavazos, in a statement Thursday, expressed sincere appreciation to the City Council for releasing the report after months of interviews and a thorough review of the facts with an independent, outside attorney with an expertise in personnel law. It is now my hope that we all work together to build on our successes as we continue to serve our city of Santa Ana community, Cavazos said. Pulido said in a statement that Cavazos unethical relationship has not ceased and the city continues to be exposed to millions of dollars in potential liability. Also, his false accusation claiming that Councilmember Martinez sexually harassed him were found to be completely untrue and this type of behavior and judgment from a city manager is of grave concern to me, Pulido said. Other cities in the state have policies prohibiting personal relationships between city employees, Pulido said, and he plans to propose similar legislation. Martinez would not comment on the sexual harassment allegations. She wrote in a text message that residents deserve a city manager that leads by example in a professional and ethical manner. Now that the investigation is concluded and the facts are on the table, it is abundantly clear that Mr. (Cavazos) did not live up to our expectations, she wrote. However, not all council members agreed a taxpayer-paid investigation was the best way to look into the allegations. Councilman David Benavides said he was not aware of how much it cost the city, but whatever was spent was too much. There wasnt anything that struck me as concerning or that was surprising, Benavides said. I think we could have reached some of the same conclusions by taking care of it internally. On a brief reading of the report, Gerry Serrano, president of the Santa Ana Police Officers Association, said the findings were alarming. It tends to show that the city manager is being less than truthful, Serrano said. There are some serious allegations that, if true, probably require further investigation and some type of action. Tim Rush, president of the Wilshire Square Neighborhood Association, said Cavazos is putting his girlfriends supervisors in an awkward position in reviews and disciplinary situations because they report to the city manager. Everybody is not on an even playing field here, Rush said. The report comes a couple of weeks after the International City/County Management Association censured Cavazos on the grounds that his personal relationship violates the organizations code of ethics. Cavazos salary is $371,784, including bilingual pay, a housing allowance and medical cash back, and he receives $117,065 in medical, dental and retirement benefits. Cavazos received a $17,085 bonus in January and the following month had his contract extended until February 2019 instead of October 2017. Cavazos compensation package is the highest of any city worker in the county and the sixth-highest among city managers in the state, according to a report released by the conservative-leaning group Transparent California on Tuesday. Contact the writer: 714-796-7762 or jkwong@ocregister.com or on Twitter: @JessicaGKwong Environmental regulation is often portrayed as all good, no bad. After all, it draws on widespread public support for laws intended to give us clean air and water, help protect wildlife and preserve open space. In reality, however, environmental regulation often fails to protect those things while also imposing substantial economic, social and even environmental costs. One example of this occurs when the federal government designates critical habitat for endangered species, which has been done in California. In 2007, for example, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated 197,000 acres in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties as critical habitat for the coastal California gnatcatcher, a small bird. The agency estimated the cost of designation would be $640 million over 23 years. Yet according to David Sunding, professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California-Berkeley, the Fish and Wildlife Services estimate relies on a simplistic and discredited method, and the true costs of designating this critical habitat are actually four to five times greater, totaling between $2.6 to $3.2 billion. Similarly, in 2005, Fish and Wildlife Service designated over 850,000 acres in Central and Southern California as critical habitat for 15 species that live in vernal pools, temporary wetlands that appear when it rains. The government estimated this designation would cost approximately $250 million over 20 years. Again, this was a massive underestimate. Sunding and his UC Berkeley colleagues estimated the actual costs of designating this critical habitat was seven to 14 times higher, or as much as $3.5 billion. The huge economic costs of designating critical habitat have a couple significant effects for individuals and families. The complex process can make the home-buying process much more expensive by making the building process much longer, by driving up the costs of the land and housing and by reducing the number of homes available. Trying to build housing near critical habitats becomes more difficult and more expensive, especially for lower income families. Taking housing as an example, an increase in the price of housing that results from CHD [critical habitat designation] implies that those with the lowest willingness to pay for housing, including those with the lowest incomes, will be priced out of the market and forced to locate in alternative areas, Sunding writes. The research also concludes that developers will likely reduce the output of lower-end units in response to critical habitat designations, which can increase the average quality (and price) of new homes. The economic impacts of critical habitat designations are borne disproportionately by consumers, particularly those on the lowest end of the housing affordability spectrum, according to the study by Sunding and his colleagues. Unfortunately, these critical habitat designations and the Endangered Species Act also appear to be contributing to urban sprawl, which has been identified as a major threat to wildlife by environmental groups. If youre looking to build housing or a shopping mall, for example, avoiding critical habitat areas can significantly lower the costs of the project. It may also push the development further away from downtown or urban areas, contributing to the very same sprawl that many environmental groups would like to stop. When looking for ways to protect the environment and crucial wildlife habitats, we would do well to take a closer look at the total, true costs of such regulation. Its likely that there are alternatives that would better protect the environment and wildlife while also being less harmful to families, especially low-income families who already have a difficult time in Southern Californias expensive housing market. Brian Seasholes is an environmental policy analyst at Reason Foundation. YEREVAN, Armenia Pope Francis denounced what he called the ideologically twisted and planned genocide of Armenians by Ottoman-era Turks a century ago as he arrived in Armenia on Friday for a deeply symbolic visit to mark the centenary of the massacre and pay homage to the countrys steadfast Christian faith. In the most carefully watched speech of his three-day trip, Francis ad-libbed the politically charged word genocide to his prepared text that had conspicuously left it out, listing the Armenian genocide alongside the Holocaust and Stalinism. And rather than merely repeat what had said last year that the slaughter was considered the first genocide of the 20th century Francis declared it a genocide flat out, setting the stage for another Turkish protest after it withdrew its ambassador last year and accused Francis of spreading lies. Sadly that tragedy, that genocide, was the first of the deplorable series of catastrophes of the past century, made possible by twisted racial, ideological or religious aims that darkened the minds of the tormentors even to the point of planning the annihilation of entire peoples, he said. Its so sad how, in this case and in the other two, the great international powers looked the other way, he added, referring to the subsequent horrors of Nazism and Stalinism. In the run-up to the visit, the Vatican had refrained from using the term genocide, mindful of Turkish opposition to the political and financial implications of the word given Armenian claims for reparations. But Francis, never one to shy from speaking his mind, added the word at the last minute in a speech at the presidential palace to President Serzh Sargsyan, Armenian political and religious leaders and the diplomatic corps. They gave him a standing ovation. One cannot but believe in the triumph of justice when in 100 years the message of justice is being conveyed to mankind from the heart of the Catholic world, marveled President Sargsyn in his speech to the pope. Many historians consider the massacres of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians genocide. Turkey rejects the term, says the death figure is inflated and that people died on both sides as the Ottoman Empire collapsed amid World War I. The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Francis always speaks of the need for reconciliation and that his declaration of a genocide must be taken in the context of recognizing a past horror to then move on in friendship and reconciliation. Lombardi denied that the Vaticans diplomatic speechwriters had intentionally left the word out, saying they had intentionally left it up to the pope to decide what to say. In a largely Orthodox land where Catholics are a minority, Armenians have been genuinely honored to welcome a pope who has long championed the Armenian cause from his time as an archbishop in Argentina and now as leader of the 1.2-billion strong Catholic Church. His 2015 declaration that the massacres were considered a genocide sealed their affection for him. I shook the popes hand but didnt have the time to kiss it, 42-year-old Yerevan resident Nazik Sargsyan said Friday as Francis arrived. Im sure Gods blessing has come down on me with that handshake. Small groups of residents lined his motorcade route, and a gaggle of schoolchildren wearing white T-shirts and yellow neckerchiefs the colors of the Vatican flag greeted him at the airport with a big banner written in Italian: Armenia Welcomes Pope Francis. In his initial remarks upon arrival in the ornate Armenian Apostolic Church in Etchmiadzin, Francis praised Armenia for becoming the first nation to declare Christianity the state religion in 301 and for keeping alive the light of faith even in its darkest times. With the Apostolic patriarch Karekin II by his side, Francis urged all Christians to unite to prevent religion from being exploited and manipulated today, a reference to the current-day Islamic extremist attacks on Christians in the Middle East. It is vitally important that all those who declare their faith in God join forces to isolate those who use religion to promote war, oppression and violent persecution, exploiting and manipulating the holy name of God, he said. The Vatican has long cheered the Armenian cause, holding up the poor nation of 3 million mostly Orthodox Christians as a bastion of faith and martyrdom in a largely Muslim region. President Sargsyan, Karekin and a few other officials greeted Francis at the Yerevan airport in a low-key welcome ceremony. A girls choir serenaded and the pope, patriarch and president then walked behind a goose-stepping military official along a red carpet into the airports VIP lounge before heading to Echmiadzin, the seat of the Oriental Orthodox church where Francis will stay as a guest of Karekin. Blessed is the hour when the feet of Pope Francis touched our soil! exclaimed local resident Simon Samsonya as Francis arrived. He won the love of the Armenian people with his message at the St. Peters Cathedral on the eve of the 100 years anniversary of the genocide. Francis will have another opportunity to pay respects to the victims of the slaughter when he visits Armenias genocide memorial on Saturday. He caps his visit Sunday with a visit to a monastery on the border with Turkey. There, he will free a dove of peace in the direction of Mt. Ararat, the mythological landing place of Noahs Ark and a place of sacred importance to Armenians. NEW YORK The Stonewall Inn has been called the symbolic heart of New York Citys lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community for decades, since the police raid and ensuing protests there in 1969 helped galvanize a national struggle for gay rights. On Friday, President Barack Obama formally recognized that history, declaring the Greenwich Village bar and its surrounding area the Stonewall National Monument, and creating the first National Park Service unit dedicated to the gay rights movement. According to the White House, the monument designation will consist of 7.7 acres, protecting the tavern, Christopher Park across the street, and several other streets and sidewalks where spontaneous protests were held for equal rights in 1969. The Stonewall Uprising is considered by many to be the catalyst that launched the modern L.G.B.T. civil rights movement, Obama wrote in a proclamation announcing the monuments establishment. From this place and time, building on the work of many before, the nation started the march not yet finished toward securing equality and respect for L.G.B.T. people. Officials are now seeking to raise money for National Park Service personnel, a temporary ranger station, a visitor center and exhibits. In the wake of the mass shooting at a gay bar in Orlando, Florida, this month, the designation comes at a momentous and emotional moment for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in New York City and nationwide. Advocates and activists describe the Stonewall as a regular meeting place that people gravitate toward in times of strife, pain or celebration for the gay community. After the Orlando tragedy, emotional vigils were held outside to honor the victims. Almost a year ago, the area erupted in joy when the Supreme Court ruled to legalize same-sex marriage. Thousands are expected to flock to the neighborhood in celebration this weekend, in the gay pride march. The annual parade Sunday will travel down Christopher Street and past the bar. Advocates have worked to create a national park near the Stonewall Inn for years. In May, dozens of people testified at a hearing in the West Village in support of the proposal, many speaking personally about the importance of the location. Nance Lomax went to the Stonewall Inn as a transgender teenager hoping to find community. Stonewall meant the world to me, Lomax said at the time. It taught me I could be or do anything. Others spoke about their arrests during the protest that followed a raid on June 28, 1969. The New York Police Department was trying to enforce a prohibition against selling alcoholic drinks to homosexuals, a news release from the White House said. It was part of a tumultuous history between the police and the gay community that, though much improved, still lingers in memories today. New York City designated the tavern a landmark in June 2015. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1999. On Friday, a cadre of New Yorks elected officials, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, and Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, praised the designation after it was announced. Beautiful 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom condo next to Angel Stadium. Only 2.5 miles from Disneyland. Secured parking structure, pool, jacuzzi, gym and sauna. Plenty of restaurants within walking distance. That Anaheim listing on the travel lodging website Airbnb offered by Marc screamed perfect Southern California vacation rental. The condo sits near two of the regions most popular attractions. Its less than a half-hour from the ocean. And at $110 to $150 a night for an entire apartment with cool amenities, its a good deal. What the listing doesnt say is that the property owner is not Marc, but Kathy Marchetti, and that Marchetti had no idea her property was being used as a by-the-night rental to tourists from as far away as Victoria, Australia, and New York City. It also doesnt say that the tenant, Giuliana Molinari, signed a one-year lease with Marchetti in January, at $1,475 a month, apparently specifically to run a short-term rental. Molinari did not respond to multiple interview requests. And whether Marc is an online persona or someone who worked with the tenant isnt clear from the online listing or other interviews. But Airbnbs website does list Marc as a verified host, which involves connecting your profile to other personal information, such as your Facebook profile, phone number, email address or photo ID, according to Airbnbs website. Marchetti, a retired Los Angeles police lieutenant who lives near Dallas, was outraged when she learned her condo was listed online. I dont want my home to be used as a hotel, she said. The situation is a new twist on an old real estate scheme tenants making money by subletting properties without their landlords permission. Instead of subletting the properties by the month or the year, tenants now can use Airbnb, VRBO and other websites to peddle lucrative day-to-day deals to tourists in need of vacation rentals. The short stays can generate two to three times the income tenants pay in monthly rent. And Molinari controlled at least one other condominium in the 390-unit complex, according to Marchetti. The second homeowner declined to be interviewed. These are the ones that really make me angry, purposefully doing yearlong leases without the intent of living there, said Cris Sathre, a board member in Marchettis homeowners association. Sathre said she became aware of unauthorized short-term rentals about a year ago and the problem has gained steam over the past six months. She said the associations board is working on ways to end the practice at its complex. But as Sathre and Marchetti learned, reining in short-stay rentals can be challenging. After discovering in April that her property was listed on Airbnb, Marchetti told Molinari in writing to stop renting out the property. Soon after that, Molinari told Marchettis property manager that the listing had been removed. But in early June, Marchetti learned that tourists were still staying in her property and that it was still being advertised on Airbnb which was making at least $13 a night off of the listing, based on a $150 a night rate. The tenant stated in a June 6 email to Marchettis property manager that all Airbnb activity has ceased. The short-term rental wasnt just breaking the rules of Marchettis lease, but also city ordinances, Marchetti said. Anaheim requires property owners renting out their homes for 30 days or less to apply for a short-term rental permit. In April, city officials extended their moratorium on new short-term rental permits until May 3, 2017, a response to a deluge of complaints from residents. There is no short-term rental permit listed for Marchettis condo, according to the city of Anaheim. The city says the property owner ultimately also can be responsible for fines stemming from violations of the short-term rental restrictions. Marchetti said when she contacted the city of Anaheim for help ending the short-term rental of her property, a code-enforcement official offered to issue a violation letter to Marchetti. The city said she could use the violation notice as evidence during any eviction proceedings. Feeling stuck, Marchetti approached Airbnb for help. She sent documents to Airbnb showing that she, not Molinari or Marc, was the property owner, and that using the property as a short-term rental violated lease and city regulations. Emails exchanged between Airbnb and Marchetti indicate the company didnt want to play an active role in resolving the matter. The company advised Marchetti late last month that communicating directly with your tenant is the simplest way to address these types of complaints. A follow-up email to Marchetti explained: Airbnb is an online platform and does not own, operate, manage or control accommodations. Airbnb officials declined to comment for this story, other than to say the listing was no longer active. Marchetti argues that Airbnb could have done more, and sooner, because the company, according to its terms and conditions, can remove or disable any listing at its sole discretion if hosts violate those terms and conditions. Among those terms: agreeing to not violate any local regulations or breach any homeowner association or lease agreements. Ive spent 40 hours on this already, said Marchetti in early June. I asked What are the specific results of the complaint process? I cant seem to get past the first person of customer service at Airbnb. Molinari recently cleared out the unit, Marchetti said, adding she is planning to go to small-claims court to seek remaining rent and damages. The process figures to be time-consuming and expensive, but a larger point needs to be made, she said. People are willing to do this thing, she said, because people are not willing to stop them. Contact the writer: lleung@ocregister.com MOSCOW Russian lawmakers adopted a set of measures Friday that proponents said were aimed at combating terrorism but human rights activists condemned as an assault on freedoms of speech, privacy and conscience. The measures, passed by the State Duma, Russias lower house of parliament, introduced a prison sentence of up to one year for failure to report a terrorist act or armed mutiny in the planning stages. The lawmakers also forced cellular and internet providers to store all communications data for six months and to help security services decipher all messaging applications. The bill, which needs to be approved by the upper chamber of parliament and signed by President Vladimir Putin, also banned proselytizing, preaching and praying outside officially recognized religious institutions, among other measures. The measures, called the Yarovaya Law after their main proponent, Irina A. Yarovaya, were putatively put forward as a reaction to the October bombing of a Russian passenger jet over the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, killing all 224 people aboard. But leading Russian human rights activists said the authorities were using the air disaster as a pretext for an assault on basic freedoms. Tanya Lokshina, the Russia program director for Human Rights Watch, called the bill a set of legislative amendments that severely undermine freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and the right to privacy. Russian communications companies complained that the new legislation would force them to spend billions of dollars to build the infrastructure to store the messages, while religious organizations said the amendments could bar them from conducting services and other events outside their religious buildings. In its initial form, the legislation was even harsher, allowing the government to strip Russians of their citizenship if convicted of committing a terrorist act, serving in a foreign army or working for a foreign security service or court. MIDWAY CITY Advocates for the homeless got a first glimpse Friday of the innovative Potters Lane housing development that will transform cargo shipping containers into steel-frame, private living quarters for homeless veterans. Once completed at a hoped-for date in November Veterans Day Potters Lane can serve as a model for the country, said Donna Gallup, director of American Family Housing, the nonprofit developing Potters Lane in a lot next to the building where it serves hundreds of homeless and needy people every day. The 16-unit complex will be the nations first permanent housing for the homeless built using shipping containers, Gallup said. This project is a groundbreaker to change the way we permanently address homelessness, she told a crowd of about 100 invited guests. They liked what they saw. Wed like to make it our home, joked Westminster Mayor Tri Ta, one of several speakers to address the crowd, which included Orange County officials, representatives of state and federal lawmakers, and leaders of nonprofits. Its beautiful. The plan calls for 10 subsidized units earmarked for single veterans. Five other units will give preference to veterans, but any homeless person can apply, and one unit will be occupied by an on-site property manager. Gallup said construction on the two-story complex at 15171 Jackson St. is expected to start once grading and building permits are approved by the county, which has jurisdiction over the unincorporated area. Construction costs were previously estimated at $1.9 million. But Gallup declined to say at this point what the final cost might be, preferring to wait until completion. Gallup said the name for the project comes from a favorite saying taken from the Bible that retired American Family Housing founder Jim Miller, who started the nonprofit in 1996, liked to use: You are the potter, I am the clay. She credits the idea to explore the use of shipping containers to the groups former housing development consultant, Gerald Turner. Each unit at Potters Lane will be built using three 8-by-20-foot containers, with several sides removed for interior space to accommodate a bedroom/dining area, kitchen and bathroom. Floor-to-ceiling windows on two walls let in plenty of light. The container units will exceed the states criteria for energy efficiency, said Lisa Sharpe, senior vice president of GrowthPoint Structures, a Los Angeles-based company that has built schools in California and custom homes from what could be called gently used cargo containers that carried dry goods to the areas ports. Most important, say the projects supporters, it will be home for those who served their country but now live on the streets. Phil Bowers, who works for Volunteers of America Los Angeles providing outreach to local veterans, said the funds exist to house all homeless veterans in Orange County. Their numbers are estimated at 500. Bowers, a Marine Corps gunnery sergeant in the 1970s and 80s, said the problem is a housing shortage. Its just finding the places, he said. This will really help. Contact the writer: 714-796-7793 or twalker@ocregister.com LONDON Scottish leaders who overwhelmingly supported Britains membership in the European Union warned Friday of possible renewed bids for independence after British voters turned their backs on the 28-nation bloc. Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the Scottish National Party, said a second referendum on Scotlands membership in the United Kingdom was a possibility in the immediate future. We will begin to prepare the legislation that would be required to enable a new independence referendum to take place if and when Parliament decides, she told reporters in Edinburgh. Just two years ago, pro-EU Scottish voters rejected independence and opted to remain united with England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In that earlier vote, the separatist campaign could not successfully demonstrate that a newly independent Scotland would automatically earn EU membership: For Scottish Europhiles, the safest option in the September 2014 referendum was to remain in the U.K. But Britains rejection of the European Union has outraged millions in Scotland as well as in Northern Ireland, pointing to the internal pressures that the U.K. faces as it looks toward the difficult process of breaking with its European partners. If Brexit will redefine the relationship of Britain with continental Europe, it could also significantly alter the borders of the United Kingdom itself. Passport control checks and physical barriers could soon be installed between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, the only portion of the U.K. that will now share a land border with an EU member state. In Thursdays vote, 56 percent of voters supported the Remain camp in Northern Ireland, where significant EU investment has meant a new chapter of prosperity for a region that has not forgotten decades of sectarian violence. Sinn Fein, the Irish nationalist party dedicated to ending British jurisdiction over Northern Ireland, immediately announced that the Brexit results justified a united Ireland. English votes have overturned the democratic will of Northern Ireland, Declan Kearney, Sinn Feins national chairman, said in a statement Friday morning. This British government has forfeited any mandate to represent the economic or political interests of people in Northern Ireland. Likewise, 62 percent of Scottish voters sided with the pro-EU remain camp, compared to just 47 percent in England. I am proud of Scotland and how we voted yesterday, Sturgeon said. We proved that we are a modern, outward-looking and inclusive country, and we said clearly that we do not want to leave the European Union. Decisions have consequences, Fiona Hyslop, Scotlands external affairs minister, told reporters. If the United Kingdom has made a decision against the interests of the Scottish people, that will have consequences. In Wales, where 52 percent of voters backed Brexit, despite the billions of euros the region has received from Brussels in structural funding, First Minister Carwyn Jones was quick to express displeasure with the vote. In a statement, Jones said the referendum was grounds for an entire reworking of the political relationships among Britains devolved capitals, putting the country onto entirely different footing. The details of a second Scottish referendum remain unclear, as do the details of a newly independent Scotlands accession to the EU. Nicola Sturgeon declined to comment, and the Scottish National Party declined to elaborate on her Friday morning speech. A second referendum would most likely occur in a notably different economic environment than in 2014. For one, Scotland ran up a deficit last year roughly twice the size of the rest of the U.K.s, due, among other things, to lower tax revenues from fallen oil prices. As there could be in Northern Ireland, a second Scottish referendum could also lead to border controls between Scotland and an England increasingly wary of EU migrants. Those potential borders could curb the billions of pounds of commerce that flow between the two countries every year. For many, the vote has already struck at the heart of the United Kingdom, politically integrated since 1707. J.K. Rowling, the Scottish author of the bestselling Harry Potter books, tweeted Friday that Scotland will surely seek independence now. Camerons legacy will be breaking up two unions, she wrote of the British prime minister. Neither needed to happen. BEIRUT Islamic State militants abducted about 900 Kurdish civilians in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo over the past three weeks, forcing the captives to build fortifications for the extremists in retaliation for a Kurdish-led assault on a nearby Islamic State stronghold, activists said Friday. Reports also emerged Friday that at least 26 of those abducted have been killed for refusing to follow Islamic State orders. The abductions come amid fierce fighting for control of Manbij a key Islamic State stronghold in this Syrian province where the extremists are being routed from the town center by the predominantly Kurdish and U.S.-backed Syria Democratic Forces. Some of the abducted Kurds have been forced to dig trenches and shelters for Islamic State, according to Kurdish media activist Rezan Hiddo, while others have been forced to wear Islamic State uniforms and ordered to fight at the fronts. On Friday, the mostly Kurdish SDF battled Islamic State militants inside Manbij after encircling the stronghold in a weekslong offensive that has been backed by U.S.-coalition air strikes. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported that coalition jets struck targets around the town. The SDF has lost 89 fighters since launching its campaign for Manbij on May 31, according to the Observatory. Also, 463 Islamic State militants have been killed. The push by the SDF into Manbij has been slow as the U.S.-backed fighters first focused on capturing dozens of villages and farms near the town in the past weeks. The town lies along the only Islamic State supply line between the Syrian-Turkish border to the north and the Islamic State extremist groups self-styled capital of Raqqa, which lies to the southeast, in the Islamic State-held neighboring province of Raqqa. If Manbij is captured, it will be the biggest strategic defeat for Islamic State in Syria since July 2015, when the extremist group lost the border town of Tal Abyad. The U.S. has embedded 300 special forces operators with the SDF. The White House says they are advisers. French special forces operators are also embedded with the group. SDF spokesman Sherfan Darwish told The Associated Press that the Islamic State militants began abducting Kurdish civilians in retaliation for the offensive on Manbij. Whenever Daesh is defeated, they retaliate against civilians, Darwish said, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State, adding that there are whole families among those taken. The abductions have been taking place mostly in areas under Islamic State control, from the western Manbij countryside to the towns of al-Bab and al-Rai, according to Hiddo. He said the ongoing campaign has prompted families to flee the towns in fear. The Observatory and Darwish said some of those taken captive have been forced to dig trenches in Islamic State-held areas while others are imprisoned in Islamic State-run detention centers. Darwish said all captured males above the age of 12 were sent against their will to the front lines to help fortify Islamic State positions. The militants have killed 26 of the captives for resisting detention or refusing orders, according to Hiddo. His report could not be independently confirmed and the Islamic State group made no immediate claim over the abductions or the killings. Many of the civilians are being held in an Islamic State prison in Qabasin, Hiddo said. Those forced into labor are digging fortifications underneath homes in al-Bab. They (Islamic State) are digging a city underneath the town to protect themselves from air strikes, Hiddo added. The Islamic State has not engaged in negotiations for the release of the Kurdish civilians, nor asked for any ransom, Hiddo said, speaking from the nearby Kurdish stronghold of Afrin. The extremist group has a history of mass kidnappings in areas they control in Syria and Iraq and has mostly targeted Christians and Kurds in the past. The Observatory also said that said Islamic State fighters stormed homes in several villages they control near al-Bab, including Arab, Qabaseen and Nairabiyeh, and took with them mostly men. In 2014, Islamic State abducted nearly 200 Kurdish students near Manbij as they were en route from the Kurdish town of Kobani near the Syrian-Turkish border to the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, the provincial capital, to take their exams. Most were later released. In February 2015, Islamic State kidnapped more than 200 Christians from northeastern Syria. The Christians were released over a period of a year, after Islamic State collected millions of dollars in ransom. Children and adults who hopped into the pools at local swim centers Friday were part of a global event to raise awareness about water safety and drowning prevention. The seventh annual Worlds Largest Swimming Lesson had an estimated 45,000 participants in 24 countries over 24 hours, according to organizers. That number would make it the largest 24-hour global swimming lesson event in history. In Irvine, 204 children and adults participated in the 30-minute lesson at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatic Center, one of two sessions that took place in the city. The other was at Waterworks Aquatics Irvine. The center, which participated in the Worlds Largest Swimming Lesson for the first time, drew the attendance of Lynn Schott, Irvines mayor pro tem. It was so exciting to see all the families gathered at that pool, and it was really fun to watch the faces of the instructors light up, Schott said. I hope we continue to do this. Its a very important message for us to get out to our community, not just kids, but adults who have never swam before. At Blue Buoy Swim School in Tustin, 57 people, including lifeguards, were in the water, with about a dozen observing around the pool deck, said owner Johnny Johnson. The swim school has participated in the event since it began. Drowning is a global epidemic that should be addressed on the local level, Johnson said. This is a tremendous opportunity for outreach, he said. Swim lessons help save lives with direct assimilation of skills for students, but by extension, raising awareness to families that there is always risk whether youre in or around the water. Contact the writer: npercy@ocregister.com SACRAMENTO The last time I wrote about tobacco-related measures, I concluded that California legislators and health advocates have let a bit of Puritanism get the better of them. Why else would the governor sign a law that makes no distinctions between smoking dangerous, combustible tobacco products (cigarettes) and puffing on vaping devices that are a safer, alternative product? I still think some Puritanism is at work it bothers activists that smokers find vaping enjoyable, as opposed to arm patches, nasal sprays and ten-step programs. But some Register readers reminded me of an even bigger and more cynical reason for the states approach: officials are addicted to their cut of tobacco-related revenues. Smoking rates are declining. As smokers give up their bad habit, anti-smoking programs lose tax dollars. Taking dollars from government agencies and government-addicted nonprofits makes them as grumpy as taking the last pack of cigarettes from a habitual smoker. Even though the state passed several new laws raising the smoking age to 21 and regulating e-cigarettes like tobacco, for instance anti-tobacco activists have qualified an initiative for the November ballot that would go even further. The California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016 is, as its name suggests, all about hiking tax rates. California has one of the nations lower tobacco taxes. The initiative provides a $2 per pack tax boost on cigarettes (from 87 cents to $2.87). It raises taxes on other tobacco products by an equivalent amount. Im no fan of tax increases. And sin taxes are regressive they impose a particularly high burden on the poor. But at least advocates are trying to do something that might improve public health by discouraging the use of a dangerous product. But this line in the initiative suggests the anti-vaping craze is mainly about the money: Tobacco products also shall include electronic cigarettes. To be clear, the liquid that is heated and vaped is not tobacco, even though most but not all liquids contain nicotine. The nicotine is the point. Smokers are addicted to it. These products provide a safer way to get that fix 95 percent safer, according to Public Health England. If the initiative passes, the state will have another way to get its fix of taxes. In fact, the measure would boost taxes on vaping products by 320 percent, according to industry estimates. The Legislative Analysts Office explains the $1 billion a year in expected new revenues will go to replace lost tobacco-related revenues. A small portion will go to the Board of Equalization to administer the tax. Law enforcement will grab $48 million. The University of California will grab $40 million for physician training. The Department of Public Health will get a $30-million cut and the state auditor will get some money to conduct audits. Many believe this misguided measure is driven more [by] money than protecting Californias public health due to the fact that tobacco tax revenues are declining as adult consumption rates continue to fall, Joshua Kane, president of the California chapters of the Smoke Free Alternatives Trade Association, argued in his recent testimony to the Legislature. Only 4.3 percent of the current $1.52 billion in smoking-related excise taxes and settlements actually are spent on smoking prevention and cessation programs, he added. That reinforces the cynics view: The government wants its dollars. And so does the tobacco industry, of course. The Los Angeles Times obtained an email from a tobacco lobbyist suggesting the industry would pay up to $10 per signature to place a possible referendum on the ballot overturning the age-21 measure. It would have driven up signature costs and endangered this tax initiative and other proposals slated for the ballot. Thats cynical politics, too. Politics aside, the anti-vaping folks have one reasonable argument. They point to a University of Southern California study suggesting teens who try vaping are six times more likely to start real smoking. This study, like a number of others quoted as saying that e-cigs are a gateway to smoking, only reflects the difference between teens inclined to experiment and teens not so inclined, argues Joel Nitzkin, a public-health physician and colleague at the R Street Institute. In other words, the gateway argument is a weak one. The tobacco-tax initiatives backers say an increase in the tobacco tax is an appropriate way to decrease tobacco use and mitigate the costs of health care treatment. Its true that a higher tax discourages smoking. So a higher e-cigarette tax would also discourage vaping, which happens to be a great way to stop smoking. The logic seems inescapable that hiking taxes on vaping products is more about revenue than public health. Steven Greenhut is western region director for the R Street Institute. He was a Register editorial writer from 1998 to 2009. He is based in Sacramento. Write to him at sgreenhut@rstreet.org. UK votes to leave Europe: The drinks industry reacts to Brexit The UK has voted to leave the EU and Prime Minister David Cameron has resigned. Meanwhile, the pound has dropped to its lowest level since 1985. The UK drinks industry has been quick to react to the news and they warn of uncertain times ahead, but many have also vowed they will work closely with the government in order to secure the best outcome for the industry. The chief executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, Miles Beale, said: "The British public have voted to leave the European Union opening a new chapter in our history. While our members felt that the wine and spirit industry was stronger in the EU, we will work to assist government in preserving our access to the Single Market, supporting British drinks exports and agreeing the best possible international free trade agreements. The WSTA will do everything it can to ensure that the UKs wine and spirit industry has a powerful voice with a view to promoting the great British drinks industrys leading position and fulfilling its huge potential in an increasingly competitive international market place. And David Frost, chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Association, also warns of uncertain times ahead but said we should now focus on potential opportunities. Voters have spoken and decided that the UK should leave the European Union, he said. All must now get behind the government as it faces the challenges, and the opportunities, this decision brings. The process of leaving the EU will inevitably generate significant uncertainty. Of course, we are confident Scotch Whisky will remain the pre-eminent international spirit drink. But equally, there are serious issues to resolve in areas of major importance to our industry and which require urgent attention, notably the nature of future trade arrangements with both the single market and the wider world. The government will now need to consult as it prepares its negotiating approach. We look forward to working closely with them on that. We urge thoughtful and serious consideration by all parties so that we can secure the best possible continued access to the EU and other export markets on which Scotch Whiskys success has been built, whilst minimising costs and complexity. Representatives at Red Squirrel Wine also voiced their concerns for the industry but they also expressed a determination to embrace the challenges ahead. "This is a sombre day, the effects of which we can only begin to understand and it will be an uncertain few months and years to come as Britain amputates itself from the EU. "However, while half the population is feeling depressed today, I can only presume that the other half is in good spirits. If you're in the business of selling celebratory booze, that can't be a bad thing. "In all seriousness, there will be bumps in the road but everyone at Red Squirrel Wine is more determined than ever to continue sourcing brilliant wines, from Europe and around the world, and at the fairest prices for growers and consumers. "This isn't the result that we or indeed many other people in our industry hoped for, but the job starts now to make it work for everyone. It might be bloody terrifying, but an exciting challenge we'll grab with a corkscrew and both hands." Meanwhile, Rowan Gormley, the chief executive of Majestic Wines, warned earlier this week that wine prices could rise in the event of the UK leaving the EU. He said the supply chain would be largely unaffected but said all imported goods, including wine, would suffer price rises in the event of Brexit, particularly if the pound falls in value. And for the beer industry, BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds, said: "It is vital that the Government acts quickly to secure economic stability and protect consumer confidence. We will be vigilant to ensure the Brexit negotiations doe not harm our exports abroad and the competitive position of beer and pubs in Britain." Related articles: DENISON, IOWA - Denison Mayor Dan Leinen asked for and received Police Chief John Emswilers resignation on Thursday morning. Leinen said that he had asked for Emswilers resignation as a result of an ongoing performance review. Members of the City Council had expressed a growing lack of confidence in Emswiler, Leinen said. He planned to spend most of the day Thursday working out how the police department will function without a chief. In early February, Emswiler became embroiled in a controversy about inappropriate pictures that he admitted creating. He left the images in a file on his police department computer after being told to discontinue the practice several years ago by former Police Chief Rod Bradley. The file was removed by someone with access to the police department computer system and images from the file were published on Facebook. Some of the images were digitally altered by Emswiler to add the faces of police department and sheriffs department employees to sexual imagery. Suspended police officer Brad Wendt filed a lawsuit against the city and Emswiler, claiming that his face was used on one of the images and that his image came from confidential Iowa Department of Transportation files. The lawsuit is ongoing. Leinen asked for Emswilers resignation following a short Denison City Council meeting Thursday morning at which council members authorized City Attorney Rick Franck to bargain with the Denison Police Association to create a new certified officer in code enforcement. The Denison Police Association represents most non-management employees of the city. Emswiler expressed interest in the new position, according to a city press release following the meeting. Leinen said the City Council would have to decide whether Emswiler would be considered for the new position. Some Iowa and Nebraska women who have lost relatives in war will gather today for an outing in Winterset, Iowa. The Nebraska and Iowa chapters of American Gold Star Mothers are coordinating the trip, which is called A Trip to Covered Bridges of Madison County, Iowa, said Barb Yllescas Vorthmann, the Iowa chapter president. The event will begin with a guided bus tour of some of the countys famous covered bridges, followed by lunch at Rodells Smokehouse & BBQ. The tour also will include stops at the John Wayne Birthplace & Museum, the Iowa Quilt Museum and the Northside Cafe. Most of the events are being underwritten by local businesses in Winterset, Vorthmann said. The town has really come out and done a lot for us, she said. The two chapters also will be accepting donations of cleaning products for the Victory Apartments, which provide housing for homeless veterans in Omaha. Contact the writer: 402-444-1186, steve.liewer@owh.com Fake currency from Pakistan passes 3 nations before landing in India Feature oi-Vicky By Vicky The notes are printed in Pakistan and then moved to the United Arab Emirates. From there it makes its way into Burma following which it is taken to Bangladesh before being pumped into India. Details of the investigations being conducted by the National Investigation Agency reveal that this is the exact route that is being taken by persons involved in smuggling Fake Indian Currency Notes. The racketeers are pushing more Rs 1,000 notes these days. There has been a drop in the number of Rs 500 notes. They consider the higher denomination better as it is fetches more money. Moreover the cost of production and smuggling remains the same irrespective of the denomination. Focus on Andhra Pradesh While the landing point for the fake currency has been Malda in West Bengal, there has been some concern expressed over the route it is taking into Andhra Pradesh. Over the past couple of months there have been an excessive amount of fake currency of the Rs 1,000 denomination that have been found in Andhra Pradesh. Gangs dealing in this racket take a train to Malda. After collecting the fake currency they return to AP by car before circulating it. There have been many cases where fake currency has been deposited into nationalised banks as well. It is a two edged ploy. While some of the notes are sold at a 60:40 ratio, the others are deposited in banks in a bid to weaken the economy. Most of these persons land in banks when it is crowded. Along with a Rs 10,000 bundle, they slip in at least 3 fake currency notes. They chose days when the banks are crowded. In many cases due to the crowd the teller does not check the notes correctly. Importance of AMCA program: Why is it key for IAF's future? South India gets first Sukhoi Su-30 MKI squadron to vigil over Indian Ocean Region Rudram-1 test fired: How this tactical anti radiation missile will boost the IAF 40 Sukhois to be modified to integrate BrahMos: HAL India oi-Oneindia By OneIndia Defence Bureau Bengaluru, June 25: Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) said on Saturday that 40 frontline fighter Sukhoi would be modified to integrate the air version of supersonic cruise missile BrahMos. HAL chairman T S Raju said that Saturday's successful demonstration flight of Sukhoi with BrahMos missile in a 'Mass Dimensional' profile is a perfect example of Make in India. "It's an engineering marvel in the aviation history of India. It proves that when all agencies come together with one mission, there is nothing impossible," says Raju. HAL said its Nashik Division took up the challenge of creating all necessary data without any assistance from the Original Equipment Manufacturer - the Irkut Corporation. "It is not the techno-economics of the project, but HAL's commitment to self-reliance which made HAL to sign the contract with BrahMos Aerospace in 2014 for modification of two Su30 MKI aircraft for integration of BrahMos missile," says Raju. HAL handed over the first modified Sukhoi to the Indian Air Force during Aero India 2015. Sukhoi does demo flight with BrahMos missile Earlier HAL officials had earlier told OneIndia that the integrating the missile was a challenging task for Nasik Division, owing to the limited design data of Su-30 MkI available with them. The home-grown launcher designed and developed by BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Limited was used during today's mission. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 25, 2016, 18:46 [IST] Apart from China, these countries opposed India's NSG bid India oi-Vicky New Delhi, June 25: Not just China, but four other countries in the 48 member NSG group raised the NPT issue which proved to be a stumbling block for India which made a bid to enter the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group. The plenary concluded at Seoul on Friday without any movement on India's application. The countries that pressed for a criteria based process to allow non NPT members into the NSG was raised by China, Brazil, Switzerland, Mexico and Turkey. Both Mexico and Switzerland had assured Delhi of support when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called upon them. NSG issue: Congress targets Modi, says his diplomacy needs depth Criteria based process The five countries insisted that a criteria based process be followed for allowing non NPT members into the NSG. Turkey on the other hand sought to push applications made both by India and Pakistan. The Pakistan application was never taken up. India prior to the meeting had told the NSG members that the issue of NPT had been addressed. It said back in 2008 itself, India had got a waiver. India now hopes that the issue of non NPT members will be taken up at a special plenary of the NSG likely to be held in November. The statement that was released after the meet stated that the meet discussed the legal, technical and political aspects of non NPT countries. The governments reiterated firm support for the implementation of NPT as cornerstone of international non proliferation regime. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 25, 2016, 8:36 [IST] Can't make the Hijrah, kill the kufars in your country: ISIS tells its fanboys India oi-Vicky New Delhi, June 25: Making a further push to stage lone wolf attacks, the ISIS sent out a message to its followers. "The ones who cannot make the hijrah (migration) stay put in your country and kill the kufars (non believers or non Muslims)." The ISIS has been making a desperate push for lone wolf attacks in US, Canada, India, Britain, US and France. The message once again is aimed at provoking the youth to stage lone wolf attacks in their respective countries in a bid to create panic. Only a few days back the ISIS had released a list comprising the names of 4,681 civilians of which 285 were Indians. Attack in your own country: The ISIS has been making a desperate push to its followers to stage lone wolf attacks. Security experts say that this form of terrorism is becoming extremely popular among terrorist groups as it is cost effective and more often than not misses the eye of the intelligence agencies. While preparing a kill list, the ISIS which is losing ground heavily in Syria and Iraq has told its foreign fighters to leave for their home nations. This is a worrisome sign since this is largely aimed at creating panic across the world or what one may term as the global outreach programme of the ISIS. In the past month, the ISIS has already created two kill lists. While the first list comprised known persons, the second one had names of civilians picked randomly. Following the release of the civilian kill list, intelligence agencies have already started contacting these persons and have advised them not to panic. The latest message which urges the ISIS fan boys to stay on in their own countries is also another way of promoting terror attacks. It calls on the people who cannot make it to Iraq or Syria to kill the non Muslims in their own country. An intelligence bureau official tells OneIndia that while this is a cause for concern, one also view the desperation of the ISIS. We have enhanced our intelligence capabilities and are in constant touch with the state units to ensure that vital information is shared the officers also noted. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 25, 2016, 11:13 [IST] ISIS on Brexit: "Rambo Cameron promised to finish us, ended up losing his job." India oi-Vicky New Delhi, June 25: Yesterday an encrypted messaging service, Telegram had erupted in joy following the announcement that Britain was leaving the European union. The message was from the ISIS which appeared overjoyed by the decision. There were several threads that had been created by the ISIS fan boys. The most interesting of all the messages was directed at David Cameron. Addressing him as Rambo they said he promised to destroy us, but ended up losing his job. In the messaging service, they celebrated the economic crisis caused by Brexit while urging their men to strike in Berlin and Brussels. The ISIS is known to have an opinion on almost everything. The ISIS feels that a weaker Britain meant they would no longer be able to continue their support of Arab nations fighting the ISIS. What Brexit means to the ISIS? While there would be some shake ups where intelligence sharing is concerned, Britain is not expected to be affected by this change. Intelligence will still be shared with European nations. Moreover Britan is part of Five Eyes Intelligence Sharing Community comprising the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Britain's intelligence network was the largest in Europe. Despite its exit from the EU, it will continue to be part of the Five Eyes community. (Read more:Will Brexit impact intelligence sharing with EU?) Now coming to the ISIS, apart from the messages on Telegram hailing Brexit, there were three interesting threads created by its followers discussing this issue. One message read, " Muslims are uniting across the world, but Europe is splitting. With the help of God, victory is closer." Another fan boy tweeted, " it is the rise of the ISIS which brought about the fall of Britain." Some others felt that Britain would be weaker and this would mean less support to Arab nations fighting the ISIS. However the most interesting of all the messages was directed at David Cameron. " Rambo Cameron promised to destroy us. He ended up losing his job." OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 25, 2016, 10:38 [IST] Kerala has kept NIA busiest: Agency to build permanent office complex India oi-Vicky New Delhi, June 25: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) plans on boosting its presence in the sensitive areas of the country. While two new branch offices would come up at Jammu and Raipur, the NIA has sought the home ministry's nod to move into a building of their own. Incidentally in Kerala the NIA has a bulk of the cases. The NIA would also need more staff in its Kerala unit consider the work load. The current strength is 30. The government has already sanctioned the offices at Raipur and Jammu apart from an additional staff strength of 200. A formal order in this regard from the Home Ministry is expected soon. The Jammu unit is an important one and the staff strength recommended is 70. Once the sanctions in the case of Jammu and Raipur come through the NIA would have 8 branches across the country. The NIA had insisted that a branch in Jammu be sanctioned. The NIA is currently investigating the Udhampur attack case and operates out of a camp office. NIA chief's statement on Pathankot an unwanted controversy The branch in Jammu is being opened up considering the numerous incidents of terror in the state. The unit would also have a full fledged intelligence wing which would help in probing terror attacks. The intelligence wing would also coordinate with the military. In Kerala there is a proposal to increase the staff strength. The NIA currently deals with several cases in Kerala and feels that a strength of 30 staff is not sufficient. The NIA will seek the home ministry's nod to enhance the staff strength. Further the NIA is also planning on constructing a building in Kerala. The NIA is currently operating out of a rented property. A property at Kalamaseery has been identified and work will commence once the Home Ministry gives the nod. Currently the NIA in Kerala operates from a rented building near Kadavanthara. The NIA's Kochi branch was set up in 2013. An exclusive branch had been set up due to the high number of cases being reported from the state. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 25, 2016, 16:13 [IST] UP: Kanpur airport to get World-Class facilities by year end Priest gets 10 years' imprisonment for rape in Uttar Pradesh India oi-PTI Kanpur, Jun 25: A priest was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment by a local court for raping a 23-year-old woman here. The fast track court also slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 on Narendra Dikshit, a priest at Kherapati temple, special prosecutors KK Shukla and Kareem Ahmad said today. According to prosecution, the convict raped the woman for around three years after promising to help her in finding a job. The victim had filed a complaint against Dikshit on October 17, 2014 following which he was arrested. The court yesterday found him guilty and dismissed his plea for mercy stating Dikshit misused his social stature as a priest. PTI J&K: BSF medical officer arrested in recruitment case sent to 10-day CBI remand Mehbooba Mufti gets notice to vacate official bungalow 'meant for J&K CMs' 21 kg of heroin seized from truck on Jammu-Srinagar highway; Driver detained Accession Day: Valley lights up on this day when J&K became part of India Three Hizbul militants arrested in Shopian district India oi-IANS By Ians English Srinagar, June 25: Security forces on Saturday busted a major module of the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) in south Kashmir's Shopian district with the arrest of three militants of the outfit. A police officer told IANS, "Three active militants of the HM have been arrested during an operation in Shopian district by the security forces today. "The arrest of these militants has dealt a major blow to the militant activities in the district." IANS Two arrested for firing at a person in north Delhi Delhi LG approves Chhath ghats, warns CM against 'premature publicity' over it Chhath Puja fasting rules: What one must keep in mind during the 4-day festival Defence Ministry Recruitment Drive 2022: Check post, qualification and how to apply Last date to submit application for NMMSS extended When Twitterati slammed Kejriwal for seeking Brexit-style referendum in Delhi India oi-Mukul Kumar Mishra New Delhi, June 25: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is facing flak for making statement that there will be a Brexit-style referendum in Delhi soon. On micro-blogging website, people are lashing out at Kejriwal for raking long pending demand of Delhi's statehood. Twitterati have asked whether Kejriwal will also resign like UK Prime Minister David Cameron did on Friday after Britain voted to exit European Union. AAP chief had made statement after UK voted to exit the European Union. Senior AAP leader Ashish Khetan also supported his statement. After UK referendum, delhi will soon have a referendum on full statehood Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 24, 2016 After the UK referendum on EU exit, it's time to have a referendum on full statehood of Delhi. In a democracy the will of the ppl is supreme Ashish Khetan (@AashishKhetan) June 24, 2016 Last month, the AAP government released a draft bill on full statehood for Delhi and invited suggestions from the public till June 30. Kejriwal also appealed to BJP and Congress to "rise above differences", while releasing the draft bill on the statehood. Here is how people are expressing their ire on Kejriwal. No referendum in our constitution @ArvindKejriwal , but still you will get 5-finger referendum stamp on your cheek pic.twitter.com/UO8V2V7ny6 (@ggiittiikkaa) June 24, 2016 CC @ArvindKejriwal Sir ji, when you are going to resign ?.---Referendum says 93% you should resign. https://t.co/xZAc0NSlID . (@nrkoranne) June 24, 2016 Hope the logic stays if @ArvindKejriwal decides to do tamasha here even if our system has no space for it unlike UK https://t.co/WJjOyA8oFa shilpi tewari (@shilpitewari) June 24, 2016 @TrollKejri @ArvindKejriwal Lets have a referendum to decide who should close the account Naveen (@naveen_rv) June 24, 2016 u should apply odd even scheme to attain full statehood #odd day full state #even day half state @ArvindKejriwal https://t.co/BSMS733rAr RAHUL ANAND (@Rahul_saffron) June 24, 2016 OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 25, 2016, 13:18 [IST] Italy to EU after Brexit: Change or risk collapse International oi-PTI Rome, Jun 25: Italian ministers warned today that the European Union must change direction or risk collapse after Britain's vote to leave the bloc. "The unthinkable is happening," Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan said. "A double reaction to Brexit is under way, one financial, one political. The financial one, at least until now, is limited. I am more worried about the political one. "There is a cocktail of factors that can lead to various outcomes, including a further push towards disintegration." Speaking to Corriere della Sera, Padoan also said EU leaders had to understand there could be no more "business as usual" on the key issues of jobs, growth and immigration. Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni meanwhile warned it would be naive to underestimate the significance of Britain leaving or the risk of a surge in anti-EU sentiment across the continent. "The UK was not only one amongst 28 (member states). It had a great weight because of its financial markets and its international influence," Gentiloni said in an interview with daily Il Messaggero. "The risk (of political contagion) is such that we need to send a strong and clear message (that we are) revamping the European project." Padoan said Europe had to face up to citizens' worries over immigration, unemployment and increasing inequality -- which meant changing the 'austerity' budget rules Rome blames for exacerbating the current crises. Why India should not think of exiting Saarc after seeing Brexit "Inequality is growing in Europe because growth is weak," the minister said. "Italy respects the (deficit) rules but that does not mean we like them." Padoan added: "In the management of Europe, Ecofin included, the prevailing attitude is almost 'business as usual'. "But the situation we are in now is exceptional. We have to change our major priorities and we will see if (next week's) European Council sends a far-reaching signal in that sense, as it should do. "We have had proposals on the table for months that say employment, growth, well-being and equality have to be the priorities. "Europe cannot only take care of the banks. We are stabilising them and will continue to do so, but we also have to look after our citizens." Gentiloni was meeting Saturday with his counterparts from Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands -- fellow EU founding members -- for talks on the implications of the Brexit vote. (AFP) Search for missing MH370 to end in two weeks Authorities with better understanding of where MH370 is, says Australia Depressed pilot of Flight MH370 may have 'crashed plane' in murder-suicide Possible MH370 wreckage found on Tanzanian island International oi-IANS By Ians English Canberra, June 25: Aircraft wreckage suspected to be from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has been found on an island off Tanzania in East Africa, an Australian official said. Federal Transport Minister Darren Chester issued a statement on Friday about the debris -- part of an aircraft wing -- found by locals on Pemba island, more than 6,000 km from the current search zone, news.com.au reported. Pictures posted by Jamii Forums on Twitter showed the part is larger than anything else found to date that has been determined to "almost certainly" come from MH370 that vanished on March 8, 2014 on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people onboard. Chester said the Australian Transport Safety Bureau was seeking further information on the debris to ascertain whether it was part of the Malaysia Airlines' aircraft. If it is confirmed as being from MH370, it will be the furtherest north debris has been found to date. Other items have been discovered on Reunion Island, Mauritius, Mozambique and South Africa. Debris found in Madagascar earlier this month is still awaiting retrieval by Malaysia for examination. Drift modelling undertaken by University of Western Australia oceanographer Charitha Pattiaratchi showed it was possible debris from MH370 could have been carried as far as Pemba island. Professor Pattiaratchi said it was more likely that debris would come up on an island than a beach "because an island collects things". He said it was completely plausible that a section of wing from MH370 had now washed up on Pemba island, from the southern Indian Ocean. Chester said officials from Malaysia, Australia and China met this week to discuss "a range of matters related to the search". "Discussions were productive and will allow each country to brief their respective Minister ahead of a Ministerial Tripartite Meeting proposed for late July," he added. IANS 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. Rumble 04 Aug 2022 Norm jokes about Bill Clinton being a murder, and the hosts lose it. The Bill Cosby talk is also interesting, almost like Norm.. Veuer 02 Sep 2022 Hundreds of firefighters are working to contain what could become a horrific natural disaster. Veuers Tony Spitz has the.. Wochit Entertainment 13 Aug 2020 On Tuesday, Tesla announced it will enact a five-for-one stock split on its shares at the end of August. The company has rallied.. Deutsche Welle 20 Oct 2022 European leaders are gathering in Brussels for a two-day summit that will aim to bring down energy prices across the bloc... Daily Record 10 Oct 2022 Alistair and Jennifer Fields were with their four kids at the pool area at a Sharm El Sheikh resort when they heard the huge.. What's Trending 26 Oct 2022 People all over the internet want to know what is going to happen to all of the Adidas mockups and designs in the Kanye West Yeezy.. AFP English 13 Oct 2022 On the five-year anniversary of the two truck bombings in Mogadishu, which killed almost 600 people, two survivors remember the.. New Zealand Herald 25 Oct 2022 The Maori Affairs select committee says it will debate the official changing of the country's name to Aotearoa, taking the.. Rumble 23 Oct 2022 Erica Zamora, who recently assaulted a Los Gatos woman in previous videos, wants you to know that she has no remorse for her.. Jerusalem Post 20 Aug 2022 The detonations sent huge plumes of smoke over the busy junction on Friday night, and the sound of gunfire still crackled across.. KTSM 05 Oct 2019 The Montwood High School Emerald Dancers are working towards being the best dance team in the city. Reprinted from Truthdig Great Britain's decision to leave the European Union has wiped out many bankers and global speculators. They will turn, as they did in 2008, to governments to rescue them from default. Most governments, including ours, will probably comply. Will the American public passively permit another massive bailout of the banks? Will it accept more punishing programs of austerity to pay for this bailout? Will a viable socialism rise out of the economic chaos to halt further looting of the U.S. Treasury and the continued reconfiguration of the economy into neofeudalism? Or will a right-wing populism, with heavy undertones of fascism, ascend to power because of a failure on the part of the left to defend a population once again betrayed? Whatever happens next will be chaotic. Global financial markets, which lost heavily on derivatives, are already in free fall. The value of the British pound has dropped by over 9 percent and British bank stock prices by over 25 percent. This decline has wiped out the net worth of many Wall Street brokerage houses and banks, leaving them with negative equity. The Brexit vote severely cripples and perhaps kills the eurozone and, happily, stymies trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership. It throws the viability of NATO and American imperial designs in Eastern Europe and the Middle East into question. The British public's repudiation of neoliberal economics also has the potential to upend the presidential elections. The Democratic Party will orchestrate a rescue of Wall Street if there is a call for a bailout. Donald Trump and the Republicans, by opposing a bailout, can ride popular revulsion to power. "A lot of banks in America and Europe that held their money in Great Britain just lost 9 percent at current exchange rates," said economist Michael Hudson when I reached him in New York by phone. "They have probably not hedged it. There have probably been large Wall Street institutions that made bets believing that Britain would remain in the European Union. There are firms and banks, I suspect, which have lost hundreds of billions of dollars. There is talk of another Lehman Brothers. We don't yet know who it will be." The Democratic Party, by rescuing Wall Street, will be unmasked as the handmaidens of the financial elite. "I expect Obama to do whatever he is told to do by Wall Street," Hudson said. "He has turned over management of the economy to his campaign contributors from Goldman Sachs and Chase Manhattan. He does not have views of his own, other than self-promotion. He wants his presidential library. He wants to have a big foundation like the Clintons. Most of the population will oppose a bailout, of course, and he will cry all the way to the bank." Economies built on scaffolds of debt eventually collapse. There comes a moment when the service of the debt, as we see in Greece, becomes unsustainable. More and more draconian austerity measures are imposed on a captive public to pay banks and bondholders until these measures reach an intolerable level. The people revolt. The system crashes. This is what happened in Britain. The war against international finance, and the array of intergovernmental systems and institutions used to enforce the predatory beast of global speculation, has begun. The question is, who will win? Will it be the banks, which intend to continue to pillage economies? Or will it be popular movements that will rise up to cancel debt and reinstate economic and political sovereignty? Hudson sees the crisis in Europe as, in part, spawned by the U.S. intervention in the Middle East and the Ukraine. "If there is anyone who is responsible for the Brexit, it is Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama," he said. "They destroyed Libya. They turned over Libyan weapons to [Islamic State], al-Qaida and [Nusra Front]. It was their war in Syria, where many of these weapons ended up, which created the massive exodus of refugees into Europe. This exodus exacerbated nationalism and anti-immigrant sentiment. Clinton and Obama are also responsible for a huge exodus of Ukrainians. This is all a response to American war policy in the Middle East and the Ukraine. In central Europe, with the expansion of NATO, Washington is meanwhile demanding that governments spend billions on weapons rather than on recovering the economy." The eurozone prohibits central banks from financing government budget deficits. Countries in the eurozone have, in effect, surrendered economic and political sovereignty. They cannot create money to cope with their budget deficits or pump money into the economy. This, Hudson said, has "turned the eurozone into a dead zone since 2008." "The eurozone now shrinks economies through debt deflation," said Hudson, author of "Killing the Host: How Financial Parasites and Debt Bondage Destroy the Global Economy." "That is one of the factors that led the British and the euroskeptic parties to say, 'We don't want to be a part of a Europe run by banks that impose debt deflation. We want governments that can create their own money to re-inflate the economy and build economic recovery.' As long as a country remains part of the eurozone, bankers will continue to lower wages and wipe out pension funds to pay bondholders. The Brexit vote reverses this rotten program. There are now calls from the Netherlands, France and Austria for a similar referendum." "The debt imposed on countries like Greece can never be paid off," Hudson went on. "And the intention is that it can never be paid off. The banks use this inability to pay to insist that governments sell off more and more of the public domain and privatize. Debt is the lever used to force privatization. It takes away the power to carry out public investment and build a public infrastructure. "Some financial firms, banks and perhaps even governments will now default," Hudson predicted. "The French and other European banks will try and pick up the banking business that operated out of London. There is going to be a huge loss by British banks. The taxes paid by these firms and banks will disappear from the British economy. Who is the British central bank going to create money for in this crisis? Is it going to put money into the economy, or is it going to pay for a new wave of quantitative easing so the banks can make up the losses on their bad bets?" Britain's withdrawal from the eurozone will damage not only the international banking system, but hamper Washington's aggressive policies toward Russia and the Ukraine. Britain has served within the EU as an American proxy. German Social Democratic Party leaders, who have accused NATO of warmongering, have already called for the lifting of the sanctions against Russia. And there is a growing reluctance to continue supporting endless war in the Middle East. Reprinted from Consortium News The United Kingdom's "Brexit" vote may cause short-term economic pain and present long-term geopolitical risks, but it is a splash of ice water in the face of the West's Establishment, which has grown more and more insular, elitist and unaccountable over recent decades. The West's powers-that-be, in both the United States and the European Union, too often display contempt for real democracy, maintaining only the facade of respecting the popular will, manipulating voters at election time with red-meat politics and empty promises -- before getting back to the business of comforting the comfortable and letting the comfortable afflict the afflicted. That has been the grim and tiresome reality with America's two parties and with the E.U.'s bureaucrats. The average American and the average European have every reason to see themselves as a lesser concern to the politicians and the pundits than the special interests which pay the money and call the tune. In the stunning "Brexit" vote -- with 52 percent wanting to abandon the 28-nation European Union -- U.K. voters rejected the West's politics-as-usual despite dire warnings about the downsides of leaving. They voted, in effect, to assert their own nationalistic needs and aspirations over a commitment to continental unity and its more universal goals. But, in the vote, there was also a recognition that the West's Establishment has grown corrupt and arrogant, routinely imposing on the people "experts" who claim to be neutral technocrats or objective scholars but whose pockets are lined with fat pay checks from "prestigious" think tanks funded by the Military-Industrial Complex or by lucrative revolving-door trips to investment banks on Wall Street or The City. Despite the Establishment's self-image as a "meritocracy," its corrupted experts and haughty bureaucrats don't even demonstrate basic competence anymore. They have led Europe and the United States into catastrophe after catastrophe, both economically and geopolitically. And, there is another troubling feature of this Establishment: its lack of accountability. In the United States, the rewards and punishments have been turned upside-down, with the benighted politicians and pundits who pushed for the Iraq War in 2003 still dominating the government and the media, from Hillary Clinton's impending Democratic presidential nomination to the editorial pages of The New York Times and The Washington Post. And, the Iraq War disaster was not a one-off affair. The neocons and their liberal interventionist sidekicks have their fingerprints on other "regime change" messes, from Libya to Ukraine to Syria (still in the works), with their predictable recommendations for more violence and more belligerence. Yet, they have impunity for their crimes and incompetence. They fail up. Establishment Doesn't Know Best So, the West's Establishment can't even argue that it knows best anymore, which always had been its ace in the hole. The various insurgents could be painted as the dangerous option -- and that is sometimes true as we've seen with Donald Trump -- but it is arguably a toss-up as to whether Clinton or Trump would be the bigger risk to the world's future. Trump may be a blustering buffoon but he challenges the neocon "group thinks" about the wisdom of expanding the West's war in Syria and launching a costly and existentially risky New Cold War against nuclear-armed Russia and China. Clinton surrounds herself with neocons and liberal hawks and shares their obsession with overthrowing the government of Syria and provoking Russia and China with military operations near their borders. Trump and "Brexit" advocates also reject the Establishment's neoliberal consensus on "free trade," which has depressed (or eliminated) the wages of American and European workers while the benefits accrue mostly to financial and political elites. The Establishment's embrace of the "winners" and its disdain for the "losers" have further enflamed today's populism. Yet, there are undeniably ugly features in the populist sentiment sweeping the U.S. and Europe. Some of it is driven by bigotry toward non-whites, especially immigrants. Some is inspired by wild conspiracy theories from a population that has understandably lost all faith in what it hears from Washington, Brussels and other capitals. Trump has espoused the scary know-nothing notion that the scientific evidence of global warming is "a hoax." There is always something unsettling when an incipient revolution takes shape and starts tearing down the old order. What follows is not always better. The War on Weed (Image by Rainforest-Rescue.org) Details DMCA The war on cannabis that began in the 1930s seems to be coming to an end. Research shows that this natural plant, rather than posing a deadly danger to health, has a wide range of therapeutic benefits. But skeptics question the sudden push for legalization, which is largely funded by wealthy investors linked to Big Ag and Big Pharma. In April, Pennsylvania became the 24th state to legalize medical cannabis, a form of the plant popularly known as marijuana. That makes nearly half of US states. A major barrier to broader legalization has been the federal law under which all cannabis -- even the very useful form known as industrial hemp -- is classed as a Schedule I controlled substance that cannot legally be grown in the US. But that classification could change soon. In a letter sent to federal lawmakers in April, the US Drug Enforcement Administration said it plans to release a decision on rescheduling marijuana in the first half of 2016. The presidential candidates are generally in favor of relaxing the law. In November 2015, Senator Bernie Sanders introduced a bill that would repeal all federal penalties for possessing and growing the plant, allowing states to establish their own marijuana laws. Hillary Clinton would not go that far but would drop cannabis from a Schedule I drug (a deadly dangerous drug with no medical use and high potential for abuse) to Schedule II (a deadly dangerous drug with medical use and high potential for abuse). Republican candidate Donald Trump says we are losing badly in the war on drugs, and that to win that war all drugs need to be legalized. But it is Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein who has been called "weed's biggest fan." Speaking from the perspective of a physician and public health advocate, Stein notes that hundreds of thousands of patients suffering from chronic pain and cancers are benefiting from the availability of medical marijuana under state laws. State economies are benefiting as well. She cites Colorado, where retail marijuana stores first opened in January 2014. Since then, Colorado's crime rates and traffic fatalities have dropped; and tax revenue, economic output from retail marijuana sales, and jobs have increased. Among other arguments for changing federal law is that the marijuana business currently lacks access to banking facilities. Most banks, fearful of FDIC sanctions, won't work with the $6.7 billion marijuana industry, leaving 70% of cannabis companies without bank accounts. That means billions of dollars are sitting around in cash, encouraging tax evasion and inviting theft, to which an estimated 10% of profits are lost. But that problem too could be remedied soon. On June 16, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to prevent the Treasury Department from punishing banks that open accounts for state-legal marijuana businesses. Boosting trade in the new marijuana market is not a good reason for decriminalizing it, of course, if it actually poses a grave danger to health. But there have been no recorded deaths from cannabis overdose in the US. Not that the herb can't have problematic effects, but the hazards pale compared to alcohol (30,000 deaths annually) and to patented pharmaceuticals, which are now the leading cause of death from drug overdose. Prescription drugs taken as directed are estimated to kill 100,000 Americans per year. Behind the War on Weed: Taking Down the World's Largest Agricultural Crop The greatest threat to health posed by marijuana seems to come from its criminalization. Today over 50 percent of inmates in federal prison are there for drug offenses, and marijuana tops the list. Cannabis cannot legally be grown in the US even as hemp, a form with very low psychoactivity. Why not? The answer seems to have more to do with economic competition and racism than with health. Cannabis is actually one of the oldest domesticated crops, having been grown for industrial and medicinal purposes for millennia. Until 1883, hemp was also one of the largest agricultural crops(some say the largest). It was the material from which most fabric, soap, fuel, paper and fiber were made. Before 1937, it was also a component of at least 2,000 medicines. In early America, it was considered a farmer's patriotic duty to grow hemp. Cannabis was legal tender in most of the Americas from 1631 until the early 1800s. Americans could even pay their taxes with it. Benjamin Franklin's paper mill used cannabis. Hemp crops produce nearly four times as much raw fiber as equivalent tree plantations; and hemp paper is finer, stronger and lasts longer than wood-based paper. Hemp was also an essential resource for any country with a shipping industry, since it was the material from which sails and rope were made. Today hemp is legally grown for industrial use in hundreds of countries outside the US. A 1938 article in Popular Mechanics claimed it was a billion-dollar crop (the equivalent of about $16 billion today), useful in 25,000 products ranging from dynamite to cellophane. New uses continue to be found. Claims include eliminating smog from fuels, creating a cleaner energy source that can replace nuclear power, removing radioactive water from the soil, eliminating deforestation, and providing a very nutritious food source for humans and animals. To powerful competitors, the plant's myriad uses seem to have been the problem. Cannabis competed with the lumber industry, the oil industry, the cotton industry, the petrochemical industry and the pharmaceutical industry. In the 1930s, the plant in all its forms came under attack. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Reprinted from Campaign For America's Future Things are changing. A major crack has appeared in the edifice of globalization, and the neoliberal order that has dominated the world's economy since the end of World War II is now in danger. That's not necessarily a bad thing, by any means. But poisonous weeds are just as likely as green shoots to grow up through those cracks. To paraphrase John F. Kennedy: Those who make constructive evolution impossible may be making destructive devolution inevitable. We now know that Great Britain, itself an amalgam of older nations, is divided. England and Wales voted to leave Europe, while Scotland, Northern Ireland, and ethnically diverse London voted to remain. This vote was a stunning rejection of Great Britain's political establishment. "Leave" prevailed despite opposition from all three major political parties. Prime Minister David Cameron, who will now step down, called on voters to "Remain." So did socialist Jeremy Corbin, the most left-wing Labor leader in a generation. Barack Obama crossed the Atlantic to stand beside Cameron and offer his support. Voters rejected all of them. The uprising has begun. The question now is, who will lead it going forward? Globalism's Shadow Self The world's financial and political elites must now face the fact that resistance to their economic order, which has shaped the world since the Bretton Woods conference of 1944, is a major phenomenon. These elites are apparently more out of touch with the citizens of the industrialized world than at any time in modern memory. Make no mistake: The "Leave" vote was a rejection of globalization, at least as it's currently structured. This was a revolt of working class Britons who have seen their postwar prosperity erode around them and their social contract eviscerated by the corporate and financial oligarchy. But it was also the sign of a darker and more sinister worldwide phenomenon: the resurgence of global nativism and xenophobia. This worldwide turn toward fear of the Other is globalization's shadow self. Revolt of the Powerless That's not to say that there wasn't a legitimate left-wing case to be made for leaving the European Union. The "Left Leave" movement, or #Lexit, had its own advocates. "Why cling to this reactionary institution?" asked one. But this near-victory wasn't won with leftist arguments about resisting the global oligarchy. The left was too divided to make that case clearly or forcefully. It was largely won by stirring up bigotry against immigrants, cloaked in flimsy arguments about excessive regulation. Legitimate economic grievances were channeled into nationalist hostility. Many "Leave" voters felt powerless, that they no longer had much of a say in their own destinies. They weren't wrong. The European Union was largely a creation of transnational financial forces driven by a self-serving neoliberal ideology of "free" markets, privatization, and corporate economic governance. But, even at its worst, the EU is a symptom and not a cause. Great Britain's citizens haven't been losing control over their fate to the EU. They've been losing it because their own country's leaders -- as well as those of most other Western democracies -- are increasingly in thrall to corporate and financial interests. 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. Canada supports ISIS, and every other terrorist group that is trying to destroy Syria. Any country that openly or covertly supports illegal regime change in Syria, necessarily supports ISIS -- they have shared goals. Canada, like the U.S., has been very open about its support for illegal regime change. Canada's Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, for example, publicly stated that Assad "does need to go". As with all illegal wars of aggression, Canada's position is based on well-documented false pretexts, and it categorically rejects international law as well as UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which states that the war on Syria demands a "Syrian-led, Syria-owned political transition to end the conflict." ISIS, of course, and all the Western-supported mercenary terrorists invading Syria also want "Assad to go". The evidence of the West's diabolical support of ISIS et al. mercenaries is increasingly transparent. Apartheid Israel, Canada's close ally, is now publicly unravelling the ISIS psychological operation (psy op) -- where we pretend to be fighting ISIS even as we support ISIS. Israel's military intelligence chief, Major General Herzi Halevy recently stated that Israel prefers ISIS over the Syrian government, and he declared unambiguously that Israel does not want to see ISIS defeated. Furthermore, writer Jason Ditz reports that "Israeli officials have regularly expressed comfort with the idea of ISIS conquering the whole of Syria, saying they find it preferable to the Iran-allied government surviving the war. At the same time, they were never so overtly supportive of ISIS and its survival." Clearly, should the West's objectives be realized, Wahhabi terrorist gangs such as ISIS will fill the vacuum left by the illegal "regime change" war. Israel, like Canada and its allies, including the Persian Gulf Dictatorships/Monarchies, prefers the total destruction of democratic, pluralist, secular, civilized Syria in favour of gangs of Wahhabi-inspired terrorists. There have never been "moderate" terrorists in Syria. The "moderate" opposition in Syria attends parliament and does not seek the violent overthrow of its elected government. The real "moderates" abhor the genocidal violence of the western-supported terrorists. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). (Extending American Power: www.cnas.org/extending-American-power#.V2SMFLt0eUk) The Center for a New American Security (CNAS), a think tank connected to the Democratic Party, particularly with Obama's transition team at the beginning of his first term, published a 20-page policy paper last month called "Extending American Power." That this think tank is already close to the Democratic Party establishment is not the only salient fact in relation to this policy paper. It is also relevant that this paper was signed off on, with an introduction co-authored by, Robert Kagan. For those who may need a refresher, Kagan is the philosophical standard bearer of Neoconservative thought in western corporate media (New Republicand The Washington Post) as well as co-founder of Project for a New American Century (PNAC) which pushed for the invasion of Iraq in the 1990's and early 2000's. Kagan believes that the U.S. has a right and duty to be the policeman of the world and to expend whatever resources are necessary to do so under the guise of spreading (imposing) Washington's definition of democracy by manipulation and force. It is imperialism with a more palatable cover, using terms like human rights and democracy to get average Americans to swallow it. Despite the fact that these democracy-spreading regime change attempts have produced death, chaos and blowback wherever they've been tried, such as Iraq, Kagan continues to advocate them with only the minor cosmetic change of now calling himself a "liberal interventionist" rather than a Neocon. It should also be noted that Kagan is married to Victoria Nuland, who, in her job as Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, played a leading role in the 2014 coup in Ukraine. The Neocons have now successfully inserted themselves into the Democratic Party where they've often teamed up opportunistically with the resident hawks there, such as Zbigniew Brzezinski and his protege, Madeline Albright. Indeed, Albright served on the Board of Directors of CNAS only a few years ago. The policy paper is therefore what one would likely expect from the Neocon godfather who has endorsed Hillary Clinton explicitly for her Neocon foreign policy. In 2014, Kagan said the following to the New York Times: "I feel comfortable with her on foreign policy. If she pursues a policy which we think she will pursue it's something that might have been called neocon, but clearly her supporters are not going to call it that; they are going to call it something else." In the paper's introduction, the authors express their desire to influence a new presidential administration directly: ""with a mandate to examine the degree to which the United States can and should play a leadership role internationally, and with an eye toward policymaking in a new administration." The paper sets up its analysis of each of the three geographic areas of the world that it considers to be of critical importance, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, with a distorted history in which America's policies are noble and successful. For example, with respect to Asia, the authors state: "U.S. leadership has been indispensable in ensuring a stable balance of power in Asia the past 70 years." Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Caused by Volume of Postings and Algorithms, Shill Complaints from Hillary Trolls, or Actual Corporate Policy? Statement by Mark Zuckerberg from the IPO initial offering February 2012: We hope to change how people relate to their governments and social institutions. We believe building tools to help people share can bring a more honest and transparent dialogue around government that could lead to more direct empowerment of people, more accountability for officials and better solutions to some of the biggest problems of our time. By giving people the power to share, we are starting to see people make their voices heard on a different scale from what has historically been possible. These voices will increase in number and volume. They cannot be ignored. Over time, we expect governments will become more responsive to issues and concerns raised directly by all their people rather than through intermediaries controlled by a select few. Through this process, we believe that leaders will emerge across all countries that are pro-internet and fight for the rights of their people, including the right to share what they want and the right to access all information that people want to share with them. The Reality: From Lorraine Vigority: I have been blocked by FB to post this comment on both FB Bernie pages. I attempted it numerous times but they keep deleting it. I needed to share with other like-minded souls what they are doing: Happy Father's Day, Bernie... You are an inspiration to all of us. You lead a life of goodness, honesty, and integrity. Thank you for your immense courage and strength of character in leading our Political Revolution. We can have no better role model than you... our hearts are still with you and our votes will follow our hearts. Please know that we can only vote for you... With Heartfelt Sincerity and Love, The American People >>>> From Stephen Fox: First, I must state that I am a sincere major fan of Facebook in general. It has had a brilliant and lasting effect on liberal American politics by improving our channels of communication, but I think there are some serious problems, too, which must be corrected, if brought to the Executives and Board Members' attention. This is not some diatribe or angry polemic. These are some compiled experiences about Facebook censorship detailing my own and several friend's experience. We are all still wondering whether these posting restrictions are strictly numerical, based on the volumes of posts to groups, or whether they are sometimes content based, either resulting from complaints from Hillary Trolls embedded and hiding in Bernie groups who have been instructed to take this action when a particular kind of post comes along, or it is complaints from Facebook employees acting internally If only the Executives at Facebook would take the time to respond to the many inquiries about this, it would clarify their real policies and put to rest much of the rampant speculation about how and why this has happened. Do the First Amendment and our hallowed American Freedom of Speech still apply because Facebook is a private entity? I would say, "Yes, of course, like a newspaper or radio station or television station" but others would disagree.... From Interview with Former San Bruno Mayor Gary Mondfrans: Many frequent posters with a lot to say have had to curtail their ideas and strategies for fear of getting restricted, like the former Mayor of San Bruno California, Gary Mondfrans, who described it to me as "Facebook Jail," a term even recognized by the Urban Dictionary. I interviewed him extensively a few weeks ago on OpEdNews: Fox: How many times has Facebook restricted you and what percentage of the time have you been up vs. what time down? Mondfrans: For the past two-three months I have been unable to post into the pro-Bernie groups and pages I belong to and that has been most frustrating. FOX: Does this discourage you? MONDFRANS: Yes, it means that each time I must redouble my efforts and ask others to post things for me or to endlessly post on individual pages and chat rooms. But you know, where there is a will there is a way, and this has opened up even more opportunities to get Bernie's cause out before the people. Moveon.org Petition for redo of NY Primary Restricted from Facebook Group Posting, here: I encountered the first serious example of Facebook restrictions as I sent out the petition I wrote on Moveon.org to the New York Attorney General asking that the New York heisted primary election be redone because of all of the egregious voter purges that occurred in that phony election. Within 45 minutes of sending it out, I was restricted from doing so again for two weeks, so instead of sending it to groups, I sent it to administrators of groups, many of whom were friends or became friends. This took 8 times as long, a serious inconvenience, but one moves on in the face of adversity. Disaster Hits Bernie Groups the Night Before Five Crucial Primaries The very next night came that debacle night before five primaries (Pennsylvania-Maryland-Connecticut-Rhode Island-Delaware) when at least seven Bernie Facebook groups were shut down because of complaints that pornography had been posted on them. Meet Casey "Champagne" Charbonneau, the brains behind this, is part of Hillary's Million Dollar Trolls. He is part of a well-trained and well-paid group employed by HRC to deploy precise disruptions and obstructions of Bernie groups, whenever and wherever possible. Facebook took at least 6 hours to put the pages back up, affecting several hundred thousand members of Bernie Groups. Now this is the subject of a petition on change.org, written by Cody Payne of Citrus Heights, California: Petition on Change.org: Indict Casey "Champagne" Charbonneau for distribution of Child Pornography A few relevant articles on this subject: Facebook Censorship, here: Why Were Bernie Sanders Groups Removed From Facebook? here: These were the groups, all of which I am still a member of: Bernie Believers, Bernie Sanders is my Hero, Bernie Sanders Discussion Group, Bernie Sanders Activists, Bernie Sanders 2016: Ideas Welcome, Bernie Sanders for President 2016, Bernie Sanders or Bust John Grimes, wrote as a comment on that article: #MillionDollarTrolls hashtag itself was trending because of her SuperPAC that has spent $1 Million dollars for paid trolls to fight any anti-Hillary statements on social media. In reality this is a propaganda warfare tactic, the likes of which we aren't used to. This is the kind of warfare tactic used by oppressive regimes in the Middle East, or 1930's Germany. Shutting down people's right to converse online is a scary move, one that human rights organizations need to address. One Facebook employee even admitted to his part in all of this and more; I don't know the Facebook employee's name. "I work for Facebook, and I'm reaching out to people who have been blocked on Facebook after posting keywords like #FeelTheBern. - He then began to explain that Facebook is actively and automatically blocking millions of accounts with an algorithm that detects people who post keywords like #FeelTheBern. I for example was banned from posting anything for 30 days due to the fact I posted #FeelTheBern. "In a staff briefing everyone was told to deny any appeal that happened due to posting political opinions. - (As he laughed and said these members are banned due to spamming give them time to calm down). I asked him why not go public with a widely viewed TV network or huge websites like Huffington Post? He said: I have emailed a few local news TV stations plus all the big well known websites and 100's of Facebook users, yet I haven't seen this story get viral. I told him most likely the reason huge websites or news stations won't talk about it is because they are scared to post something without having a face to back it up with. I promised I would do my best to get this information out to the world. This is insane! I knew the corrupt corporations ran the media but I never thought it would get down to blocking people from Facebook Here is an interesting video on YouTube: How to Stay out of Facebook Jail From Devon Holm, one of the most serious Facebook group posters, member of more than 1000 groups: FB is auto reporting a lot of Bernie Posts. If you wonder why you are in FB jail a lot of the time, this might be why. It isn't only Trolls; now FB is in on the action. As administrator of this group I am allowed to keep your posts in the group, but as FB states: If I continue to allow the posts they are flagging to remain in the group, then they reserve the right to intercept the posts and never allow them to be posted at all. In other words, lots of posts are being auto reported some are being reported by trolls; there is a difference, but the censorship is the same. A FB censor/ Computer is picking up key words in regards to Bernie's campaign and depending on what they don't want us sharing they will nab those posts. I have been in FB jail maybe 15 times at least in the last year. Facebook also doesn't like the same post going out over and over. You need to change a word or 2 every 2 to 3 posts, then stop for 20 min, give it a rest, go to a different important post, and rotate. I have had many posts that say auto reported by FB and they are Good Bernie folks with valuable posts they are posting. I always allow these posts in my group after reviewing. Can you balance these kinds of reports with the charming, feel-good-warm-and fuzzy boilerplate from Facebook: Our mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. Every day, people come to Facebook to share their stories, see the world through the eyes of others and connect with friends and causes. The conversations that happen on Facebook reflect the diversity of a community of more than one billion people. We want people to feel safe when using Facebook. For that reason, we've developed a set of Community Standards, outlined below. These policies will help you understand what type of sharing is allowed on Facebook, and what type of content may be reported to us and removed. Because of the diversity of our global community, please keep in mind that something that may be disagreeable or disturbing to you may not violate our Community Standards. We remove content, disable accounts, and work with law enforcement when we believe there is a genuine risk of physical harm or direct threats to public safety. Learn more about how Facebook handles abusive content: Direct Threats, Self-Injury, Dangerous Organizations, Bullying and Harassment, Attacks on Public Figures, Criminal Activity, Sexual Violence and Exploitation, Regulated Goods John Sepmeier: Facebook is not a utility, it's a privately owned site controlled by its management policy, like it or not. Email organization of a group, managed by Bernie Sander's supporters, would be different, or a social network run by Sander's supporters, but Facebook - no. The Internet is simply a data network between users - who mostly a subject to other users' Eula agreements. The fifth and last time I was restricted on Facebook resulted from my sharing a great article I had just published on OpEdNews about how we must prevent the Philadelphia Democratic National Convention from devolving into something worse than the Chicago Convention in 1968, a possibility that I believe might still occur. I am a member of 600 Bernie Groups, and after slowly posting it to 101, with no warning or inkling that I might be headed for trouble for posting this beneficent and conciliatory article, I was restricted for two MORE weeks. Here is the apparently offensive article: How to Prevent Philadelphia from Turning into Far Worse than Chicago in 1968 Maybe it is really true that no good deed goes unpunished.... Here is my second appeal on my fifth restriction from posting to groups, and I must point out that not one single appeal nor any correspondence or private messages sent through Facebook have ever been responded to, nor any response to FedExed letters: "This is unacceptable. I can't post to my own group, as the only Administrator thereof, an article from the Washington Post. I wrote to Mr. Stretch (VP, Corporate Counsel, to Mr. Zuckerberg, and one more Board member a few days ago. This is a violation of my free speech rights. I wonder now what complaints have been filed with the Federal Communications Commission. One of my lawyer friends is an internationally known expert and has written book on these matters, and we would like to determine who made this decision and why you can never state your name or respond to me. This has happened five times in 15 weeks, 10 out of 15 weeks. My articles on this praise Facebook in general, but will also be an embarrassment to the Board of Directors, when it links to so many others who have been restricted, as very anti-democratic. I have written to the entire Board of Directors twice, concerning the way you allow someone to appeal then totally ignore them and never reply. This time, there was nothing even like a warning or a statement that no one can post to more than 100 groups (I had just posted to 100 when you restricted me). An FCC or FTC case? [Federal Communications Commission, and Federal Trade Commission] I hope that we could resolve this amicably." The Federal Trade Commission made a somewhat relevant ruling: Facebook Settles FTC Charges That It Deceived Consumers By Failing To Keep Privacy Promises, here: Another one from FTC: I am not quite there yet, as I still await the response from Facebook executives that seems to never come. >>>>>> Condensed Statement by Mark Zuckerberg from IPO offering, February 5, 2012: Facebook was not originally created to be a company. It was built to accomplish a social mission -X to make the world more open and connected. We think it is important that everyone who invests in Facebook understands what this mission means to us, how we make decisions and why we do the things we do. I will try to outline our approach in this letter. At Facebook, we're inspired by technologies that have revolutionized how people spread and consume information. We often talk about inventions like the printing press and the television; by simply making communication more efficient, they led to a complete transformation of many important parts of society. They gave more people a voice. They encouraged progress. They changed the way society was organized. They brought us closer together. Today, our society has reached another tipping point. We live at a moment when the majority of people in the world have access to the internet or mobile phones -X the raw tools necessary to start sharing what they're thinking, feeling and doing with whomever they want. Facebook aspires to build the services that give people the power to share and help them once again transform many of our core institutions and industries. There is a huge need and a huge opportunity to get everyone in the world connected, to give everyone a voice and to help transform society for the future. The scale of the technology and infrastructure that must be built is unprecedented, and we believe this is the most important problem we can focus on. We hope to strengthen how people relate to each other. Even if our mission sounds big, it starts small, with the relationship between two people. Personal relationships are the fundamental unit of our society. Relationships are how we discover new ideas, understand our world and ultimately derive long-term happiness. At Facebook, we build tools to help people connect with the people they want and share what they want and by doing this we are extending people' s capacity to build and maintain relationships. People sharing more, even if just with their close friends or families; this creates a more open culture and leads to a better understanding of the lives and perspectives of others. We believe that this creates a greater number of stronger relationships between people, and that it helps people get exposed to a greater number of diverse perspectives. By helping people form these connections, we hope to rewire the way people spread and consume information. We think the world's information infrastructure should resemble the social graph, a network built from the bottom up or peer-to-peer, rather than the monolithic, top-down structure that has existed to date. We also believe that giving people control over what they share is a fundamental principle of this rewiring. We have already helped more than 800 million people map out more than 100 billion connections so far, and our goal is to help this rewiring accelerate. We hope to improve how people connect to businesses and the economy. Five core values for how we run Facebook: Focus on Impact If we want to have the biggest impact, the best way to do this is to make sure we always focus on solving the most important problems. It sounds simple, but we think most companies do this poorly and waste a lot of time. We expect everyone at Facebook to be good at finding the biggest problems to work on. Be Fast Moving fast enables us to build more things and learn faster. However, as most companies grow, they slow down too much because they're e more afraid of making mistakes than they are of losing opportunities by moving too slowly. We have a saying: "Move fast and break things. - The idea is that if you never break anything, you're probably not moving fast enough. Be Bold Building great things means taking risks. This can be scary and prevents most companies from doing the bold things they should. However, in a world that's changing so quickly, you're guaranteed to fail if you don't take any risks. We have another saying: "The riskiest thing is to take no risks. - We encourage everyone to make bold decisions, even if that means being wrong some of the time. Be Open We believe that a more open world is a better world because people with more information can make better decisions and have a greater impact. That goes for running our company as well. We work hard to make sure everyone at Facebook has access to as much information as possible about every part of the company so they can make the best decisions and have the greatest impact. Build Social Value Once again, Facebook exists to make the world more open and connected, and not just to build a company. We expect everyone at Facebook to focus every day on how to build real value for the world in everything they do. >>>> May 14, 2016, from Joel Kaplan, VP Global Public Policy at Facebook and Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy at The White House There's been a lot of discussion recently about Facebook and politics. In the wake of a news report claiming certain stories were suppressed in the Trending Topics feature, some conservatives said they feared we're censoring different political views and that Facebook is biased. A lot of people at Facebook are working to figure out if there are parts of the Trending Topics process that are broken - and if so how they should be fixed. Though we've found no evidence the report is true, it is deeply troubling, and if there is a problem, we want to uncover it and correct it. This matters to us because Facebook has always been a place where anyone can share their opinions and engage in discussion. And it especially matters to me. I'm Facebook's VP of Global Public Policy, and I'm also a Republican and a conservative. We have a team that works to help ensure that everyone, including Republicans, can optimize their use of Facebook in communicating with constituents and fans. The leader of that team is Katie Harbath, a longtime Republican adviser and digital strategist. I have heard the claims of bias from friends and colleagues. But that is not the truth of Facebook -- and I want to share how we ensure we're a home for all voices, including conservatives. Let me lay out some basic facts. In the US, there are an equal number of conservatives and liberals using our platform, and conservatives are just as engaged -- if not more so. Conservative groups are thriving on Facebook, with exceptionally high levels of engagement. This election is one of the most discussed topics on Facebook that we've ever seen. Over 75 million unique people have had 1.7 billion interactions about the candidates and the issues. Over the past 30 days, more people engaged in a conversation about Donald J. Trump on Facebook than any other US presidential candidate. Even among conservatives, there are many divergent views, and we're committed to being a place for all of them. Numerous independent media outlets have built strong followings on Facebook and use the platform every day to communicate. Independent Journal - America has over 7.5 million Facebook fans and has leveraged Facebook from its creation to grow its media business. Glenn Beck has over 3.2 million fans and is an innovative publisher on the platform with his site The Blaze. The list goes on. We are also active with conservatives on the partnerships front. Since 2015, we've sponsored nine debates for both parties -- and we were proud to be a partner with Fox News for the first Republican debate last August, the highest-rated debate of all time. We have committed to sponsoring and attending both the GOP Convention and Democratic National Convention this summer, to make sure the conversation around these important events happens on Facebook. Similarly, over the last few years we have sponsored or sent Facebook representatives to numerous gatherings of conservatives--like Right Online, Lincoln Initiative, Americans for Prosperity, Red State, and the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB)--so that we can help show the most active conservative speakers and leaders how to make their voices heard on our platform. I love the fact that conservative voices are so strong on Facebook -- and that we are the place where the political debate takes place. But ultimately my own political perspective isn't what matters. What's important is that we are truly open to everyone -- and that they know it. Kennedy_DYW.jpg Sunset High graduate Kennedy Ho is representing Oregon in a national scholarship competition. (courtesy of her family) Kennedy Ho, who graduated from Beaverton's Sunset High this month, won the "best digital diary" award during the first stage of competition at the Distinguished Young Women National Finals. The competition for young women, now in its 59th year, used to be know as America's Junior Miss A contestant from each of the 50 states competes in the categories of self-expression, fitness, scholastics, talent and interview. Ho, a skilled dancer who won the right to represent Oregon at the competition in Mobile, Alabama, won the diary award and a $1,000 scholarship because the essay she wrote about her experiences while in Mobile was judged the best of any competitor's by a review panel of Mobile Press-Register/AL.com reporters and editors. That news outlet is owned by the same publishing company as The Oregonian/OregonLive. Ho is headed to Chapman University with plans to become an physician assistant. In her digital diary, Ho writes simply and in detail about what she experienced competing in Mobile after the whirlwind of completing final exams and graduation ceremonies here in Oregon. Her appreciation of Southern cooking and Southern hospitality might have sweetened the judges on her essay. "I have learned that grits are best drowned in a slab of butter with a dash of salt. I have learned that sweet tea is paired perfectly with any food item," she wrote. "I have learned to realize how important it is to surround yourself with friends who push and challenge you to be your best self. I have also learned that Southern hospitality is a real thing and so is humidity." The final competition will take place Saturday and more than $100,000 in scholarships will be awarded. -- Betsy Hammond Sixty days just wasn't long enough for the public to speak out on a proposed $746 million cleanup plan for the Willamette River, so the U.S. Environmental Agency on Friday extended its deadline 30 more days, to Sept. 6. That extension, long sought by advocates and community groups, moved forward despite concerns it could push a final plan past the end of President Barack Obama's administration -- leaving its fate uncertain after 16 years of work. It also comes two days after an industry group, whose members would have to help pay for the cleanup work, submitted a formal letter challenging some of the findings that led to the cleanup plan. "At the end of the day, we thought it was more important to give people the opportunity to comment," said Mark MacIntyre, a spokesman for the federal agency. The agency released its plan for the Portland Harbor Superfund Site two weeks ago. It covers a 10-mile stretch of the Willamette River from the Broadway Bridge to Kelly Point Park rife with more than 40 pollutants left by decades of industry, such as cancer-causing heavy metals, dioxins and PCBs. The plan, in the making since 2000, involves dredging a few hundred acres of the river bottom and trapping contaminated sediments under a confining layer. For the remaining 1,900 acres, federal regulators hope to rely on microorganisms, soil and river water to remove toxic chemicals, a process called "monitored natural recovery" that's expected to take 23 years to complete. Friday, protestors gathered outside the Portland Building before the federal agency held the first of four scheduled public meetings on the proposed plan. How to comment... The EPA meetings, all running from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., are: June 29: Expo Center, 2060 N. Marine Drive. July 11: University Place Conference Center, 310 S.W. Lincoln St. July 20: Ambridge Center, 1333 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chinese interpreters will attend the June 24th meeting. To request an interpreter at one of the other meetings, email knudsen.laura@epa.gov or call 503-326-3280 at least two weeks in advance. Copies of the plan will also be available for review at the Multnomah County Central Library, St. Johns Library and Kenton Library. To comment on the plan, email harborcomments@epa.gov, or mail your comment to Attn: Harbor Comments, U.S. EPA, 805 S.W. Broadway St., Suite 500, Portland, OR 97205. Bob Sallinger, conservation director at the Audubon Society of Portland, said he came to tell the agency that it "couldn't have put forward a more terrible plan." "They need to remove far more contamination from the river," he said. "Monitored natural recovery is just a fancy way of saying, 'do nothing.'" Sallinger also advocated for an extended comment period and said he will use the extra time to develop solutions and educate the community. Travis Williams, executive director of Willamette Riverkeeper, said Portland really deserves 120 days, the same as allotted for plans in Washington state and New Jersey. "The ability for the public to get its voice heard can have an effect on the ultimate effectiveness and appropriateness of the final plan," he said. "This is a big deal." Williams complained that industries have had 15 years to give input, and now the public gets just 90 days. "You're getting the final product of a process and then being asked to comment on it," he said. "And that has its limitations." MacIntyre said the agency is more than happy to hear what people have to say. "We really want to hear from everybody so we can make the best final clean up plan," he said. On Wednesday, some members of the Lower Willamette Group, which represents 14 of some 150 parties listed as potentially responsible for the pollution, submitted a formal dispute letter on a "feasibility study" released alongside the proposed plan. The feasibility study includes an examination of potential cleanup approaches and their costs. The 22-page letter -- written by Arkema, Chevron, Evraz, Gunderson, NW Natural, TOC Holdings and Union Pacific -- said the environmental agency's cost projections "appear to be significantly inaccurate," and that the time allotted for the cleanup is insufficient. Barbara Smith, a spokeswoman for the Lower Willamette Group, said the businesses hope to see revisions in the study before the end of the year.* MacIntyre said any changes after the comment period would likely be "fine tuning." He also defended the science behind the agency's plan. "We feel that a strong public perspective will just make [the plan] stronger," he said. Sallinger said he hopes the final plan includes more dredging and called the weeks before Sept. 6 crucial for the public to come forward with opinions. "If we don't get it right now, we're probably never going to get another opportunity to get it right," he said. *A previous version of this story said the Lower Willamette Group was not looking to change the cleanup approach itself, but the group has not come together on a comment, yet. -- Natasha Rausch nrausch@oregonian.com 503-294-5961 @n_rausch21 Gov. Kate Brown delivers State of the State address Gov. Kate Brown and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum have both said the state's public records law needs improvement. Enormous hurdles persist. Kristyna Wentz-Graff/Staff (The Oregonian/Oregonlive.com) When two Pacific Green Party activists set out two years ago to let people know who was responsible for Portland's air pollution, they didn't realize how hard it would be. In Seattle, Vancouver and Eugene, air districts post every company's air pollution permit online. Neighbors can look up the factory next door to see what it emits and what laws it must abide by. Portland's air overseer, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, does not. So the activists, Greg Bourget and Seth Woolley, began doing the work themselves. They requested copies of the permits, which are public documents under Oregon's Public Records Law. They faced a time-consuming and laborious process to make the public records available to the public, a common problem faced by Oregon journalists and ordinary citizens alike. Gov. Kate Brown and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum have both said they value transparency and that the state's system needs improvement. Rosenblum has convened a task force to propose reforms to state records law. Enormous hurdles persist. Public agencies in Oregon frequently charge fees so exorbitant that they dissuade public scrutiny. The problem has special resonance for the Department of Environmental Quality, whose director resigned earlier this year amid revelations of delays in disclosure about the discovery of toxic air pollutants in Portland neighborhoods. When Bourget and Woolley, part of a group called Portland Clean Air, made their request, the agency initially responded with blank permits, Bourget said. Then an official said producing paper copies would cost $800, a fee eventually waived after Bourget threatened to sue. Releasing electronic records, Bourget recalled being told, would cost even more because confidential information was commingled. The two men and other volunteers spent more than 40 hours in a windowless room feeding documents into a scanner at an agency office. Then they mapped the permit holders online, allowing the public to easily see who pollutes the air nearby. The process took months. "The whole point of our doing outreach was to enable people to participate in the DEQ process - and they make it very difficult to do that," Woolley said. "I just feel like they're hiding everything." Woolley said he's asked for documents from numerous public agencies in Oregon. "DEQ was by far the worst," he said. Pete Shepherd, the department's interim director, said he's committed to aggressively addressing concerns about the agency's transparency. Shepherd, who took office April 20, wants permits like the ones Woolley sought to be online and plans to hire a centralized records officer to manage requests more cohesively. He said he's evaluating how the agency levies fees and how it decides whether to waive charges. "I'm really interested in trying to figure out whether there's a better way to do it," he said. The agency has historically only offered a small $200 annual fee waiver to news organizations and other community groups. Fees charged under state law can be waived if a record's disclosure is in the public interest. Advocates are skeptical of Shepherd's promises. He's had an adversarial relationship with the state's Public Records Law in his earlier work as an attorney in public and private practice. Notably, he represented the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System in a lawsuit against The Oregonian that sought to keep employee pension payments secret. The information was eventually made public. He worked at the Oregon Department of Justice during what reporters say was a low point for transparency statewide. Mary Peveto, president of Neighbors for Clean Air, a Portland nonprofit, said Shepherd's earlier work on public records was the most concerning red flag she spotted when he was hired. Since Shepherd took office April 20, at least two requests for documents have floundered or been met with high fees. In one case, Peveto's group requested documentation to understand how the state agency recently chose safety goals for hexavalent chromium, a carcinogenic pollutant at the center of ongoing air quality concerns in Southeast Portland. The group abandoned its pursuit after receiving a $530 estimate for records. Peveto said the environmental agency's lack of transparency makes it more difficult for advocates statewide to be informed participants in environmental policy decisions that affect the health of every Oregonian. "It's an out-of-the-gate barrier," she said. "It stops things before they happen by not empowering community groups to understand what they're doing." In another instance, the agency told The Oregonian/OregonLive it would cost more than $1,000 to produce emails, inspections and other reports related to two businesses that Hayden Island residents suspect are the source of odors so overwhelming they've awoken at night with headaches and bloody noses. Shepherd agreed to waive $700 of the charges after the news organization repeatedly protested, notified Gov. Kate Brown's office of the cost, and told the agency its fees would be described in a news story. The agency still plans to charge $300 to get records out of storage. When the agency moved offices last year, it put volumes of records in a storage facility run by a private contractor, Iron Mountain. Thousands of inspections, annual reports and other vital records about Portland's polluters are now behind a pay wall: $60 for the first box, $12 for each additional box. The system is structured so that even the state has to pay to get its own records out of storage. Nina DeConcini, a Department of Environmental Quality regional administrator, said off-site storage was cheaper than office space. And the floors in the agency's new office near Lloyd Center weren't strong enough to support the files' weight, she said. But Oregon's state archivist maintains a warehouse called the State Records Center in Salem, where agencies can store records. It costs an agency to keep the records there but not to access them. It is unclear why the Department of Environmental Quality did not use that system. Shepherd said he was unsure. Still, the agency marks up the fees it charges the public, effectively turning its own records into a profit center. Getting a box of records from the State Records Center doesn't cost the agency anything. Yet it charges the public $60 for retrieval. The same box from the department's private storage center costs the agency $36.78. The public gets billed $60. Shepherd said he plans to examine those charges as part of his review of the agency's fees. -- Rob Davis rdavis@oregonian.com 503.294.7657 streeetcarV.JPG The Portland Streetcar makes way towards the Tilikum Crossing in Portland on June 15. (Kristyna Wentz-Graff/Staff) A long-running joke about the Portland Streetcar is that jogging to a destination can be faster. Even so, the streetcar steadily plies 16 miles of track in a route that circles downtown on both sides of the Willamette River and moves more than 15,000 people a day. That's a respectable number if you consider that the line is intended to shuttle people about within the city -- in many cases folks who live near the line but others who commute by speedier means into the downtown core for the day. http://media.oregonlive.com/opinion_impact/photo/agenda-2013jpg-da8a3522a991b9c6.jpg Editorial Agenda 2016 Get Oregon centered Better leadership in education Make Portland a city that works Build Oregon prosperity Protect and expand personal freedom Get pot right _______________________________ But the conveyance comes at a hefty price: more than $250 million in capital costs so far to build it and daily operating costs that exceed fare revenues by many multiples. Many riders are covered already by TriMet passes, and for those wishing to pay, it can be difficult if the streetcar is crowded: Zig-zagging through riders to access the fare meter becomes an arduous act of civic, if not irritating, responsibility. Result: Many folks do not pay to ride, and Portland Streetcar's fare recovery rate, or the percentage of operating costs offset by those paying to ride, is just 10 percent. That compares to fare recovery rates of 27 percent for TriMet's buses, which lace the city every which way at lower costs; and 38 percent for TriMet's high-volume MAX trains, acting as arterials, TriMet reported to The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board. Yet people love the streetcar. It meets an in-city transit need while exuding charm of another era, like police department horse patrols, creating an urban intimacy that buses just can't seem to muster. Transportation planners and city leaders, meanwhile, have been bullish on the streetcar as a development tool, with Mayor Charlie Hales recently telling Elliot Njus of The Oregonian/OregonLive, "It's the single best investment the city has ever made." The basis for such an assertion is found in the Portland Streetcar's recently released Strategic Plan, which states: "Since 1998, over $4.5 billion in development has occurred along the streetcar lines and over 25 percent of the housing units built along the alignment are considered subsidized affordable housing. The real market value of the streetcar corridor has increased $11.63 billion since 1998." The open question, of course, is how much of the value creation would have occurred in a booming Portland without the streetcar. Half? All? None? It's certainly not none: Independent research showed hefty appreciation in condominium prices along the streetcar's corridor from the moment the line was announced and steadily since. Oregonian editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. are Helen Jung, Erik Lukens, Steve Moss and Len Reed. To respond to this editorial: Post your comment below, submit a , or write a . If you have questions about the opinion section, contact Erik Lukens, editorial and commentary editor, at or 503-221-8142. But things get murky. The nonprofit Portland Streetcar Inc. is now joined by the city and TriMet in negotiating an expansion for the streetcar that would, Njus points out, compete with existing TriMet bus routes. That's an interesting proposition begging the question: Is the streetcar a people-mover or a development tool or both? If it is only the former, it is a quaint and expensive curiosity whose operating overhead is in small measure picked up by motorists paying to park near streetside meters, making buses a better option. If it is first a development tool, it should be documented more clearly how the presence of a streetcar creates development that otherwise would not occur. If it is both, and Portland Streetcar Director Dan Bower told the editorial board it is, city leaders must in the coming months fully articulate how that is so before any streetcar expansion occurs. Commissioner Steve Novick oversees the Portland Bureau of Transportation. In a written reply to questions put to him by The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, he indicated he favored a streetcar expansion but hasn't made any commitments. Wisely, he reports eyeing the money: "I would insist that if there is an expansion, the City Council would have to agree to pay the additional operating costs out of the general fund. ... The streetcar is largely a development tool, and development generates property taxes -- a general fund resource. So the general fund, which benefits from the streetcar, should help pay the operating costs." It may well be that running streetcar spur lines eastward along Sandy Boulevard or northward along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard or southward from South Waterfront along Macadam Avenue would effectively move people while creating prosperity, more valuable than mere fares. But it can only be known to do so if it is named for its first and highest purposes, persuasively shown to earn its keep, and equitably financed by the agencies brokering its future. Photo provided The BPA students of Midland High School recently attended the 2016 Business Professionals of America National Leadership Conference in Boston, Massachusetts. Approximately 5,500 participants from more than 28 states and the territory of Puerto Rico attended the conference. Ten students attended the conference and eight placed in the top 10 of their respective competitions. LEONI TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) The sound from a private gun range in southern Michigan has some neighbors up in arms. Joe Trolz' Kickin' Brass range in Leoni Township is on property zoned agricultural, but provisions allowing some noise only apply when the sounds are caused by farming, the Jackson Citizen Patriot reported Friday. A majority of the 52 people who attended a May 4 public hearing on the issue opposed the range, township Clerk Michelle Manke said. Some say it's been bad for business. "The sound of gunfire from Kickin' Brass has driven customers away from our winery," said Dennise Barber, owner of Lone Oak Vineyard Estate. The winery in Grass Lake is a mile from the gun range. "There is a limit to how much noise anybody can make," Barber said. "Gunfire is just so loud. So we'll be fighting that. I know this is going to be an ongoing battle. The neighbors are so disgusted at this point." Trolz had his property rezoned from suburban residential to agricultural so he could open a public range, but later learned commercial enterprises are not allowed on agricultural-zoned land. A friend continues to hold free programs and gun training at Trolz' range, west of Detroit. "If he wants to have a private, not-for-profit gun range, he is allowed to do so," Township Supervisor Todd Brittain said. But the noise issue has yet to be settled. "The township noise ordinance is extremely vague," Brittain said. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) A homeowner in Portland shot an intruder this week who turned out to be former Detroit Lions cornerback Stanley Wilson II, authorities said. Wilson was naked and wounded Wednesday when officers found him in a water fountain in the backyard of the multimillion-dollar home, Multnomah County sheriff's Capt. Steve Alexander said. He was shot in the abdomen, but his injuries were not life-threatening. He was scheduled to be arraigned Friday on charges of burglary and criminal trespassing but remained in a hospital. A new court date has not been set. Court records do not list a lawyer who could speak on Wilson's behalf. The 33-year-old spent three seasons with the Lions, from 2005 to 2007, after playing college ball at Stanford. He is the son of former Cincinnati Bengals running back Stanley Wilson Sr., whose notorious cocaine binge on the eve of the 1989 Super Bowl led to his ouster from the NFL. This week, the Portland homeowner called 911 to report the shooting, Alexander said. Deputies ordered the shooter to come out through the home's front entrance while leaving his firearm at the door. He followed instructions and met investigators in the driveway. Oregon law allows a person to use deadly physical force against someone trying to burglarize their home. It's not clear when Wilson moved to Portland. Records show he lives near the home he is accused of trying to break in to. He does not have a listed phone number. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Tereasa Nims Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Kelly Dame, Midland Daily News Show More Show Less 3 of 3 No one was hurt in a blaze that destroyed a pole barn at a Sanford home this afternoon. Firefighters from Jerome, Lincoln, Edenville and Hope townships responded to the fire about 1 p.m. Jerome Township Fire Chief Bob McNett said the first firefighters to arrive at the address, 2555 N. Meridian, found the pole barn fully involved with flames. Shortly after the terror attack in Orlando at a gay nightclub, CIA director John Brennan testified before a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence about the dangers of ISIS to the West, and in particular, the United States. What made his testimony so fascinating was the fact that it essentially contradicts President Obamas claims in recent weeks that his ISIS strategy is working, and the terror organization is under more pressure than ever. Brennan painted a much different picture when he spoke to Senate members. Unfortunately, despite all our progress against ISIL on the battlefield and in the financial realm, our efforts have not reduced the groups terrorism capability and global reach, Brennan stated, using a different acronym for the group. The resources needed for terrorism are very modest, and the group would have to suffer even heavier losses of territory, manpower and money for its terrorist capacity to decline significantly. In fact, as the pressure mounts on ISIL, we judge that it will intensify its global terror campaign to maintain its dominance of the global terrorism agenda. He continued to say: We judge that ISIL is training and attempting to deploy operatives for further attacks. ISIL has a large cadre of Western fighters who could potentially serve as operatives for attacks in the West. And the group is probably exploring a variety of means for infiltrating operatives into the West, including refugee flows, smuggling routes and legitimate methods of travel. Brennans comments reaffirmed what most Americans have expressed over the past few years the United States is a prime target for terrorist attacks. A number of polls indicate that Americans are fearful of a domestic terror attack, such as what occurred in Orlando this month and in San Bernadino, California, this past December. Those ISIS-inspired attacks resulted in the combined total of 63 deaths and 73 persons injured. The president wants citizens to believe his administrations efforts to confront ISIS terror are working. The CIA director tells Americans ISIS remains a very real threat. We are getting a mixed message. But one thing is clear: Americans are a target of Islamic terrorists. The bloodshed proves it. Strategic bomber crews and support Airmen at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, demonstrated the flexibility and reach of airpower as they conducted eight joint and bi-lateral training sorties that spanned more than 5,000 miles across the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, June 13 through 20. These missions were in support of U.S. Pacific Commands continuous bomber presence mission, now in its twelfth year of existence. U.S. Air Force strategic bomber deployments to the Indo-Asia-Pacific offer PACOM a uniquely flexible power projection platform that closes the tyranny of distance and ensures our ability to reassure allies and partners and demonstrate U.S. resolve across the region, said Maj. Gen. Mark Dillon, Pacific Air Forces vice commander. During the week, Airmen from Andersen AFB, operating B-52 Stratofortress and KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft, flew to Darwin, Australia, to perform bi-lateral training with approximately 3,000 Australian personnel, including multiple aircraft, Joint Terminal Attack Controller and Command and Control elements. The week-long training event concluded with a B-52 static display open to Australian military personnel to give them an up close look at the aircraft. As this training was underway, another formation of two B-52s from Andersen AFB conducted a mission in the vicinity of Japan and Korea to conduct joint and bi-lateral training. This mission involved coordination with Japanese aircraft, as well as Close Air Support training with the III Marine Expeditionary Force and 607th Air Support Operations Group JTACs. Finally, B-52s from Andersen also conducted a first-ever live fire integration with the U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) which involved employing multiple munitions on the Farallon de Medinilla weapons range near Guam. This was an aggressive week of operations, but Im proud to say our Airmen rose to the challenge, showing presence and conducting invaluable joint, ally and partner training from North East Asia, all the way to Australia and everywhere in between, Dillon said. Of note, the week of heightened operations occurred less than a month after the loss of one of Andersens B-52s when the crew was forced to abort take-off at the end of the runway. While no Airmen were injured in the incident, it left the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron at Andersen AFB short one bomber with a busy docket of missions to complete. Within two weeks of the accident, a new bomber arrived and Airmen executed the missions as scheduled. Despite the loss of one of our aircraft and the bomber crew's very close call, our combat aviators kept on trucking, said Lt. Col Jeremy Holmes, 69th EBS commander. We saw our warrior ethos shine just a bit brighter then, and after. That's when we saw the true teamwork, attitude and fighting spirit of our squadron. With the focus on the rebalance of the Pacific there is a greater emphasis on conducting training with joint and partner forces while conducting bomber missions. As we plan these mission we are adding greater layers of joint, bilateral and multilateral integration to get better training for the crews. This gives us an enhanced show of presence, plus improved interoperability with our joint and coalition partners, said Maj. Kenneth Sterling, 613th Air Operations Center Bomber Liaison Officer stationed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam. The big picture when youre working with the joint and partner forces is figuring out what we all can do together. The more you train together, the better you understand what each player brings to the fight in terms of our specific abilities and limitations, and how you can use each others capabilities to offset each others limitations, he continued U.S. Pacific Commands area of responsibility covers fifty-two percent of the globe, which makes strategic bombers a valuable asset to ensure effective long-range global attack capability, assuring our allies while deterring potential adversaries. Bombers are uniquely suited to this region, because we have the legs to get from point A to point B with minimal refueling. We also have greater communication capability -- a B-52 has multiple radios and five individuals who can simultaneously perform mission monitoring, coordination and execution, which reduces our dependency on support aircraft. In short, we can go farther and with less support aircraft all while carrying a four-to-eight-fighter aircraft formations worth of ordnance to a mission, Sterling explained. Simply put, the Pacific is big, but so are we, in size, range, and payload. I'd say the B-52 is suited quite well to operating in the Pacific, Holmes said. The same goes for the other two bomber types in the bull pen. Big range and payload go a long way in this area of operation. This unique capability enables U.S. Airmen to play a key role in ensuring stability and prosperity in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. We expect a lot from our bomber Airmen, as do our country, and partner nations. Due to the unique operational environment in the Pacific, every mission, whether it is local training sortie or a Pacific Power Projection mission is important. Every time our bomber crews go gear in the wells, the very best is required of them, Holmes said. KAUAI, Hawaii (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy installed a new AN/SPY-6 radar at the Advanced Radar Development Evaluation Laboratory (ARDEL) at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) June 6. The delivery and installation of the AN/SPY-6 radar at ARDEL followed the successful completion of Near Field Range testing in Sudbury, Massachusetts in late May, and marks the beginning of the Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) program's next phase of execution that includes live test campaigns at PMRF -- involving air and surface targets as well as Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) flight tests. "Completion of Near Field Range testing and installation at ARDEL is a huge milestone for our AMDR team," said Capt. Seiko Okano. "Delivery of the radar, 13 months after System Critical Design Review, is a testament to the maturity of the design and a reflection of the team's hard work. The Navy needs this capability today, and this keeps us on track to delivering this critical capability to the fleet." Preparations for the next phase of testing are underway, and near term efforts will focus on integration and checkout to support initial light-off in early July. AN/SPY-6 is a single-face, new development IAMD radar, providing sensitivity for long range detection and engagement of advanced threats. The Navy competitively awarded the Engineering and Manufacturing Development contract to Raytheon October 2013. The AN/SPY-6 uses active electronically scanned array technologies with solid state transmit and receive amplifiers placed behind each antenna element, which replace the waveguide tube amplifiers of legacy DDG-51 Class AN/SPY-1D(V) arrays. The digital architecture provides multi-beam capabilities to reduce anti-aircraft warfare surveillance frame times, while also improving radar performance in both harsh natural and manmade environments. AN/SPY-6 will provide the U.S. Navy with next generation IAMD capabilities and is currently planned for deployment on DDG-51 Flight III destroyers and interfaced with the AEGIS Advanced Capability Build (ACB 20) combat system. PEO IWS is an affiliated Program Executive Office of the Naval Sea Systems Command. IWS is responsible for spearheading surface ship and submarine combat technologies and systems, and for implementing Navy enterprise solutions across ship platforms. KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- The 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron Quality Assurance team oversees five units across Kadena and plays a vital role in each. Members of the 18th LRS QA team put every effort into ensuring their squadrons products are always mission-ready. Quality Assurance is like a checks-and-balances system, said Tech. Sgt. Kyle Gamm, 18th LRS quality assurance evaluator. We make sure the flights are running properly. If theyre not, we identify any problems and use them as a training tool so they can efficiently run the mission. These support operations cannot be accomplished without logistics so its critical to the mission all aspects of the job are being performed properly. Within this QA office, we have representatives for vehicle maintenance, fuels, vehicle ops, Travel Management Office, and supply/material management, said Tech. Sgt. Larrance Ritter, 18th LRS quality assurance evaluator. Having all of these units under their influence means the LRS QA office conducts multiple inspections every day. We have a lot of inspections, said Ritter. Well have Pacific Air Forces Inspector General inspectors come here, or our respective functional managers will come and inspect sections. Our perspective is to catch it now and fix it at our level. In order to identify what problems exist and how to fix them, QA evaluators use regulations, which can come from PACAF, when performing their work. Its not just reading a regulation, its actually learning to interpret it, said Gamm. Different words in different sentences could totally change the way its read. These regulations are constantly updated and contain supplements the evaluators often use when performing inspections. Were not going down to the flights looking for something to write-up, Ritter said. Our job is to identify if theres something that needs fixed. Its better to fix it in-house versus someone outside coming in and telling us that were doing it wrong. The 18th LRS QA office as a whole completes at least 120 inspections per month. They not only do inspections, but they also do personal evaluations to ensure Airmen are correctly performing tasks. We dont want the flight to get a surprise call, said Ritter. Well announce ourselves in the section, let them know what were looking at, do our job, and then on our way out well back-brief them. QAs purpose is to ensure that processes are performed correctly so the mission can be carried out. If a process isnt getting done correctly or somebody is taking shortcuts and its not identified, ultimately, it could end up in mission failure, Gamm said. Somebody could get hurt. We try to make sure they have the best information to do their mission. PORT MORESBY, PAPUA NEW GUINEA -- More than 130 service members from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, U.S. Marine Corps and Navy mesh as one formation, despite the extreme heat and scorching sun, to celebrate the beginning of a beneficial future for all three components. Task Force Koa Moana and soldiers with the PNGDF held an opening ceremony for Exercise Koa Moana, at Taurama Barracks, Papua New Guinea, June 18, 2016. This exercise is going to be the first of what should be many opportunities to broaden and deepen the ties of friendship and professionalization, said Joel F. Maybury, the Deputy Chief of Mission with the U.S. Embassy in Papua New Guinea. Weve been looking for a number of ways for the U.S. and PNG to come together, whether its military, economic commercial or cultural arena. The task force arrived in Papua New Guinea via USNS Sacagawea, June 17, 2016, after traveling from Timor Leste for Exercise Crocodilo 16, as part of their deployment in the Asia-Pacific region. The PNGDF Navy had the opportunity to test their capabilities by using one of their naval vessels to transport the Marines, Sailors and their gear from ship to ship to shore. The purpose of Exercise Koa Moana, which means ocean warrior in the Hawaiian language, is to practice skills in various military fields, resulting in a skills transfer between both organizations, said Col. Siale Diro, the Chief of Force Preparation for land and sea elements in the PNGDF. It is important to build our relationship and our military partnership with our allies. The PNGDF has trained frequently with the U.S. Army, but this marks the first opportunity for them to train with the U.S. Marines directly, specifically in infantry tactics, combat lifesaving techniques, engineering capabilities and non-lethal law enforcement capabilities. This exercise provides a very good platform to build our relationship with the U.S. Marines, said Diro. We have a long standing relationship with the U.S. military. We understand their role in the region and we share the same values of liberty, individual rights, democracy and freedom of speech. Papua New Guinea is the second of four destinations scheduled during Task Force Koa Moanas deployment, which has been assigned the mission of conducting multi-national, bilateral exercises with multiple nations to increase interoperability and relations to preserve peace and stability in the Pacific. The big picture is global and regional security, said Maybury. Our friends and allies in the Pacific are important. SAN DIEGO - Twenty-six nations, 45 ships, five submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel will participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise scheduled June 30 to Aug. 4, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series that began in 1971. The theme of RIMPAC 2016 is "Capable, Adaptive, Partners." The participating nations and forces will exercise a wide range of capabilities and demonstrate the inherent flexibility of maritime forces. These capabilities range from disaster relief and maritime security operations to sea control and complex warfighting. The relevant, realistic training program includes amphibious operations, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine and air defense exercises, as well as counter-piracy, mine clearance operations, explosive ordnance disposal and diving and salvage operations. This year's exercise includes forces from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, People's Republic of China, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom and the United States. This is the first time that Denmark, Germany, and Italy are participating in RIMPAC. Additional firsts will involve flexing the command and control structure for various at sea events and incorporating a submarine rescue exercise. This year will see amphibious operations in the Southern California operating area, feature a harpoon missile shoot from a U.S. Navy littoral combat ship and highlight fleet innovation during the Trident Warrior experimentation series. The Department of the Navy's Great Green Fleet yearlong initiative will also play a major role in RIMPAC. The initiative highlights global operations using energy conservation measures and alternative fuel blends to demonstrate how optimizing energy use increases resiliency and operational readiness. During RIMPAC, almost all participating units will operate using an approved alternate-fuel blend. Hosted by U.S. Pacific Fleet, RIMPAC 2016 will be led by U.S. Vice Adm. Nora Tyson, commander of the U.S. 3rd Fleet (C3F), who will serve as the Combined Task Force (CTF) Commander. Royal Canadian Navy Rear Adm. Scott Bishop will serve as deputy commander of the CTF, and Japan Maritime Self Defense Force Rear Adm. Koji Manabe as the vice commander. Other key leaders of the multinational force will include Commodore Malcolm Wise of the Royal Australian Navy, who will command the maritime component; Brig. Gen. Blaise Frawley of the Royal Canadian Air Force, who will command the air component; and the amphibious task force will be led by Royal New Zealand Navy Commodore James Gilmour. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen scheduling commitments, Brazil is unable to participate in RIMPAC '16. We value our partnership with the Brazilian Navy and look forward to them taking part in RIMPAC 2018. Media interested in covering the exercise should contact the 3rd Fleet public affairs office at (619) 767-4387. Contact information for the RIMPAC Combined Information Bureau will be made available prior to the beginning of the exercise. WASHINGTON -- U.S., Japanese and South Korean defense officials held a videoconference today to discuss the recent North Korean missile launches, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a readout of the call. Kelly Magsamen, performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs; Yoo Jeh-seung, South Koreas deputy defense minister for policy; and Satoshi Maeda, Japans director general for defense policy, co-chaired the trilateral interagency video conference, Cook said. U.S. Strategic Command officials confirmed that North Korea launched two ballistic missiles Tuesday, presumed to be Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missiles. The missiles are believed to have fallen into the Sea of Japan. These and other North Korean missile launches are violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions that explicitly prohibit North Korea's use of ballistic missile technology, Cook said. The officials from all three countries reiterated their strong condemnation of these launches, the press secretary said, and urged North Korea to refrain from provocative actions that undermine peace and security, and instead focus on fulfilling its international obligations and commitments. The defense officials noted that North Korea's provocations would only strengthen the resolve of the international community, he added. The United States reaffirms its ironclad alliance commitments to defend South Korea and Japan, Cook said, and will continue to work closely with South Korea and Japan, as well as the international community, to address North Korea's provocative actions. PONTIAC Pat Heenan went from electrician to firefighter in a matter of seconds as a tornado slammed down on one of his customers Wednesday night. I was at home just before the tornado struck, he said. The owner of Heenan Electric had received a call from the manager of the Pontiac Shell station at Illinois 116 and Deerfield Road, just east of Interstate 55. She said the lights were flickering and had gone out and they needed help getting them turned on, he said. I was just leaving my front door to go on the service call about the time the tornado struck. Heenan said he drove from his home at 201 S. Main St. and arrived to find the gas station torn to pieces. The lights were out and water was running inside, he said. It was a real mess. Damage had torn siding off the building and a sign had blown down and crashed like a spear through one of the large plate glass windows. Someone inside called for help and said there were people trapped inside the cooler. Pontiac police Sgt. Jimmy Roberts arrived about the same time and the two men opened the cooler door with a firefighters crowbar called a Halligan a tool Heenan carries in the bed of his pickup truck. We got the door open and 25 people were crammed in there, said Heenan, adding there were some minor injuries, but no one was seriously hurt. Most had come in off the interstate to flee the storm, he said. The cooler was the safest room in the station. BLOOMINGTON A federal judge has set an Aug. 30 deadline for lawyers for former McLean County Board Chairman Matt Sorensen and a co-defendant to complete talks for a plea deal or set a trial date on federal wire fraud charges. Sorensen and Navdeep Arora are charged with defrauding State Farm Insurance of more than $1 million for work they did not perform. At a hearing in federal court in Chicago Thursday, lawyers for the two men asked Judge Ronald A. Guzman for additional time to resolve the case or make the decision that it will move forward with a trial. The judge set an Aug. 30 final status hearing where lawyers were directed to request a date for either disclosure of a plea agreement or a trial. Sorensen resigned his County Board post in January after he and Arora were charged in an eight-count indictment related to their work as consultants. Sorensen, who left State Farm three years ago, worked as an internal consultant for the insurer. He duties included decisions on whether to hire outside consultants, including McKinsey & Co., the global firm that employed Arora. The indictments were returned by a grand jury in Chicago in August but were sealed until Arora's arrest when he returned from London in January. An independent review of Sorensen's tenure on the County Board, ordered by McLean County State's Attorney Jason Chambers in March, indicated no wrong-doing by Sorensen in connection with county business. A new study carried out in South Africa has discovered that there is a link between breastfeeding and good behavior among very young children. According to the findings wherein 1,500 children were involved, children who were breastfeed continuously for at least six months following World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations were more likely to behave better when they begin school compared to those who were breastfed for only a month or less than six months. Based on the study, there was a strong connection between how long children were breastfed and how well or badly they behave when they reach the age of seven until 11. The study was conducted by the Human Science Council in Durban and funded by the Canadian government. The authors conclude that apart from the importance of nutritional value of breast milk to newborns and how it helps newborns become more resilient against flu and other infections, breastfeeding itself has an effect on the behavior of children. Breastmilk helps reduce risks of diabetes and obesity, while the process and ritual of breastfeeding itself creates a very strong bond between the mother and the newborn which continues well into childhood. It has been previously established in previous researches that most breastfeed babies perform better in intelligence tests. On the other hand, children who were not breastfed are at higher risk to develop behavior disorders as they grow up. Unfortunately, childhood conduct disorders have been linked to social problems in adulthood. This include tendencies towards violence, criminality and poor long-term mental health issues. Growing up, they may also show low academic achievement. It was also discovered by the South Africa study that young children who went to daycare for at least a year had higher chances of being successful when it came to achieving higher executive functions. These children are more able to plan efficiently, focus on schoolwork, and understand as well as remember instructions. In contrast, children who stayed at home during their very early discovery years were not as likely to succeed at executive functions. The chances of them being able to succeed at higher executive functions were pegged at 36 percent. Parents whose children enjoyed the movie "Finding Dory," which premiered in theaters worldwide last weekend, might consider getting the same fish as pet for their kids. But marine experts and activists caution adults that this might not be a good idea. It would be best to ignore the blue-colored 'Dory' fishes if you happen to spot these at pet stores. Dory from the movie, who is voiced by Ellen DeGeneres, is a Royal Blue Tang fish and it's not an ideal pet for kids, no matter how adorable and beloved the character was portrayed in "Finding Dory." According to the Natural Resources Defense Council via On Earth, this type of fish requires a highly sophisticated tank with a "complicated saltwater tank ecosystem" that only experts can operate. If cared for properly, the "Finding Dory" fish has a life-span of 20 years, which means it will require long and laborious care and maintenance. But even under experts' hands, the Royal Blue Tang fish has not once been bred in captivity because its kind is hard to care for. It's also risky to handle a Royal Blue Tang because it has dagger-like spikes hidden in its fins. So, given these conditions, it won't make an ideal pet fish for anyone at all. Handled wrongly, the "Finding Dory" fish will die within six hours and this is also one of the reasons why it's best not to buy the fish. The population of the Royal Blue Tang is already dropping due to environmental changes, per The Age. WMDT reports that pet stores have already been riddled with queries about the availability of the "Finding Dory" fish. However, if parents do find these at stores, know that most Royal Blue Tang fish have been taken from the wild. Its harvest is already causing damage to the reefs. Suffice to say, this is also not a good thing. No doubt, the United Kingdom's landmark decision to leave the European Union (EU) in its Brexit (British exit) referendum, will bring a cascading impact around the world. Big changes affecting economies, immigration, tourism, education and laws are expected, but no one will bear the brunt of the changes more than the children. The changes will also affect the youth of America in some ways. Per Politico, Brexit could take years of implementation as there are plenty of legal hurdles that the UK must satisfy. However, here's how Brexit will change for the children: Brexit And EU Laws Protecting Children Open Democracy sites that while the UK, which is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, uphold strong laws in their own countries, there are still many EU laws and policies that indirectly govern and protect the rights of the children. Among these include cross-border family law, policies on immigration and asylum, adoption laws, laws on child pornography and even laws on consumer safety standards for toys, medications and other basic needs. Some of these laws work best in a collective EU environment, as opposed to an independent UK environment, particularly when cases require coordination with different administrate, political and legal channels. The European Commission also provides funding that will benefit various initiatives for children, which will be scrapped once Britain is out. Just one more example in which Britain's youngest generations have been shafted by their parents. (v @garymoody65) pic.twitter.com/XuyZUsEclM Paul Lewis (@PaulLewis) June 24, 2016 Brexit And Children's Education Per Times Educational Supplement, some 70 percent of teachers in the UK are in favor of staying in the EU. They believe that the British youth can gain better opportunities for studying abroad as EU-member countries benefit from each other. This can also translate to getting better job benefits for a British national intending to work in France or other EU countries. Many schools and universities also employ foreign teachers from EU-member countries. However, once the Brexit is in place, some of them might consider leaving the UK as well. It is projected that the UK could lose 400,000 teachers with the Brexit, per Huffington Post. Those who will actually gain from Brexit in terms of education are rich foreigners, such as Chinese, or Russians, or Americans who will be able to afford sending their children to British schools. Because Brexit will impact the pound, school fees in the UK will be more affordable for affluent families. According to The Guardian, there is a strong market for this. Daily Express reports that there are already parents looking forward to funding children's education as British money is expected to devaluate. @nytimes happy indepedence Day England Aris Caesar (@1000Face) June 24, 2016 Brexit And Family Travels Families in the UK are holding off having kids or booking holidays until the Brexit is settled as living costs will change in the coming months or years. But for those living outside of the UK, such as Americans, the cost to visit London would become less expensive as a result of Brexit, per ABC News. It should be noted that votes to leave the UK came mostly from the working class who feel that many opportunities have been lost on them because of immigrants and other arrangements with other EU countries. The votes to remain in the UK mostly came from the youth who support multi-cultural life. Kate Middleton has a marriage secret and Prince William made a joke about this royal family surprise. More than anything, the joke Prince William made highlighted an arrangement in the home of the Duke and Duchess Of Cambridge to which not many are privy. According to Us Weekly, Kate Middleton and Prince William were guests-of-honor at a charity dinner for East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH) when the revelation occurred. Apparently, Kate Middleton and Prince William share cooking duties in their home. As the Duke and Duchess Of Cambridge appreciated the Michelin-starred chefs of the event, Kate Middleton said that Prince William has to bear with her cooking. Prince William thereupon agreed by making a joke about the dishes Kate Middleton serves at home. "It's the reason I'm so skinny," Prince William said. People reports that Prince William does his own share of cooking, and is no more successful than the Duchess Of Cambridge. Prince William made a dosa during their recent trip to India, which Kate Middleton was not tempted to try. Prince William had been testing out a dosa-maker from Bangalore when Kate Middleton good-naturedly declined sampling the attempt by the Duke Of Cambridge. Brides cites speculations that Prince William and Kate Middleton prefer to do their own cooking on a full-time basis. According to Brides, the decision by the Duke and Duchess Of Cambridge to do away with a chef is an attempt by Kate Middleton and Prince William to ensure privacy. Despite the lack of talent of the royal couple, both the Duke and Duchess Of Cambridge seemed happy with the arrangement. More than anything, however, fans are heartened that despite their high profile celebrity, Kate Middleton and Prince William do not think they are above cooking for each other much like normal couples would. "Game Of Thrones" Season 6 Episode 10, "The Winds Of Winter" director Michael Sapochnik issued a dire warning that the "GoT" S6 finale will be heartbreaking. According to Michael Sapochnik, death is the promise of "The Winds Of Winter." The Hollywood Reporter cites Michael Sapochnik on his carefully selected words for the "Game Of Thrones" Season finale, which is named after George R.R. Martin's sixth "A Song Of Ice And Fire" book. "People die," Michael Sapochnik said of "The Winds Of Winter." The conversation between Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth) and The Hollywood Reporter expands on what Michael Sapochnik said of "The Winds Of Winter." The "Game Of Thrones" Season 6 finale will not, in any way, be recap. Furthermore, Liam Cunningham said that Michael Sapochnik will unfold big events and big surprises in the "Game Of Thrones" Season 6 Episode 10. Given the way Michael Sapochnik delivered "Battle Of The Bastards" Gemma Whelan, who plays Yara Greyjoy, saying that the "Game Of Thrones" Season 6 will be overwhelming is certainly saying something. Liam Cunningham's words seem to tease that Michael Sapochnik will continue following a multi-thread build up in "The Winds Of Winter." By the sound of it, "The Winds Of Winter" will make "Game Of Thrones" Season 7 the most awaited premiere to date and the clamor for George R.R. Martin to launch "TWOW" will grow louder. US Weekly proposes that among the surpises of "The Winds Of Winter" will be the revelation of Jon Snow's (Kit Harington) parentage. Following the "R + L = J" theory and recalling an earlier Bran's vision, the unveiling for Jon Snow in the "Game Of Thrones" Season 6 finale will tie the golden-hearted bastard with Mother Of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). In a separate article, The Hollywood Reporter gives a rundown of death bets in "The Winds Of Winter." Benjen Stark (Joseph Mawle), Melisandre (Carice van Houten), Walder Frey (David Bradley), Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbk) made the "Game Of Thrones" Season 6 finale list. In a matter of hours, Michael Sapochnik and "The Winds Of Winter" will deal the blow that breaks hearts with the "Game Of Thrones" Season 6 finale.To say the least, the Iron Throne will claim its victims when HBO airs its 69-minute "Game Of Thrones" Season 6 Episode 10, "The Winds Of Winter" on June 26. Dandelion or orchid children, which of these terms fit your child? There is a Swedish metaphor that explains the difference. A "dandelion child" is, like the dandelion, resilient and is able to adjust and even thrive even under adverse conditions. When presented with a challenging situation, they are able to cope and adjust. On the other hand, an orchid child is a child that has to be taken cared of in very specific conditions. They do not thrive in just any environment. In fact, they do not take change very well, and are wont to suffer or act out, showing behavioral issues. Impulsive children are often considered similar to "orchid children" because they have specific needs, and when these needs are not addressed, problems may arise. For years, different research studies on the behavior of children have pointed out that children who are impulsive are vulnerable to behavioral disorders. Psychologists define impulsivity as "erratic and poorly controlled behavior"; school, teachers consider a student "impulsive" when they act first before thinking. These are kids who attempt to do a task even when they haven't finished reading or understanding instructions; and they often blurt out answers which turn out incorrect because they didn't really think out their response. These qualities and behaviors have been linked to increased chances of impulsive children growing up vulnerable to delinquency, substance abuse, as well as other anti-social behaviors. So is there no way to help impulsive children or orchid children? There is; and the solutions lie with parents and teachers. They should be the first to understand the real qualities of impulsive children and establish means to connect better with them, support them, and give them guidance in areas where it is needed. Impulsive children are far from hopeless, they can be taught to be disciplined and reticent; they learn from their mistakes. According to research from from the CHU Sainte-Justine Mother-child Research Hospital and University of Montreal, impulsive children and the so-called orchid children can thrive better when they are raised in an environment that is nurturing and less coercive. The researchers even presented findings that impulsive children who were raised in less coercieve homes at the age of six and onward drank less during their adolescence compared to their peers who are considered less impulsive. In short, in a correct environment wherein parents and teachers are aware of the need to harness the impulsiveness of children and make it work in the children's favor, the children will thrive and even achieve more than those who are not as impulsive. To come up with their findings, the researches took into consideration the cases of 209 youth born between 1996 and 1997. It was found that those who were considered impulsive and were raised in families where they had non-coercive relationships and their mothers did not drink alcohol as much or as often as others who were non-impulsive but raised in families where the relationships with parents were coercive. Of course there are many other factors that contribute to adolescent behavior; what cannot be dismissed, however, is the importance of healthy and happy family ties and the exposure of children to loving, nurturing parents. Children who grow up with the support and affection that they need develop far less tendencies to exercise anti-social behaviors when they grow up. Do you agree with the study about orchid children? Let us know your opinion on the comment section. Good news, "Hannibal" fans! There may be a big possibility that the hit NBC psychological thriller-horror series will be making its television comeback in 2017. The latest rumors regarding "Hannibal" season 4 came after the series was cancelled last year. Ever since "Hannibal" was cancelled after its three rewarding seasons in 2015, rumors have been circulating that producers might be contemplating the possibility of a reboot, as well as the discussions to continue the series on a different network or another media platform, E! News reported last year. Fortunately, showrunner Bryan Fuller has recently shared some details about the much-anticipated "Hannibal" season 4. 'Hannibal' Season 4 Happening In 2017? In an interview with Collider, Fuller revealed that the rights to the upcoming "Hannibal" season 4 might potentially open in August 2017. He also hinted that actors Mads Mikkelsen (Dr. Hannibal Lecter) and Hugh Dancy (Will Graham) will still be on board despite their busy schedules on their respective projects. "Two years after the last airing of the show, we can investigate our options," Fuller said, as per Screen Crush. "August 2017 is when we can actually start talking about it. That's when we would have to see what the rights are for the character and for the story, and see who's interested and how we get it done. I have the story, and the cast is excited for the story, so we're ready to go if somebody wants to go." 'Hannibal' Season 4 Cast As mentioned above, Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy are reportedly "game" to join the cast of "Hannibal" season 4 while Fuller remains passionate to tell Hannibal's saga. That's why, he is not giving up even though syncing everyone's schedules can really be a challenge, Indie Wire notes. 'Hannibal' Season 4 Plot Is Ready Aside from the cast, Fuller also revealed that Amazons and Netflix are contemplating to pick up "Hannibal" for its fourth season. In fact, Fuller admitted that he already have something in mind when it comes to the plot of "Hannibal" season 4, IGN reports. "I have the story, and the cast is excited for the story, so we're ready to go if somebody wants to go," Fuller previously said, The Wrap quotes. 'Hannibal' Season 4 To Introduce Clarice Starling? The previous season of "Hannibal" ended with a full 13-episode season 3 but there have been rumors that the reason for the series' cancellation was due to Fuller's introduction of Jodie Foster's character, Clarice Starling, in "Hannibal" season 4. Sadly, the rights to the character were reportedly unavailable, Irish Independent reveals. So, will Fuller really introduce Clarice or "Silence of the Lambs" plotline in "Hannibal" season 4? Well, the answer is no. In fact, Dancy told Collider's Allison Keene during the TCA Winter Press Tour that "Hannibal" season 4 will be a "complete restart" but it wasn't "the Clarice or 'Silence of the Lambs' storyline." Meanwhile, due to the sudden cancellation of "Hannibal," Fannibals launched a social media campaign with a hashtag #SaveHannibal, as reported by JobsNHire. So, do you think "Hannibal" season 4 is happening in 2017? Sound off below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates. Pregnancy is a gift but there are some things that women are scared of when it comes to this stage in a woman's life. Some are afraid that pregnancy could cause their figure to go bad and that they won't be able to look hip and fabulous. This is something that Blac Chyna-Kardashian is not afraid of. In fact, she is taking her pregnancy very well that she can still manage to look fashionable with her growing baby bump. According to E! Online, Blac Chyna is not worried about her pregnancy, especially when it involves her looks. Being a person always followed by the paparazzi; you would think that she must be a little stressed to always look her best in front of the camera. The truth is the soon-to-be Kardashian has no troubles at all in making an appearance even on the red carpet showing her pregnant body. A photo posted by Blac Chyna (@blacchyna) on Jun 22, 2016 at 6:45pm PDT In an event at Cannes in France, Blac Chyna wowed the crowd when she came out with a gorgeous gown showing off her curves and blooming skin along with her pregnant tummy. The Daily Mail reported that Rob Kardashian's fiance told them about how her pregnancy is treating her well. The only thing this soon to be mother-of-two is thinking about is hiding her buttocks. She was brave enough to tell the publication that she just wants to keep that area hidden. But aside from that, she doesn't have any complaints regarding her pregnancy. Rob Kardashian was not seen during that event, but his about-to-be wife couldn't help but tell the press how their relationship is going to the next level. Blac Chyna even looked so happy when she was describing the press on how awesome her man is. As for the wedding of the new couple in Hollywood, Blac Chyna didn't reveal much about it but People Magazine said that it would be televised. This is something that fans should look forward to. What do you think about Blac Chyna's fashion during her pregnancy? Do you like it or not? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions TAPROOTS FOR A NEW UNIVERSALISM Zen Buddhism & Unitarian Universalism, Encounter, Conflict, New Visions James Ishmael Ford 24 June 2016 Delivered as the Conrad Wright Annual Lecture Unitarian Universalist History & Heritage Society At the 2016 Unitarian Universalist General Assembly, Columbus, Ohio I never tire of telling this story. In 1844, a chapter from the Sadharmapundarika-sutra, the seminal Mahayana Buddhist text the Lotus Sutra was published in the Boston Transcendentalist journal, the Dial. Best I can tell, this chapter, published as The Preaching of Buddha, was the first Buddhist text to be rendered in the English language. As a footnote to a footnote, The Preaching of Buddha was for many years wrongly credited to Henry David Thoreau. It was a reasonable enough speculation as the chapter was published anonymously while he was editor of the journal, and was well known to be interested in all matters Eastern. Of course, pretty much all of the Transcendentalists were interested in those matters Eastern, to one degree or another. But, in fact, once again anonymous turned out to be a woman. The translator of Eugene Burnoufs French rendering of the Sanskrit was the astonishing public intellectual Elizabeth Palmer Peabody. At the time she was the proprietor of Bostons West Street Bookstore, one of the principal gathering places of Bostons Transcendentalists. It wasnt the first Eastern text to fall into Unitarian hands, nor would it be the last. A great jumble of Eastern texts appeared in English in those early mid decades of the nineteenth century. So many that people had trouble sorting what was what. Ralph Waldo Emersons oft-cited high praise for the Bhagavad Gita as a wonderful expression of Buddhist wisdom was typical of that moment. As Buddhism began to differentiate out from the other Eastern religions, it quickly proved to be a rich field for projection. For instance, in The Progress of Religious Ideas Through Successive Ages, Unitarian writer Lydia Maria Child described the Buddha as a heavenly spirit. She went on to blithely count God, soul, and creation as Buddhist concepts. Today all this would likely raise a smile among most, and to a few it could even be considered offensive. Of all the Transcendentalists, Henry David Thoreau has been consistently described as the most Buddhist, or Buddhist-like among the Transcendentalists. While he read what was available, pretty much as soon as it was available, Thoreau more likely discovered from his own observation that Zen Buddhist perspective of the thing-in-itself than from reading any spiritual text. And, frankly, I think it more accurate to characterize his nature mysticism more as a kind of Western proto-Daoism than any flavor of Buddhism. Buddhism, while continuing to interest religious liberals, also continued to be misunderstood throughout the nineteenth century. Even by the end of that century the Unitarian writer James Freeman Clarke, like Lydia Maria Child before him, searched for and found arguments for God and for immortality of the soul in the teachings of the Buddha and Buddhism, all incomprehensible from the advantages of todays understanding. Slowly, however, people began to find in Buddhism something more than that field of projection through which they were looking for a purified or corrected form of Christianity. Such doctrines as sunyata, emptiness or boundlessness, anatman no soul or no abiding self, and karma, the play of causality began to capture western imaginations, and begin to open new possibilities for those of us in the West engaged in the great spiritual quest. And something else happened, as well. Profound influences began to flow in both directions, east to west, yes, but also west to east. For example the Unitarian and Buddhist scholar Jeff Wilson outlines the remarkable story of Nakahama Manjiro, a boy who in 1841, along with several other Japanese fishermen was caught up in a storm and swept out to sea. They were rescued from near certain death by a New Bedford whaling ship. Unable to return to Japan, which by the prevailing sakoku isolation laws would lead to everyones execution, the ship continued on. Eventually the crew was dropped off in Hawaii, all except for young Nakahama. Captivated by the boys intelligence and curiosity about everything he encountered, Captain William Whitmer took him under his personal care. They returned to Massachusetts, only to find Whitmers Methodist church informing the family that no colored people, although they didnt say colored, were allowed in the church. So, they walked down the street and joined Fairhavens Unitarian congregation. With that the boy now known as John Mung grew into adulthood as a Unitarian. After an adventurous life well worth pursuing in greater detail, including following his mentor as a whaler and later as a successful gold prospector, Nakahama Manjiro accumulated enough wealth to allow him to return to Japan a mere decade after he and his companions had been swept out to sea. Once back in Japan he endured the long established test to prevent Christians from entering the country. A picture of the Virgin Mary was placed on the ground and he was required to step on it. As a Unitarian, Manjiro had no problem doing so. He would rise to fame and further fortune in Japan, initially through his translation of Bowditchs Practical Navigator. Invited to the imperial court he was eventually raised to the rank of Samurai. There he gathered a circle of admirers and among the younger courtiers, disciples. In 1868 with the revolt that established the Meiji emperor, many of those disciples were recruited into the reforming leadership. Wilson draws a pretty straight line from Manjiros Unitarianism not only to many of the eras social reforms, but also to many reforms within the Buddhist sects, particularly Pure Land and Zen. Then, as if returning the favor, the first Zen master to visit America as part of the 1893 World Parliament of Religions was the Rinzai abbot Soyen Shaku. The abbot had in his youth studied at Keio University, which had been founded by a younger associate of Manjiros. Wilson argues the Zen Buddhism taught at the university was deeply influenced by a progressive spirit of rational inquiry infused with a broad humanism, derived directly from Manjiros Unitarian experience. Two of the abbots disciples, Nyogen Senzaki and Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki would prove to be central to introducing Zen to the West. Senzaki influencing a generation of early spiritual seekers on the West coast, introducing them to zazen, Zens seated meditation, and Suzuki most of all as a prolific writer and translator, and through his disciple Alan Watts, a popularized version of this rationalist Zen became the Zen most English speaking people would first encounter. One could say, to this day. Whats important to distinguish here is how within religious dialogue moves from misunderstanding and projection to offering subtle coloring and expanded perspectives in each tradition. And sometimes within such encounters the original traditions find themselves profoundly changed, and sometimes whole new traditions emerge. Right off I find myself thinking of how the terrible clash between Islam and Hinduism created the Sikh tradition. This place of meeting, obviously, is dangerous, and is incredibly rich, run through with a riot of possibilities. For us as Unitarian Universalists in the mid twentieth century one of the most important of the many dialogues occurring between Buddhism and Western religions and psychology, was the Buddhist meeting with humanism. At first for many humanists, Buddhism appeared to be an intriguingly ancient faith that like humanism was not directly concerned with questions of God or gods, those grand cosmological speculations that many comparative religion theorists have posited as fundamental to any authentic religion. Or, did, until they began to understand what Buddhists actually taught. Buddhisms existence as a religion without a concept of a creator challenged the conventions of early comparative religion and comforted many religious liberals and radicals. Now, humanists, like many before flat out misconstrued some of the teachings of Buddhism. And in recent years have had to deal with the unpleasant realization that as well as a resonant analysis of the human condition and rational approaches to the matter of human hurt, and while there is no creator in the sense of our Western concepts of God, there are deities of various sorts as well as enough magic in Buddhism to discomfort even the most sympathetic of humanists. And I hope thats okay. Because, I suggest, a real Buddhism offers western humanists much more than confirmation of an authentic non-theistic or atheistic spiritual perspective and a call for radical self-reliance, as well as sophisticated analysis of what it can mean when we attend to each thing-in-itself. I find humanism and Buddhism are complementary approaches to the great religious questions of life and death, not the only possible compliments, but powerful ones. This has been deeply important in my own spiritual life. And I think one of the reasons Buddhism was so quickly attractive to many UUs in the twentieth century. Of course the ongoing interest in Buddhism among Unitarian Universalists has not been exclusive to humanists. And, I think this is important to note as we within our liberal tradition advance into our contemporary more spiritually oriented era. Christian Unitarian Universalists have also been attracted to the practical mysticism of Buddhism. And a number of our UU Christians have tried various Buddhist meditation disciplines. As an example the UU Christian writer and minister Eric Wikstrom maintains a regular Zen meditation discipline. He is not alone in this. In fact Buddhist insights have been in conversation with all the emergent spiritualities of Unitarian Universalism from paganism to Hinduism to Judaism, each of these encounters separately and together offering potentially rich possibilities. The Unitarian Universalist world has become a microcosm of world spiritual dialogue, messy, complicated, internally contradictory, and I find wildly compelling. Some of it will come to nothing, probably most of it. Some will be silly. Some is. And some may open hearts to previously undreamed possibilities. There is something amazing going on. Over these past decades as Ive observed and practiced in this liminal place that is our open Unitarian Universalist spirituality, I believe Ive seen some of the contours of those possibilities as theyre emerging. First, this isnt something unique to us. I mentioned the birthing of the Sikh tradition. Well, actually, throughout its history Buddhism has entered other cultures and has engaged the indigenous religions it finds, often with powerful consequences. For me the most important example I can think of was the encounter between Indian Buddhism and Chinese religion in the early and mid ninth centuries. The culture clash birthed Zen. And there is no doubt the conversations between humanists and Christians and Jews and Buddhism is a rich field. But, as they used to say on television, wait. Thats not all. For instance some very interesting things are going on within the many conversations between Buddhism and Western psychology. The growing body of literature on that subject alone is vastly too wide to even begin to list here. But its importance, and I would say its importance to us, here, would be difficult to over estimate. And, again, theres more. Today the large majority of Unitarian Universalists feel a deep need to be engaged in the hurt of the world. As some have observed justice is what love looks like in action. We hold up that word love as a north star. But, what is it? What is it really? Well, among the areas of mutual interest for us as Unitarian Universalists and Buddhists are the themes of an emerging theology of radical interdependence. We UUs have embraced the seventh principle as a core theological insight, and justly so. In my opinion when it is joined with the first, we get something dynamic and challenging and absolutely life saving. And it is there that we begin to understand what love actually is. Although it remains something we see through that famous glass, darkly. And, there are ways to cast more light on it, to understand this sense of love that compels us to action. We can look to Buddhism, and its exploration of interdependence within texts like the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Flower Ornament Sutra, and find what weve devoted the past several decades to, has been ruminated on within Buddhism for a thousand years and more. I find understanding love as an experience of radical interdependence is critical for us as we aspire to be of some use in this world. In Japan theres a saying. Vision without action is a dream. And, action without vision is a nightmare. Love as radical interdependence is, or should be, our north star. It can guide us through the dark night. And this insight, of course, has direct consequences when we think of specifics such as our ecological concerns, and our viscerally felt need for economic justice. This insight into our true intimacy is both why and, it hints at how we can approach this. What were finding are deep investigations of life and death, the fundamental matters of our human hearts. And one of the most important places it is happening is within that liminal space where Buddhism and Unitarian Universalism have met, or, more accurately, is meeting. So, it is perhaps not surprising to see how many Unitarian Universalists today are deeply involved in Buddhist matters. Allow me to share a partial but illustrative litany. UUs such as former Meadville Lombard dean Gene Reeves and Jeff Wilson at the University of Waterloo are making important contributions to the scholarly study of Buddhism. There are others, as well. Mentioning those names are just a beginning of noticing that we are there in that important, critical area of investigation. Also, increasing numbers of Unitarian Universalists are becoming spiritual directors within Buddhist disciplines. UU minister Doug Kraft is one of a number of longtime American Buddhist meditation teachers. Birthright UU Tara Brach is one of the most prominent Vipassana meditation teachers in the country. UU minister Robert Schaibly has been designated a Dharmacharya, an associate teacher by Thich Nhat Hanh. David Rynick, Melissa Blacker and I are the first three Unitarian Universalists to receive Dharma transmission, full authorization as Zen teachers. I am the first to be dually ordained a Zen priest and a UU minister, but only the first. This year Florence Caplow, already an ordained Soto Zen Buddhist priest has also been ordained as a UU minister. And I was just speaking with a UU ministerial colleague who is looking at ordaining as a Zen priest. One survey suggests that ten thousand Unitarian Universalists consider themselves, ourselves, Buddhist. And if one counts the number of those who consider Buddhism a signficant influence, that number swells enormously. Something is happening. Now, Im a preacher, by trade and by inclination. As I draw this reflection to a close, heres some good news I want to share. A door has been thrown wide open. And people are walking through it and toward something. Me, I think about the sadnesses of this world, and our human hearts. I think about pervasive suffering among human beings, and the groaning pain of our world, itself. And, as I think about this, I feel the wisdom of interdependence as the new voice of Universalism, of that ancient insight of love over creed, of love beyond belief, and its healing message, and what it can mean for us as we try to engage this world here, and I am filled with hope, hope for this poor hurt world, and hope for all seeking hearts. What is happening is that ancient wisdom is reappearing in ways appropriate for our time, and our place. This period of encounter, clash, confrontation, integration, and synthesis is birthing new ways for us to see and to act. Right here. Right now. Hope for this world. Hope for you and for me. Thank you. Patna: Residents and shop-owners in AG Colony under Shastri Nagar police station in Patna on Thursday protested on the street until late evening following Wednesday afternoon firing on a jewelry shop just yards away from a police patrol vehicle and in the presence of two cops. Accusing the police of failing to protect shop-owners from criminals seeking 'Rangdari Tax', or extortion, dozens of protestors blocked the road by burning tires and other items causing much inconvenience to the commuters. "There was a police patrol car not even 50 yards from the Ambe Jewelry and two havaldars were less than 20 feet away and yet criminals on motorcycle fired several rounds on the store and got away without even an attempt by the police to chase them," said the protestors. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Sanjay Mayukh and Nitin Navin joined the protest accusing Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of turning Patna into a den of criminals. Shop-owners said notorious criminals Pankaj Sharma was behind yesterday's shooting as he had earlier called the owner of the Ambe Jewelry on June 11 and had demanded and extortion fee of Rs. 50 lakh in cash. Wednesday shooting was meant to spread fear among the shop-owners, protestors said. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vikas Vaibhav said that attempts were being made to apprehend Pankaj Sharma. Normalcy was restored only after the SSP gave his words to the protestors about the impending arrest of Sharma. The Brexit Risk to the Iran Deal 06/25/16 By Esfandyar Batmanghelidj (source: LobeLog) artwork by Hossein Saafi, Iranian daily Shargh The United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union in a historic Brexit vote. The myriad ramifications of the vote will only be fully understood in the coming years, but it is clear that Brexit is as much about the return of great power politics as it is about affairs in the European sphere. Ian Bremmer has declared Brexit the the most significant political risk the world has experienced since the Cuban Missile Crisis. It should be no surprise that the prognosis of the Iran deal, perhaps the most significant diplomatic achievement of this decade, will be impacted by the British decision to leave the EU. The vote has certainly made a splash in Iran. Hamid Aboutalebi, Rouhanis deputy chief of staff for political affairs, tweeted that Brexit is a historic opportunity for Iran that must be taken advantage of. On the other side of Irans political aisle, Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri has praised the Brexit vote, suggesting that it represents a rejection of American policies. Whatever the logic of these statements, political actors in Iran are clearly watching the Brexit fallout with interest. But Iranians should be wary of seeing Brexit as a benign event. The uncertainty and volatility now gripping Europe may have a significant impact on the implementation of the Iran deal. Just as Iran was working to reenter the community of nations, relying on the central coordination of the European Union, the political and economic capacity for implementation is being diverted and eroded. Diverted Political Capacity Although much of the debate around the progress in implementation of the nuclear deal has focused on the US-Iran relationship and the role of the U.S. State Department, the diplomatic framework for the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is firmly rooted within the structures of the European Union. Annex IV of JCPOA outlines the creation of a Joint Commission with the mandate to review and consult to address issues arising from the implementation of sanctions lifting among other non-proliferation-related responsibilities. Annex IV specifically names High Representative Federica Mogherini as the Coordinator of the Joint Commission for implementation of the Iran deal. Mogherini in turn leads the European External Action Service (EEAS), the diplomatic service of the European Union, which has played the central organizational role in coordinating Irans negotiations with the world powers. She was a key figure during the nuclear negotiations and spoke alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif during the announcement that the P5+1 and Iran had reached a historic accord. Within the EEAS, the Iran file has been held by Helga Schmid, recently promoted to secretary general of the service, in a move to give her more time to focus on the Iran deal. Below Schmid, an expert-level Iran Task Force was established in 2015. The task force, led by Portuguese diplomat Hugo Sobral is composed of seven members and works behind the scenes to iron out a wide range of issues related to implementation. Iran is unique in that it sits above most of the organizational hierarchy of the EEAS. Iran is such a complex issue, and has become so central to EU diplomacy as one of the few success stories of recent years, that the mandate for implementation is handled at the most senior levels. Whereas EU coordination has been an asset for the Iran deal, it is now a risk. First, the diplomatic fallout of Brexit could monopolize the agenda at EEAS, with the senior leadership diverted from their work on Iran. Second, the greater the seniority of the diplomats, the greater the exposure to Europes impending political machinations. David Cameron has announced his resignation, and Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel will likely have to fight to keep their parties in control. The European foreign ministers who are stewarding the Iran deal-Britains Hammond, Germanys Frank-Walter, and Frances Ayrault-are at risk of losing their jobs. Third, Brexit will clearly have an immense and detrimental impact on the political capacity of the EU. Already, surging populist politicians Marie Le Pen in France and Geert Wilders in the Netherlands have called for their own countries to pursue referendums on leaving the union. Whether those votes come to pass, the focus of the political establishment in Europe will turn inward, and the willpower and capacity to lead in the international arena will wane. Eroded Economic Means There is no other coordinating body for the Iran deal outside the EU-led framework. The EUs central role, linking the foreign policy interests of the UK, France, and Germany (the E3 states) enabled JCPOA to emerge from a consensus including the United States, China, and Russia. That consensus was crucial to the promise of sanctions relief, which is the most important aspect of the deal from the Iranian perspective. If Iran does not see an economic boon, the Iran deal is at risk of failing. Troublingly, Brexit will negatively impact the ability of both the UK and Europe to deliver the economic benefits of the Iran deal. The primary barrier to increased trade and investment has been the hesitation of major banks to engage opportunities in Iran. Banks are concerned about the lingering impact of US sanctions. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has leaned on Mogherini and EU leadership to compel the US to provide greater comfort to European banks about doing business with Iran. But they have made only limited progress thus far. Additionally, banks are generally more cautious than before the 2009 financial crisis, and Iran is seen as a high-risk market with only limited near-term upsides. Most financiers and investors were hesitant to put capital into Iran prior to Brexit, and they will be even more hesitant now, slowing the inflow of FDI. As early market activity has shown, Brexit is having a significant downward impact on emerging market assets. Already stumbling, emerging markets like Iran will become a less attractive opportunity if the volatility continues. The secondary barrier is within the UK itself. Optimists might note that one of the key arguments of the Leave campaign was that freedom from the EU would enable the UK to pursue business opportunities in key emerging markets around the world. Although the focus has been on China and India, Iran would certainly fall into that category. Indeed, the UK has been trying to drum up trade with Iran for the past two years, but has had little to no success. In 2015, Chancellor Exchequer George Osborne was slated to lead a trade delegation to Iran, but this was cancelled largely due to political concerns from the UKs regional allies. In May of this year, Sajid Javid, the business secretary, was meant to lead a business delegation only for it to be cancelled as the Brexit debate threw Camerons cabinet into disarray. The UK does have a formal trade envoy to Iran in Lord Norman Lamont, who has been a supporter of renewed Iran-UK ties for many years as the chairman of the British-Iranian Chamber of Commerce. But Lord Lamont has had limited success mustering British business, and the UK lags far behind France, Germany, and Italy in terms of promised FDI. Iranians find some hope in the fact that Lord Lamont supported Brexit and will thus retain or even gain political influence in the aftermath of the referendum. But faltering political will is not the only challenge facing British business with Iran. At a structural level, the economic priorities of the UK will change. Although the Leave campaign touted an embrace of new global markets, the initial priority will be to shore up the British economy by ensuring continued access to the European Common Market. This will require that the UK negotiate a free-trade agreement with the EU-27. This process will be extremely complex and lengthy, and as the global law firm Baker & McKenzie notes, there are concerns that the UK lacks the manpower and expertise required for such negotiations. Michael Dougan, a professor at the University of Liverpool,has cautioned that, in terms of the push to emerging markets, Logistically it is difficult to imagine that the UK has the internal diplomatic and civil-service capacity to negotiate more than one or two agreements at a time, let alone sixty or seventy. A logistical challenge will also face the chief executives of major British and European companies, who will now need to focus their attention on post-Brexit planning. They will have fewer resources to devote to developing opportunities in Iran, especially at the required senior levels. Practically speaking, Iran will not be a priority in the post-Brexit economic agenda. A Change in Mindset The Brexit vote took place a little less than a year following the historic announcement of the Iran deal on July 14, 2015. What is perhaps most shocking for those of us who followed the Iran deal, and rejoiced in that announcement, is the different mindset affecting the political and economic landscape today. When the Iran deal was announced, it seemed a triumphant example of cooperation and vision where the national interests of seven different countries, representing the global community, eventually produced a single robust agreement. In many ways, Brexit is a rejection of the type of politics that brought us the Iran Deal. This may be the final consequence, with the hardest impact to gauge. A single national referendum has shaken the collective faith in the project of formalizing consensus and cooperation in international relations. Iran is coming back into the community of nations. But with the potential demise of the EU, that community will seem less welcoming and less hopeful. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has given a notice of intention to end its receivership of the assets for Temecula Valley Bank, one of four Inland financial institutions that failed during the Great Recession. The bank went into receivership July 17, 2009 when it was closed by state and federal regulators. The June 22 notice from the FDIC said liquidation of receiver assets has been completed, and a final dividend payment will be made to proven creditors. The receivership will end no sooner than (30) days after the date of this notice, the FDIC release said. From November 2008 through August 2009, four of the regions biggest banks were seized by regulators: PFF Bank & Trust, with $4.3 billion in assets at its peak; Vineyard National Bank, with $2.5 billion at its peak; Temecula Valley Bank, with $1.5 billion; and 1st Centennial, with $715 million. Temecula Valley Bank failed because its board and management failed to adequately monitor and control risks in a portfolio concentrated in commercial real estate loans, a February 2010 FDIC inspector general report said. Assets of the 11-branch bank, founded in 1996, were acquired by North Carolina-based First-Citizens Bank and Trust Co. The failure cost the FDIC fund $384.5 million. No depositors lost money. Contact the writer: rdeatley@pressenterprise.com or 951-368-9573 Great Britains vote Thursday to leave the European Union sent shockwaves through global financial markets and political bodies. Brexit, meaning British Exit from the EU, was a jolting reminder that when voters are frustrated with their governments, populism becomes a powerful political force. In the case of Brexit, many factors played a role. Terrorism, immigration and, some would argue, xenophobia not to mention concerns over sclerotic economic growth contributed to the decision by the majority of British voters to re-establish their national independence. The heart of the Brexit vote, though, was a rejection of centralized, bureaucratic government and a call for a more accountable, accessible and localized government structure. Leave voters disliked the behemoth EU bureaucracy in Brussels, Belgium. As Conservative energy minister and Member of Parliament Andrea Leadsom explained during a debate over the referendum, The truth is, 60 percent of our rules and regulations come from the European Union. As city minister and now as energy minister, all day long Im told you cant do that, you cant do this, because of the EU. There are five presidents of the EU. Now, can anyone name them? And did anyone vote for them? No and you cant kick them out, either. Even still, the British political establishment supported the Remain position, as did President Obama. But, as the Financial Times reported, To millions of voters up and down the country, the referendum campaign has brought home just how little faith they have in Britains politicians and parties, business lobbies and trade unions, think-tanks and investment banks. By voting for Brexit, Britons will remove a huge bureaucratic overload. But warnings of economic calamity for the U.K. are plentiful. British leadership must proceed with extreme caution ensuring that their exit from the EU is not abandoning Europe. In fact, the U.K.s leadership ought to look to the example of Switzerland, which has never been an EU member but instead has treaties with it. This is also a time of reflection for American voters who are now grappling with similar issues. Some of the campaign slogans, issues and rhetoric used in the Brexit electoral battle are eerily similar to the arguments being made in our own election. Candidates in the U.S. should take note of the populist winds instead of dismissing or deriding them. Voters are frustrated because our government has become so big and polarized, and their political leaders are out of touch, out of reach and out of sync with their constituencies. Brexits greatest lesson may be that voters desire a government close and accountable directly to them. Wildomar is revisiting the concept of offering an incentive to attract small breweries to the city four years after the City Council scrapped the idea because of environmental resistance. At the direction of council members, the planning staff is proposing a municipal code change that would give microbreweries the right to open up in existing buildings within commercial zones. As proposed, such businesses producing 15,000 barrels or less per year would not have to go through the process and expense of obtaining a conditional-use permit, which costs around $9,000, Wildomar Planning Director Matthew Bassi said. The previously proposed incentive left production limits to state requirements. This ordinance is really geared to small-type breweries that might be part of a restaurant or a pizza parlor, Bassi said of the new proposal. The goal is to take advantage of the burgeoning popularity of craft brewing. As many as 10 breweries have opened in Temecula, Lake Elsinore and Murrieta, but none in Wildomar. Yet, there is plenty of interest, Bassi said. It will provide some jobs and sales tax for us, he said. In 2012, then-City Manager Frank Oviedo proposed giving breaks to brewers. The idea ran into objections on environmental and public safety grounds from opponents. Council members said the city could not afford the cost of litigation and dropped the proposal. The main criticism was that breweries use too much water. With the scaled down size of what would be allowed, water consumption by a microbrewery should be no greater than a landromat, which is allowed in commercial zones, officials said. Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District Legislative Affairs Director Greg Morrison said there is no problem from his agencys viewpoint. Adding microbreweries to the mix is well within our ability to serve, he said. The Planning Commission is scheduled to review the proposal July 6, after which it is expected to go to the City Council on Aug. 14. Contact the writer: 915-368-9690 or michaelwilliams@pressenterprise.com Business as usual. Thats the phrase circulating around Lake Elsinore City Hall in the wake of Mayor Brian Tisdales absence following his arrest Monday on domestic violence allegations. Tisdale announced Tuesday he would at least temporarily discontinue participation in city affairs as well as in his job as an aide to Riverside County Supervisor Chuck Washington. (A)t the appropriate time, I will avail myself to the community and media to fully explain the events of June 20, 2016, and take full accountability for my actions, he said in a written statement. Sheriffs deputies took Tisdale into custody early Monday at his home. He was booked at Southwest Detention Center on misdemeanor counts of battery on a former companion and vandalism, after which he was released on bail. Here are some things to know about what happens next in Lake Elsinore government: Who will be mayor? With Tisdale gone, the City Council will function with the four remaining members. Councilman Bob Magee is taking over the gavel at council meetings. In December, Magee was designated mayor pro tem, which is the mayors alternate. Because the council rotates the post annually, Magee has been mayor five times since he was first elected to the council in 2003. LAKE ELSINORE: Mayors arrest shocks community What is immediate impact on council? During the past few years, Tisdale has been a member of a council that has been mostly united in its stances and decision-making, so the loss of one member should not have a significant impact. The City Council functions as a highly effective team, said City Manager Grant Yates. One member is not available for the time being. Theyre going to continue on with business as usual, and the staff will do the same. Were continuing to focus on our vision. What happens on split votes? With only four council members, a split vote is possible. If a 2-2 vote happens, a revote can occur if someone has a change of heart. Another possibility is a compromise could be reached that a majority could support when the council votes again. Otherwise, the issue would remain undecided, with no action taken. Councilwoman Natasha Johnson said she did not anticipate any problems. Right now, the four of us are going to continue doing what we do, and the city is going to continue to run as normal, Johnson said. There will be no absence of oversight of the city while Brian takes his pause. What will be lost with Tisdale out? Though Tisdale served on a number of regional boards and committees, his place will be taken by the councils officially designated alternates. Tisdale joined the City Council after being elected to a seat in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014. A former Marine, Tisdale was instrumental in getting a city-owned, unmanned fire station in Rosetta Canyon opened and equipping it with a state-of-the-art fire truck. This year, he has been promoting a campaign called Healthy LE, in which once a month he leads residents on runs and other fitness activities around town. We are definitely going to miss his personal presence, but we want him to put his family first and address this situation and work it out so he can come back to the council, Johnson said. And if Tisdale does not return? By state law, if Tisdale resigns, the City Council has up to 60 days to appoint a replacement or call a special election to fill the post. If Tisdale fails to return to his duties after being gone for three consecutive months, the council could declare a vacancy and enter into the replacement process. The last time the council needed to address a vacancy was in late July 2011, when Mayor Amy Bhutta resigned for personal reasons and left to be with her family in Minnesota. The council subsequently appointed former City Treasurer Peter Weber to fill the empty seat. Contact the writer: 951-368-9690 or michaelwilliams@pressenterprise.com The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday, June 23, that race can be a consideration in college admissions. Just not in California. Since the state passed Prop. 209 in 1996, it has been illegal for public schools such as the California State University and the University of California to use race as a factor when considering acceptance (the UC system actually implemented such a policy a year before Prop. 209 passed). So the Supreme Court decision which has become a little rare these days with only eight justices on the court will have virtually no impact on the state. Advocates of diversity would like to see such considerations reinstated and say that Prop. 209 has hurt minority representation during the past two decades. A report by the Campaign for College Education says, In the last 20 years, admission rates for blacks and Latinos at the University of California declined by 37 and 32 points, respectively, compared to 25 points for Whites. And, despite a quadrupling of Latino applicants to UC Berkeley and UCLA, there was relatively little change in the number admitted between 1994 and 2015. State universities and organizations such as the Campaign for College Education have instituted outreach programs to try to increase the numbers of minorities admitted to the systems, but there is little if any talk about changing the law to allow for race considerations. *** Much has been written about the accelerated growth of student debt in recent years. Seven out of 10 college graduates in 2014 had student loan debt. The average debt among borrowers was $29,000 according to figures reported by the nonprofit Institute for College Access and Success. California students were a little better off. Just 55 percent had student loan debt and the average borrower amount was $21,000. What hasnt gotten a lot of attention is parent student loan debt. Federal PLUS loans are designed for parents who are supporting their childrens college education. A report released on www.studentloans.net on Thursday shows such parent college debt has risen significantly in recent years, mirroring the trend in student loan debt. The report says that New York Fed data shows people aged 50 and older hold roughly 17 percent of all student debt, an amount triple what it was in 2005. The report also lists the average PLUS debt for all students at each of 1,200 individual colleges and universities, ranging from a mere 94-cent average at the University of Puerto Rico to Illinois Bradley University at $17,419. Notable California schools included Stocktons University of the Pacific, ranked second for PLUS debt at $13,764, and Mt. St. Marys in Los Angeles, fifth highest at $12,180. Locally, UC Riverside ranked 456th with $1,054 and Cal State San Bernardino was 92nd with $186. *** Things keep looking bad for the accreditation body for some Inland Empire schools. Last week, the Department of Education had recommended to the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Integrity that it remove the standing of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools. This week, the department issued a report that showed, among other things, the graduation rates and default rates of schools receiving more than $200 million in federal student grants and loan money. No accreditor looked worse than ACICS. Among the four colleges listed under its heading, including ITT Technical Institute, which has campuses in San Bernardino and Corona, every one was flagged for low repayment rates on student loans, high loan default rates and (with the exception of Virginia College) low graduation rates. Its students also had some of the lowest incomes after graduation. The report can be found at www.insidehighered.com Contact the writer: mmuckenfuss@pressenterprise.com or 951-368-9595 A science building. A multimedia and arts center. They are part of a collegiate needs list for Riverside City, Moreno Valley and Norco colleges more than $650 million in improvements for which officials hope to find funding by 2022. Among the 19 items approved by the Riverside Community College District board and sent to the state for review is a $64 million multimedia and arts center at Norco College. Norco has become the districts technology hub, specializing in digital media and video game programming, district Chief of Staff Chris Carlson said. Its a venue that needs interactive programming space that allows and supports that type of process; its outdated right now, Carlson said. These are new industries being developed, and theyre constantly evolving. The 83,000-square-foot building could be finished by 2022 if enough state dollars can be found, a district report shows. That could be a problem because the state hasnt funded any district project since 2006. But Carlson remains hopeful that at least some of the 19 items submitted to the state will be built. There is a need and state responsibility in providing these resources, particularly in our region, Carlson said. Its the key to advancing the economy and quality of life. Another costly project approved by the board was a $33 million Natural Sciences Building at Moreno Valley College. The 25,000-square-foot building would vastly increase learning space while adding physics, chemistry and biology labs. As the districts main allied health campus, Carlson called it a hugely important project for the 27-year-old campus, one that would help the campus grow in attendance and space. The small, outdated labs would give way to massive lecture spaces and potentially increase attendance. The districts most recently completed Capital Improvement Project was a $57 million Nursing and Science Building at the Riverside campus, which added a simulation hospital wing with robotic patients. The new space allows students to administer medications and receive feedback on their work. The majority of the projects would be paid for by the state, though some of the projects are partially funded by local bonds such as Measure C passed in 2004. A statewide proposition on the November ballot could help spark local construction. The School Facilities Bond Measure would provide $2 billion during the next four years, to be spread across all 113 California community college campuses. We need these improvements, but its all contingent on state funds to be able to get these done, Carlson said. Contact the writer: 951-368-9644 or poneill@pressenterprise.comTwitter: @PE_PatrickO Its a familiar story around the region. A city is threatened with a lawsuit over how it elects its council members, so steps are taken to change the system. The same thing is happening in Banning, but its a different script. Though cities such as Hemet, Eastvale and Wildomar have switched to election districts after an out-of-town law firm sent a letter telling them they will be sued if they dont comply with the California Voter Rights Act, the Banning threat came from within. A lawsuit was filed by three residents stating Latino voters are underrepresented in the city. The Voting Rights Act was enacted to give historically underrepresented races a better opportunity to serve on elected boards, and despite Banning being a diverse city, the leadership doesnt show that, said Alex Cassadas, one of three plaintiffs. Theres been a very disproportionate number of Latino representation, he said. A lot of the public is very much in favor of the redistricting. Banning has a population of about 30,000 residents. According to the 2010 census, residents were 43 percent white, 41 percent Latino, 7 percent black and 5 percent Asian. The current Banning council consists of Debbie Franklin, who is black, and four white men: Art Welch, George Moyer, Ed Miller and Don Peterson. Currently, the council members may live anywhere in the city and are voted on by the entire population. With districts, members live in specific areas and are elected only by the voters in their area. The Banning City Council is expected Tuesday to approve the switch to using voting districts. Members reviewed four options two that include five districts and two with four districts and a mayor elected at large. They settled on a plan that splits the city into five geographic areas. No current council members live in two of the proposed districts, but three reside in the Sun Lakes retirement community. Thats too much representation for one area, critics say. Under the favored proposal, there would be one representative for Sun Lakes. The seats of Welch, Miller and Peterson are up in November. Welch and Miller both live in Sun Lakes and would have to run against each other if the change is made. Cassadas said residents of Sun Lakes have served the city well, but its time to allow individuals who have been underrepresented to have representation on the council, he said. The last Latino council member was Brenda Salas, who was elected in 2000 and served two terms. No other candidate with a Latino surname has run since 2004, covering five City Council elections. Banning City Manager Michael Rock said what happens with the lawsuit will be up to the plaintiffs if districts are initiated. From our perspective, we would have done all the plaintiff has asked us to do, he said. Cassadas, 27, a lifelong Banning resident, was elected to the Banning Unified School District Governing Board in 2011 and faced no challengers when he was re-elected under new voting districts on 2015. He said districts will give more people an opportunity to run for office as districts help mitigate well-funded campaigns and its less expensive to run in a district than citywide. He said the current system has led to voter disenfranchisement, and qualified people have opted out of running, feeling they had no opportunity to win. Cassadas will not be one of those candidates, however. The district he lives in is represented by Franklin, who has two more years on her term. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Banning Civic Center council chambers, 99 E. Ramsey St. Contact the writer: 951-368-9086 or cshultz@pressenterprise.com Part of Southern Californias tallest year-round waterfall remains off-limits to visitors in an effort to reduce injuries and will likely remain so throughout the summer, U.S. Forest Service and fire officials say. But you wouldnt know that from the crowds ignoring the temporary closure of Upper Big Falls and the graffiti and broken beer bottles theyre leaving behind while seeking escape as the region heats up. Or from the five people whove gotten hurt this year hiking in the forbidden area, some hitting a notorious granite boulder known as Blood Rock, and the rescues mounted by San Bernardino County firefighters and sheriffs helicopter crews. Townsfolk in nearby Forest Falls support the closure because they believe its saving lives and putting fewer rescuers at risk. But many are avoiding the still-open parts of the popular destination, which saw more than 1,500 visitors last weekend. If Im going to go, its during the week when nobodys there. I wait til theres no crowd, said 26-year-old Forest Falls resident Kelli McKibben, standing outside the Elkhorn General Store where she worked one recent morning. Over the next few months, San Bernardino National Forest officials must decide whether to extend the closure. That may happen if they determine theres a continued public safety threat or a threat to the natural resources, said forest service spokesman John Miller. At that point, the ranger district basically has two options: to reopen the area or reissue another temporary closure, he said. Closure signs and orange plastic fencing went up at Big Falls, a 500-foot-long series of cascades on Falls Creek, on Oct. 8, 2015. Access to the top three ice-white falls was banned for a year after firefighters and deputies rescued at least 57 people who were hurt climbing around the falls. Most of them fell while scrambling up the chute, a drought-exposed section of rock on the left side of the third falls, and got hurt at the base of the falls after hitting Blood Rock, named after so many people hit their heads there. VIEW IS AWESOME On a recent Tuesday, at least 14 people ventured past wooden No Trespassing and USFS Area Closed signs and torn orange fencing into the upper falls area over a 90-minute period. A heavy wooden closure sign had recently been heaved into the lower creek. A couple watched their young son play at the base of the third falls where so many have fallen, while others walked across the top. Several people said they disagree with the closure. I think its wrong. Everybody should be able to go up here because its nature, said 23-year-old Pasadena resident Kenneth Carmona, adding people should be cautious because hiking in that area carries risks. When you go up there, the view is awesome. The waterfalls right there, said his friend, 22-year-old Gina Gomez of Rialto, before holding a girlfriends hand to help her with a creek crossing. Flowers and ferns grew in rugged canyon walls, but visitors have left their mark on the place. Plastic bottles and metal beer bottle caps with serrated edges sat in the glittering creek. Jagged glass shards from broken Corona and Miller Lite bottles lay at the base of spray-painted boulders, along the shining creek, sometimes disappearing into the small loose rock on the ground. A stream of graffiti had been left on rocks, the side of the creek and a fallen, sun-silvered giant tree trunk by 2016 grads, Lesly y Daniel and somebody with a lot of pink paint. That person left a heart on a rock slab already painted gray over earlier graffiti, like some kind of high school chalkboard. A smiling, child-sized stick figure had been painted in blue on a canyon wall above the creek. Someone painted Enjoy the NATURE in dripping red paint on a beautiful granite boulder. A man who brought his two young daughters to see the falls described the graffiti as disgusting. He didnt want to give his name because they were violating the closure. The people leaving the graffiti come from outside the area, he said. Theyre not here to have fun. Theyre just up here to see how much they can destroy, he said. Others stayed in the lower falls area, where small waterfalls cascaded into shimmering pools that eventually empty into Mill Creek. A trail to an overlook offers a view of the upper falls, but visitors can explore the lower creek and dont have to stay on the trail, Miller said. INJURIES MORE SERIOUS The number of injuries has dropped since the closure. Six people have been rescued, most since March, and all but one in the upper falls area. Four have required helicopter rescues, fire officials said. The most recent came on June 17, when a 21-year-old woman who got hurt in the closed section had to be airlifted out, San Bernardino County Fire Department spokeswoman Tracey Martinez said. Helicopter rescues cost $1,500 to $2,200 an hour. The closure order allows rescue agencies to pursue reimbursement, said Miller, who didnt know if any had. In 2015, many people suffered mild to moderate injuries after falling 10 to 15 feet while climbing the slick, moss-covered chute to get to the top of the third falls, said San Bernardino County Fire Department Capt. Tom McIntosh, a longtime Forest Falls resident who oversees the communitys fire station. People thought it was safe to climb. But with water once more flowing down that section, people are hiking up around the formation to cross smooth granite rocks at the top of the third falls and reach the base of the second falls. While crossing, some are falling 25 to 30 feet and getting more seriously hurt, he said. What happens on occasion is people walk too close to the edge and slip on those polished rocks, and have no opportunity to save themselves, said McIntosh, sitting inside his Gillmore Real Estate office with a view of the San Bernardino Mountains. McIntosh said he has mixed views over whether the upper falls should stay closed if water continues covering the chute. But the decision, which must be made by Oct. 7, is up to forest officials. Public safety agencies had one meeting on the issue last fall. While a permanent closure could be considered down the road, community meetings would have to be held beforehand, Miller said. Visitors violation of the closure irritates locals, who hear every ambulance and helicopter arriving for rescues, said McKibben as she leaned on a store railing along quiet Valley of the Falls Drive. Above, Stellers jays squawked from trees. On his way into the store, customer Bruce Serafin said visitors dont respect the danger and beauty of the natural area. They act like Big Falls is Disneyland, said Serafin, who said he agrees with the closure. I hate it. But I think its great, he said. I think its saving a lot of lives right now. RELATED Girl, 12, hoisted to safety after tumble at Forest Falls Hiker swept to his death during flash flood is identified Fall victim rescued by helicopter Injured hiker hoisted to safety after fall Contact the writer: 951-368-9444 or shurt@pressenterprise.com A male was found with major injuries and in an altered level of consciousness along a trail in the foothills of the San Jacinto Mountain and was flown to a hospital early Saturday afternoon for treatment, according to the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department. The person was found by three dirt bikers shortly after 11 a.m. along a riding trail, forest road 5S15, south of Highway 74 between Hemet and Mountain Center, the department stated in a news release. A Riverside County Sheriffs Department helicopter lowered water at the site, and the riders used the water to cool the injured person, the release said. Paramedics transported him by ambulance to the U.S. Forest Services Cranston fire station at the east end of the San Jacinto Valley. From there, the release said, he was flown to an area hospital. The glass door shattered by a stray bullet from a gunman who killed a Victorville man Monday afternoon remained damaged Tuesday. Only the frame was intact. The man in charge of Victoria Liquor, in the 2600 block of West Foothill Boulevard, said Tuesday he hoped the door would be fixed later in the day or at least boarded up. The clerk didnt want to give his name and said the store owner wouldnt want any employee to speak to the press. Another owner echoed the clerks sentiment as did a few patrons and people who live in the area. No one saw anything, and no one wanted to say anything. A few said they hadnt even heard the shots that killed 31-year-old Curtis Mitchell outside a San Bernardino liquor store Monday afternoon. Uncooperative witnesses are nothing new to investigators who have run into similar issues after other homicides. During an arrest warrant operation in the same neighborhood where 12-year-old Jason Spears was killed in March, some residents complained it shouldnt have taken the death of a child to initiate the police response. But when pressed, some said they do not speak to the police when crimes take place. Just after 3:30 p.m. Monday, Mitchell was inside the liquor store when a white van pulled into the parking lot and stopped, according to San Bernardino police and witness reports. When Mitchell walked out, a man got out of the vehicle and the two briefly exchanged words before the unidentified man pulled an assault-style rifle from the car and shot at Mitchell, police said. Mitchell was struck several times and fell to the ground. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Mitchells death is the 30th homicide for the city this year. Thats more than double for the same time period last year when it was at 13. Initial reports stated the gunman stood over Mitchell after he fell and fired into the wounded man several times. Lt. Richard Lawhead, San Bernardino police spokesman, clarified his statement Tuesday by adding that according to the homicide sergeant, its not clear if the shooter actually stood over Mitchell but the 31-year-old was shot while he was on the ground. The shooting is believed to be gang-related, police authorities said. Detectives are analyzing video from the scene and following up with witnesses to the incident. Anyone with information about the shooting can call 909-384-5655 or 909-384-5613. It started out as a beer run, according to police. But one thing led to another, and the Saturday morning robbery in Hemet turned into a high-speed police pursuit that ended with the fleeing car slamming into a tree at a mobile home park 3 miles away. At about 3:20 a.m. Saturday, the Hemet Police Department said, two men walked into the Depot Deli at 200 W. Florida Ave., assaulted a store employee and took off with an undisclosed amount of beer. Responding to the store, police were given a description of the men and vehicle, which was found in short order. According to a news release, officers attempted to stop the vehicle but the driver refused to halt and a chase ensued. The pursuit led out of Hemet and into next-door San Jacinto, concluding in dramatic fashion at a mobile home park in the 300 block of East 7th Street. Arrested and jailed in connection with the incident were Jose Figueroa, 21, of San Jacinto, on suspicion of robbery, felony evasion and conspiracy, and Reno Ortiz, 21, of Hemet, on suspicion of robbery and conspiracy, the news release stated. Police determined that a third man in the car was not involved in the robbery, arresting him on suspicion of public intoxication and later releasing him. The release stated that Figueroa was on probation for felony evasion and had an active warrant for felony evasion. San Bernardino police on Saturday released information about a previously unreported homicide that happened last weekend, making it the citys 30th this year. Officers responded soon after 11:25 p.m. Saturday, June 18 to a reported shooting near 7th and G streets, according to a police news release. They found a shooting victim, later identified as Salvador Alcala Lopez, 24, of San Bernardino, in the drivers seat of a white Toyota Corolla. He was brought to St. Bernardine Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 11:57 p.m. Investigators found that Lopez was shot at 7th and H streets and able to drive a block before crashing. Police ask anyone who knows something about the shooting to call 909-384-5747 or 909-384-5613. It was previously reported that last Mondays homicide outside a San Bernardino liquor store was the 30th in the city this year. It is actually the citys 31st homicide of 2016. RELATED SAN BERNARDINO: Security guard shot in face at pot dispensary SAN BERNARDINO: 32nd homicide of 2016 claims lives of man, dog SAN BERNARDINO: Man killed outside liquor store identified San Bernardino native Garner Holt will receive the Disneyana Fan Clubs 2016 Disney Legend Award next month at the clubs convention, Holts company announced today. Garner Holt Productions has created animatronic figures for Disney theme parks around the world, notably the 40-foot fire-breathing dragon in Disneylands Fantasmic! show and 12 characters for Disney California Adventures Cars Land. Holt taught himself robotics as a teenager in the 1970s out of love for Disneyland attractions. He was mentored by Disney Imagineers, and his company took off in the 1990s building figures for Chuck E. Cheese restaurants and other theme parks. He started doing work for Disneyland with its Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay in 2004. The award goes to individuals who have made a significant impact to the legacy of Walt Disney, according to a news release. It will be presented July 14 in Anaheim. Jordan Windeknecht spent part of his final year at Santiago High School like many of his peers: asking people if they could use some free help. Some high schools require students to complete community service. For the 18-year-old Corona resident, finding enough hours to fill those requirements became a real challenge. He resorted to personal connections, logging most of his volunteer hours through church or the Boy Scouts program where he recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout. I kept trying to find events in the community where I could help, Windeknecht said. There just werent enough happening. And so, equipped with only basic web coding skills and several thousand dollars in savings, Windeknecht built MyCommuniteen Inc. a website aimed at connecting non-profit groups with high school volunteers eager for experience. For a $30 fee, businesses can post unlimited volunteer positions in dozens of categories. Volunteers can sign up for free and use keywords such as veterinary clinics or church to hone their search. Since the site launched three months ago, seven local non-profits and more than 150 volunteers have signed up. Raziel Fuentebella, executive director for the Asian Business Association-Inland Empire, posted several positions on the site in preparation for the annual Health to Wealth Expo the organizations signature event held in May at Chaffee College in Chino. Within two days, all of the positions were filled. I was surprised at how quickly he came up with these volunteers, Fuentebella said. Its been a really good experience, I look forward to working with (Windeknecht) more. Although the business has taken on philanthropic overtones, Windeknechts initial idea was to connect teens with odd jobs for quick cash. After consulting with some lawyers, he decided California would have too many lawsuits for me. Each non-profit is validated with the IRS. Once work is completed, volunteers can log their hours through the site and store important documents such as letters of recommendation. As a registered corporation, the young entrepreneur cannot target public high schools for business. So hes turned to private high schools and colleges, trying to bolster the number of users and increase attractiveness for non-profits. Windeknecht updates the site daily, and said hell rely on it for extra cash in college, wherever that may be. He even has plans to solicit help from his peers so they can gain experience in marketing. Were helping the community, were connecting with leaders at colleges, Windeknecht said of his business. I want to build this thing up. I want it to go nationwide. Contact the writer: 951-368-9644, poneill@pressenterprise.com, @PE_PatrickO A New Hampshire woman who sued Bill Cosby for defamation has voluntarily dismissed her lawsuit against the entertainer. The woman, Kristina Ruehli, filed for dismissal Friday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, a day after Judge Mark G. Mastroianni ruled against Cosbys motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Ruehli, 72, accused Cosby in 2014 of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 1965. She filed her lawsuit against Cosby in November, saying that he branded her a liar after she came forward. We accomplished what we wanted to do, Ruehli said in an interview, alluding to the fact that she had helped to bring more attention to the accusations against Mr. Cosby. I simply want to wash my hands of this. Ruehli said she had spent more than $80,000 in legal fees. Cosbys lawyers said in a statement that they hope and expect more lawsuits will be dismissed, and that they look forward to fighting any that are not dismissed, before a jury of our peers. The lawsuit is one of several that have been filed against Cosby since November 2014. He still faces a separate defamation suit in Massachusetts that was filed by seven women. A judge in Pennsylvania dismissed another defamation lawsuit against Cosby earlier this year. Cosby, 78, also faces a criminal case in Pennsylvania, where prosecutors say he sexually assaulted a young woman in his home in 2004. A habeas corpus hearing in that case is scheduled for July 7, and Cosby is expected to attend. Cosby, who has been accused by dozens of women of sexual assault, has denied the allegations against him. The ban on Sierra Leonean Muslims performing Hajj has been lifted by Saudi Arabia after two years since the deadly Ebola epidemic ravaged the West African country. 800 pilgrim places have been alloted to the country for its Muslim citizens to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. The Hajj organizing committee of Sierra Leone which announced the decision of the host country welcomed the news but was not satisfied with the number of places given the country with a Muslim majority. The ban on Sierra Leonean Muslims performing Hajj has been lifted by Saudi Arabia after two years since the deadly Ebola epidemic ravaged the West African country. 800 pilgrim places have been alloted to the country for its Muslim citizens to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. The Hajj organizing committee of Sierra Leone which announced the decision of the host country welcomed the news but was not satisfied with the number of places given the country with a Muslim majority. Source: africanews.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 Police commanders yesterday held a crucial meeting on security, ahead of this years general election, with a call by the Minister of the Interior, Mr Prosper Bani, to the Ghana Police Service to immediately disband all vigilante groups affiliated to political parties. You must respond to security challenges in a way that will enhance our national image. Of the greatest importance is the need to keep an eye on the so-called private security forces that are increasingly being linked to political parties, he said. At the opening session of a National Police Command Conference in Accra yesterday, Mr Bani said, We cannot afford to leave the safety and security of this country and its people in the hands of faceless individuals and groups. He urged political parties and their leaders to rely on the police for the provision of security at all times instead of the vigilante groups which threatened the peace and stability of the country. He also encouraged all political leaders with security concerns to approach the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr John Kudalor, for assistance. The National Police Command Conference had the theme: Safeguarding our democracy - Safe and secure environment - before, during and after Election 2016. The conference is organised annually by the Police Administration and it is attended by the Police Management Board members, representatives of other security agencies and all regional police commanders who discuss policing in general and respond to security concerns in the country. Vigilante groups The ministers directive re-echoes calls by various interest groups, including civil society organisations, on the Police Adminstration to ban the activities of private security forces associated with political parties. The Azorka Boys from Tamale, who are associated with the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), and the Bolga Bulldogs, associated with the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), allegedly clash during political activities and elections. Some other politically motivated vigilante groups have been involved in violent clashes, resulting in the destruction of property, while a number of people have either been wounded or lost their lives. In January this year, the IGP, Mr Kudalor, announced that there were plans to disband all vigilante groups associated with political parties following an advice by the Attorney-General that all those groups were unlawful and illegal. Advice Mr Bani also urged personnel of the Ghana Police Service to live above reproach and carry out their duties with integrity and without fear or favour in the upcoming general election. We have had too many complaints about the police in recent times, although many of the complaints seem to be exaggerated, he said. The police, he added, must be neutral, professional and vigilant throughout the election process. The IGP In his welcome address, Mr Kudalor said adequate measures had been put in place to ensure that the security and safety needs of the political parties were addressed. He announced that selected policemen who had been trained to protect presidential candidates and their running mates contesting the November general election were commissioned yesterday. He said the 2016 general election would be fiercely contested, as all political parties are determined to win this election. This determination is undoubtedly going to pose a lot of challenges to us as the key stakeholders in ensuring security. Nonetheless, we have always surmounted these tasks with utmost admiration. Mr Kudalor added that a detailed audit had been conducted throughout the country to identify all the flashpoints and vulnerable areas. Based on the audit, he said, comprehensive operational strategies had been mapped out to take care of all the violence-prone areas. Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Ministry of Education on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the French Embassy for assistance to ensure the effective teaching and learning of the French Language. Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman, the Minister of Education, signed for Ghana while Mr Francios Pujolas, the French Ambassador, signed for the Government of France. Mr Pujolas said the support, which was worth 700,000 Euros, was part of his Governments Solidarity Priority Support Fund project, which was aimed at assisting countries to improve the teaching and learning of the French Language at the pre-tertiary and tertiary levels. According to him although a lot of support had already gone into these areas, a lot more was needed to achieve better learning outcomes. He explained that three key areas of intervention for the current support would be for the high school level, science oriented institutions and the Mount Marys College of Education, which was the Regional Centre for the teaching of French instructors. Mr Pujolas said learning the French Language would not only ensure better trade deals between businesses, but also broaden the horizon of Ghanaians to the Francophone world for healthier collaborations and partnerships. Prof. Opoku-Agyeman thanked the Government and People of France for the continuous support towards Ghanas educational improvement, while acknowledging the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and other partners whose efforts has resulted in the support. She said the Government had embraced the teaching and learning of French as the second foreign language studied in the educational institutions in addition to English, the official language, and the vernacular. Prof. Opoku-Agyeman, however, said although French was currently being offered in the junior high schools and was an option in the six programmes at the senior high schools, the results at the Basic Education levels remained a challenge, and there was the urgent need to remove the bottle-necks to ensure better outcomes. The project: Support to Initiatives to Provide Training in French as a Foreign Language, in its three components addresses the concerns of the Ministry as far as capacity building of its teachers and trainers of trainers was concerned, she said. Prof. Opoku-Agyeman said the Ministry had also set up a working group on the promotion of French in Ghana to brainstorm on strategies of making its study more attractive to students and to mitigate the perception that the language was a difficult one. She said the proposals from the group would be duly considered and strategies for implementation adopted upon submission. Prof. Opoku-Agyeman advocated for the need for a detailed research to know the areas that needed to be supported so that the corresponding strategies could be developed for effective implementation to achieve results. She said with the support the Ministry would create the learning space through formal school clubs to design appropriate learning strategies for both beginners and continuing students to make the learning of the French language enjoyable. 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. Featured Video Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Nana Asomah Hinneh, the Volta Regional Police Commander, has assured the public that the police would remain positively neutral in the November polls.We will not misbehave, he said, and asked the spouses of the police to support encourage their husbands and wives to keep that pledge for peaceful general election. ACP Hinneh was addressing police wives in the Volta Region after a two-hour peace walk through the principal streets of Ho under the auspices of Police Wives Association (POLWA).It was on the theme: Police Wives March for Peaceful Elections 2016.He said peace started from the home and charged the women to act peacefully in their homes and not only preach peace on the streets. Peace begins with you women so let your husbands and children feel your peace ambassadorial work first then we can have peace everywhere at the polls, ACP Hinneh said.Reverend Mrs Charity Kudalor, the National President of POLWA, underscored the need for all to shun provocative statements ahead of the polls. She cautioned the police wives against political arguments and quarrels at the barracks and also warned them against the use of political party paraphernalia and holding of political gatherings and meetings at the barracks. Rev. Kudalor said the avoidance of such activities would keep the barracks peaceful and help their husbands to focus on their constitutional mandate and work professionally.She urged them to go by the Associations slogan of think peace, eat and drink peace to promote peace among the citizenry. Mrs Vicentia Avorgbedor, the Volta Regional President of POLWA, said: Though genuine peace is given by God, human beings have roles to play to maintain peace. The women carried placards some of which read; My MP is Hon. Peace, If you love Ghana, love peace and, Think peace, drink peace and eat Peace. 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. Featured Video Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Anthony Abayifa Karbo has called on the Electoral Commission to comply with the recent Supreme Court order. Anthony Karbo was of a strong view that the EC is an institution mandated by the constitution of the land and so, can't assume a position bigger than the laws of the country. The country's apex court presided by the Chief Justice Georgina Wood has ordered the Electoral Commission to feed the court with the names of National Health Insurance Scheme card (NHIS) registrants in the voter's register and further provide the steps that the Commission will adopt to delete the names. The court ruling comes as a result of the failure of the EC to expunge the names of the NHIS registrants after the court directed it to ensure that the names are removed from the register months ago. The EC is supposed to carry out the order by June 29, 2016. Commenting on the issue on Peace FM's Kokrokoo, he stressed that "the Supreme Court is the highest court of the land and the court of the land has spokenYou cant have an institution created out of the constitution. All of sudden, that institution assumes powers thats so powerful than the constitution of this land. Its impossible. Its impossible." Karbo further stated emphatically his commitment to the country transcends his love for even his wife and so advised stakeholders in the election process to put the interest of Ghana first. The NPP will not bother its time, energy; going to the Supreme Court again. We will not. This years election is a peoples election. 2016; this election is bigger than the New Patriotic Party. It is bigger than Nana Akufo-Addo. And everybody as stakeholder in this issue, we must love Ghana than we love our parties. I love this country than I love my wife. I love it than I love my party . . . because without Ghana, I cant have a wife. "..people must know that this years election is not an election of the NPP and the NDC, and we in the NPP are not in election with the EC. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/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. Featured Video The National Peace Council has expressed concern over the various promises being made by some politicians ahead of the November general elections. Chairman of the Council, Professor Emmanuel Asante, addressing the 2016 Annual General Meeting of Amnesty International Ghana, in Koforidua on Friday said politicians are capitalizing on the ignorance of many Ghanaians and are making unrealistic promises to win votes. According to him, such acts are "abuse of peoples right" which civil society organizations must fight against. He added that manifestos of the various political parties are crafted in technical language making it difficult for the majority of Ghanaians to understand. "Have you known your party's manifesto? And even if it is written in raw English, the majority of our people are not that educated so why don't you even come down to their level and simply tell them the kind of things you want to do in a language that they will understand, that is also denying people their right to know. ...Because what people are doing, they are promising us the moon...somebody goes to the forest and tells you that I am going to pipe the sea...how is that person going to deliver, Prof. Asante said. The 2016 Annual General Meeting of Amnesty International, was under the theme: Promoting Peace and Human Rights in the Context of Elections: The Role of Civil Society". The Krontihene of New Juaben Traditional Area, who represented the Paramount Chief, Daasebre Professor Oti Boateng on his part charged the Electoral Commission to abide by the Supreme Court ruling to clean the voters register by deleting names of persons who registered with NHIS cards and re-register in other to ensure peaceful polls on November 7. Source: starrfmonline.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 The Ghana National Council of Metropolitan Chicago, GNC, would like to inform members of the Ghanaian community in Chicago that Hon. Nana Oye Lithur, Ghana's Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, is visiting Chicago from Saturday, June 25 through June 27 2016. Nana Lithur is here to attend an Operation PUSH Coalition and Citizenship Education Fund. Lithur would like to use her presence in the Chicago Metropolis to meet with the Ghanaian community from 5 p.m to 7 p.m tomorrow, June 25 2016. The meeting is scheduled at the Chicago Lakeshore Cafe' where she will appraise the Ghanaian community here about developments in Ghana and would take questions. Members of the Ghanaian community are therefore invited in their numbers to attend this important meeting. Your concerns about what is going on in Ghana would be addressed. 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 In the wake of yesterdays shock Brexit poll result, in which the UK opted to break away from the EU, Britons are asking themselves the big questions, like how world markets will react, how much further the pound will fall and, erm, what even is the EU in the first place? Overnight, Google Trends released a list of the top questions that the UK is asking about the EU since the Brexit result was officially announced. Not surprisingly, a lot of people are concerned, with searches for what happens if we leave? spiking 250%. +250% spike in what happens if we leave the EU in the past hourhttps://t.co/9b1d6Bsx6D GoogleTrends (@GoogleTrends) June 24, 2016 On a slightly more worrying note, Google Trends also revealed that, eight hours after the polls closed, What is the EU? was the second-most popular Brexit question that UK users were asking. What is the EU? is the second top UK question on the EU since the #EURefResults were officially announced pic.twitter.com/1q4VAX3qcm GoogleTrends (@GoogleTrends) June 24, 2016 A simple and straightforward question like that is naturally more likely to occur in Google trends than a complex multi-part one. Still, of the 17.41 million people who voted to leave, it can only be hoped that some took the time to bone up on the EU beforehand right? At this point, many UK media outlets are running on pure schadenfreude, and are tracking down leave supporters who have since come to regret their decision, like the below voter, who says she now wishes shed gone for remain: One Manchester leave voter, identified as Adam, told the BBC: I didnt think that was going to happen. My vote I didnt think [it] was going to matter too much because I thought we were just going to remain. Fortunately for us all, the internet will still be here to answer our big questions long after the dust from Brexit settles: Source: Washington Post. Photo: Mary Turner / Getty. By and large, governmental sites that field petitions are the political equivalent of the suggestions box on your Year 6 teachers desk: they exist just so the afflicted and put-upon can anonymously air their grievances. Of course, earnest complaints are either outnumbered by poorly-drawn dicks, or simply emptied into the bin at lunchtime, but damn, sometimes its nice to think you actually have the attention of the powers that be. Anyway, in a world where campaigns for the White House to build a Death Star garner more signatures than, say, frequent calls for the US to ban automatic assault weapons, youd be forgiven for thinking the UK would just disregard a new petition calling for a re-do to the EU referendum. The thing is, in barely a day, that petition has clocked over 1.2 million signatures. In fact, thats nearing how many votes the Leave campaign scored over Remain in the first place. via petition.parliament.uk It is incredibly unlikely the UK would subvert a democratic vote (and three years of hype/preparations leading up to it) by doing it over, but the petition has well and truly passed the 100k mark, a threshold that ensures the prospect will at least be debated in Parliament. Its worth noting where the signatures are coming from, too. The maps of the strongest Remain respondents and the density of signatories of the petition bear some striking similarities: via petition.parliament.uk via BBC. London, that cosmopolitan hub of global trade, is obviously fuming about the decision. Further north and the port city of Liverpool and nearby Manchester arent stoked, either. Edinburgh also appears as a red-hot ball of rage, tae fuck. Well let you know if anything comes out of this petition, but even as it passes a milli, its probably too little, too late. At least we can all agree the referendum was worth it, if only for this: Source: ABC. Photo: Matt Cardy / Getty. If youve been asleep for the past 24 hours, we imagine waking up to this whole Brexit deal has got you like: And thats understandable, honestly. TL;DR: The UK voted to leave the European Union, Prime Minister David Cameron has vowed to resign, Scotland itself is pushing for another referendum on their independence from the UK, there are rumblings about a reunification of Ireland, and the whole ordeal tanked international financial markets which were (quite literally) banking on the Brits choosing to remain an EU member. Phew. Its a lot to take in, and Lord knows weve already written about the moves ha-yooge ramifications, but this here article is about the many Aussies who currently hold British passports (and if youre reading this, youre probably in that number, or youre fanging to get a UK passport). More specifically, its bout how Brexit will affect work and travel allowances in Europe, now and in the future. Without further ado, heres whatcha need to know about using that passport IN THE UK As simply as it can be said and this is not a simple issue, no sirree Australians with British passports looking to enter the UK shouldnt be adversely affected by the change at all. After all, the UK is still the UK, and yesterdays referendum results didnt do anything to change that. (Well, like we said, Scotland is pissed. But well cross that bridge when we get to it, yeah?) If your international flight is touching down at Heathrow, you can expect your trudge through customs to remain about the same on account of your British passport-holding status. But, since the super-special fast-tracked lines for EU citizens will no longer be a thing in the future, the worlds air travel hub will likely funnel everyone else through the same giant rigmarole. Bummer for them. Once youre out of there with your UK passport in hand, actually traveling and working in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland shouldnt be too much different. Speaking to The Australian Financial Review, an expert in the field of migration and visas said leaving the EU [will] have no impact on these passports or visas issued under UK laws. Similarly, if youre dreaming of tending bar in Shepherds Bush via the working holiday visas on offer to those under 31 years of age, good news! That scheme doesnt seem to be affected by the changes, either. Last night, our Prime Minister reiterated that, despite the Leave result (and his deep-rooted desire for us to shed the last vestiges of colonialism and become a republic), the UK and Australia are still super-duper close on a cultural basis. Besides, now the UK have kicked away from the EU, theyll likely want to strengthen ties with traditional partners like us. So, its quite unlikely Brexit will have any chilling affect on diplomacy and travel restrictions between Australia and the UK. On the other hand, things are looking mighty different IN EUROPE Basically, you might just want to revisit that Community GIF at the top of this article for a summation of whats in store for British passport holders. The EU has given the UK two years to get its act together and figure this all out, but for the duration of the next 24 months, British passport-holders will be given a grace period where current rules still apply. After that? WHO FUCKING KNOWS. Well, actually, opinions differ. In the lead-up to the referendum, proponents of staying in the EU warned the exit may spur some European nations to start demanding UK visitors obtain visas before traveling, when they previously werent required. However, its far too early to tell if that will come to fruition But it might, cause this decade is already munted. As for work, UK passport holders were previously clear to work without visas in all 27 EU member countries. You can bet your bottom dollar that allowance will be changing. Once again, we cant say for sure what that change will entail. Presuming you also hold an Australian passport, and youre looking to totally bypass the UK on your continental travels, it may just be easier to whip out the Aussie one. SmartTravellers most recent advice on the matter (from November 2015, mind you) reiterates that, for the most part, Australian tourists planning to spend less than a total of 90 days within a 180 day period in the Schengen area do not require visas. For reference, have a gander at this map. Obviously, yesterdays result turned the UK a totally different shade, but hey: via BBC. OKAY. Like we said earlier, Brexit represents a massive, unprecedented change in international relations. Even the experts are a little baffled at how all of this will play out. Still, if you want to see what the experts who are actually in charge of your passports have to say, go ahead and visit the UK Governments site. And maybe book your flights to the UK, anyway cause the GBP is still pretty dang low. Source: news.com.au / ABC / Australian Financial Review / PerthNow / Traveller / SmartTraveller / The Independent. Photo: Christopher Furlong / Getty. A THIRD PERSON has been arrested in the slaying of a 26-year-old woman whose handcuffed body was found last week dumped in Fairmount Park near the Mann Center, police said Friday. Keith Bullock, 32, of Chester, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping, and unlawful restraint in the death of Toy Charda Bryant, also of Chester. Bryant's body was found by passersby June 14 in the park along the 5300 block of Georges Hill Drive. She had been stabbed, shot, and handcuffed. Police said she was killed over an $800 debt. Bullock was arrested Wednesday, police said. Two women were previously arrested in the case. Shavon Armstrong, 39, of Wilkes-Barre, is charged with murder, kidnapping, robbery, and related offenses. Police said Bryant owed the money to Armstrong, who is also known as Palliadium Smith and has previous addresses in Chester. Shintele Smith, 28, of Southwest Philadelphia's Eastwick section, is charged with conspiracy, murder, kidnapping, and related offenses in Bryant's slaying. Police have said the women were the "main two responsible" for the killing. Bryant was abducted in Chester and tortured with a knife before being shot, police said. Spintronics, or spin electronics, refers to the study of the role played by electron (and more generally nuclear) spin in solid state physics, and possible devices that specifically exploit spin properties instead of or in addition to charge degrees of freedom. For example, spin relaxation and spin transport in metals and semiconductors are of fundamental research interest not only for being basic solid state physics issues, but also for the already demonstrated potential these phenomena have in electronic technology (some short reviews). The prototype device that is already in use in industry as a read head and a memory-storage cell is the giant-magnetoresistive (GMR) sandwich structure which consists of alternating ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic metal layers. Depending on the relative orientation of the magnetizations in the magnetic layers, the device resistance changes from small (parallel magnetizations) to large (antiparallel magnetizations). This change in resistance (also called magnetoresistance) is used to sense changes in magnetic fields. Recent efforts in GMR technology have also involved magnetic tunnel junction devices where the tunneling current depends on spin orientations of the electrodes. Current efforts in designing and manufacturing spintronic devices involve two different approaches. The first is perfecting the existing GMR-based technology by either developing new materials with larger spin polarization of electrons or making improvements or variations in the existing devices that allow for better spin filtering. The second effort, which is more radical, focuses on finding novel ways of both generation and utilization of spin-polarized currents. These include investigation of spin transport in semiconductors and looking for ways in which semiconductors can function as spin polarizers and spin valves. The importance of this effort lies in the fact that the existing metal-based devices do not amplify signals (although they are successful switches or valves), whereas semiconductor based spintronic devices could in principle provide amplification and serve, in general, as multi-functional devices. Perhaps even more importantly, it would be much easier for semiconductor-based devices to be integrated with traditional semiconductor technology. While there are clear advantages for introducing semiconductors in novel spintronic applications, many basic questions pertaining to combining semiconductors with other materials to produce a viable spintronic technology remain open. For example, whether placing a semiconductor in contact with another material would impede spin transport across the interface is far from well-understood. In the past, one of the strategies to advance understanding of spin transport in hybrid semiconductor structures was to directly borrow knowledge obtained from studies of more traditional magnetic materials. However, there is also an alternative approach involving the direct investigation of spin transport in all-semiconductor device geometries. In such a scenario a combination of optical manipulation (for example, shining circularly polarized light to create net spin polarization) and material inhomogeneities (e.g. by suitable doping as in the recently discovered Ga 1-x Mn x As type ferromagnetic materials where Mn impurities act as dopants) could be employed to tailor spin transport properties. In addition to the near-term studies of various spin transistors and spin transport properties of semiconductors, a long-term and ambitious subfield of spintronics is the application of electron and nuclear spins to quantum information processing and quantum computation (for more information on quantum computation, check out the following site). It has long been pointed out that quantum mechanics may provide great advantages over classical physics in physical computation. However, the real boom started after the advent of Shor's factorization algorithm and quantum error correction schemes. Among the many quantum computer hardwares that were proposed are the ones based on electron and nuclear spins. Obviously, the spins of electrons and spin-1/2 nuclei provide perfect candidates for quantum bits (qubits) as their Hilbert spaces are generally well-defined and their decoherence relatively slow. At the University of Maryland, the theoretical study of spintronics is part of the theory group led by Professor Sankar Das Sarma, which presently includes 6 postdoctoral research fellows and 1 doctoral graduate students. Currently the spintronics research effort in our group focuses on the following directions: Creation of spin polarization through optical or magnetic injection Spin polarized Transport through semiconductor/superconductor interfaces Spin relaxation in metals and semiconductors Spin-based devices such as pn junctions and amplifiers Spin-based quantum computation and electron entanglement in semiconductors Recent publications of Das Sarma's group that are related to spintronics can be found in the Publications section of this website. Our research is supported by the United States Office of Naval Research, the United States Army Research Office, the National Science Foundation, DARPA, ARDA, LPS, and the University of Maryland. Professor Das Sarma and his research group are a part of the Condensed Matter Theory Group at the physics department of the University of Maryland, and are also affiliated with the Center for Superconductivity Research and National Science Foundation Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (NSF- MRSEC) at Maryland. There are several experimental groups at the University of Maryland that are involved in the study of various aspects of spintronics. In particular, the group of Professor Dennis Drew studies how to use NSOM (Near Field Scanning Optical Microscopy) to detect electrons in semiconductor quantum dots; the group of Professor Richard Webb studies how to detect electron spins using transport experiments, whether electron spin entanglement can be measured using noise correlation measurements, and whether electron spins trapped in gated quantum dots can be used as qubits; the group of Dr Bruce Kane studies the feasibility of using phosphorous donor nuclear spins in Si for the purpose of quantum computing, and in particular whether SET (Single Electron Transistor) can be effectively used as a single electron spin detector. Emma Rose of the Alliance to Save our Antibiotics argues that the intervention of institutional investors in the antibiotics debate shows that the topic has to be taken seriously The overuse of antibiotics in human medicine has been under the spotlight for a number of years. With the human antibiotic resistance crisis set to reach critical proportions, many are calling on GPs, pharmacists and dentists to rein in inappropriate prescription practices, with some leading figures even suggesting sanctions for those who over-prescribe. The need to tackle human prescribing is still widely considered to be the highest priority in the drive to safeguard our antibiotics, but global attention is increasingly turning to the overuse of antibiotics in farming. The discovery in late 2015 of the mcr-1 gene, which confers resistance to the last-resort antibiotic colistin, catapulted veterinary antibiotic use into the headlines worldwide. First found in China, the gene was subsequently discovered in at least 19 countries worldwide. These findings, strongly linked to farm use of colistin, triggered widespread concern. Subsequently, 50 medics and scientists across Europe and the US called on MEPs to support a ban on routine preventative mass-medication of groups of healthy animals. Civil society groups launched global campaigns aimed at driving public awareness. And, just a few weeks ago, the investment community became the latest to vocalise its concerns. More than 50 investors managing $1 trillion in assets have added their voices to this debate, calling on the worlds largest food companies to reduce antibiotics in their supply chains and phase out purely preventative group treatments. This is arguably the most significant intervention to date. As stewards of risk and return, these companies have a fiduciary imperative to identify the most pressing challenges that face companies within their portfolios, and to demand measures to mitigate for this. That these investors have spoken out signifies that the dangers of antibiotic overuse are not simply prognostications of a future disaster. Nor will these impacts be confined to the health sector. With antibiotic-resistant infections predicted to cost the world circa $100 trillion in lost output by 2050, the material consequences of antibiotic misuse will be soon felt by all corners of society. Financiers are worried, and so they should be. Risk profile Human health aside, the risk profile of profligate farm antibiotic use is significant and systemic; from operational disruptions and loss of livestock as antibiotics lose their efficacy, to reputational damage as consumer choices begin to reflect growing public concern. Crucially, forthcoming EU regulation is set to limit veterinary prescribing, with legislative reviews proposing a ban on routine preventative mass-medication of animals via their feed or water. Those who oppose such regulatory measures point out that improvements are already happening; that farm antibiotic use is only permissible with veterinary oversight; and that voluntary restrictions on use of critically important drugs have already been adopted by industry. But progress will be limited if routine group mass-medication remains common practice; even if underpinned by veterinary consent. While welcome reductions have been achieved by the UK poultry sector during the past 12 months, total 2014 UK veterinary sales of the critically important antibiotics increased by 3% to a record high. UK industry alliance RUMA points out that considerations such as welfare, loss of livestock, food safety and product quality must be appreciated by investors, so that farmers have the confidence, means and support to make any necessary changes. I would add that considerations such as human health, shareholder value, supply-chain security and consumer trust must be appreciated by the farming industry, so that investors have the confidence to support a thriving food production system which generates long-term financial returns and positive societal impact. Get Our E-Newsletter - Pig World's best stories in your in-box twice a week See e-newsletter example Will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy Sonnie Trotter free climbs the Totem Pole Ewbank Route 25.06.2016 by by Planetmountain The video of Sonnie Trotter climbing the Totem Pole in Tasmania via the Ewbank Route. Established by John Ewbank and Allan Keller with the use of aid in 1968, in 2009 Doug McConnell and Dean Rollins freed the individual pitches on separate days. Trotters ascent is the first free ascent in a single push. The Ewbank route on the Totem Pole in Tasmania, Australia has a curious history. John Ewbank and Allan Keller established the line in 1968 and in their bid to make the first ascent of this iconic rock pillar they resorted to the use of aid - a common practice at the time. In the ensuing years the route fell out of favour as most climbers chose to climb the more amenable Free Route, graded 25 and established in 1995 climbed by Simon Mentz and Steve Monks. Thirty years passed without the Ewbank route seeing much traffic until in early 2009 two local climbers, Doug McConnel and Dean Rollins, restored the routes importance after managing to free all the individual pitches. Despite their concerted nine-month effort, their success was partial though as they themselves were the first to point out: they had freed the individual pitches over separate days, and pitches 2 and 3 were separated by a hanging belay. In our post-climb report at the time, we wrote "Those aspiring to climb the line in a single push should be aware that the route takes fiddly gear, is run-out, and solid for the grade. Any takers?" Well, the gauntlet had been thrown and last February Canadas Sonnie Trotter and Will Stanhope accepted the challenge. After repeating the Free Route, Trotter quickly worked the moves of the Ewbank Route and then returned the next day to take things to their logical conclusion. The pitch is protected by a mix of bolts and trad gear and boasts 60m of 5.13b R climbing. Trotter travelled around the world specifically with this route in mind and told planetmountain.com "This ascent, though not cutting-edge, was nevertheless important for me, spiritually, because it's one of the most aesthetic routes I've ever seen. It was an honour to be the first to make its complete ascent." RELATED NEWS 02/10/2009 - Totem Pole Tasmania, original Ewbank route climbed free All individual pitches of the original climb up the Totem Pole in Tasmania, Australia, were freed in January by Doug McConnell and Dean Rollins. The WPTN Rozvadov Returns to King's Casino Czech Republic on July 28 June 25, 2016 Jason Glatzer Editor It seems just about every week there is a big week at Europe's largest poker room, King's Casino. Located on the border of Germany in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, the room is always bustling with games of every level. Coming up, things will be getting even bigger at King's Casino with the return of the partypoker World Poker Tour National Rozvadov from July 28-Aug. 8. The highlight of the festival is the partypoker WPTN Rozvadov Main Event, which features a 1,100 buy-in along with a 200,000 guaratneed prize pool. The tournament kicks off with two opening days on Aug. 5-6, and surviving players will compete on Day 2 on Aug. 7 and Day 3 on Aug. 8. Last year's WPTN Rozvadov Main Event almost doubled the posted guarantee with 372 entrants generating a 362,780 prize pool. This year's event is expected to be bigger. Last time around, German poker pro Manig Loeser padded onto his $1.5 million in tournament winnings by winning for 76,000 ($82,906). Players are expected to show up much earlier than the Main Event, too, considering the schedule kicks off with the WPT Starter on July 28. In that event, players will be competing for a 100,000 guaranteed prize pool for just a 200 buy-in. While the poker festival is sure to attract some big names, low-stakes players will find plenty of tournaments on the schedule with tournament buy-ins starting at just 45. Additionally, there are plenty of live satellites for the Main Event and others. Players do not need to wait until the tournament festival kicks off to try to win a satellite to the Main Event either, as partypoker is hosting qualifiers and sub-qualifiers starting at just $0.01. These feed into a tournament every Sunday where players can win a package valued at 1,800. That package includes a seat to the WPTN Rozvadov Main Event, six-nights hotel accommodations, and $300 in cash which can be used for travel expenses. PokerNews Cup Returns to King's Casino Aug. 10-15 Straight after the WPTN Rozvadov poker festival, the PokerNews Cup is once again returning for the third time in two years to King's Casino. From Aug. 10-15, the 10th anniversary of the PokerNews Cup will take place. The schedule will feature 11 exciting tournaments, highlighted by an amazing 250 Main Event that features a mouth-watering 200,000 guaranteed prize pool. The tournament features four opening flights from Aug. 11-13 before the surviving players compete for the title on Day 2 (Aug. 14) and Day 3 (Aug. 15). For more information about the 2016 PokerNews Cup and to know everything about the online satellites that will soon run at TonyBet Poker, visit www.PokerNewsCup.com 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+! Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Fox News has never let little details like geography, reality, or common sense stop them before, so it is no surprise that they are blaming President Obama for Brexit. Video and transcript via Media Matters: ERIC BOLLING (CO-HOST): K.G., a lot of people, say it was all about immigration. They said the U.K. wanted sovereign borders, all about the money on Wall Street today. What is it? Some of both? KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE (CO-HOST): I think its a variety, a complexity of factors involved. I think the immigration piece certainly was powerful, especially in light of all the migrants and the refugees coming in, and its more about having ownership and a sense of nationalism, controlling borders, making those decisions for your country in particular versus more of a globalist approach. And you see some of that going here in this country. So its mirroring and echoing some of the sentiment, some of the things that Donald Trump has been talking about, so this might be part of a larger populist movement that were seeing take shape that could have impact ultimately here on the United States. Sort of a tipping point. BOLLING: My good friend, Juan, here Nigel Farage, whos one of the leaders of the leave, exit push JUAN WILLIAMS (CO-HOST): The Donald Trump of Britain. BOLLING: OK, well lets call him that. Hes actually saying that President Obama saying England get to the back of the queue in April was part of the reason there were some votes in favor for exiting, so President Obama can also be blamed for the exit as well. WILLIAMS: Wow. I didnt know he was that powerful. But if you want to give him that much credit I dont think Obama deserves that much attention from the Europeans or the Brits, but I do think that people who have said it was going to have tremendous consequences for on the economic markets, hmm, I guess they were right. It is not a shock that Fox would try to blame Obama for this, but Eric Bolling phrasing of so Obama can also be blamed for this was a bit of Fox News sleazy genius. The phrase Obama can also be blamed can be used for any situation for example. So President Obama can also be blamed for the death of Nicole Brown Simpson. I lost my car keys while watching CNN, so President Obama can also be blamed for me being late to work. There are three common sense problems with Foxs logic: 1). Barack Obama is the President Of The United States. 2). Barack Obama has no control over what happens in the United Kingdom. 3). Barack Obama is the President Of The United States who has no control over what happens in the UK. Fox News was also slyly trying to blame Obama for the drop in the markets after the results of the referendum were announced. In Foxs view, the markets obviously dropped because of Obama. The plunge on Wall Street had nothing to do with the fact that the decision of the voters was viewed as bad for the economy. Fox is trying to win an election for Donald Trump, so of course, they blamed Obama. Lord knows, they wouldnt want to tell their viewers the truth that this kind of market drop is what they can expect if Trump wins the White House. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print * The following is an opinion column by R Muse * It is likely that no matter how dearly one feels about their native country, they probably have an idealized vision of a destination beyond their borders. For many Americans, particularly those who have traveled abroad, Great Britain appears to be that idealized destination for myriad reasons; none the least which are there doesnt seem to be an inclination toward neo-conservatism, racism, or the xenophobic and tribal nationalism propelling the likes of Donald Trump. Sadly, the vision of England sans nasty conservatives is an illusion that was never more apparent than in the so-called Brexit referendum results. The conservatives driving Brexit depended on fear, like Republicans, and an anti-globalism and anti-immigration campaign that earned them a close victory on Thursday and their cherished exit from the European Union. It was little surprise that after the vote Donald Trump, who is running on same anti-globalism and anti-immigration platform that propelled Brexiters to victory, said the U.K. vote is a model for his campaign. People want to take their country back. They want to have independence in a sense. You see it with Europe, all over EuropeI think that its happening in the United States. Its happening by the fact that Ive done so well in the polls. That take their country back mentality, no matter how it was instilled in British voters, was predicated on a lie that EU immigrants were destroying England, stealing jobs from native Brits, and flushing the economy down the toilet. As it is among ignorant and xenophobic Americans, the conservative fear mongering worked wonders and despite empirical evidence to the contrary, 52 percent of English voters believed getting out of the EU was the key to saving jobs, the economy, and indeed, the United Kingdom itself. A common refrain around England among those convinced the nation was doomed if it doesnt exit the EU is the existential necessity of stopping EU immigrants from entering the country; they demanded that Britain get out. Zack Beauchamp at Vox shared a story repeated in thousands of pubs that the Muslims and the Eastern Europeans are ruining Great Britain. One Brit sounded suspiciously like a typical Republican and Trump supporter: Were letting in rapists. Were letting in shit. I have four children. How are they supposed to get jobs? However, the lions share of immigrants to Great Britain are not from the EU: over 75 percent of immigrants hail from outside the European Union. This is in spite of the fact that one of the aspects of being an EU member-nation was having relative freedom to move from country to country with some minor restrictions unique to individual nations. Setting aside the Trump-like claim that immigrants are rapists and shit, the idea that the Brexit crusade was about saving the British economy and citizens jobs is the kind of shit one typically sees from a male bovine. Researchers at Oxford, the London School of Economics (LSE) and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) all agree that the fear-mongering conservatives were lying to British citizens about losing their livelihoods to frighten them into voting to leave the European Union: immigration does not affect British employment. However, Brexit would hit jobs. That assertion was verified by the Centre for Economic Policy which concluded, we can confidently say that the empirical evidence shows that EU immigration has not had significantly negative effects on average employment, wages, inequality or public services at the local level for the UK-born. The four institutions debunked the British conservatives myth that EU immigrants were flooding the island nation and decimating British citizens by putting colossal downward pressure on wages, a lie based on the other lie that EU migrants were stealing jobs that belong to British workers. Back in January the British version of Politifact, InFacts, reported that a newspaper had joined the Brexiters anti-immigrant propaganda campaign by publishing the purist version of the false story by running the terrifying and mendacious headline, Millions of EU migrants grab our jobs. The story implied that the only means of saving British jobs, the economy, and increasing wealth for all natural Brits was to exit the EU and take control of our borders. The headline and solution should sound extremely familiar to Americans because it has been a crucial staple of Donald Trumps presidential campaign and a common theme of no small number of Republicans fear-mongering over Hispanic immigrants. As it applies to America, and it does apply during a general election campaign, if, as the conservative liars claim, immigrants are taking jobs from British workers, it is odd that they are seeing a record high employment rateat a time when immigration is high. Again, like Americas Republicans, British conservatives are lying and if the people took time to look at a string of academic studies from the Centre for Economic Policy at the London School of Economics, the Institute for the Study of Labour, and the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford that show EU migrants arent putting Brits out of work they would have voted differently. Now, as if to seize on the angry mood of xenophobic Brits and parrot American conservatives, according to the face of the Brexit movement, one Nigel Farage, the next step for the UK is to abolish the National Health Service program and replace it with an American system of private health insurance carriers. It is noteworthy that Farage is not an elected official; he is a typical conservative talking head. Farage said he is tired of the state-funded public health system and wants it privatizedlike Republicans want to privatize Social Security, Medicare, prisons and public education. And, Farage is not bashful about explaining why. He said, My money would return value if I was able to do that through the market place of an insurance company. Farage exudes the selfish mindset of Republicans and has no regard for the great majority of British population that depends on the publicly-funded National Health Service for all their healthcare needs. In case anyone doubts how connected the nasty conservatives represented by Farage are to Americas hateful conservatives, Farage issued a massive and heartfelt thanks to Breitbart for covering its propagandizing and Brexit coverage. Farage said: I would like to think and hope that right across the globe, what weve done is to prove that people power can beat the establishment, if they try hard enough. And can I just say a massive thanks to Breitbart, on both sides of the pond? Because you guys have been fair with me, and given me a chance to make my arguments. I thank you guys very much indeed for that. This is a sad and tragic commentary on so many levels, but none more than learning that a nation like England is no different than America and that American-style conservatives are free to lie with impunity and use American media to incite enough fear to convince 52 percent of the population that immigrants are destroying their existence. This is also a valuable lesson for Americans that no matter how well educated a people are, a little fear mongering, a heavy dose of xenophobia, and casting aspersion on the other can drive a population to make incredibly foolish decisions that can have deleterious results for the entire world. Dear Dave: I make $38,000 per year working in the trade show industry, and I'm about to start Baby Step 3. It took 14 months to pay off $8,000 in debt for Baby Step 2, so I'm wondering how long it should take to save up my three to six months of expenses. I've also not done a lot toward retirement. I'm 52, and I'm worried about that. How can I stay motivated in the Baby Steps and handle retirement worries? Donna Dear Donna: The general time frame I look at for saving up a fully funded emergency fund is six months to a year. Your take-home pay should be about $3,000 a month, so three to six months of expenses will probably be in the neighborhood of $8,000 to $10,000. If it took you about a year to pay off that much in debt, then it should take about a year to accomplish this. But if you start building retirement right now and have an emergency, you know what you'll use? You'll use your retirement. That's why the emergency fund comes before retirement in the Baby Steps. The average household income in America, which often is two incomes, is about $52,000. I would challenge you to think about and work toward what you could be doing at age 60 that will make you that much or even more. You're probably working really hard for that $38,000. In your 50s, if you're starting over or if you start making a lot more we call that an "encore career." So I want you to start thinking fresh again. Don't quit today, but you're going to be making $38,000 eight years from now unless you start aiming at something else. All this is as much an answer to your retirement fears as trying to leapfrog and start doing retirement without an emergency fund. Put your emergency fund in place during the next 12 months, and start doing some goal setting and thinking. Maybe you'd like to own a trade show or events company by that time. ADVERTISEMENT Ask yourself, "What would I do if I could do anything?" Because you know what? You can do anything! Dear Dave: I've heard you talk about the importance of giving using the phrase "outrageous generosity." But at what point does outrageous generosity become foolish overspending? Josiah Dear Josiah: This is a good question. Your first mandate is to take care of your own household. The Bible says if you don't do this, you're worse than an unbeliever. So start with your own family. Are you able to take care of the basic lifestyle and needs of your family? The pursuit of giving shouldn't interrupt the food on your own family's table. The Bible also says in the house of the wise there are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has. You need to be saving, too, in order to be biblically wise. If you spend everything you make, or, for that matter, if you gave away everything you make on an ongoing basis, it would be foolish. There are individual times where people may be called to give in an extreme way, but I'm talking about a pattern of living or way of life during an extended period of time. If you just say you're going to give away your whole income and let the government support you at the expense of your family, that's not biblical. And it's not a wise way to live your life. Jobless rate Not adjusted, jobless rate in May in metropolitan areas in Minnesota: Duluth: 5.1 percent Mankato: 2.7 Minneapolis-St. Paul: 3.1 ADVERTISEMENT Rochester: 2.7 St. Cloud: 3.3 Minnesota: 3.3 United States: 4.5 Initial claims for unemployment insurance In 11-county southeast Minnesota region May 2016: 1,174 April 2016: 906 ADVERTISEMENT March 2016: 1,070 February 2016: 1,394 January 2016: 1,870 December 2015: 2,717 November 2015: 2,333 October 2015: 958 September 2015: 793 August 2015: 802 ADVERTISEMENT July 2015: 1,161 June 2015: 1,334 May 2015: 1,009 April 2015: 1,034 March 2015: 1,336 February 2015: 1,485 January 2015: 1,939 December 2014: 3,203 November 2014: 2,418 October 2014: 1,174 September 2014: 995 August 2014: 817 July 2014: 1,093 June 2014: 1,354 May 2014: 1,216 April 2014: 1,405 March 2014: 1,599 February 2014: 1,668 January 2014: 2,183 December 2013: 3,466 November 2013: 2,178 October 2013: 1,498 September 2013: 1,089 August 2013: 1,078 July 2013: 1,415 June 2013: 1,358 May 2013: 1,686 April 2013: 1,538 March 2013: 1,454 February 2013: 1,478 January 2013: 2,471 December 2012: 2,880 November 2012: 2,458 October 2012: 1,648 September 2012: 1,144 August 2012: 1,199 July 2012: 1,569 June 2012: 1,525 May 2012: 1,597 April 2012: 1,419 March 2012: 1,706 February 2012: 1,904 January 2012: 2,815 December 2011: 3,013 November 2011: 2,734 October 2011: 1,673 September 2011: 1,300 August 2011: 1,632 July 2011: 2,470 June 2011: 2,060 May 2011: 1,686 April 2011: 1,771 March 2011: 2,128 February 2011: 2,064 January 2011: 3,075 December 2010: 3,371 November 2010: 3,336 October 2010: 2,256 September 2010: 1,842 August 2010: 1,725 July 2010: 1,795 June 2010: 2,041 May 2010: 1,418 April 2010: 1,889 March 2010: 2,524 February 2010: 2,633 January 2010: 3,276 December 2009: 4,780 November 2009: 3,531 October 2009: 2,679 September 2009: 2,199 August 2009: 2,337 July 2009: 2,789 Source: Minnesota DEED Area employment Jobs in May and change from a year ago for Rochester metropolitan area (Olmsted, Dodge and Wabasha counties): Total Nonfarm, 118,121, 1.5% Total Private, 105,551, 1.4% Goods-Producing excl. Ag., 15,182, -0.5% Mining, Logging and Construction, 4,674, 3.7% Manufacturing, 10,508, -2.3% Trade, Transportation & Utilities, 18,385, 2.1% Wholesale Trade, 2,996, 5.7% Retail Trade, 12,637, 3% Transportation and Warehousing, 2,752, -5.6% Information, 2,015, 1.1% Financial Activities, 2,682, -0.4% Professional and Business Services, 5,877, -1.8% Educational and Health, 47,586, 4.2% Leisure and Hospitality, 10,117, -4.7% Government, 12,570, 1.9% Federal Government, 953, -1.9% State Government, 1,559, 4.7% Local Government, 10,058, 1.8% Source: Minnesota DEED Monthly housing data Residential sales in southeastern Minnesota in April, with change from a year ago. New listings: 778, up 0.4 percent Pending sales: 682, down 0.3 percent Sales: 663, down 6.5 percent Sales, year to date: 2,127, down 4.2 percent Median sales price: $165,500, up 4.1 percent Average days on market before sold: 69, down 14.8 percent Average days on market, year to date: 82, down 15.5 percent Source: Southeast Minnesota Association of Realtors Single-family home construction Permits issued in Rochester May 2016: 52 April 2016: 33 March 2016: 31 February 2016: 15 January 2016: 25 December 2015: 42 November 2015: 23 October 2015: 49 September 2015: 27 August 2015: 33 July 2015: 29 June 2015: 48 May 2015: 19 April 2015: 22 March 2015: 30 February 2015: 19 January 2015: 21 December 2014: 27 November 2014: 18 October 2014: 35 September 2014: 23 August 2014: 60 July 2014: 38 June 2014: 41 May 2014: 35 April 2014: 25 March 2014: 28 February 2014: 14 January 2014: 11 December 2013: 22 November 2013: 26 October 2013: 34 September 2013: 23 August 2013: 21 July 2013: 39 June 2013: 33 May 2013: 28 April 2013: 39 March 2013: 29 February 2013: 15 January 2013: 19 December 2012: 14 November 2012: 22 October 2012: 23 September 2012: 22 August 2012: 38 July 2012: 39 June 2012: 32 May 2012: 22 April 2012: 29 March 2012: 32 February 2012: 20 January 2012: 6 December 2011: 16 November 2011: 23 October 2011: 16 September 2011: 19 August 2011: 18 July 2011: 8 June 2011: 26 May 2011: 14 April 2011: 19 March 2011: 24 February 2011: 8 January 2011: 3 December 2010: 15 November 2010: 21 October 2010: 14 September 2010: 10 August 2010: 15 July 2010: 23 June 2010: 12 May 2010: 20 April 2010: 25 March 2010: 27 February 2010: 8 January 2010:13 Source: city of Rochester DECORAH, Iowa Renee Carlson believes if she could help people in Rochester, she can help them here. After a series of trying events, Carlson, who for 11 years owned and operated Revelation, Les Wigs Renee and Merle Norman cosmetics in Rochester's Kahler Hotel, relocated her business to Decorah. Revelation, a woman's boutique, offers clothing, accessories, Merle Norman cosmetics and high fashion wigs. It opened here three months ago. "It's a feel-good shop," she said. Ownership of the Kahler changed hands in January 2013, and Carlson moved out Dec. 31 after a dispute with the owner that extended into the courts. ADVERTISEMENT Carlson said some of her former clients were able to walk across the street from the Mayo Clinic's Gonda Building to her store but weren't capable of walking a block or two farther because of their medical issues. She worked closely with the Pink Ribbon Mentors in Rochester, an organization that helps women diagnosed with breast cancer. "It was my mission. I helped them with wigs, a complete makeover and a facial. I helped people from all over the world. I felt fortunate being able to bless somebody," said Carlson, who becomes emotional when talking about what happened. "We gave it our all. We continued to win (in court), but we didn't realize they would continue to bring us back to court. I was really struggling about where I could help more people. Then I realized if God can use me there, he could use me in Decorah, Iowa. It's not so much about the number of people but helping people and encouraging them. I feel that's what my mission is," she said. When she began investigating Decorah as a place to relocate, Carlson said she was impressed. "The people are really nice here. I wanted to be part of a community where people work together and the businesses work together. I don't take it for granted. I feel blessed to be a part of the community," she said. Carlson's husband, Scott, is commuting from Decorah to his job with Wells Fargo Wealth Management in Rochester. Carlson stocks more than 100 wigs at Revelation. Each of them comes in 20 to 30 colors. "I get the highest synthetic wigs I can get," she said. ADVERTISEMENT She also has a line of completely hand-sewn human hair. Upholstery dye is used for a color that doesn't fade. The wig industry has improved dramatically through the years, and Carlson said she attends seminars and does continuing education to keep learning. "We actually fit our wigs here," she said. Carlson said she applies her background in pattern making to wigs. "Pattern making has to do with draping and fitting. It's an alteration. Fitting a wig can sometimes be quite extensive and sometimes just a minor detail," Carlson said. Purchasing a wig also includes trimming. "All wigs need to be personalized. We can trim to fit the person's face. All those things help the person feel like themselves. We can get wigs very close (to someone's natural hair)," she said. Carlson said she often starts with a manufactured wig, which she cuts apart and sews back together to suit the customer. ADVERTISEMENT "We alter a third of our wigs at least it's just like having to make garment changes," she said. Carlson is happy some of her former clients are finding her in Decorah. She has one that travels seven hours for her services. Another goes to Rochester for appointments every six months and lives four hours from Decorah but said it wouldn't be too far to make the trip to Carlson's store. "It's awesome. I have really good clients who are still coming to me," she said. "It's rewarding to help people." PITTSBURGH There is really only one way to see Pittsburgh. That's to ride its two remaining inclined plane railroads. Each is a fun 2-minute ride with some great views of downtown Pittsburgh. The historic Monongahela and Duquesne inclines, with motorized cables to lift and lower the cars, were initially powered by steam engines when they opened in 1870 and 1877, respectively. The Monongahela was the first passenger-carrying incline in Pennsylvania. They are the sole survivors of 17 inclines in Pittsburgh and are the oldest of a few remaining urban inclines or funiculars in the United States. ADVERTISEMENT They carry tourists and Pittsburgh residents to the top of Mount Washington with stunning vistas of downtown Pittsburgh and its three rivers: the Monongahela, Allegheny and Ohio, which meet at the Golden Triangle at Point State Park. The inclines are among Pittsburgh's biggest tourist attractions. The Duquesne gets nearly 642,000 riders a year, the Monongahela about 460,000. Stunning views They offer stunning up-high views of the city's skyline, dominated by the 64-story tower that is home to U.S. Steel Tower and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. From atop the bluff, you can observe many of Pittsburgh's 446 bridges. Essential to Pittsburgh's transportation infrastructure, they are used by residents getting to and from work, shops and home. They have been renovated repeatedly over the years. Both are on the south side of West Carson Street, about one mile apart near the Station Square area. The Monongahela Incline is 635 feet in length and travels 367 vertical feet. The grade is 35 degrees. The two cars can carry 24 and 23 passengers. The Duquesne Incline is 800 feet in length and lifts/lowers passengers 400 feet. The grade is less steep: 30 degrees. Each car carries 17 passengers. ADVERTISEMENT One car goes up as the other goes down on both inclines, on tracks 5 feet apart. The Monongahela travels 6 miles per hour. The Duquesne, 4 miles per hour. Cars feature hand-carved cherry panels, maple trim, amber glass transoms and original hardware. The stations have been returned to their original looks, although the propulsion and braking systems have been updated over the years. Both inclines are on the National Register of Historic Places. They have also been named historic structures by the Pittsburgh History and Landmark Foundation. The Duquesne Incline has a small museum and gift shop at the upper level. Above it all In early Pittsburgh, industry grew on the flat lands along the rivers. Workers lived nearby and walked to the mills and factories. The hilly parts of town developed later because of limited access. German immigrants who lived on Coal Hill, as Mount Washington was then known, proposed an incline. A primitive coal hoist was in place where the incline stands now to lower coal from Mount Washington to the bottom of the bluff. Engineer Samuel Diescher designed the incline and it was built by John Endres. ADVERTISEMENT Inclines in Pittsburgh became a very popular means of transportation. According to Scientific America in 1880, the Monongahela Incline got 6,000 passengers on Sundays. A second incline was added in 1884 to carry freight to the top of Mount Washington. It even carried horses and wagons and later automobiles. It was dismantled in 1935 after roads were built to Mount Washington and the use of trucks had grown. In 1962, the Duquesne Incline was shut down due to low ridership and need for costly repairs. It was rescued by a nonprofit group that began day-to-day operations in 1963. Take a ride The Monongahela Incline operates from 5:30 a.m. to 12:45 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 8:45 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Sundays and holidays. A round-trip adult fare is $3.50 via a vending machine. For more information, call 412-442-2000 or go to www.portauthority/paac. The Duquesne Incline operates from 5:30 a.m. to 12:45 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 12:45 a.m. Sundays and holidays. A round-trip fare for an adult is $5. Staffers will sell you tickets. Groups can arrange for tours of the equipment: the motor, drive gear and giant cast-iron drum that pull two steel cables that move the cars. The cables are 1.12 inches in diameter and 900 feet long. There are backup safety cables and a hand-operated brake. For information, call 412-381-1665 or go to www.duquesneincline.org. The busiest times for both inclines are Saturday and Sunday afternoons. You may wait to go up or come back down. For Pittsburgh tourist information, call 412-281-7711 or go to www.visitpittsburgh.com. Some 10,000 aircraft ranging from warbirds and aerobatics to vintage and ultralights plus a half a million flight enthusiasts will soon make Wittman Regional Airport at Oshkosh, Wis., the busiest airport in the world. The 64th annual Experimental Aircraft Association, known as the EAA AirVenture , will be staged there July 26-31, and this year will honor the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Sponsors of the event, which always draws throngs of aircraft enthusiasts from wide areas including Rochester and southeastern Minnesota, will deliver something for everyone. Some of the highlights will include acrobatic shows by some of aviation's top performers, immersive learning experiences for people of all ages, and a glimpse at one of the most important eras of U.S. history, aviation or otherwise. That feature, noting the "Day of Infamy" Dec. 7, 1941 will be commemorated during AirVenture with air shows by historic American and Japanese World War II-era aircraft, as well as other activities throughout the week. Sponsors say that an unprecedented flying appearance will be made by a restored Interstate Cadet aircraft that was in the air for flight training over Oahu and Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attack began. ADVERTISEMENT A spokesman for the EAA, Rick Larsen, said that "Pearl Harbor changed America forever 75 years ago. We will commemorate the heroism shown that day and in the aftermath of the attack." In addition to historic aircraft. AirVenture will bring in one of the most advanced military aerial demonstration teams in the world the Canadian Forces Snowbirds , which is composed of nine Canadair CT-114 Tutor jets and operating at speeds of up to 465 mph. The Snowbirds will make their first Oshkosh appearance since 1983. Other major performances will include the AeroShell Aerobatic Team , glider aerobatics expert Luca Bertossio, the "Screamin' Sasquatch" Jeff Boerboon and the first woman to ever become the U.S. national aerobatic champion, Patty Wagstaff, who has accomplished the feat three times. While air shows will dominate the sky, AirVenture also includes learning centers for children and aircraft enthusiasts, aircraft of nearly every size, shape and era to view, nightly activities, and flight experiences on a B-17, Ford Tri-Motor and Bell 47 Helicopter. Also, the EAA Air Venture Museum is onsite and open for tours. Oshkosh is located about 200 miles east of Rochester. Additional information including tickets, prices and camping facilities can be found at www.eaa.org/airventure . Mother, daughter accused of conspiring to kill daughter's ex LE CENTER A mother and daughter from southern Minnesota are accused of conspiring to kill the daughter's ex-husband. Fifty-nine-year-old Linda Bloom of Cleveland and her 41-year-old daughter, Blanche Wilson of Le Sueur, were charged Friday with conspiracy to commit murder. The two allegedly plotted to kill Wilson's ex-husband after Wilson lost custody of her children to him. According to the complaint, an informant tipped off authorities and set up a meeting between Wilson, Bloom and a sheriff's investigator who posed as a hit man Wednesday. Wilson told the detective she had applied for a loan and would use that to pay him. ADVERTISEMENT On Thursday, the detective provided photos that appeared to show Wilson's ex-husband dead. The complaint alleges Wilson gave the detective her car title. Associated Press Man gets 13 years in girlfriend's drug death CENTER CITY A Minnesota man has been sentenced to just over 13 years in prison for providing the cocaine that killed his on-again, off-again girlfriend. Aaron Schnagl was sentenced Friday in Chisago County District Court. He was convicted in February of third-degree murder but acquitted of concealing the body of Danielle Jelinek. Jelinek was missing for five months before her body was found in a slough near Schnagl's home in Chisago Lake Township in May 2013. She disappeared in December 2012. Authorities soon named Schnagl as a person of interest. Prosecutors say the 27-year-old Oakdale woman died after a night of drinking, drugs and sex at Schnagl's house. Schnagl admitted at trial that he was a drug dealer. When he was convicted, he was already serving time on a previous drug conviction. Associated Press 3-state, 4-month drug investigation results in man's arrest ADVERTISEMENT WAHPETON, N.D. A four-month drug investigation by law enforcement officials in three states has resulted in the arrest of a Minnesota man. Thirty-two-year-old Jessie Gruettner, of Browns Valley, Minn., was arrested earlier this month at a casino in southeastern North Dakota. It wasn't clear if he had an attorney, and a home telephone listing couldn't be found. Authorities in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota conducted the investigation. They allege that undercover officers bought more than 100 grams of methamphetamine with a street value of $20,000 from Gruettner. Associated Press FREE SALES FLIERS INSIDE Ashley Furniture Home Store Best Buy Cub Foods Holiday ADVERTISEMENT Michaels Mills Fleet Farm Red Plum Shopko Slumberland Smart Source Target HEARD ON THE STREET ADVERTISEMENT A reader passed along recently that an employee of the Apple Valley Chick-fil-A restaurant said the popular fast food chain is planning a Rochester restaurant this spring. They could be right, but the Atlanta-based fast-food chicken chain has nothing official on the books yet. C1. ANSWER MAN How is the Mayo Clinic Children's Center different from the Mayo Eugenio Litta Children's Hospital? Why are high school graduation ceremonies so wild nowadays? A2 AREA NEWS DULUTH | The 14-year-old son of a St. Charles teacher who was killed when a tree fell on their tent continues to improve. Jacob Walz, was listed in fair condition on Friday, nearly a week after the Father's Day accident. B1. ROCHESTER | An email to parents last week announced that Friedell Principal Oscar Uribe had tendered his resignation, but no reason was given for the move. Now, Uribe says he was forced out, and the only reason given him was that the wasn't a "good fit" for the school. A4. AUSTIN | Sharon Wagner and Judy Grelach have each worked at the Philomathian Religious Books and Gifts store for about two decades. But the store, whose origins reach back to a reading club established in 1907, will shutter its doors at the end of July. B1 WINONA | The Minnesota Department of Transportation has winnowed its list of options to renovate the old bridge at Winona to two. Initial estimates to renovate the 1942-era span over the Mississippi came up $30 million short when it was discovered the bridge had deteriorated more than expected. B1 AUSTIN A staple in downtown Austin is ending its story and closing its doors at the end of the month. Co-managers Sharon Wagner and Judy Gerlach have each worked at the Philomathian Religious Books and Gifts store for around two decades. The decision was finally made to pack up and close after what was being made at the store "just paid the bills." Since then, the Philomathian has been running with between 20 to 30 volunteers. Merchandise includes many special occasion gifts, such as for baptism, confirmation and more. Mostly, the store aimed to cater to many different faiths or denominations. However, it just became too difficult to find anyone who would work at the store for six days a week without any pay. "No one is paid," Gerlach said. "But there's just no one willing to step up." ADVERTISEMENT Profits made through the store were donated to various area charities, however, they had been unable to donate any money within the last few years because of declining sales. The Philomathian used to pay the rent for the city's Christian Education Center, but that ultimately closed a couple decades ago. "The people we worked with, that's who we'll miss," Wagner said with a sad look. "It was all done by us." There's a long history of the Philomathian. In 1907, a group of women came together to "seek knowledge" and eventually opened a store and library. It originally started with 85 books, but acclimated into more than 4,000. Soon, the store began selling knickknacks, jewelry and gifts that were from an area Catholic church. Around 1977, the store moved into another building, which was right across the street from its present location. While working at the Philomathian, Wagner and Gerlach witnessed downtown Austin "come back to life again." The volunteers would help at the store, maintaining it as well as serving customers who'd come by to purchase a gift for a special occasion. "It got to be a family," Gerlach shared. "That's been very nice working on Main Street." Yet disappointing sales and dwindling trends in collectibles as well as online markets such as Amazon dealt a punishing blow onto the bookstore. Also, interest began to decline as well as rising difficulty in recruiting volunteers to help out every day proved to be some of the more difficult aspects of running the Philomathian. "If they want a book, they go to Amazon for the convenience," Gerlach shared. "Younger folks want simpler homes. It's definitely been a trend." ADVERTISEMENT It appears, that many religious books stores are facing the same problem. Before Gerlach and Wagner joined the Philomathian, there was at least one other religious book store in town until it closed. Now, with the book store closing its doors at the end of July, Austin residents may need to travel either to Albert Lea or Rochester to get what they need. "There's definitely going to be a void," Gerlach said. "They'll definitely feel a void. We have served the community, and a lot of the older people don't have access. On an average, our customers said 'we hate to see you close.' It's really a sense of loss." MINNEAPOLIS Brier Grote, an intensive care nurse at Abbott Northwestern, said she had four weeks of orientation training when she was hired. While she and about 4,800 other nurses are on strike this week, they're being replaced with nurses who had just a few days of training before they began work. That's worrisome for the nurses union. However, it's unclear to what extent nurses strikes have an impact on patient safety. At this point, the issue of safety at Allina hospitals is little more than a war of words between the union and management. Striking nurses will often argue patients' safety is at risk when they strike. Grote says a longer training period one replacement nurses don't have is necessary to get familiarized with a hospital and its various protocols, procedures and equipment. "To think they're just going to allow people who have never even set foot into that hospital before to take care of patients that, especially in an ICU area, it's a scary thought," Grote said. ADVERTISEMENT There's a lot of potential for problems with replacement nurses, said Jon Christianson, a professor at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health. Still, he said it's a tricky argument to make. "If you're in favor of management's approach, your response would be, 'Well the nurses union put their patients in that situation by going on strike,'" Christianson said. "If you're in favor of the union approach, then you'll say, 'Well, we gave management ample warning about what was going to happen and they weren't prepared and they should have been prepared.'" Patient injuries or deaths during a hospital strike can attract a lot of media attention. But beyond anecdotal incidents, there's just one comprehensive study looking at whether nursing strikes can be fatal for patients. The 2012 review analyzed 50 nursing strikes in New York state over the 20 years ending in 2004. Some of the hospitals used replacement workers, and most did not. But the overall effect of the New York strikes was essentially the same more patients died because of strikes than would have if there were no strikes. The findings were dramatic, complex and raised more questions. The hospital death rate during a strike rose three-tenths of a percentage point to just 2.2 percent. That fractional increase was statistically significant and compared to non-strikes, it amounts to an 18 percent greater risk of death. The risk of being re-admitted for a complication also rose, the study found. But the strikes and location were quite different from the one-week walkout in Minnesota. The average strike in the study was longer than a month. ADVERTISEMENT Cornell University assistant professor Samuel Kleiner, who co-authored the study, stopped well short of saying the findings are applicable to Allina's strike. Still, strikes are disruptive, said economist Joanne Spetz, a professor in the School of Nursing at the University of California, San Francisco. It's hard for replacement nurses to provide optimal care when they're new to a hospital's protocols and layout. She said the difference in risk between strike and non-strike times isn't going to be huge, but it is notable. "You know, if you had a choice of having your knee replacement now or waiting until the strike is over, you may as well wait," she said. "But obviously if you have an emergency come up, you just need to go." Minnesota health regulators increased inspections at the five striking hospitals and Allina says the agency has found "no issues of concern." The Health Department is only saying that if it did substantiate reports of significant concern, it would act immediately to protect patients' safety and health. Rochester Public Schools has eliminated a program to help at-risk students prepare for life after high school. The Student and Family Engagement program, or SAFE , was removed from the district's offerings next year with the approval of the 2016-17 budget during Tuesday's school board meeting. There has been increased talk about equity efforts in the district and in the community, and some are worried the elimination of the programming will hinder the district's work by removing a program that "proactively" helped at-risk students. The cut follows an Office for Civil Rights agreement the district entered into last fall with the U.S. Department of Civil Rights because students of color in the district are disciplined at a disproportionate rate compared to their white peers. The agreement requires the district make some very specific moves in an attempt to reduce the disparity, such as hiring three equity specialists and a principal to specifically review discipline data. But assistant superintendent Brenda Lewis assured the board and community that positions and programs in place, such as the district's equity consultants and college and career readiness, will do the job. ADVERTISEMENT "We are going to continue our focus surrounding college and career readiness and actually increase that, especially for students that are experiencing the need for additional supports," Lewis said, noting the district already has programs that focus on college and career readiness. Still, the program's coordinator, Regina Seabrook, said the district is losing its only "proactive" to address academic and discipline disparities because it taught students college and career readiness skills, connecting them with community members who could help develop those. "We're very quick to provide social services interventions," Seabrook said. "(Students) might get more access to social services than economic empowerment." Seabrook said in public education, equity approaches often are "reactionary and compliance-based." The SAFE program essentially empowered students from the outset, rather than trying to correct problems or disparities after the fact. "We're going to lose another generation of kids because school districts tend to be more reactionary, rather than visionary," she said. Others raised concern that a mentoring program with young professionals group, the Commission, would end. Lewis said it will continue, but it will just "look a little bit different," with some input from the equity specialists. The specialists, who were required to be added to the district per the OCR agreement, will help with family and community engagement and things such as filling out federal financial aid forms, such as the FAFSA. Lewis added the district is expanding the P.A.C.E. program , or Parents & Children Excel, which serves students age 7-14, a wraparound services and supports program for at-risk families. The program will extend to the preschool level. Rebeca Sedarski, a regional community liaison with Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs, who partnered with the SAFE program, requested the district reconsider the budget at Tuesday's board meeting. Sedarski participated in a career day with Latino students and helped them navigate through the process on how to pay for college. ADVERTISEMENT "Is it in the best interest of the district and the community to disrupt this network in favor of an unknown?" Sedarksi asked board members. She added it's the district's only college and career readiness program with accountability to United Way of Olmsted County, which helps fund the program. Others aren't sure how much savings the program really is to the district because much of the program was filed through outside grants from Mayo Clinic, the United Way of Olmsted County and Olmsted County Community Services. Don Barlow, pastor at Rochester Community Baptist Church and a candidate for school board, said he thinks the program should be given a public hearing and the community should be involved in the decision. Seabrook said cutting the program without a presentation to the board isn't fair. "So you wonder if there is something else going on here, and that I wouldn't have any control over," she said. Seabrook said for students, they are losing an "incredible support network that they needed and they thrived from." "Why are you trading something innovative for the status quo when we know the status quo doesn't work?" Unbeknownst to many Americans, House Speaker Paul Ryan is on a mission. In late 2012, the Wisconsin congressman began traveling the country on a "listening and learning tour" in an effort to gain a better understanding of poverty in America. He visited with struggling families, felons, addicts and disabled people whose situations have kept them in a cycle of hopelessness. With the help of civil rights-era leader and community activist Robert L. Woodson, he met with faith-based and community leaders around the country who, through grassroots efforts that target the most devastated communities, are having great success at transforming lives and helping people overcome their circumstances. The meetings even inspired a series of short documentary films titled "Comeback," following the stories of Americans who are breaking the cycle of poverty. ADVERTISEMENT Indeed, it seems Ryan's perspective has been transformed. He threw his support behind an expanded earned income tax credit for low-wage workers. In 2014, after Ryan began softening his rhetoric about how best to fight poverty, John Carr, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, told The Washington Post that Ryan's experiences appear to have made him "less partisan and more knowledgeable." And in an open letter dated May 3, Heather Reynolds, president and CEO of Catholic Charities Fort Worth, thanked the speaker for "listening and learning," and expressed hope that his "newfound understanding of poverty can be telegraphed to every elected official and every administrator in Washington." That, perhaps, is Ryan's biggest challenge. As former Education Secretary Bill Bennett once said: "When liberals look at the poor, they see a sea of victims. When conservatives look at the poor, they see a sea of aliens." These incongruous attitudes about the poor and how to assist them have made the American welfare state a flash point in contemporary politics. They've likely also exacerbated the hodgepodge of programs that, while intended to help Americans in need, have been not just largely ineffectual but potentially harmful. ADVERTISEMENT More than five decades after President Lyndon Johnson launched his War on Poverty, some measures indicate the percentage of Americans living in poverty has not been reduced. That's at least partly the result of devastating demographic shifts including the skyrocketing number of unwed mothers, fatherless children and young men who are incarcerated or unemployed and detached from the workforce that experts on both sides of the aisle agree have intensified the failed welfare state. In addition to taking flak from liberals who consider themselves the champions of the poor, Ryan also has to convince his own caucus why raising these issues to the forefront of his party's agenda is crucial to its future and the future of the nation. He began that effort in early June by releasing a report from a task force of congressional Republicans on how to tackle poverty. The report lays out broad recommendations that offer a principled starting point for future discussions, including strengthening government-funded employment support programs that make low wages go further and emphasizing the need to carefully evaluate programs, expanding those that deliver results and phasing out those that are ineffective. Indeed, in a presidential election year, it's a safe bet that little will get passed by Congress. But Ryan's emphasis on his new anti-poverty agenda the first policy focus of his "Better GOP" effort signifies he means to make a positive shift in the party's direction, even if that means talking about an issue that has not traditionally animated his constituency. That's leadership, and it's the direction the party needs to take rather than the Trumpian way of division and resentment. ADVERTISEMENT Ryan is a man on a mission, and it will serve the country best if both conservatives and liberals agree to join him. Cynthia M. Allen is a columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The extremely rare sit-in by Democrats in the House chamber may have been, as Speaker Paul Ryan claimed, a "publicity stunt." But it was a righteous one that may improve the prospects for meaningful gun control. It won't happen immediately. Even after 49 innocent victims died in the Orlando massacre -- the worst such shooting in modern U.S. history -- Republicans remain adamantly opposed to any new legislation that might keep powerful weapons out of the hands of the next would-be mass murderer. If Republicans care more about maintaining their standing with the National Rifle Association than saving lives, that's their choice. But polls show majority support for sensible new gun control measures -- and members of Congress should at least have to go on record. Democrats are demanding that the House do its job: vote yes or no. One of the bills Democrats want the House to vote on should be a no-brainer: expanding background checks for gun purchases. The other, which would deny the right to buy guns to individuals on the terrorism watch list, is in my view a tougher question. The American Civil Liberties Union has expressed "deep concerns" about relying on an "error-prone and unfair watchlisting system" to regulate access to firearms. I wish the subject of the protest were, instead, a bill to ban military-style assault weapons of the kind used by Omar Mateen and so many other mass shooters. But if we are ever going to get to that point, the logjam has to be cleared. Something dramatic had to happen. ADVERTISEMENT Enter Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., a hero of the civil rights movement who knows something about thousand-mile journeys that start with a single step. Lewis also knows something about sit-ins, having staged more than a few, and it was in his office that a group of House Democrats came up with the idea of occupying the chamber to demand gun control votes. They achieved no success, of course -- not yet, at least. The speaker of the House has sweeping powers and cannot easily be coerced into anything. Ryan called a recess and Republicans left the chamber, which meant that the C-SPAN cameras that televise House proceedings went dark; Democrats began streaming video of the sit-in via their cellphones. The spectacle of members of Congress sitting on the floor and staging a protest drew nationwide attention. Sympathizers dropped by, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who brought boxes of Dunkin' Donuts. As the sit-in stretched into the evening, well-wishers had pizza delivered to the Capitol. Ryan eventually brought the House back into session, to show it could function despite the ongoing protest, and then finally, in the middle of the night, ordered a recess until July 5. Republicans were free to scurry out of town. So did the protest have any real impact? Certainly some, and potentially a lot. First, the tactic rallied Democrats in both chambers to the gun control cause and put Republicans on notice that the issue won't just go away. Mass shootings happen with depressing regularity, and by now everyone knows the drill: Congress argues about guns for a few days and then does nothing. The sit-in was not a part of the usual script, which makes the ending less certain. Second, the protest drew widespread attention to the issue at a moment when the debate would otherwise be fading. Whether you thought the sit-in was courageous or absurd, you paid attention. Given what we know about public opinion, it is helpful for advocates of gun control to have the issue in the news. People say they want to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of dangerous people. Republicans should have to explain why they disagree. Third, and perhaps most important, the sit-in means that gun control will be an issue in the coming election. Is this smart politics? I believe it is. ADVERTISEMENT Republicans are badly divided and will be led by a nominee rejected by much of the party establishment. Democrats see the potential for winning both the White House and the Senate and making major gains in the House -- but only if the party is united and enthusiastic. The gun issue can help motivate the party faithful. Taking action to prevent Orlando-style killings should also appeal to independent voters. Republicans take the position that nothing at all should be done to keep the next mass shooter from buying an assault rifle. Do they really believe that swing voters agree? The sit-in was a spark. It might start a fire. Eugene Robinson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Washington Post. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is now serving the twelfth year of his four-year term. He is an absurd and contemptible figure. In a perfectly timed companion to the Brexit referendum, Abbas had the honor of addressing the European Parliament this past Thursday. Abbas drew a standing ovation for his EU speech. In the course of his remarks Abbas accused (mythical) Israeli rabbis of demanding that the Israeli government poison Palestinian water. Yair Rosenberg took up Abbass remarks at Tablet. Abbass assertion was the kind of anti-Semitic lie in which he and his colleagues specialize, yet State Department spokesman John Kirby could not bring himself to denounce Abbass accusation Thursday. Ive seen the comments, Kirby said: I cant confirm the veracity of that (italics added). Kirby had an open mind on the possibility that rabbis had called for the poisoning of the Palestinians. As if that werent enough, Kirby made the usual idiotic call for evenhandedness, calling on both sides to mind their manners. We have long said what we want is for both sides to ratchet down not just the violence but the rhetoric, which can inflame some of the violence, he said. We just dont find that sort of rhetoric helpful. Diaa Hadid follows up on the story in todays New York Times. She reports that the PLO retracted the accusation early this morning. The retraction, if that is is what is, reads: After it has become evident that the alleged statements by a rabbi on poisoning Palestinian wells, which were reported by various media outlets, are baseless, President Mahmoud Abbas has affirmed that he didnt intend to do harm to Judaism or to offend Jewish people around the world. Was the PLO statement published in Arabic in addition to English? I dont know. Hadid adds this uncharacteristically quizzical note to her report (italics added): It was not immediately clear why Mr. Abbas repeated the allegation on Thursday, days after it was widely debunked. Neither the rabbi who supposedly made the claim, nor the organization quoted in the original P.L.O. article, appear to exist. The State Department transcript of Kirbys comments is here. Jenna Lifhits links to it in her Weekly Standard post. Nationalism, by which I mean here vigorous push back against excessive internationalism and immigration, scored its second major victory of the year when Britain voted to leave the EU. The first victory came when Donald Trump won the Republican nomination. His closest rival, Ted Cruz, was also nationalistic in the sense described above, though not as vigorously so as Trump. Trump, though, is the underdog in his race against Hillary Clinton. Most likely, he will suffer a similar fate to that of French nationalist Marine Le Pen and her father before her success in the run-up but ultimate failure at the ballot box. Nationalist politicians have also made significant inroads in other traditional European democracies without quite getting over the hump. Austria is the most recent example. But to my knowledge, only in the former Eastern Europe have nationalists achieved ultimate electoral success. There are many reasons why Brexit won. An important reason, I think, is that it was a referendum on pure nationalism. The internationalists could not win the election by demonizing an unsavory nationalist seeking office. To be sure, certain English politicians were strongly associated with the Leave campaign. Most of them, to my knowledge, were respectable. In any event, they werent on the ballot. This was an election about issues, not personages. It is rare for a country to hold a national referendum (though more will follow in Europe now that Brexit prevailed), and in the U.S. it is unheard of, I think. Thus, resistance to excessive nationalism requires winning standard elections, i.e., contests between candidates. It may be that, as internationalists become ever more aggressive, unsavory nationalist candidates will begin to win big elections. By definition, this would be a mixed blessing for nationalists. The key, then, is to run nationalists who are not unsavory. By that I mean, for example, a candidate who takes a hard line on illegal immigration, but does not propose rounding up all illegal immigrants and sending them home (only to allow most of them back in). Or a candidate who seeks to exclude entry to the U.S. of potentially dangerous individuals without imposing the near blanket exclusion of Muslims). Or a candidate who isnt an obvious SOB. The Republicans might have nominated such a candidate this year had it not been for the GOPs overreaction to the 2012 loss. Most readers will remember the party establishments call for a softer line on illegal immigration. In my view, that call had its intended consequence of deterring presidential candidates from adopting a nationalistic line. It also had the unintended consequence of paving the way for Donald Trump (recall his repeated boast that, if not for him, no candidate would be talking about illegal immigration). To the extent that Republican contenders were cowed by mush emanating from the likes of Reince Priebus, its fair to question the level of their commitment to nationalism. Hopefully, the next wave of respectable potential GOP contenders will display a genuine commitment. Some, most notably Tom Cotton, already have. In that event, nationalism might very well succeed electorally even with a nationalist. Last night my wife and I, along with two of our adult daughters, saw the documentary Weiner. The film was shot during Anthony Weiners campaign in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York. It offers an extraordinary look at a candidate and a campaign in the midst of an implosion. The documentary opens with a clip of Weiner giving a speech in the House. It is a reminder of what a vicious partisan he was. Watching that opening, you might thinkas I didthat his downfall couldnt have happened to a more miserable son of a b****. On the other hand, most Democrats probably ponder what a misfortune it was to lose such a tireless fighter for the underdog. When the film begins, Weiner has already suffered his original scandal and has resigned from the House. It is now a couple of years later, 2013, and he has embarked on the path to redemption by running for mayor. Weiner invited Josh Kriegman and Elyse Sternberg to film his campaign and gave them (almost) unlimited behind the scenes access. So the viewer follows along as Weiner takes an early lead in the primary, and then watches the campaigns sickening collapse when his second sexting scandalthe one in which he posed as Carlos Dangercomes to light. Weiner is well worth seeing. It is engrossing and often funny. Anthony Weiner himself comes off surprisingly well. He has a sense of humor and shows flashes of self-knowledge, works tirelessly and sometimes effectively as a candidate, and shows courage when he continues his doomed campaign, fulfilling commitments for appearances when he knows the result will be humiliation. At the same time, his flaws as a person and a candidate are baldly on display: he lies, lacks self-control and is hyper-combative at all the wrong times. Huma Abedin, the second most important figure in the documentary, also comes off better than I expected. Early on, she stands by Anthony. As events spiral downward, she has a clearer sense than Weiner of how badly things are going and begins to distance herself from the campaign. Abedin is sometimes inscrutable, but the documentary conveys a sense that she could be a formidable person, fitted to do more than carry Hillary Clintons luggage. Speaking of Hillary, she makes an appearance by proxy when Philippepresumably Philippe Reines, a Hillary aidestarts giving Huma instructions over the telephone. Who comes off badly? Sydney Leathers, for one. Leathers was one of Weiners sext pals; she says in the film that she had phone sex with Weiner up to five times a day. She is hell-bent on capitalizing on her moment of fame. Perhaps Weiners most bizarre sequence takes place on the evening following the primary, in which Weiner has been crushed, getting just 4% of the vote. Weiner is trying to get to an upstairs room where his staff is holding a wake, while Leathers waits to confront him, cameras rolling, in a bar downstairs. Weiners staff comes up with a plan to sprint through a McDonalds and take a back staircase, dodging Leathers. Leathers gets wind of their approach and chases Weiner through the McDonalds and up the stairs. Happily, at the last moment Weiner told Huma to stay in the car and go home rather than endure this final embarrassment. In Weiner, you see the sexting scandal through the eyes of third parties, mostly late-night comedians, although Donald Trump also makes a brief but hilarious appearance. The texts and photos themselves are generally censored, so that the viewer who doesnt already know the details of the story may be confused as to what, exactly, Weiner did. Having seen one of the original photos that caused Weiners retirement from Congress, I can attest that in some of them, at least, there was no underwear in sight. At one point in the film, Weiner is asked what has brought him down, and part of his answer is that he has a funny name. That is true: the congruence of name and behavior created a field day for comedians and, above all, the tabloids. Over the course of the film, we see a number of New York Post covers, like these: We were reminded of this problem while driving to the movie. We wondered how long the film is, and one of my daughters Googled weiner length to find out. Realizing her mistake, she revised her search to movie weiner run time. Watching Weiner move toward its inevitably disastrous end, a viewer cant help wondering why the candidate never turned off the cameras. That question is posed near the end of the film, but not really answered. All I can say is, Im glad the cameras kept rolling and the documentary was made. Anthony Weiner perhaps thought the film would, at the end of the day, make him look reasonably good and explain his self-destructive behavior. If the first goal was at least partially achieved, the second wasnt. The one person who perhaps could have shed additional light, Huma Abedin, isnt talking: she grows more remote as the film goes on. In short, if you think you might like Weiner, you should see it. You probably will. Here is the trailer: The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) on Friday continued its debt recovery drive by taking over the assets of some big debtors. Pursuant to the order of Justice Chuka Obiozor of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division, AMCON took over the assets of Afrijet Airlines Limited owned by Vitalis Ibe, over a debt of almost N10billion. AMCON had purchased the bank assets sometime in 2011 from the defunct FinBank and Bank PHB. The court order also affected Mr. Ibes Continental Aviation Services Limited for which Gbolahan Elias, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, has since been appointed Receiver/Manager. On Friday, the Receiver/Manager took possession of Afrijet Plaza, the corporate head office of the airlines located on Sheraton-Opebi Link Road Ikeja, Opebi, Lagos, along with another asset located at Plot 22, Jimoh Odutola Street, off Eric Moore Road, Surulere, Lagos, as well as Mr. Ibes office at the Airport. The court had ordered the takeover of other offices, branches, stores, warehouses, factories belonging to Mr. Ibe, wherever they may be to help recover the debt. While granting the order on the application by counsel to AMCON, Justice Obiozor restrained Mr. Ibe and his companies, directors, agents, servants and/or privies from operating, withdrawing from or otherwise tampering with the funds belonging to and/or deposited in any of his bank accounts in Nigeria. Negotiations on the debt have gone on with AMCON for a long time. To enforce the order, the court also ordered the police authorities in Lagos State to assist the Receiver/Manager and the bailiffs of the Federal High Court in doing their job. Afrijet Airlines formally operated from the NAHCO Building in the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, was also a cargo operator in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Afrijet Airlines still maintains an aviation maintenance shop with its sister company, Elite Aviation. European Union leaders on Friday said they expected the British government to speedily give effect to British peoples decision to exit the 28-member country group as soon as possible to avoid prolonged uncertainty. The president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, and his counterparts in European Parliament, Martin Schulz; European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and holder of the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, Mark Rutte, said in a joint statement in Brussels that although they regret the outcome of the UK referendum, they respect the decision. Despite what they called a painful process, the EU leaders said they expected the UK government to give effect to the decision of the British people as soon as possible. The British people on Thursday, in a vote of 52:48, won a landmark referendum to leave the EU. In a free and democratic process, the British people have expressed their wish to leave the European Union. We regret this decision, but respect it, the EU leader said. Describing the decision as unprecedented, the EU leaders said they were united in their response and would stand strong to uphold the EUs core values of promoting peace and the well-being of its peoples. The Union of 27 member States will continue. The Union is the framework of our common political future. We are bound together by history, geography and common interests and will develop our cooperation on this basis. Together we will address our common challenge to generate growth, increase prosperity and ensure a safe and secure environment for our citizens. The institutions will play their full role in this endeavour, they said. The EU leaders said Article 50 of the Treaty on EU sets out the procedure for a members orderly exit, pointing out that they were ready to launch negotiations swiftly with the UK government on the terms and conditions of its withdrawal. They said until the process of negotiations was over, the UK would remain a member of the group, with all the rights and obligations derived from it, with EU Treaties and laws, which the UK ratified, continuing to apply in full. EU law still stands in the UK until it ceases being a member. It is not clear how long it would take for process of negotiation and agreement would take. With the outcome of the referendum, the UK has to first notify the president of the European Council of its intention to leave either through negotiation between the UK and the EU or an agreement on the terms of its withdrawal from the group. Until a formal agreement is reached at the end of the negotiations, the EU leaders said the New Settlement for the United Kingdom within the European Union, reached at the European Council on February 18-19, 2016, would not take effect and ceases to exist. The suspected mastermind of the 2010 Independence Day bombings, Charles Okah,did not escape from Kuje Prison in Abuja, the Nigerian Prisons Service has told PREMIUM TIMES. It is not true (that he escaped), the spokesperson for the Nigerian Prisons Service, Francis Enobore, told PREMIUM TIMES, in response to reports that Mr. Okah scaled the prisons wall and fled on Friday night. He is there (Kuje prison) hale and hearty. The comptroller of prisons in charge of the FCT was there less than 30 minutes ago and he saw him there. I spoke to the controller. Mr. Enobore however admitted that there was an incident at the prison on Friday night. Yes there was an incident yesterday, but Henry Okah was not involved, he said. The Comptoller pf prisons has ordered an investigation and that is going on. We want to know if anybody escaped and if yes, what are their identities. Mr. Enobore promised to provide updates once the preliminary investigation is ready. Mr. Okah, brother to Henry Okah, leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, has in February, sued the Nigerian government for allegedly violating the rights of inmates at the Kuje Maximum Security Prison. Mr. Okah also asked the court to compel the government to pay him N350 million damages for alleged violation of his fundamental rights. His counsel, Timipa Okponipere, filed the case on February 15, barely a week before Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Abuja High Court halted his trial on health grounds. Joined in the suit with number FHC/ABJ/CS/118/2016, are the Federal Ministry of Interior and the Nigerian Prisons Service as first and second respondents, respectively. Among the reliefs sought by the applicant is the declaration that the failure of the respondents to respond to the letter of a prison inmate is a breach of fundamental right. He also sought a declaration that his detention in solitary confinement without a charge and a valid court order breached his fundamental right. Again, Mr. Okah sought a declaration that the refusal of the respondents to return the intellectual property seized from him without compensation is a breach of his fundamental right. The applicant also sought a declaration that the refusal of the respondents to allow for conjugal visits to the prison breached the fundamental right of both convicted and awaiting trial inmates. The Nigeria Army has admitted that its chief, Tukur Buratai, owns assets in Dubai, United Arab Emirate. The army however described as false and misleading a report that Mr. Buratai, and his wives, jointly became owners of the properties following a certain single transaction. The army said the two Dubai properties had been officially declared when Mr. Buratai was appointed Nigerias top army officer. It is a fact that the Buratai family have two properties in Dubai that were paid for instalmentally through personal savings three years ago, the army said in a statement on Friday. This, along with other personal assets have consistently been declared by General Buratai in his Assets Declaration Form as Commander Multinational Joint Task Force Commander and as Chief of Army Staff. According to the statement issued by the acting director army public relations, Sani Usman, Mr. Buratai, has never owned any bank account with Skye Bank, as mentioned in the report, and neither was he ever involved in any contract scam. The army also denied Mr. Buratai had served as director of army procurement. Mr. Buratai served as director of procurement, defence headquarters, according to military records. The Full Statement Reads: The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to another round of campaign of calumny against the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai and his family by some unscrupulous elements as contained in Sahara Reporters story titled Revealed: Buharis Chief Of Army Staff, General Buratai, Wives Own Dubai Property, alleging that Nigerias Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Tukur Buratai, and his two wives are joint owners of a Dubai property that was paid for in one transaction posted on the website, this evening. It is important to know that these baseless allegations were not new. In March this year, some groups of individuals under the aegis of Concerned Citizens, tried same smear campaign to their disappointment, it could not fly, because it is not true. You will recall early this week, there was similar campaign of calumny by yet another online news medium, The Cable, in which among other things, it alleged that wounded in action Nigerian Army personnel were abandoned by the Army, government and the nation which is not true. Therefore, the latest round of smear campaign by Sahara Reporters is one of the series of campaigns of calumny by these faceless individuals to malign the Chief of Army Staff and the Nigerian Army. Yet, typical of blackmailers and mischief makers despite failures, they did not give up, hence they now found a willing accomplice reputed for muckraking like the Sahara Reporters. The online news medium this evening uploaded another campaign of calumny allegedly based on a petition by obviously fake and non-existent group it described as Concerned Soldiers and Officers from the North East. The allegations contained in the Sahara Reporters write up are baseless and not correct. It is a fact that the Buratai family have two properties in Dubai that were paid for instalmentally through personal savings three years ago. This, along with other personal assets have consistently been declared by General Buratai in his Assets Declaration Form as Commander Multinational Joint Task Force Commander and as Chief of Army Staff. It is pertinent to state that the Chief of Army Staff does not have any account with Skye Bank as alleged, let alone making deposits in the imaginary bank account to the tune of the amount stated in the write up. Similarly, he has not been involved in any form of shady or dishonest transaction, not to talk of contract scam. In addition, General Buratai was never near either Defence Headquarters or Army Headquarters in 2013. It is pertinent to also note that he was never a Director of procurement in Army Headquarters as alleged. As a matter of fact, the Nigerian Army never had a Directorate of Procurement till when he established one last year when he became Chief of Army Staff. In a bid to rubbish the hard earned reputation and good name of the Chief of Army Staff, these blackmailers will stop at nothing hence all these kinds of mudslinging. It is really worrisome that some people could condescend so low to fabricate baseless allegation against the Chief of Army Staff for reasons that could best be described as mischievous. It is equally worrisome that Sahara Reporters could lend space for this obvious mischief. We really do not believe that it is because the price is right. Consequently, the public and indeed all well-meaning persons should disregard this round of campaign of calumny against the Chief of Army Staff and similar ones because they are baseless and unfounded. For the unscrupulous elements and their cohorts, these campaigns would prod the Nigerian Army and indeed the Chief of Army Staff to continue to serve the nation diligently and with utmost zeal. No fewer than eight persons are feared to have been killed in renewed clashes between communities in Cross River and Ebonyi States. Cross River State in South-south Nigeria shares common boundary with Ebonyi in the South-east zone. The skirmishes occurred between Ochienyim community in Amagu, Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State and Adadama community in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State. Residents and security sources said five of those allegedly killed were from Adadama community while the remaining three are from Amagu village. Several persons are also said to have been injured in the attacks. An Amagu Ikwo community leader, who pleaded not to be named for security reasons, told PREMIUM TIMES that some women from Ochienyim went to harvest cassava in their farms when unknown persons suspected to be from Adadama attacked them. In the ensuing scuffle, the source said the attackers tried to abduct some of the women but were resisted by the youth who accompanied them. A few hours after the initial invasion, over 30 Adadama youth mobilised and invaded the community with dangerous weapons, shooting sporadically at the people, the source said. By the time they left the community having sacked everybody, we came back to count our losses and at the last count, three members of our community were already lying dead while several others sustained various degrees of gunshot injuries. Our women had gone to the farm to harvest Cassava to enable them feed their families but most regrettably, even before they were done, some youth from Adadama community, who are in the habit of abducting and killing our people besieged them with the intention of carrying out their nefarious activities but they were resisted by the youth, who went with the women. On getting back to the village, the women and youths were still narrating their ordeal when we heard gunshots and everyone started running to safety. It was in the process of trying to escape that three of our promising citizens were shot dead and several others injured right in our village by the blood thirsty Adadama youth. We are peace loving people. Across the border, a source from Abi, who also pleaded not to be named for safety reasons, blamed their Ebonyi neighbours for killing five members of Adadama community on June 21. Apart from those killed, the source said three Adaadama villagers sustained life threatening wounds. According to him, trouble started when some community women went to harvest cassava on a land bordering Amagu village. The women were chased from their farms by Amagu youth. When some of our women fled home to report what happened, our youth went on rescue mission a fight broke out leading to the death of four of our youth, said the source. Four other persons were rushed to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH, with bullet wounds and one, Ikor Anali, later died at the hospital. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the Director-General of the Primary Health Care Development Agency, Betta Edu, visited some of the victims of the crisis at the UCTH. Some of those receiving treatment at the hospital include John Edward, 16, Emmanuel George, 20, and Lebo Linus,17. The State Security Adviser to the Cross River State Governor, Jude Ngaji, said calm has returned to the warring communities. Immediately the crisis broke out, I called my colleague in Ebonyi State because we have been talking. There is a joint boundary committee between Ebonyi and Cross River to resolve that crisis, Mr. Ngaji said. The Cross River police commissioner also called his Ebonyi counterpart and a detachment of mobile policemen were immediately moved in to restore law and order. We intend to keep the police there for some time to ensure that peace is not disrupted while talk is ongoing. But the truth is that the long term solution to that problem is for the National Boundary Commission to return there and do the needful. Meanwhile, the Senator representing Ebonyi Central zone, Obinna Ogba has called for security to be beefed up in the area to avoid the constant attacks and killings of innocent people. Mr. Ogba, who is also the Senate Committee Chairman on Sports, appealed to the National Boundary Commission to urgently visit the area and advise government on possible ways to halt the hostility. The lawmaker, however, commended security agencies for their quick intervention to quell the crisis and urged the warring communities to remain calm while government explored permanent ways of resolving the problem. The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in Ebonyi State, George Okafor, confirmed the incident. Mr. Okafor disclosed that only two Ebonyi indigenes were killed during the attack. I can tell you that normalcy has been restored in the area but not without casualties on both sides. The commissioner of police has visited the place to see things for herself, the PPRO said. The commander of the Nigerian Armys Operation Lafiya Dole against Boko Haram, has reacted to a report accusing the army chief, Tukur Buratai, of supplying refurbished vehicles to the army in a contract scam that left him with proceeds enough to buy a property in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In an earlier statement, the army spokesperson, Sani Usman, denied the report by news websiteSaharareporters, accusing the medium of a smear campaign. He however admitted Mr. Buratai owned properties in Dubai, but said they were bought with Mr. Buratais savings. Saharareporters says the Dubai property, purchased in 2013, is jointly owned by Mr. Buratai and his wives. Lucky Irabor, a major general and commander of the Operation Lafiya Dole, reacted to the report on Saturday at a press conference in Maiduguri on Saturday. Mr. Irabor described the reports as baseless, unfounded and wicked insinuation. The other issue regarding property in Dubai is outside my purview, but has been responded to appropriately by the Acting Director Army Public Relations. The COAS, since assumption of office, has taken the affairs of Operation Lafiya Dole to a level that showed unparalleled commitment to the operational effectiveness and good welfare of troops. For example, since January 2016 till now, the COAS has provided various quantities of ammunition types, vehicles and other equipment in the Theatre. He has equally provided uniforms and boots for all the troops in Operation Lafiya Dole, Mr. Irabor added. He said the COAS had also ensured regular payment of allowances and other personnel entitlements since assumption of office. The payment of allowances and other requirements have been regular and in most cases, up-front. The COAS regular visits to the front line are well known to all. The aggregate impact of the efforts is the huge operational successes being recorded in the Theatre. The morale of troops has equally risen to a level that was never witnessed in the past, Mr. Irabor said. He also faulted claims that the motorcycles supplied to the Motorcycle Battalion in the Operation Lafiya Dole were used and refurbished. The online report further imputed that the motorcycles inducted into Operation Lafiya Dole and employed by the Motorcycle Battalion, were used and refurbished. What a sad tale of lies, when a report of that nature was received earlier, the COAS instituted a high-powered investigation by Military Police. The findings of the investigation team revealed that the motorcycles were brand new and were delivered in crates as knocked-down-parts. The technicians who fixed some of them, failed to tighten some knots firmly which was later rectified. Ever since, the motorcycles have proven useful in various operations, Mr. Irabor said. Mr. Irabor said motorcycles, used by the armys Motorcycle Battalion, are to enhance the capability of own forces to patrol, block routes, picket and pursue any remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists. This, he said had proved successful in the last major Operation Crackdown particularly along Maiduguri-Damboa-Biu and Damaturu-Buni Yadi Biu roads, opened to the public earlier in the year. Most Nigerians are opposed to a proposal by the Senate Committee on Constitution Review for life pension and immunity for National Assembly leaders, a PREMIUM TIMES poll has shown. The poll, which ran for 24 hours between June 21 and June 22, was conducted on two social media platforms Facebook and Twitter via this newspapers official accounts. The respondents were asked, Do you support life pension and immunity for lawmakers? They were provided with three options A Yes, B No and C I dont care. Poll Results on Twitter In 24 hours, 1,442 Twitter users responded, a vast majority negatively. Of the total figure, 1,326 persons representing 92 per cent chose no. Only four per cent, that is 58 respondents, supported the proposal for life pension and immunity for legislative leaders, namely senate president, deputy senate president, speaker and deputy speaker. Another four per cent selected I dont care. Poll results on Facebook More than four thousand Facebook users who follow PREMIUM TIMES commented on the post. However, most respondents did not choose between the three options. They merely expressed their views regarding the question, and majority were opposed to the proposal. Alasan Charles, wrote, NO. The civil servant who works for 8 hours Monday to Friday suffers to get his wages. Despite all that, he still suffers to get his pension, sometimes dies on the line waiting for that pension. Politicians are all thieves. The Awolowos and co left legacies. What legacies are they (contemporary leaders) living behind? They also want life pension for their principal officers, some of whom are already on life pensions from their states, Ibrahim Umar Sani commented. Everything they do or ask for is all about themselves and never in the interest of the Nigerian people. Again they want immunity from prosecution for all of them even though their job is part-time and they do not deal directly with the public. Its for the institution Members of the Senate Committee on Constitution review raised the proposal during their retreat in Lagos over the weekend. This has nothing to do with an individual. It is about the institution. Let us not politicise it. Nobody elected the chief justice of Nigeria, but he enjoys pension, deputy senate president and chairman of the committee said. But if we cheapen our own institution, so be it. Let us not make this a personal thing. Stella Oduah (PDP-Anambra) said there was no reason why legislators should not enjoy such benefit when other arms of government enjoyed it. The executive enjoy it. Let us stand by our leaders. They should enjoy this benefit. They act on behalf of us. They are equal to the executive and judiciary and should therefore, enjoy the same benefit, she said. Ahmed Yerima (APC-Zamfara), who also spoke in favour of the suggestion, said after being elected by all the lawmakers and their constituencies, lawmakers should enjoy pension. Governors, who spend just four years enjoy it, so presiding officers should enjoy it too, Mr. Yerima said. However, the leader of the Senate, Ali Ndume, and his Minority counterpart, Godswill Akpabio spoke against the proposal. The case of the state governors and their deputies is different. They were elected by the public. But we elect our principal officers. To me, I believe that the benefit of the office of the senate president and other principal officers is too much. They are just one among equals. I am against any excessive privileges given to the senate president or the speaker. All of us were elected. If we are doing anything, it should be for all members of the National Assembly, he said. The governor of a state and the president cannot stay in office for more than two terms. But for a senator, he can stay in office for 35 years, Mr. Akpabio said. Oluremi Tinubu also suggested that idea of life pension for lawmakers be dropped. I think principal officers have had enough. Principal Officers drive fleet of cars and they have other entitlements. They should not earn extra money when they leave office. In the last assembly, we in the minority tried to raise our voice against it. You are first, second and third among equals. Some of us do not even have cars, but principal officers have so many. I think we should drop that idea, Mrs. Tinubu said. The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has suspended its nationwide indefinite strike which commenced on June 20. The president of the association, Mohammad Askira, made the disclosure on Saturday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the outcome of the associations National Executive Council meeting held on Friday. He said the strike was suspended to enable the federal government implement the agreement reached with the association on or before July 14, adding that the doctors would resume work on July 27. The decision came days after the government ordered the dismissal of doctors who failed to report for work. Mr. Askira said his associations meeting also resolved to review the progress of government intervention at the next NEC meeting of the association scheduled for July 25 to 30 in Keffi for appropriation action. Mr. Askira expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for his promise to implement all the agreement reached between the association and the government. He commended the president for directing the Minister of Health to resolve the impasse in the best interest of Nigerians. He also expressed gratitude to the Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) among others for their interventions to resolve the crisis. Mr. Askira urged members of the association to remain calm as they resume their normal duties and promised that none of them would be victimised for participating in the strike. The association commenced strike on June 20 to protest against nonpayment of salaries, non-availability of residency training guidelines, among others. (NAN) 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. ABUJA, Nigeria, June 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- New Nigeria Initiative (NNI), a Nigerian pro-democracy organisation, is deeply concerned about the stability of Nigeria's democracy and has warned President Buhari's Government against 'meddling with the Nigerian Constitution'. This follows reports that the Nigerian Government Executive is attempting to accuse leading members of the Nigerian Senate, including Senate President Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, of unsubstantiated charges of forgery and conspiracy. Tracy Okoro, President of NNI said, "There is no evidence to justify the criminal charges. These so called 'allegations' were debated in the Nigerian Senate last year (2015) and found to have no merit at all. Yet still, these democratically-elected leaders continue to be pursued by the Nigerian Government Executive in a campaign against Nigeria's constitutional democracy." Tracy Okoro, President of NNI went on to say, "We are currently facing an important time for democracy in Nigeria, with a wide range of serious issues to resolve such as poverty, housing and social care. We believe these charges are only serving the purpose of distracting the Nigerian Senate from the real issues at hand." The NNI believes that the Nigerian Government Executive is attempting to influence the Nigerian Senate by disrupting its leadership team. In doing this, they are disregarding separation of powers and taking democratic power away from the people of Nigeria, who voted in order to be properly represented in the Nigerian Senate. Stephany Onyewezi, Secretary of NNI said, "Whilst we agree with President Buhari's attempt to eradicate corruption within Nigeria, it should be done in an objective and measured way that respects the rule of law and not be above it." The NNI calls upon the Nigeria's Attorney General and Minister of Justice look at the real the purpose of these unsubstantiated charges, as well as the evidential basis upon which they have been brought. We urge the government to respect Nigeria's democracy. Notes to editors: 1. The New Nigeria Initiative (NNI) is a non-profit organization that stands for "accountability and voice for human development. Founded in 2014 by a group of patriotic Nigerians, this group of young professionals believes that the "great challenge" facing Nigeria is to rebuild trust in government institutions so that they can provide the desired services to citizens. 2. For further enquiries contact Tracy Okoro at E: newnigeriagroup@gmail.com, M +2348172289055 or +2348187664636 SOURCE New Nigeria Initiative (NNI) ABUJA, Nigeria, June 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Democratic leaders in Nigeria's Senate (the Upper House), including Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, are being unfairly targeted by senior members of the Nigerian Government with politically motivated allegations in order to undermine the power of the Nigerian Senate. The Nigerian Government Executive is due to lay unfounded charges of forgery and corruption against Nigeria's Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, his Deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the Clerk of the Nigerian Senate, Ben Efeturi and the previous Clerk of the Nigerian National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa. Senator Sabi Abdullahi, Senator from the Nigerian ruling party (APC) and official spokesman of the Senate said, "It is time for the international community to take note and condemn this undemocratic behaviour by the Nigerian Government. This is a time when the Nigerian people need leadership not petty in-fighting." Senator Sabi Abdullahi maintains the charges are entirely false and unfounded. "They are nothing more than a politically motivated crusade by the Nigerian Government Executive to remove the democratically elected leadership in the Nigerian Senate. The Nigerian Government Executive is attempting to take democratic power away from the very people the Nigerian Senate represents." "I call upon the international community to condemn the Nigerian Government Executive's continuing attempts to interfere with the democratic leadership of the Nigerian Senate. Nigeria's 'War on Corruption' is fast-becoming a veil to justify attacks on Nigeria's functioning democracy and this must not be allowed to stand." Senator Abdullahi added that there is no evidence to justify the criminal charges pursued against the leaders of the Nigerian Senate because the issues were discussed in the Nigerian upper legislative Chambers last year and dismissed. "The Nigerian Government Executive however, is not satisfied, despite the democratic process that followed in the election of the Senate leadership." Senator Abdullahi urges the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari to respect the rule of law and Nigeria's constitutional democracy. "I appeal to all lovers of democracy to condemn in strong terms, this latest assault on our democratic institution. Nigeria's democracy was hard won. It must therefore not be allowed to fail." Notes to editors: Dr Abdullahi is a Ph. D holder in Agricultural Science. He is first-term Senator representing Niger South District in the North Central zone of Nigeria . He is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, a position that makes him the official spokesman of the Senate. . He is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, a position that makes him the official spokesman of the Senate. The Nigerian Senate is the Upper chamber of the bi-camera legislature of the Federal Republic of Nigeria . It has a total of 109 members with three members representing each of the 36 states of Nigeria and 1 member from the Federal Capital, Abuja . The Senate is headed by the President of the Senate who presides at the plenary. He is elected by a simple majority of Senators at the inauguration of the Senate and can be removed by a two-third of the members. The Deputy Senate President is similarly elected and acts in presiding capacity in the absence of the Senate president. In addition to these two, the Senate has eight other principal officers - majority leader, deputy majority leader, chief whip, deputy chief whip, minority leader, deputy minority leader, minority whip and deputy minority whip. The current President of the Senate is a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which has a total of 58 members, while his Deputy belongs to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, with 44 members. A third party, the Labour Party has one member, while six seats are currently vacant. The Senate requires two-third majority to take most decisions. . It has a total of 109 members with three members representing each of the 36 states of and 1 member from the Federal Capital, . The Senate is headed by the President of the Senate who presides at the plenary. He is elected by a simple majority of Senators at the inauguration of the Senate and can be removed by a two-third of the members. The Deputy Senate President is similarly elected and acts in presiding capacity in the absence of the Senate president. In addition to these two, the Senate has eight other principal officers - majority leader, deputy majority leader, chief whip, deputy chief whip, minority leader, deputy minority leader, minority whip and deputy minority whip. The current President of the Senate is a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which has a total of 58 members, while his Deputy belongs to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, with 44 members. A third party, the Labour Party has one member, while six seats are currently vacant. The Senate requires two-third majority to take most decisions. Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki is a 53 year old President of the Senate. He was a two-term Governor in Nigeria's North-Central, Kwara State from 2003 to 2011. He was elected to the Senate for the first time in 2011 and appointed chairman of the Committee on Environment and Ecology. In the wake of rising national concern over fuel subsidy payments, he initiated the motion that exposed the massive fraud that characterised subsidy payments in the country. In 2014, he led six state Governors, some Senators and House of Representatives members out of the then ruling party, PDP to join other parties in forming the APC, which subsequently won the 2015 Presidential election. North-Central, Kwara State from 2003 to 2011. He was elected to the Senate for the first time in 2011 and appointed chairman of the Committee on Environment and Ecology. In the wake of rising national concern over fuel subsidy payments, he initiated the motion that exposed the massive fraud that characterised subsidy payments in the country. In 2014, he led six state Governors, some Senators and House of Representatives members out of the then ruling party, PDP to join other parties in forming the APC, which subsequently won the 2015 Presidential election. Senator Ike Ekweremadu holds a Ph. D in law. He is one of the longest serving Senators, having been in the Senate since 2003, and currently serving a fourth term as Senator. He is in his 10 th year as Deputy Senate President, a position that confers on him the presidency of the Sub-regional, West Africa parliament as well as Chairmanship of the Constitution Review Committee. holds a Ph. D in law. He is one of the longest serving Senators, having been in the Senate since 2003, and currently serving a fourth term as Senator. He is in his 10 year as Deputy Senate President, a position that confers on him the presidency of the Sub-regional, parliament as well as Chairmanship of the Constitution Review Committee. For further information please contact; Yusuph Olaniyonu on +2348055001965 or y.olaniyonu@senatepresident.gov.ng SOURCE The Office of Senator Abdullahi California's tallest open-air observation deck opens to the public on Saturday, 25 June 2016 SINGAPORE, June 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Singapore Exchange Mainboard-listed integrated property developer OUE Limited ("OUE" or the "Group") held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch the much-anticipated OUE Skyspace LA at the iconic U.S. Bank Tower. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160625/383399 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160625/383400 LA Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan and OUE Executive Chairman Stephen Riady lead OUE Skyspace LA's ceremonial ribbon-cutting as OUE Deputy Chairman Christopher Williams looks on LA's newest attraction is US Bank Tower's outdoor glass Skyslide The all-new OUE Skyspace LA is California's tallest open-air observation deck at almost 1,000 feet above downtown Los Angeles, and the premiere destination for 360-degree views of the city, stretching from the Hollywood Hills to the Pacific Ocean. The OUE Skyspace LA experience includes a variety of interactive visitor touch points on floors 2, 54, 69 and 70. Besides taking in the spectacular panoramas from the two-storey observation deck on the upper floors, visitors can view the city like never before on the thrilling Skyslide attraction. Made entirely of clear glass, 1 inches thick, the Skyslide is a first-of-its-kind outdoor glass slide affixed to the exterior of U.S. Bank Tower, extending 45 feet long from floor 70 to floor 69, offering visitors a truly unparalleled experience. OUE Skyspace LA is part of comprehensive asset enhancement works spearheaded by OUE to transform U.S. Bank Tower, which it acquired in 2013, from a commercial building into a vibrant business, social and tourist destination. Works on the observation deck and Skyslide began in December 2014 which cost approximately US$ 31 million. Also completed is the over US$ 26 million makeover of the office lobby, which now features one of the country's largest high-resolution video art walls in an office building. "We are pleased to be celebrating the completion of the asset enhancement at U.S. Bank Tower. Representing the pinnacle of the building's transformation, OUE Skyspace is poised to become a prominent tourist attraction and firmly positions U.S. Bank Tower as the undisputed icon on the Los Angeles skyline," said Dr Stephen Riady, OUE's Executive Chairman. Echoing this sentiment, Lucy Rumantir, President & Chief Executive Officer, The Americas, OUE said, "The opening of OUE Skyspace LA will breathe new life into LA's tallest landmark. Its unique offerings will provide local residents as well as tourists an opportunity to experience the city from an exciting new perspective." OUE Skyspace LA opens to the public on Saturday, 25 June 2016. Press contact: John Gamboa Tel: +1 (213) 337 3952 Email: johngamboa@oue.com.sg SOURCE OUE Limited PORTLAND, Ore., June 25, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC deplored the adoption by the Presbyterian Church (USA) of a report that lays the foundation for the denomination to repudiate the vision of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Commissioners endorsed "Israel-Palestine: For Human Values in the Absence of a Just Peace" by a vote of 429 to 129. The report was approved despite efforts to send it back to the committee that wrote it for a full and fair examination of the current situation and the role that all parties need to play in reconciliation and peace. "For those who seek an enduring Israeli-Palestinian peace it is deeply disappointing that a major Protestant denomination in the U.S. with deep roots in the Middle East has chosen to be a cheerleader for those whose vision of peace does not include the State of Israel," said Emily Soloff, AJC Associate Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations, who attended the PCUSA General Assembly in Portland, Oregon. "Sadly, efforts to moderate the Presbyterian trajectory toward rejection of peace were derailed." The report is filled with inaccuracies, innuendos and unsubstantiated claims. It perniciously leads readers to the conclusion that the goal of two states is unattainable and that Israel is solely responsible. In 2014, the PCUSA GA called for a review of the Church's support for two states for Israelis and Palestinians, but Church representatives chose instead to use that review process to create yet another one-sided document that condemns Israel. As it did in 2010 with its notoriously biased Middle East Study Commission Report, the Church chose to follow those who prefer rejection over reconciliation and punitive language over peaceful pursuit. SOURCE AJC ASHBURN, Va., June 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Senator Richard H. Black shares his thoughts on the events of "Brexit." Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160624/383355 Last night, the British sent shock waves through the One World Order by voting to secede from the European Union. Article 50 of the EU explicitly provides for departure, so there is no turning back. The European Union had good intentions, but none were realized. It distorted national economies by using a "one size fits all" approach that forced rich nations to bail out less fiscally responsible ones. It impoverished those by blocking necessary currency devaluations. EU was conceived to avoid national conflicts. It did not work. Instead, it morphed into a militaristic, aggressive force that cooperated in fostering wars across the Middle East; it helped transform NATO from a purely defense alliance into one engaged in reckless aggression right up to the very borders of Russia. It has risked a nuclear military confrontation with Russia over relatively trivial matters in the Ukraine that certainly do not warrant triggering WW III. EU has embarked on a policy of ethnic cleansing, using massive waves of third-world immigration. Most recently, it encouraged vast numbers of hostile, military-aged young men to cross into the EU from radical Muslim nations; men who arrived filled with hatred toward the west and a determination to subjugate the native European population. On New Year's Eve in Cologne, Germany, 1,000 Arab men sexually assaulted over 800 Christian women, bring criminal violence to a nation that formerly had little crime of any sort. Brussels was unfazed. Ethnic cleansing was having its desired effectshattering national ethnic and religious cohesion. The EU was a dictatorship that took sovereignty from the people. They no longer decided what values they would hold or what type of culture they desired. Instead, arrogant, faceless foreigners from Brussels imposed their will on sullen populations. Now, it's time to dismantle the EU and its military arm, NATO. Both have outlived their usefulness and brutalized national sovereignty. Finally, we can give peace a chance; finally, we can care for workers in each country; finally we can protect borders and respect citizenship; finally we can halt ethnic cleansing through horrific levels of open-borders immigration; finally, ordinary citizens will regain a voice in their own affairs. Bravo for Brexitone of the most historic events of modern times! This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE Senator Richard H. Black DOHA, Qatar, June 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The founders of Clouds Interiors, a company that offers interior design Qatar business owners can rely on, are pleased to announce that they are now offering new office interior designs, kiosk design and ceiling designs. As a spokesperson for the interior design company in Doha Qatar noted, Clouds Interiors http://www.cloudsinteriors.com/doha-qatar/corporate-office-interiors/ offers the perfect commercial interior design and corporate office interiors in Doha Qatar. For example, the custom-designed fancy kiosks from the interior design company in Qatar can help to build both excitement and boost sales. "Our Kiosks blends maximum visual impact with superb design functionality that encompasses your brand and attracts potential customers, making it a popular storefront alternative for small scale retailers in Doha, Qatar," noted a spokesperson for the interior designers in Doha. The new ceiling designs, which range from traditional romantic styles to a more modern cutting edge look, are also already getting a lot of attention from customers. "We offer you the best Indoor ceiling designs that meet your requirement to perfection. Splash out on the decorative and different styles from Clouds Interiors to transform a blank canvas into a work of art," noted the company spokesperson. The fact that Clouds Interiors would offer new and exciting office interior designs and more will not surprise the many people who have worked with the company. Clouds Interiors http://www.cloudsinteriors.com/doha-qatar/kiosk-design/ is one of the best interior designers in Qatar that offers the best office interior, kiosk and ceiling designs that money can buy. As one of the top interior design companies in Qatar, Clouds Interiors is also proud to offer commercial interior design Qatar business owners will love. "Our designs provide a unique and distinctive look with subtle elegance," noted the spokesperson for one of the top interior decoration companies in Qatar. About Clouds Interiors: Clouds Interiors, with its experience in the interior designing industry, specializes in designing top notch corporate office interiors, ceilings, Kiosk Designs, Gypsum Partition and Ceiling Design projects as well as for the hospitality segment. For more information, please visit http://www.cloudsinteriors.com/ Clouds Interiors Post Office Box no:31348 Coffee Time Building Al Wakara Main Street Doha, Qatar Phone:+97444360577 Contact: Joyal Joy [email protected] SOURCE Clouds Interiors Related Links http://www.cloudsinteriors.com WASHINGTON, June 25, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Red Cross is responding to two massive disasters in the East and West, helping people who have lost everything to the raging wildfires in California and the devastating flooding in West Virginia. "Our volunteers are helping people affected by the wildfires out west and the terrible flooding in West Virginia," said Brad Kieserman, vice president, Disaster Services Operations and Logistics for the Red Cross. "We have more than 400 Red Cross workers helping now and are monitoring the situations with local and state officials to make sure people get the help they need." HOW TO HELP These are large relief responses and the Red Cross needs the public's support now. Those who would like to help people affected by disasters like flooding, wildfires and countless other crises can make a donation to Red Cross Disaster Relief. People can donate by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. These donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Financial donations are the quickest way to get people the help they need. In California, if someone wishes to donate clothes or household items, they can be dropped off at Goodwill Industries of South Central California. The Red Cross is partnering with them to issue vouchers to support those who have had to evacuate. Information about where items can be donated is available here. WEST VIRGINIA Thousands of people are without power and gas service. As many as 60 roads are closed to flooding and flood damage. There are almost 20 Red Cross and community shelters open across the affected counties where hundreds of people are taking refuge from the flooding. Red Cross workers are providing meals, relief supplies and other assistance to those affected as well as meals for first responders. Red Cross disaster mental health workers are helping people cope. Health workers are helping to replace needed items like prescription medications and eyeglasses. The Red Cross is monitoring the situation and working with state and local officials and partners to help ensure people get the help they need. Important Red Cross flood safety information is found here. CALIFORNIA The Erskine Fire in Kern County started Friday and firefighters have been unable to contain the blaze which has already destroyed 150 homes, burned 35,000 acres and forced almost 3,000 people to evacuate. Red Cross workers have shelters open where more than 130 people spent Friday night. The Red Cross is providing food and relief supplies, along with health services and helping people cope with a very difficult situation. People in the path of the fire can find vital safety information here. SAFE AND WELL People can register on the Red Cross Safe and Well website so loved ones can see their situation. Those who can't access a computer can call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) and a Red Cross operator can help them register. They can also update their Facebook and Twitter status through the Safe and Well website or visit www.redcross.org/safeandwell on their smart phone and click on the "List Yourself as Safe and Well" or "Search for friends and family" link. DOWNLOAD EMERGENCY APP People should download the free Red Cross Emergency App to receive emergency alerts and information about what to do in case of flooding, wildfires and other disasters, as well as locations of shelters. The App also includes emergency first aid information and a Family Safe feature which allows people to instantly see if loved ones are okay. The free Emergency App is available in app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps. CORPORATIONS HELP The generous donations from members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and the Disaster Responder Program enable the Red Cross to prepare communities for disasters big and small, respond whenever and wherever disasters occur and help families during the recovery process. ADGP $1 Million members are: American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Anthem Foundation; Boise Paper; Caterpillar Foundation; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Disney; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx Corporation; The Home Depot Foundation; Humble Bundle; LDS Charities; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; Mazda North American Operations; Merck Foundation; Nationwide Foundation; State Farm; Target; UPS; VSPSM Vision care for life; and Walmart and the Walmart Foundation. ADGP $500,000 members are: 3M; Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Bank of America; BNY Mellon; Capital One; Cisco Foundation; Citi Foundation; ConAgra Foods Foundation; Darden Restaurants Foundation; Discover; Edison International; Farmers Insurance; Ford Motor Company; Grainger; John Deere Foundation; Johnson Controls; Medtronic; Meijer; Mondelez International Foundation; National Grid; PepsiCo Foundation; Prudential Foundation; Southwest Airlines; Sprint; Sunoco; The TJX Companies, Inc.; United Airlines; United Technologies Corporation; Visa; Wawa; and Wells Fargo. Disaster Responder Program members are: Alcoa; Almost Family; Astellas USA Foundation; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; AXA; Ball Foundation; BHP Billiton; CarMax; The Clorox Company; Cox Automotive; Duke Energy; Entergy Corporation; General Motors Foundation; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; Hi-Rez Studios; HP Company Foundation; IBM Corporation; IKEA; Ingersoll Rand Foundation; Interstate All Battery Center; Land O'Lakes, Inc.; Marsh & McLennan Companies; MetLife Foundation; Morgan Stanley; Neiman Marcus Group; New Balance Foundation; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation; Procter & Gamble Company; PSEG Foundation; PuroClean Disaster Recovery; Red Heart Yarns; Residence Inn by Marriott; Ryder; ScriptRelief; Sealed Air; Servpro Industries, Inc.; Southeastern Grocers Home of BI-LO Harveys Winn Dixie; Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Foundation, Inc.; T O Y O T A; U.S. Bank; and U-Haul International. About the American Red Cross: The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090108/RedCrossLOGO SOURCE American Red Cross Related Links http://www.redcross.org LAS VEGAS, June 25, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Wall Street and global markets tanked after British citizens surprised the odds makers and voted to leave the European Union (EU). Mark Skousen, economist and producer of FreedomFest said this of the UK decision, "This political and economic earthquake could have repercussions for years, and should not be dismissed lightly. It sends an important message to our government officials, and has major significance on our own elections in the U.S.." Started in 2002 as the national convention of the Foundation for Economic Education, FreedomFest has evolved into the signature networking event for American innovators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors and even filmmakers. FreedomFest is produced by Mark and Jo Ann Skousen. Visit www.freedomfest.com for more information. Will this landmark action result in more nationalism and protectionism at a time when the global economy is vulnerable? Or, will the EU pursue entitlement, tax and regulatory reform, and liberalize its markets instead of protecting them? What impact will the UK political bombshell have on United States elections? These questions and more will be answered during FreedomFest, the "largest gathering of free minds," July 13-17 at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. FreedomFest has added an "in-depth" report and discussion on the topic to its lineup, "Brexit and the Future of the Global Economy, the Markets and the Political Landscape." All of your favorite financial gurus including Alex Green, Keith Fitz-Gerald, Peter Schiff, Bert Dohmen, Adrian Day, Bill Bonner, Steve Moore, and Grover Norquist are featured speakers. When Steve Forbes says, "Join me at FreedomFest, where the best ideas and strategies are fleshed out," he's serious! FreedomFest is the ONLY conference that Forbes attends for the entire three days. However, Forbes is not alone as John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, also attends. Mackey is currently in the UK visiting his stores and will provide FreedomFest attendees with his impressions and analysis. FreedomFest is proudly featuring 250 speakers and welcomes the 1,500 attendees who are already registered, with three weeks still to go before show time. While the action in the UK is creating uncertainty, FreedomFest is sure to inform and inspire. Skousen says that the most important lesson to take from the UK vote is that the EU overstepped its bounds and engaged in excessive taxation, regulation and political tyranny and is now paying the price with additional consequences possibly lurking in the horizon. Skousen warns this could signal the beginning of the end of the EU, which Milton Friedman predicted. Concerns over uncontrolled immigration, loss of sovereignty and remote rule from Brussels appear to trump the economic risks of exit for voters in the UK. Similarly, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have hit a cord with Americans who also feel disenfranchised by a remote and unresponsive government imposing excessive taxation, regulation and entitlements on them. Skousen stated, "Neither Trump nor Sanders have the best solutions to the problem, but they know how to reflect American anger. The danger is that Trump and Sanders -- like the EU scaremongers -- will feed too much on nationalism and protectionism at a time of slow growth around the globe. That's what happened in the early 1930s with the passage of the protectionist Smoot-Hawley tariff, which exacerbated the Great Depression." Clearly, the global community is entering a new era of political and economic instability, and it's hard to say what the end result will be. About FreedomFest: Started in 2002 as the national convention of the Foundation for Economic Education, FreedomFest has evolved into the signature networking event for American innovators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors and even filmmakers. FreedomFest is produced by Mark and Jo Ann Skousen. Mark is an economist and author, currently a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University and longtime editor of Forecasts & Strategies. Jo Ann teaches English literature at Chapman University and Sing Sing, and is the founding director of the Anthem Film Festival. To interview Mark or Jo Ann Skousen contact FreedomFest's media relations coordinator, Amy Coombs, at 1-801-404-2627 or via email at [email protected] Press passes are available. For more information go to www.freedomfest.com or call 1-855-850-FREE (3733) Ext. 202. Use special code SALEM (all caps) to get $100 off the registration fee. Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiJ15hoUJBU SOURCE FreedomFest Related Links http://www.freedomfest.com If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Bengaluru, June 24 : Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Friday hailed the peace pact between the Colombian government and the country's main rebel group which he had been persuading to give up violence. The Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) signed a historic pact on Thursday to end a 52-year-old armed conflict. Ravi Shankar's Art of Living said he had played "an important role" in the peace process. Last year, the spiritual leader travelled to Cuba and Colombia, talking to both the parties and building trust between them, an Art of Living statement said. "His efforts resulted in a major breakthrough in June 2015 when the FARC rebels announced a unilateral ceasefire," it said. The strife had taken the lives of 220,000 people and displaced more than five million. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was quoted as saying that with his consent, Ravi Shankar spoke to both parties, urging the FARC leaders to follow the Gandhian principle of non-violence. Washington, June 25 : Using planetary protection techniques that ensure NASA spacecraft do not contaminate other worlds, researchers, including one of Indian-origin, have found a link between bacteria in breast ductal fluid and breast cancer. The breast ductal system contains the glands that produce milk and naturally secretes a substance called "nipple aspirate fluid". For the study, the researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, employed the same sequencing and analysis methods used for examining bacteria in spacecraft assembly rooms. "We applied these planetary protection techniques in the first-ever study of microorganisms in human breast ductal fluid," said Parag Vaishampayan, scientist in biotechnology and planetary protection at JPL. The researchers found differences between the ductal fluid bacteria found in women who have experienced breast cancer, and the bacteria present in those who have not. The findings were published in the online journal Scientific Reports. The research team found that the community of microorganisms in breast ductal fluid differed significantly between two groups -- 23 healthy women and 25 women who had a history of breast cancer and had gone through treatment. It was then analysed with next-generation genomic sequencing, which has also been used for examining bacteria in NASA spacecraft assembly facilities. For the study, NASA scientists collaborated with cancer researchers from different institutions. "Collaboration between JPL space technology experts and medical researchers will continue to propel groundbreaking discoveries," Vaishampayan, who earned in PhD from University of Pune in Maharashtra, said. "This publication represents a success for JPL's Medical Engineering Forum Initiative, which focuses on applying NASA technology for medical needs here on Earth," JPL's Leon Alkalai, who is spearheading the initiative said in a statement. Though the study found a correlation between specific species of bacteria and women who have gone through breast cancer treatment, the cause of the bacterial population difference is unclear. However, the new research findings set the stage for further study on the role microbes may play in causing or preventing breast cancer. They are in line with recent research studies that suggest microbes contribute to 16 percent or more of malignancies worldwide. London, June 25 : Aides to Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn have denied that he was on the verge of resigning after the country's decision to leave the European Union (EU), BBC reported on Saturday. Corbyn is due to give a speech in London later on Saturday to set out how the party should move forward. Two Labour MPs, Margaret Hodge and Ann Coffey have submitted a motion of no confidence against Corbyn to the Parliamentary Labour Party chairman, John Cryer, saying he did not convey a clear EU message. The motion has no formal constitutional force but calls for a discussion at the party's next meeting on Monday. The chairman will decide whether it is debated. If accepted, a secret ballot of Labour MPs could be held on Tuesday. By Friday evening, seven other Labour MPs were on record as backing the motion. It would take 50 MPs uniting around an alternative candidate to trigger a new leadership contest. Labour MP Stephen Kinnock has also come out in support of the motion, accusing Corbyn of a "lacklustre" campaign. An online petition on the website of campaign organisation 38 Degrees calling for "a vote of confidence in Jeremy Corbyn after Brexit" has attracted more than 90,000 signatures. Labour MP Frank Field - who supported the Leave campaign - said Corbyn "clearly isn't the right person to lead Labour into an election, because nobody thinks he will win". "We clearly need somebody who the public think of as an alternative prime minister," he told BBC Radio. He admitted the party lacked an obvious alternative to Corbyn, but said he hoped a potential new leader would emerge in a fresh party leadership contest. Corbyn won an overwhelming victory in last year's Labour leadership contest, but did not have the backing of most MPs. The leader was expected to appear at Glastonbury Music Festival this weekend, but organisers said he had pulled out in the wake of the EU referendum result. Srinagar, June 25 : Security forces on Saturday busted a major module of the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) in south Kashmir's Shopian district with the arrest of three militants of the outfit. A police officer told IANS, "Three active militants of the HM have been arrested during an operation in Shopian district by the security forces today. "The arrest of these militants has dealt a major blow to the militant activities in the district." Agartala, June 25 : Around 250 Bangladeshi nationals, who tried to enter Tripura on Saturday returned back from the border, police said. These Bangladeshi Hindu tribals were evicted from their habitation by the forest guards of that country. "After a flag meeting between the officials of Border Security Force and Border Guards Bangladesh, the latter took these Bangladeshis back from the border to provide rehabilitation in their villages," Khowai district police chief Jayanta Chakraborty told IANS over phone. The Khowai district administration provided these Bangladeshi nationals food and other essentials during the day. "Around 250 people, including women and children, tried to enter western Tripura on Saturday morning but the BSF thwarted their attempt," Chakraborty said. "Bangladesh forest guards had destroyed the homes of these people and evicted them from forest lands at Chunarughat in eastern Bangladesh late on Friday. These people are Hindu tribals who took shelter along the Indian border," he added. The police officials said that due to border fencing and alertness of the BSF troopers, the Bangladeshis could not enter Tripura's Champahowar village under Khowai district, around 100 km west of Agartala. BSF sources said they communicated the matter to Border Guards Bangladesh and a flag meeting between the senior officials of the two forces was held in the afternoon. Meanwhile, Union Home Ministry's Border Management Secretary Susheel Kumar, who arrived here on Friday on a three-day visit to Tripura, held a meeting with Tripura Chief Secretary Yashpal Singh, senior officials of the BSF, District Magistrates and Collectors of different bordering districts besides senior state government officials to review the various aspects of the India-Bangladesh border. Hyderabad, June 25 : Bowing to growing protest by farmers and opposition parties, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday announced that farmers going to be affected by Mallanna Sagar irrigation project will be paid compensation in the manner being sought by them. Rao's announcement came even as opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Revanth Reddy went on a fast to demand adequate compensation to farmers in 14 villages in Medak district which will be submerged with the construction of the reservoir across Godavari river. KCR, as the chief minister is popularly known, said the government would justice to the oustees by paying compensation according to the Land Acquisition Act 2013 or Government Order 123. Irrigation Minister Harish Rao met the chief minister to discuss the issue in detail in the wake of increasing protests by the farmers and growing support to the protestors from the opposition parties. Harish Rao said as per GO 123, a farmer losing an acre of land with a borewell in it will be paid Rs 7 lakh as compensation, and without it, Rs 5.8 lakh. The displaced family will get a double bedroom house under the government's housing scheme for poor. Under Land Acquisition Act 2013, a farmer losing his land will get thrice its registration value. However, payment of compensation under this Act is a lengthy process. The minister already said that the farmers will be the losers if they opt for Land Acquisition Act as the land value in the villages to be submerged by the project is only Rs 60,000. He had also made it clear that the government has every right to acquire the land for the project as it is aimed at benefiting lakhs of people. Demanding fair compensation to farmers, the opposition parties have claimed that the actual value of one acre of land in these villages is more than Rs 15 lakh. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government appealed to farmers not to allow themselves to be misled by the opposition parties, who are creating hurdles in the path of state's development. The ruling party leaders went to the extent of appealing to people not to allow leaders of Congress, TDP, BJP and Telangana Joint Action Committee to enter the villages. Protests were also organised in support of the project. Mallanna Sagar project is designed to irrigate 12 lakh acres in Nizamabad, Medak, Rangareddy and Nalgonda districts. Being taken up at a cost of Rs 9,800 crore, it is one of the biggest projects planned by TRS as part of its vision 'golden Telangana'. The project will submerge 14 villages in Medak, the native district of the chief minister. The villagers are up in arms over what they call meagre compensation being offered under GO 123. They are insisting on compensation under Land Acquisition Act but it is still not clear if the government will agree with farmers over the land value. The row over land acquisition is the first major public protest being faced by KCR, who completed two years in office early this month. New Delhi, June 25 : AAP legislator Dinesh Mohaniya was on Saturday arrested on charges of "sexual harassment" on the complaint of a woman who visited his office-cum residence two days ago as part of a group to complain about irregular water supply, police said. A district court has sent the MLA to judicial custody till June 27. Mohaniya, an MLA from Sangam Vihar constituency in south Delhi, was picked up by a team of Delhi Police while he was addressing a press conference at his residence in Sangam Vihar. He has also been booked for misbehaviour, manhandling and touching a woman inappropriately on the woman's complaint. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA was taken to Neb Sarai Police station in south Delhi where a group of 10-12 women had registered a complaint against Mohaniya on Thursday. Mohaniya was later produced before a duty magistrate in Saket court who directed he be sent to judicial custody till June 27. "We have arrested Mohaniya today (Saturday) on charges of manhandling, sexual harassment, inappropriately touching a woman and trying to disrobe her modesty when she visited his office-cum residence along with a group of women to complain about water supply problem," Deputy Commissioner of Police Ishwar Singh said. Singh said that two of the women gave their statements that Mohaniya's associates touched one of them inappropriately with the intention to disrobe her modesty. "Initially we had filed charges against Mohaniya under section 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the IPC which was levelled by the group of women in their complaint on Thursday," the officer said. "Later we added sections 354 A (making sexually coloured remarks or an offence of sexual harassment) and 354 B (act with intent to disrobe the modesty of a woman) of the IPC after two of the women independently gave their statement," the officer said. "Earlier we served two consequent notices to him (Mohaniya) on Friday evening and Saturday morning for joining police investigation following a complaint registered against him, which he refused to accept. We had to arrest him as he was not cooperating in the inquiry," the officer said. The officer indicated the possibility of a few more arrests in the case. On Friday a case was registered against Mohaniya, the vice chairman of Delhi Jal Board, for allegedly slapping a 60-year-old man in Tughlakabad area of south Delhi when he had gone to meet people distressed over the poor water supply in the area. Patna, June 25 : Bihar's Class 12 "topper" in Arts Rubi Rai, who had said political science is all about cooking, was arrested on Saturday when she appeared for a re-test at the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) office, police said. "Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Bihar police probing into the Bihar toppers scam has arrested Rubi Rai when she finally appeared for a re-test at BSEB office," a police official said. Rubi will be produced in the local court on Sunday, the official added. Before today, Rubi Rai failed to appear in the re-test twice on June 3 and June 17. She reportedly informed the board that she is not well and unable to appear for the re-test. The results of Rubi and other toppers were put on hold after the scam came to light in May. A total of 14 students were called for a re-test by the BSEB after a news channel broadcast a sting in which Rubi Rai said: "Prodikal (read political) science is about cooking", and Saurabh Shreshtha, a Science topper, said: "Most reactive element in the periodic table is aluminium". Ruby had scored 444 out of 500 marks in the Arts stream and Saurabh Shreshtha 485 out of 500 in Science. Both studied in V.R. College in Vaishali district. According to police officials, the Patna civil court has issued a non-bailable warrant of arrest against four toppers including Rubi Rai. The V.R. college director-cum-principal Bachcha Rai was arrested early this month and was lodged in Beur jail in Patna. The former board chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad and his wife, and former Janata Dal-United (JD-U) MLA Usha Sinha were also arrested in connection with the scam. "Police have taken them on remand for interrogation," officials said. So far, nearly 20 people have been arrested by the SIT. New Delhi, June 25 : Urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare July 1 as Daughters' Day in memory of Indo-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla, the Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) has launched a campaign #shakti4beti. Kalpana, who had an illustrious career as a US astronaut, died along with six crew members of the Space Shuttle Columbia which disintegrated over Texas during its re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, just 16 minutes before landing. July 1 is Kalpana's official birthday. Even after her tragic death, Kalpana continues to be a shining example and icon for many girls around the world. PRCI -- the pan-India premier body of PR, Media, Advertising, HR professionals and mass communication academicians -- embarked on a social media campaign to focus on communicating on the importance of girl security, culminating with Daughter's Day events on Friday next (July 1). PRCI has petitioned the Prime Minister and tweeted to the HRD, Defence and Railway ministers urging for their help and support for #shakti4beti and declaring July 1 as Daughters' Day. Explaining the significance of the theme, B.N. Kumar, national president of PRCI, said: "Beti Suraksha (girls' security) falls in line with the Union government's campaign Beti Bachao Beti Padhao. We as communication professionals firmly believe that it is absolutely important to communicate to the society at large on the issue that bothers all -- the security of the girl child". "The memory of Kalpana Chawla, whose glory grew sky high, remains as an inspiration and we as communicators are keen to ensure that the GenX remembers with a sense of pride," said M.B. Jayaram, Chairman Emeritus and Chief Mentor of PRCI. "We at PRCI observe July 1 as Daughters' Day each year and now we have urged the Prime Minister to declare it as a National Daughters' Day," he added. PRCI has also launched a Twitter and Facebook campaign to focus on communication about girl safety and security, and proposed to schools and colleges to initiate self defence programmes for girls. "We are happy that KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research (SIMSR) at Somaiya Vidyavihar, Mumbai, has agreed to actively participate in the campaign. Students will be mobilised to communicate on the issue. A Navi Mumbai-based developer, Prajapati Constructions, has also given its consent to launch the drive at a school in Uran, near Mumbai," said Kumar. PRCI chapters across the country have also planned campaigns. The Bengaluru chapter planned a Beti Padhao programme. New Delhi, June 25 : The Defence Acqusition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, on Saturday "approved" progress in the ongoing case of procurement of 145 M777 ultra light howitzers from US, and cleared 19 proposals worth Rs 28,000 crore, defence ministry officials said. "The DAC approved progress of ongoing case of 145 ultralight howitzer on FMS route from US," an official said. "DAC directed independent progressing of the offsets. Deliveries of these guns will be in India, resulting in substantial cost savings in transportation," the official added. Some of the guns will be assembled in India, the official said. "There will be certain components that will be coming as full assembled guns and some of it will be assembled here." Asked about the process in the procurement, the official said: "Since we are getting it through Foreign Military Sale (FMS) route, we have sent a request letter to US government. They have sent us a draft letter of acceptance. "When the draft letter of acceptance comes to us we review that the terms we gave and the terms that they have accepted are matching or are they acceptable to us... Once this letter of acceptance is sent back to their government and finally after that whatever is the money is paid." The timeline for procurement of the gun was however not revealed, though the source confirmed there have been discussions on it. "Timing has been discussed but I would not like to dwell on the timing. But timing also include the time needed for assembly, integration and testing in India," the official added. The DAC is the highest decision making body of the defence ministry. The deal for buying M777 howitzers has been long pending and in May 2012, the defence ministry had cleared the proposal for buying 145 guns. The proposal however went into the cold basket. The deal appeared to be off at a time, but in November 2014, the process was restarted under the "Make In India" programme. Ghaziabad, June 25 : Three sants who visited Kairana as part of a fact-finding team complained of receiving threatening calls on their way back home in Ghaziabad, police said on Saturday. The three sants, Pramod Krishnam, Swami Chakrapani and Kalyan Dev, who were returning by Shatabdi Express from Lucknow on Friday night after submitting a report on Kairana "exodus" to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, lodged a complaint in Kotwali police station. Pramod Krishanam said in the complaint that at 5.27 p.m. Swami Kalyan Dev received a call on his mobile phone. The caller threatened to kill Dev for favouring Muslims. The caller identified himself as Ajay Yadav from Gorakhpur and said he was a follower of Yogi Adityanath. The second time a call came on his phone, said Pramod Krishanam. The caller made the same threat to him also. "We have registered the complaint under section 504 and 506 of IPC. The investigation has been assigned to SSI Pratap Singh. The sants were escorted to their residences," said Salman Taj Patil, the SP City Ghaziabad. The five-member fact-finding team has contradicted the Bharatiya Janata Party's claim of an exodus of Hindu families from western Uttar Pradesh's Kairana but reported an atmosphere of fear in the town because of criminals. New Delhi, June 25 : The Indian Army appeared to be closer to procuring new artillery guns - 30 years after Bofors - as the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved progress in the deal for M777 Howitzers and also noted the progress in the indigenous Dhanush guns. The DAC, chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, on Saturday "approved" progress in the ongoing case of procurement of 145 M777 ultra light howitzers from US. The council also noted "satisfactory progress" in the manufacturing of indigenous Dhanush guns. Three guns will be given to Army by June end, three more in September and all together a clearance was given for "bulk production of 18 guns". All together, the council cleared 19 proposals worth Rs 28,000 crore, defence ministry officials said. "The DAC approved progress of ongoing case of 145 ultralight howitzer on FMS route from US," an official said. "DAC directed independent progressing of the offsets. Deliveries of these guns will be in India, resulting in substantial cost savings in transportation," the official added. Some of the guns will be assembled in India, the official said. "There will be certain components that will be coming as full assembled guns and some of it will be assembled here." Asked about the process in the procurement, the official said: "Since we are getting it through Foreign Military Sale (FMS) route, we have sent a request letter to US government. They have sent us a draft letter of acceptance. "When the draft letter of acceptance comes to us we review that the terms we gave and the terms that they have accepted are matching or are they acceptable to us... Once this letter of acceptance is sent back to their government and finally after that whatever is the money is paid." Once the deal is sealed, it will be the first artillery gun India buys after Bofors in 1986. The timeline for procurement of the gun was however not revealed, though the source confirmed there have been discussions on it. The first 25 guns will be supplied in ready to use condition. "Timing has been discussed but I would not like to dwell on the timing. But timing also include the time needed for assembly, integration and testing in India," the official added. On the Dhanush gun, a 155/45mm calibre gun which is a modified version of Bofors, the official said: "DAC also noted progress in manufacture of indigenous Dhanush gun with three guns being delivered for user exploitation by June 30 and three more by end September." "DAC approved bulk production clearance of 18 guns for exploitation and setting up of indigenous manufacturing facilities," the official added. The deal for buying M777 howitzers has been long pending and in May 2012, the defence ministry had cleared the proposal for buying 145 guns. The proposal however went into the cold basket. The deal appeared to be off at a time, but in November 2014, the process was restarted under the "Make In India" programme. The council also reviewed the procurement process of short-range surface-to-air missile system (SRSAM) and VSHORAD air defence gun system for the Army. It was decided to keep the procurement process going in a multi-vendor situation. The other key proposals cleared include a project for getting six new missile ships for the Indian Navy, to replace the aging ships bought from Russia. The ships will be procured under "buy Indian" category, and Rs 13,600 crore have been allotted for the purpose. The ships will replace the aging missile ships of Veer class with Indian Navy, which were bought from Russia in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The DAC also cleared a proposal worth Rs 386 crore for modernisation and augmentation of facilities at naval dockyards and ship repair yards. For the Indian Air Force, the DAC cleared a proposal for developing simulators for Jaguar fighters worth Rs 500 crore, and setting up electronic warfare range using indigenous capabilities available with BEL worth Rs 1300 crore. The DAC is the highest decision making body of the defence ministry. Berlin, June 25 : German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday said the European Union has "no need to be particularly nasty in any way" in the negotiations with Britain about its exit from the bloc. She insisted that deterring other countries from leaving the EU should not be a priority in the talks, BBC reported. And she added she was not in favour of pushing for a speedy withdrawal. "It shouldn't take forever, that's right, but I would not fight for a short time frame," she said. She added that she was seeking an "objective, good" climate in the talks with Britain, which "must be conducted properly". Merkel was speaking after several EU foreign ministers - including Germany's - had urged Britain to quickly implement its exit. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier had earlier said negotiations should begin as "soon as possible". He made the comments after an urgent meeting of the six EU founder members to discuss the decision. Britain narrowly voted to end its membership in a historic referendum nicknamed "Brexit" on Thursday. Bengaluru, June 25 : With no let-up in discontent over removal of ministers and denial of cabinet posts to aspiring lawmakers, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has offered posts of chairmen of various boards and corporations to pacify some of them, a party source said on Saturday. "Efforts are on to pacify the disgruntled lawmakers who lost their ministerial posts and those who could not become ministers in the June 19 cabinet reshuffle by making them chairmen of state boards, corporations and state-run enterprises, which carry minister of state rank," a party official told IANS here. Revamping the three-year-old ministry, the chief minister sacked 14 ministers and inducted 13 lawmakers, including nine with cabinet rank and four as ministers of state, triggering revolt in the ruling Congress. As the 20-day monsoon session of the state legislature is scheduled to commence on July 4, Siddaramaiah deputed senior party leaders and ministers to the dissident legislators with the offer of plum posts to quell the rebellion against him. "On the advice of the party high command, especially our president Sonia Gandhi, state unit's working president Dinesh Gundu Rao and Power Minister D.K. Shiva Kumar met former ministers Srinivasa Prasad, M.H. Ambareesh, Qamar-ul Islam and some of the aspiring legislators, including Malaka Reddy, Someshakar and Basavaraju an advised them to air their grievances within the party fora," the source said. The dissidents have also urged state unit president G. Parameshwara to convene the party's legislature meeting before the monsoon session to air their grievances and decide their next course of action. Rao, however, managed to restrain Kannada rebel star and former housing minister Ambareesh from resigning as Mandya lawmaker over his sacking. Bhubaneswar, June 25 : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider including his state's Cuttack, Sambalpur and Berhampur in the Smart City list. Speaking through videoconferencing during the launch of the flagship Smart City Mission into implementation mode by Modi at a function in Pune, Patnaik said: "I am sure Hon'ble Prime Minister will kindly consider including the historic cities of Cuttack, Sambalpur and Berhampur." "... with Bhubaneswar having topped the Smart City challenge, the people of other cities also aspire to be included in this initiative," he said. Meanwhile, the Odisha government on Saturday said that it would submit the final project plan for Rourkela Smart City by end of June. The project proposal envisaged investment of around Rs 2,500 crore out of which, Rs 500 crore is expected from the Union Government and rest Rs.2000 crore would be arranged from state government and other sources by way of convergence. The state level high-powered committee meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi gave green signal to the project for onward transmission to the central government. "We discussed about the smart city proposal of Rourkela city. The project would be submitted to government for onward transmission to Govt of India. Rourkela this time would compete with 66 other cities of the country in smart city competition," said the Chief Secretary. The district administration along with Rourkela Municipal Corporation has augmented their trial to develop the city's physical and social infrastructure to come out successful in national level competition to be held shortly. Considering various contours of the project, Padhi advised the ULB to focus on convergence of various schemes and projects at ground level so as to maximize the outcomes. Mogadishu, June 25 : At least nine people were killed and 15 were wounded in a car-bomb attack followed by an invasion of the premises by armed gunmen at a hotel in the Somalian capital on Saturday, local media reported. Witnesses to the apparent terrorist attack told Efe news that the gunmen have taken an undetermined number of hostages inside the hotel. A large column of smoke could be seen over the Nasa-Hablod Hotel in Mogadishu, where gunfire continues to be heard, and local police said that security forces are mounting an operation to free the hostages, among whom may be a government official. Local reports said that the attackers are members of the Al Shabaab jihadist group, an affiliate of Al Qaeda in Somalia which in recent months has attacked numerous hotels and restaurants in the capital, according to the Shabelle News Web site. Nairobi, June 26 : At least seven people were killed after a car rammed into a minibus in Kenya's coastal region of Kwale, officials said. According to reports, the driver of the minibus was on the wrong side of the road. "We are likely to charge the driver with reckless driving," Kwale County Commissioner Kutswa Olaka said, Xinhua news agency reported. Police have launched an investigation. "My music is driven by a mission to project and promote a message of universal goodwill and be a catalyst to awaken a sense of humanity and consciousness among my listeners. " GRAMMY Nominated Afro Roots musician, Rocky Dawuni, will embark on his Branches of the Same Tree Summer 2016 European Tour with his first stop in Riga, Latvia! After a stellar year with multiple international tours as well as a GRAMMY nomination for Best Reggae Album," Rocky Dawuni is now off to Europe to continue his "Branches of the Same Tree (Cumbancha) tour with additional stops in Spain, Belgium, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic organized under the auspices of Griot Agency and Griot Productions. Rocky has launched a brand new website at http://RockyDawuni.com. Built and optimized by http://mindsetlocal.com, which will feature regularly updated videos, blogs, tour dates in real time, as well as information on his activism endeavors and how to book him for speaking engagements. Please check out the new website for the latest news on Rocky and his journey including an interview with Kingston to LA (http://rockydawuni.com/interview-kingston-to-la/) featuring Rocky talking about his GRAMMY nod, influences, fashion and much more. Ghanaian musician and activist, Rocky Dawuni, straddles the boundaries between Africa, the Caribbean and the U.S. to create his signature "Afro Roots" sound that unites generations and cultures. Dawuni's music is a progressive fusion of Reggae, Afrobeat, soul and Highlife music. Rocky has shared the stage with Stevie Wonder, Janelle Monae, John Legend, Jackson Browne and Tom Morello, among many others and was named one of Africa's Top 10 global stars by CNN. Influenced by the soulful beats of Fela Kuti, the positive messages of Bob Marley and the infectious, sing-along anthems of Michael Franti and Knaan - Rocky Dawuni's sixth album "Branches of the Same Tree," was released by Cumbancha in 2015 with the first single & video African Thriller (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_5myZ2PO0k0) and was nominated for a GRAMMY for the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Center for Hospice Care (CHC) will host its 31st Annual Walk for Hospice on July 3rd, 2016. This year's event has been rebranded as the Heroes for Hospice Fun 5K & Walk. This family-friendly, uplifting event will take place at Center for Hospice Cares Mishawaka Campus, Central Park and along the Mishawaka Riverwalk. As in prior years, the event will include the Memory Wall and the Finish Line Celebration. The walk and fun run support Center for Hospice Care's mission to provide compassionate, skilled care to anyone eligible for hospice care, regardless of their ability to pay. Registration will be held at CHC, located at 501 Comfort Place, Mishawaka (next to Central Park) and begins at 9:30 am. The fun run starts at 10:30 am, followed by the walk at 11 am. While registration is free, those who raise $35 or more will receive a limited edition 2016 Heroes for Hospice t-shirt. The first 100 kids under the age of 12 will receive a free super gift. The event will also feature some of the areas favorite everyday heroes like the Mishawaka Fire Department, the St. Joseph County Police and D.A.R.E. program. The U.S. Army will also be on site for the event. The Hall of Hereos Museum, Elkhart will also be taking part. Characters scheduled to appear include: Captain America, Spider Man and Ms. Marvel. The museum will also be exhibiting a life-sized Iron Man costume, a car from the Iron Man movie, and a shield used in the filming of Captain America: The First Avenger. Established in 1978, Center for Hospice Care is an independent, community-based, not-for-profit organization, improving the quality of living through hospice, home health, grief counseling, and community education. With offices in South Bend, Plymouth, Elkhart and Mishawaka, Center for Hospice Care serves Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, LaGrange, LaPorte, Marshall, St. Joseph and Starke counties in Northern Indiana. Both Center for Hospice and its supporting foundation, Hospice Foundation, are 501(c)(3) organizations. Visit the event web site, http://www.walkmichianaforhospice.org, for more information and to register or contact Red Fisher, Special Events Coordinator at 574.243.3119. Head lice can live on surface for 24-48 hours. The temporary closing of Bruton Memorial Library on June 21 due to a possible lice infestation, as reported by the Plant City Observer, brings up a new, often overlooked aspect of head lice: the parasites ability to live away from a human host, and to infest common surfaces. The closing for fumigation is not a common occurrence, but a necessary one in the event that lice have simply gotten out of control. As lice are a parasite, they are unable to survive away from a human host for long. However, the 24-48 hours that they can survive off the head is often enough time to cause infestation if they come in contact with the head or hair of an individual. Surfaces such as upholstered chairs, headrests, pillows and bedding, are the most common hiding places for head lice outside the hair and scalp. This is in addition to the common vehicles of lice transmission, which are typically personal belongings such as hairbrushes, combs and hats. Miami-based lice removal company, Lice Troopers, has long recognized the risk of lice on surfaces and, as a result, offers home inspection and cleaning as part of their services. The company has also recently launched a line of home cleaning products including an all-purpose, upholstery cleaner and a leather cleaner. The products can be used as a preventative, or following an infestation. Said owner and operator, Arie Harel: While head-to-head contact is the most common way for lice to pass, contact with lice infested surfaces also makes up a large share of the lice cases we see. By keeping surfaces lice free, parents and school administrators can keep infestations at bay and avoid facility closures. Lice Troopers is the all-natural, guaranteed Head Lice Removal Service that manually removes the head louse parasite safely and discreetly in child-friendly salon settings, or other chosen location. Providing safe solutions for frantic families, the Lice Troopers team has successfully treated thousands of families nationwide, with services widely recommended by pediatricians and reimbursed by many major health insurance carriers, flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts. SenseHUD boasts an augmenting display designed for the automobile environment. Its no wonder that our augmenting display, designed for the automotive environment, is attracting the likes of Samsung. Last week, Samsungs Director of Strategy and Innovation at SSIC, Young Min Kim, met with executives at SenseDriver to discuss potential opportunities around the companys proprietary Heads-Up Display (HUD) technology. This development comes in light of Samsungs recently announced plan to focus more on automobiles and the connected car. Samsung originally expressed interest in SenseDriver because of the superior image quality, high resolution, and unsurpassed performance in bright lighting conditions that the SenseHUD offers, as well as its ability to change display sizes and function on a curved surface in addition to a flat one. With the autonomous car making its way into the mainstream, the users experience opens up to new possibilities, says Michael Amaru, Co-Founder and Director of Product Development at SenseDriver. Its no wonder that our augmenting display, designed for the automotive environment, is attracting the likes of Samsung. The incredible picture quality and adaptability of the SenseHUD platform means it could easily become an infotainment center in an autonomous car. In addition to displaying navigation, weather, and traffic information, the Heads-Up Display could also be adapted to play videos to entertain passengers. As the world begins to turn towards self-driving cars, SenseHUD could see its functionality grow beyond infotainment as well. Similar developments have already begun to blossom in the automotive industry. LG has entered into a strategic partnership with General Motors to help supply electronic components, Tesla has created a sophisticated touch screen infotainment interface, and other automobile manufacturers are experimenting with flexible display technologies. SenseHUDs proprietary display technology makes it a prime candidate to be on the cutting edge of this new wave of innovation. About SenseDriver SenseDriver Technologies is a display technology company whose mission is to be the portable navigation and connected car leader with our SenseHUD head-up display hardware and SenSay app software platform for safer hands-free voice-activated use of mobile phones while driving and in ridesharing. By focusing on opportunities for innovation in the automobiles of yesterday, today and tomorrow, SenseDriver creates products that offer a level of accessibility everyone can experience. Dr. Denison is a native of the Ann Arbor area, and attended Michigan State University for both her BS in Zoology and her veterinary degree. Prior to working at Cascade Hospital for Animals, Dr. Denison worked for several years in emergency medicine. Her medical interests include diagnostic imaging, toxicology, ophthalmology and trauma. However, the main reason she became a veterinarian was to build long-lasting relationships with both owners and their pets. She aims to provide quality medicine, communication, and compassion in order to give every pet the healthy and happy life they deserve. Her interests outside of work include volunteering in her community, outdoor activities (backpacking, ice climbing, stand-up paddle boarding), and spending time with her husband Allen, her Spaniel mix Bogi, and her orange tabby Auron. Her soothing personality and confidence in her abilities make Dr. Denison a vital asset to our team. She cares deeply about our patients and clients, and is devoted to making their lives better, said Dr. Greg Paplawsky of Cascade Hospital for Animals. Cascade Hospital for Animals is the largest facility for small animal care in metro Grand Rapids, and is built on the principle of providing compassionate quality care for dogs, cats, birds and exotics. Services are available 7 days a week and include preventive medicine, surgery, advanced laboratory for fast and accurate diagnostics, digital radiology, ultrasonography, canine rehabilitation, boarding, grooming, and much more. Veterinarians here are passionate about educating clients and the community about pet care. Dr. Denison is accepting new cat and dog patients. For an appointment, please call (616) 949-0960 or schedule an appointment online at chfa.net/patient-portal. The RNC and Donald Trump were wrong to dismiss the delegates and their strong desire to vote their conscience. This national ad campaign will make clear the movement is serious and growing. Delegates Unbound will release a TV ad encouraging Republican Party delegates to Choose your values, follow your conscience. The ad will air nationally as part of a campaign to ensure delegates understand they are the ultimate authorities in the Republican party and are not bound to vote for any candidate based on primary or caucus results, state party rules, or even state laws. Our goal is simple, to ensure the delegates are not misled to believe they must follow orders or rules set by others, said Eric OKeefe, founder of Delegates Unbound and the groups key adviser. Delegates Unbound was formed by individuals committed to revive the Republican Party. The group's immediate goal is to educate delegates about their authority when choosing the standard bearer of their party for the November election. The RNC and Donald Trump were wrong to dismiss the delegates and their strong desire to vote their conscience, said M. Dane Waters, co-founder and adviser to Delegates Unbound. The national ad campaign will make clear the movement is serious and growing. Former New Hampshire Senator Gordon Humphrey, who has endorsed Delegates Unbound, stated, "Only once in the entire history of the Republican Party have delegates been bound and that was in 1976. Forty years later there is a chance that this blatant attempt to strip the delegates of their authority could happen again. Delegates Unbound is not only working to educate the delegates that they have the authority to follow their conscience, but also to ensure that the Rules Committee doesn't take this fundamental right away from them." Another Delegates Unbound co-founder, A.J. Spiker, the former Sate Chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa stated, By the time the Republican Convention begins, the strength of this effort will make it impossible to deny delegates their right to freely choose the nominee, he stated. A new book has become a spark for the movement. The book, Unbound: The Conscience of a Republican Delegate, by authors Curly Haugland and Sean Parnell, was released this month by Citizens in Charge Foundation. The book identifies the historical and legal foundations that guarantee the delegates right to choose their partys presidential nominee without restrictions. The book makes clear that delegates are not bound to vote for any candidate based on primary or caucus results, state party rules, or even state law. It also documents nearly 240 instances at past conventions when delegates invoked their right to vote their consciences. A free PDF copy of UNBOUND can be found at citizensinchargefoundation.org. To view the TV ad, visit delegatesunbound.com Delegates Unbound is a not-for-profit organization working to bring reform to the Republican Party. Our focus is to ensure delegates understand they are unbound, and thus free to vote for whomever they wish to be the Republican nominee for President. Razorbill Nabs BuzzFeed Editors Collection In a world English rights deal, Tiffany Liao at Razorbill acquired Erin Chacks YA essay collection, This Is Really Happening. Chack is an editor at BuzzFeed, and the book, which ICM Partners Tina Wexler sold, is set for summer 2017. Razorbill described the collection as Sloane Crosley for the Snapchat generation. The publisher said the book chronicles the authors experiences from meeting her soul mate at age 14 to her first chemotherapy session at age 19 to what really goes on behind-the-scenes at a major Internet media company. Turner Sells Epic Poem, Apocalypse Frederick Turner, a professor of arts and humanities at the University of Texas at Dallas, sold an epic science fiction poem called Apocalypse to Tony Daniel at Baen Books and John Lemon at Ilium Press. Daniel acquired Web serialization and e-book rights, while Lemon took hardcover rights. Sara Megibow at KT Literary, who brokered the North American rights agreement, said she pitched the work as Beowulf meets The Day After Tomorrow. Written entirely in iambic pentameter, Apocalypse, Megibow said, is about a collection of scientists and dreamers who collude against the government to save the world from climate annihilation. The book is set for a 2016 release. UPNE Goes to the Movies with Farber and McClellan Stephen P. Hull at University Press of New Englands ForeEdge imprint took world English rights to Stephen Farber and Michael McClellans 1962: The Greatest Year at the Movies. Agent Eric Myers, at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management, brokered the agreement. Farber is a longtime film critic (and currently president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association), and McClellan is a former senior v-p at the Landmark Theatres chain. Myers said the book makes the argument that 1962, the year that saw the release of such iconic movies as Lawrence of Arabia and Jules et Jim, delivered films of astonishing quality and social impact. Powell Takes Trilogy to Titan Titan Books Cath Trechman took U.K., North American and Australian rights to a new trilogy by Gareth L. Powell. The three-book deal was brokered by Alexander Cochran at Conville & Walsh. Powell is best known as the author of the science fiction series Ack-Ack Macaque and the space opera The Recollection. This trilogy is a space opera that Titan compared to Josh Whedons TV series Firefly; the publisher said it follows the crew of a warship called Trouble Dog. Fiddler Actor Gets Novel at Pegasus In a two-book world rights deal, actress Alexandra Silber sold a novel called After Anatevka to Iris Blasi at Pegasus Books. Silber is currently appearing on Broadway in a revival of Fiddler on the Roof, and the novel follows the fate of Hodel, one of the five sisters featured in the play. In the book, Blasi said, Hodel attempts to join her Socialist-leaning fiance, Perchik, at the outer reaches of a Siberian work camp. The second book in the deal is a memoir called White Hot Grief Parade, which chronicles the authors experience losing her father at age 18. Blasi said the memoir is told with raw passion, candor, and wit. Joelle Delbourgo at Joelle Delbourgo Associates represented Silber. Pegasus has After Anatevka slated for summer 2017, and White Hot Grief Parade for 2018. With Barnes & Noble reporting a decline in total revenue for the fiscal year ended Apr. 30, 2016, as well as a series of one-time charges associated with the downsizing of Nook and the separation of Barnes & Noble Education leading to a $24.4 million loss in the year, company executives told investors in a two-hour presentation last week that they see improved profits in the years ahead. If all goes according to plan, B&N EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) will be between $270 million and $310 million in fiscal 2020, up from $186 million in fiscal 2016 (a figure that does not include extraordinary charges). B&Ns plan to improve earnings is based on growing sales in its physical bookstores as well as via BN.com and shrinking Nooks losses to under $10 million by 2020. In fiscal 2016, the Nook division had an EBITDA loss of $64.7 million, down from $83.9 million in fiscal 2015. Revenue dropped 27.4%, to $191.5 million, as sales from digital reading devices and content fell. The retail-store group fared better, although revenue at the stores was $4.03 billion, down 1.9% from fiscal 2015. Comparable store sales were flat in the year, while comp sales excluding Nook products rose 0.4%, slightly behind the 1% increase that B&N had expected. EBITDA in the division was dragged down by a number of one-time charges, including a $20.9 million pension settlement charge connected to the termination of the companys pension plan. Other charges were a $10.5 million executive severance charge related to the spin-off of Barnes & Noble Education and a $3.8 million publishing contract impairment charge. In presenting their vision of B&Ns future, executives listed a wide range of initiatives they are undertaking to improve bookstore sales and provided some more details about the companys four new prototype stores, the first of which will open in Eastchester, N.Y., in October. Additional concept stores, whose footprint will be about 20%25% smaller than a typical B&N superstore, are planned for Edina, Minn.; Folsom, Calif.; and Loudon County in Virginia. The centerpiece of the new stores will be an expanded cafe, which company executivesfrom CEO Ron Boire on downsaid they are extremely excited about. Just before the presentation to investors, B&N promoted Jaime Carey, chief operating officer, to president of the development and restaurant group, underlining the importance of the cafes. The new cafes will be about twice the size of existing ones and feature table-side service. A new expanded menu is being overseen by an executive chef that will feature American-style fare, as well as wine and beer. In addition to boosting sales through the cafes, B&N execs expect that the improved space will drive more customers to the stores and help make each outlet more of a destination for those in the community. The new stores will also have better seating and more open space than existing stores, and books will be categorized in new ways that will make titles easier to find, according to Mary Amicucci, chief merchandising officer. Despite the expanded cafe, the stores will still have a broad assortment of books, which will make up about 60% of the stores revenue. B&N execs said that, depending on the reception to the new cafes, they are prepared to roll out the concept to existing stores, although they declined to say how many stores that may involve. Another major initiative to boost store sales is growing B&Ns membership base. Members are B&Ns best customers, Boire said, spending more than twice as much as average customers on each transaction with the retailer. To grow its membership ranks, B&N will be experimenting with a number of new offers to increase participation rates and individual member spending. As part of that overall effort, Boire said B&N will integrate the three million members in its Kids Club program into the core program. Throughout the chain, B&N is focusing on making navigating its stores more intuitive in a bid to help with discovery, Amicucci said. The key difference for B&N when it comes to discovery is its 28,000 booksellers, whose recommendations cannot be replicated by any algorithm, she said. Amicucci also said B&N is going hyperlocal in the current fiscal year and has a remerchandising strategy set for 50 stores for which B&N will tailor the merchandise layout and assortment based on local customer demand. When the presentation turned to Nook, executives said that their short-term strategy involved cutting losses, not growing sales. The company is continuing to outsource more technology functions and is closing its Santa Clara, Calif., and Taipei offices, which will save $13 million. One area within Nook that B&N hopes to expand is Nook Press, its self-publishing business. Though there appears to be little likelihood the Nook revenue will grow anytime soon, Boire emphasized that B&N has no plans to completely shut down the Nook business, since it remains an important element in B&Ns omnichannel sales approach and has two million very active customers. Walking away is not in our mind-set today, he said. B&N CTO Fred Argir was more optimistic about the prospects for BN.com, although he acknowledged that much work still needs to be done. The recently completed overhaul of BN.coms back end did not address issues concerning the part of the site visible to consumers. Work on that has started with the aim to streamline the buying experience in time for the holiday season. But the financial goal for BN.com in fiscal 2017 is to get back the sales it lost in fiscal 2016. Beyond that, Argir said, the aim is to get back to a growth rate, because if you remember, [e-commerce] in our business had been declining for several years. Argir said he expects sales at BN.com to start to improve in the second half of fiscal 2017. Barnes & Noble Inc. Fiscal 20152016 Segment Results ($ in millions) Sales Year Ended Year Ended Segment May 2, 2015 Apr. 30, 2016 Change Retail $4,108.2 $4,028.6 -1.9% Nook $263.8 $191.5 -27.4% Intercompany Elimination ($74.9) ($56.3) Total $4,297.1 $4,163.8 -3.1% EBITDA Year Ended Year Ended Segment May 2, 2015 apr. 30, 2016 Change Retail $317.7 $215.5 -32.2% Nook ($83.9) ($64.7) Total $233.8 $150.5 -35.9% Source: Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble, EBITDA Projections, Fiscal 20162020* ($ in millions) Fiscal Year 2016 2017 2020 EBITDA $186 $200$250 $270$310 *Excludes one-time charges Source: Barnes & Noble B&N by the Numbers 640: Physical stores 12: Stores to be closed in fiscal 2017 30 million: Customers served annually 6 million: Members in its loyalty program 17 million: Monthly unique visitors to BN.com 20%: Estimate of B&Ns share of the print book market 9%: Estimate of B&Ns share of the e-book market 37%: Share of B&N sales accounted for by millennials 6%: Share of B&N sales accounted for by music and DVDs 7%: Share of B&N sales accounted for by gifts 7%: Share of B&N sales accounted for by toys and games 10%: Share of B&N sales accounted for by cafes ALA 2016 got off to a rollicking start. At the opening general session on Friday, in Orlando, author and political commentator Michael Eric Dyson delivered a timely, impassioned keynote that brought a standing ovation. When we think about where we are as a nation right now, we know that literacy is critical to sustaining an intelligent citizenry, he said. And libraries are critical to that function. Over the course of his 35-minute talk, Dyson, a frequent political commentator for MSNBC, mostly steered away from politics. I've been warned against [talking politics] he said, noting the ALAs 501(c)(3) status. And I will for the most part acknowledge that. I aint here to tell you who to vote for. You got sense, he said to laughter and applause. Nevertheless, in referencing his latest book, The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) Dyson conceded that it was a refreshing breath of air to have someone who knows how to conjugate verbs up in the White House. He then went on to call out a strain of anti-intellectualism he sees gripping the country, calling libraries "citadels of enlightenment" in a culture that is "peppered by a dyspeptic resistance to high intelligence in the service of deep truth, and alluding to those who "appear proud to be unmolested by enlightenment. And though he acknowledged the benefits of social media, he stressed the importance of books. "Twitteracy," he said, "is not literacy." Throughout his talk, Dyson delighted the audience with humor, often preaching, rapping, and at one point even singing opera. He recited Tennyson with ease, and placed great writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson, David Henry Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning alongside the great philosopher Christopher Wallace, explaining that "literacy" is more than the mechanics of reading and writing, or whether or not one goes to school. Literacy is the capacity to engage in intellectual reflection, he stressed, a rendezvous with wisdom, through which we become more humane. Midway through, Dyson turned his attention to the tragic shootings this month at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, pointedly criticizing observers who have strained to portray the murders as an act of Islamic terror. Here we are in Orlando where we can't even admit that one of the most powerful forms of hate in the modern world has to do with somebodys sexual orientation, he said. We would rather it be ISIS than us. Recalling his childhood, Dyson spoke of the white Christian racism he endured, of not being able to use a bathroom or eat at a roadside restaurant while traveling through Tennessee with his family, and of the lynchings that were often carried out by church members. They did not burn a crescent and stars, they burned a cross on the lawns of black people, he said. That is white racial terror at the level of Christianity. The point was not to impugn Christianity, he explainedDyson himself became an ordained Baptist minister at the age of 19but to counter the cycle of ignorance that leads to hate and violence, a cycle that often causes victims of injustice to victimize others, and closes peoples minds to the necessity of diversity, and equity. Dont look for ISIS, Dyson stressed, look for isolation. He closed by again stressing the librarys vital role in "conjuring a world" where literacy helps us understand the need for diversity. We need diversity not only to recognize the appeal and the value of difference, but also to recognize that we depend upon the very diversity that we often deny, he said. Equity, diversity, and inclusion are critical. But the literacy that [libraries] promote, that you inspire, the literacy that you instigate is also vital. Because at the end of the day, as my daddy and mommy used to tell me, that is something that nobody can take from you. Nobody can ever pass a bill that would deny you access to the insight that you gain when you read a book, or an article, or set of words. The lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court says one of the officers in Round Lake Park, Dominick Izzo, discovered the problem while reviewing video from his camera in May. According to the Chicago Tribune, the lawsuit says the cameras recorded thousands of "highly offensive and voyeuristic intrusions," including video that showed officers' genitals. The videos dated to at least February, according to the lawsuit. The officers were "humiliated, embarrassed and greatly upset," according to the lawsuit. The officers are seeking $100,000 each. Police Chief George Filenko said he was unaware of the recordings until an officer discovered them and has hired an outside attorney to investigate. But in a statement Filenko also criticized the officers for filing the lawsuit. "The police officers who filed the lawsuit against the village made a quick rush to judgment, without considering all of the facts," the statement read. Body cameras are intended to record police interactions with the public and are becoming more common as police departments deal with complaints about mistreatment by officers. The Round Lake Park cameras had been in use by the department's 12 officers since September. Officers were told to turn them on during traffic stops and other enforcement activities. According to the lawsuit, Izzo discovered the cameras were still recoding when off or in sleep mode. He wrote to a commander and the department soon stopped using the cameras. The cameras are sold by Enforcement Video, LLC, of Allen, Texas. Company spokeswoman Jaime Carlin said the cameras are always recording unless disabled, something the company says it trains police how to do. GENESEO -- Michael VanSeverens plea for help was unanswered. He used Facebook to ask for help in making repairs to an addition at his sisters home in rural Geneseo. He asked for volunteers to help out on a three-day work weekend, Friday through Sunday, to rebuild an addition to the home of Dustin and Angie Fischer. The only response to the plea for help came from a few family members who have been helping with the project since it began in April. The Fischers' children, Jordan, 10, and Hailee, 5, both have been diagnosed with Erythropoietic Protoporphyria (EPP), which Mr. VanSeveren described as a rare blood disease that causes damage to skin and organs when the children are exposed to visible light. "They are living their whole life mostly in darkness, indoors, with little opportunity to play outside or participate in normal kid activities like school and sports, he said. He said his sister also has health issues that cause seizures. My parents, Joyce and David VanSeveren, have moved in with my sister and brother-in-law to help with the children." "The childrens blood disease is genetic," Mr. VanSeveren said. "Jordan was diagnosed with the disease when he was 3, and the disease causes swelling, burning and itching, and light causes the build up of toxins to the liver and heart. There is no cure and no medication. The children first were taken to the hospital in Iowa City, then to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where the family was advised to take them to the University of Alabama Health Systems in Birmingham, Ala., where the diagnosis was made. Family members hope to have the 32-by-24-square-foot addition enclosed before any heavy rains fall. Then we can work on the interior, Mr. VanSeveren said. The kids need the space to play because the way it is now, they can only be outside when there is no sunlight. Currently, six family members are living in six rooms that include two bedrooms. "Basically, we are rebuilding what was built just one and a half years ago and because, in a nutshell, it was falling down. We have to rebuild it from the footings to the roof, Mr. VanSeveren said. With the expense of the first construction project, we have run out of money this time, and we are paying as we go and using credit cards, he added. Its not ideal, but I feel we have to do it so these kids will have room to play. Mr. VanSeveren, who has a third-shift job at the Rock Island Arsenal, works on the addition every weekend. His brother-in-law, Dustin Fischer, also puts in time on the project when he is not at his job at Lowes. We welcome anyone who is willing to give us a hand, he said. We are doing it all -- the rafters, sheeting and more. Anyone willing to volunteer is asked to call Mr. VanSeveren at 309-798-1991. MOLINE Jackson Weeks, 6, bounced around the Moline Police Department conference room Friday, getting into everything. Jackson tried out the microphone "Hello everybody! Goodbye!" He drew and wrote on the marker board on the wall. He flitted between his family, the crowd of cops who work with his father, Sgt. Jeremy Weeks, and Felicia Craig, the teacher credited with saving his life. Every limb, every muscle, was in motion. And when Jackson smiled, his whole face glowed. "In January, Ms. Craig helped me because I had an accident," the boy said Friday during a ceremony where his family and Moline police thanked her for her efforts, presenting her with an award and flowers. Ms. Craig, who teaches kindergarten classes for Rivermont Collegiate, was on the playground when two children ran up and told her something was wrong with Jackson, according to a police department release. She found Jackson on a slide, without a pulse, and began CPR while other staff called 911. When police officers and firefighters arrived, Jackson was breathing, his heart beating. The boy was taken to UnityPoint Health-Trinity's Bettendorf campus before being flown to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, the release states. Sgt. Weeks said no one is exactly sure what happened. The theory is that Jackson's scarf somehow got caught as he played on the slide and the vertebrae at the base of his skull were displaced. In the months since, the boy appears to have recovered well, he said. "He's go no signs or symptoms of anything," Sgt. Weeks said. That is largely thanks to Ms. Craig, he said, also expressing gratitude for the paramedics, doctors and others who contributed to his son's recovery. Ms. Craig said she did what any teacher would do. "I feel very blessed to be put in the right place at the right time," she said. Friday's "thank you" also was a "goodbye" for Ms. Craig, who has left Rivermont for a job in Tennessee. "We're going to be making a visit out to Tennessee," Sgt. Weeks said. "No doubt in my mind." Sold Out This item is no longer available, but theres still much more to discoverkeep shopping to find something new to love! TATCHA Cleansing Oil & Polishing Enzyme Powder is rated 4.6 out of 5 by 67 . Rated 4 out of 5 by Pinewood from Performs well This set performed as advertised especially on my sensitive skin. The cleaning oil does take some getting used to, but it cleans very well. I normally have problems with exfoliants,however, the rice powder is gentle enough for me and leaves my skin soft and dewy. I purchased when this was a TSV and the only reason I haven't reordered is due to the price, which is why I didn't give 5-stars. Hopefully it will return as a special value soon. Rated 5 out of 5 by monicaram from love I love this product . I am a picky person when it come to my skin care especially when I have sensitive skin so I have to be careful on the products I put on my face . I have to say that I love this very much they works wonderfully they do not dry my skin, they feel very gentle. The texture of my skin has improve I will continue to use these as long as they keep making it . If you love Tatcha you should try the sunscreen it is amazing. Rated 5 out of 5 by Just me with my pups from Fabulous duo The cleansing oil is wonderful. It definitely makes my skin so soft and dewy. I am totally obsessed with the rice exfoliating powder. I use it with my feneo and what remarkable tedults. My skin is so soft, supple and just a fantastic glow! Rated 5 out of 5 by Cindi NY from My Favorite cleansers ever! I bought TEN SETS of these when they were a special with the masks to insure I'll never run out LOL. Plus, I gave some to friends to try also. I absolutely LOVE these cleansers. I usually use the liquid to remove makeup at night and I sometimes will follow with the powder exfoliation or exfoliate in morning. This is so gentle on my skin. It's the best I've ever used on my sensitive skin! Rated 4 out of 5 by dlfoor from Removes Makeup Great I have oily, acne prone skin. I had hoped this would solve both issues. The cleansing oil removed all of my waterproof makeup easily. Although I have not seen a great improvement in my skin texture or pores my face does feel much cleaner. I would definitely repurchase the cleansing oil but am on the fence about the rice powder. Rated 5 out of 5 by ML parr from I Love This! I always turn to this at night to get all my makeup off and after using both products my skin feels as clean and refreshed as it could ever be. The oil rinses off beautifully and the polishing powder is easy to use and rinses off quickly and completely. Such a great product. Yes it's expensive but it lasts forever. To me it's worth the money Rated 1 out of 5 by DREAMON from Not For Me I have used this several times and each time I use it my skin is extremely dry in the morning. Maybe just the cleansing oil would work for me. It doesn't agree with my skin. TATCHA Indigo Body Gommage & Travel-Size Enzyme Powder is rated 4.8 out of 5 by 6 . Rated 5 out of 5 by bizzarro from GREAT PRODUCTS These 2 products are WONDERFUL for sensitive skin! which I have. the enzyme powder exfoliates my face without leaving it feel "tight" like the regular enzyme powder has done, and the body gommage is a pleasure to use as it cleans my body skin easily without irritation, and leaves my skin feeling smooth as silk. Very happy with this product line from TACHA. This duo would be a wonderful holiday gift for ANYONE, and I wish it was offered on auto delivery. Rated 5 out of 5 by maddy49 from Best scrub ever!! I have tried a lot of scrubs and used them 1 or 2 times, never satisfied. Some were too abrasive, some too oily, some fell off my hand when putting on my skin. This one was the best scrub I've used. Went on without falling off, provided a good scrub, then melted into the skin leaving it hydrated and with a lemony scent. I will definitely try to never be without it. Another top notch product from Tatcha!! Rated 5 out of 5 by cmila from Yummy I have become a huge fan of Tatcha over the past year and this is another home runner for Tatcha! This product smells yummy, polished my skin gently yet effectively and i feel well hydrated when I'm out of the shower. i have tried many many scrubs in the past that are either too aggressive or it does nothing. Read the ingredients to the gommage, there are abundance of excellent quality ingredients that are good for you. I know it's a bit expensive but I'm worth it :) Rated 4 out of 5 by Rhonda from Naperville from leaves my skin silky smooth The Tatcha Gommage works really well for me, leaves my skin silky smooth. no body lotion needed after showering and using the Gommage (strange word!) . a few concerns the indigo coloring is a bit off putting on the skin and in the shower and did stain my white towel with first usage, I did not get all the gommage rinsed off i guess. I went with a new gray towel and bathmat to insure no more indigo staining when drying off. Also, using lots of water to really rinse off. Secondly, I don't love the fragrance, has sort of a licorice aroma to me BUT i will continue to use as it makes my skin look and feel great. thanks Tatcha! Rated 5 out of 5 by cwalden from No body lotion needed....... I have tried the Tatcha line before for the face and did not really care for it. I did not think it removed as much makeup as expected. However, this Gommage is wonderful. I received it this week and took my first shower with it and agree, no body lotion is needed after using it. Very happy with it so far. Clearly we aren't doing something right, do we just need more education or is it something much more? 2 hours ago Subscription VOD (SVOD) leader Netflix has begun to phase out its grandfathered subscription prices in the US raising monthly rates for some subscribers by as much as $2, from $7.99 or $8.99 to the current price of $9.99. The move could give the streaming giant as much as $520 million of additional revenue per year, according to Nomura Securities analyst Anthony DiClemente, in an analyst note. But, the company could see subscriber flight, seeing almost a half-million (480,000) US subscribers cancel (thats a 1% to 2% churn rate). DiClemente also cut his price target on Netflix from $125 to $115 per share.The company in 2014 told existing subscribers that it was raising prices from $7.99 per month to $8.99 per month, but that the change wont affect existing customers for two years.Last October, it announced that it was further hiking the price of its most popular streaming subscription (two viewers at a time) by $1 a month to $9.99 for new customers in the US, Canada and parts of Latin America. A similar 1 increase for European subs was enacted last August.No word was given to existing subscribers enjoying the grandfather clause that they, too, would be paying the $9.95 instead of the $8.95 originally promised. The emailed notification to subscribers was short and sweet and unapologetic.When we raised prices for new Netflix members in 2014, we kept your price the same for two years, the notice to this writer reads. Your special pricing is now ending and as of 7/23/16 your new price will be $9.99 per month. Please visit netflix.com to review the details of this change and your options for plans and prices. To cancel your membership before the price change takes effect, you can do so at any time by going to Your Account. As always, if you have questions, we are happy to help. Please visit the Help Centre for more information.Pricing for the less popular one-viewer/no HD and four-viewer/4K plans have stayed the same. The ongoing hikes represent a calculated risk and make sense given that the company is spending around $6 billion this year on both licensed and original content. Netflix margins or lack thereof continue to be a source of concern on the part of Wall Street even as it continues to expand and find profit internationally.It should be noted that CEO Reed Hastings recently said that he expects modest US growth; in fact, he expects to add another half-million subscribers in the US for the second quarter of 2016, which would balance out the losses from the price increases. Russia Today is to be closed in Argentina for similar reasons that saw Telesur removed from the free-to-air (FTA) network three months ago. According to the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, press freedom will suffer. The Spanish-language channel will stop airing through the DTT network within 60 days, unless an agreement between the Russian and Argentinean governments unblocks the situation.We are going through the DTT plan. There are many local channels that want to join the network but there is not radio-electric space for all of them, said Hernan Lombardi, Argentinas ministry of media and public content. We hope to find a solution with the Russian authorities.Since the new government was appointed in Argentina, the media industry has been deeply analysed. Russia Today is not the first signal to be shut off, as Venezuela-based Telesur , of which Argentinas State was shareholder, was kicked out of the countrys TV less than three months ago.Some sources are also pointing to political reasons behind such decisions. Its sad Argentinas new government rejects to have an alternative point of view on TV. I wouldnt be surprised if CNN appeared in Russia Todays frequency instead of a local channel, said Victoria Vorntsova, broadcasting director of the channels Spanish feed According to the NGO Council on Hemispheric Affairs, these moves affect press freedom in the country. It is an alarming violation of hemispheric press freedom . The removal of Telesur and RT from the Argentine media scene has not elicited much media attention from corporate media news outlets, though the story would most likely be breaking news and inspire outrage were it occurring in a country with a progressive government, stated Zachary Cohen, research associate at the NGO. IWPR, June 22, 2016 By Barat Khan Sarwaan Hundreds of women are dying in childbirth in the southeastern Afghan province of Paktika each year due to a severe lack of antenatal and neonatal care, an IWPR investigation can reveal. There is only one female doctor in the entire province, and conservative traditions mean that most pregnant women cannot seek help from male health care professionals. In the absence of any official figures for maternal mortality rates in Paktika, an IWPR reporter spent eight months travelling round the province to collect anecdotal data, carrying out at least two-dozen interviews with local residents in six districts. Each person interviewed said that they knew of between ten and 30 women who had died in labour or soon after giving birth in the last year. Girls in Afghanistan risk death during pregnancy and childbirth. (Photo: AP) Girls in Afghanistan risk death during pregnancy and childbirth. (Photo: AP) Local health care officials acknowledge the severity of the situation, but argue there is little they can do. Out of Paktikas 22 districts, only six have even minimal security. The province, 170 kilometres southeast of the capital Kabul, has a population of about 550,000 but is served by just three hospitals, five clinics and 18 primary health care centres providing basic treatment. Most of the facilities are run and funded by Afghan healthcare NGOs, with the government playing a limited role. Homa, the sole female doctor in Paktika, works in the government hospital in the provincial capital Sharana. Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. According to the World Bank figures for 2011-2015, 396 out of every 10,000 pregnancies ended in the mothers death. But due to a lack of formal statistics, especially in less secure parts of the country, it is impossible to accurately gauge. Provincial council member Hanifa Kattawazai said that even IWPRs assessment of Paktikas maternal mortality rate was an understatement. I know about the problems of Paktikas women better than anyone else and I am sure that conditions for women in the province are worse than what reporters suggest, she said. If we were to investigate accurately to calculate the mortality rate, theres no doubt it would be higher. Medical staff and health officials were reluctant to be interviewed on the record. Speaking anonymously, they too estimated that between 20 and 30 women died during delivery in each of the provinces 22 districts each year. However, they made clear that these deaths were not officially recorded. The director of a district clinic told IWPR that they were reluctant to report deaths of pregnant women to the health ministry for fear of the consequences. Officials in Kabul will dismiss us from our duties for incompetence, he said. TALES OF SORROW Khiyali Jan, a 35-year-old driver from the village of ZmariKoot in Yusuf Khel district, told IWPR that in April 2013 his wife Gul Pama was heavily pregnant with their fourth child. It was dark when I got home from work. I was so tired. I suddenly realised that Gul Pam, who was in her ninth month, was shouting in pain. I didnt take her to a doctor because there werent any women doctors in the Yusuf Khel clinic, so I found an experienced woman in the village and took her to my home to help my wife deliver. Mother with her newborn baby in Afghanistan. (Photo: Mother with her newborn baby in Afghanistan. (Photo: http://sbfphc.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/making-misoprostol-widely-available-for-home-births-in-afghanistan-new-policy-initiative/ Khiyali Jan, his voice cracking with grief, continued, It was midnight when my sister-in-law came intomy room and told me, Brother, GulPama has died, but your baby is alive. In the morning, I went to the villages cemetery and dug a grave for Gul Pama. Before the sun rose, I buried her with the help of some villagers. Khiyali Jan was left to raise his new daughter Amina alone, feeding her on formula milk. He has spent the last three years devoted to her, and said that he had no plans to remarry. Sometimes, even seeking help at a local health clinic is not enough to save women in labour. Ghuncha, a 25-year old from the village of Painda Khel in KhairKoot district, already had two daughters with her husband Yaar Mohammad. When she went into labour with her third child, Ghunchas brother Abdullah defied tradition to take her to the Khair Koot district clinic 10 kilometers away. When I reached the clinic, I noticed that there was just one male doctor and a nurse. The doctor told me, I am not an obstetrician. We dont have any beds and we know nothing about how to help your patient, so its better you seek help at another clinic. Abdullah said that he continued to beg the doctor to try to save his sisters life, but to no avail. When the doctor refused me I decided to take my sister somewhere else, but suddenly I noted that Ghunchas hands were really cold and she was not responding to my voice. When I shook her, she didnt move. The young woman was already dead. Overcome by sorrow, I took Ghuncha back home and buried her in the villages graveyard, Abdullah said. STATE RESPONSIBILITY Paktika lawmaker Najiha Babkarkhel said that the government was not fulfilling its responsibilities under Article 52 of the constitution, which mandates that medical care must be available to all. The government has been completely unsuccessful and has failed to provide health services to the residents of Paktika, she said. I agree with claims that Paktika has just imaginary doctors and hospitals. In Paktika, we have high level of corruption and this means that many children and pregnant women lose their lives. IWPR asked Wali Gul, head of public health in Paktika, if he was aware of the high death rate as a result of the government failure to provide adequate medical facilities. I must admit that we dont have any female obstetricians except Dr Homa in Paktika and this is the biggest problem faced by pregnant women, Gul said. I agree that the mortality rate for women during delivery is high in Paktika due to a lack of primary health care facilities. However, I cannot say exactly that 200 or 300 pregnant women die each year because Paktikas public health department doesnt have accurate figures for maternal mortality rates. Gula said that the main obstacles to improving the mortality rate were the poor standards of education among local girls, and ongoing instability in the province that made it hard to attract medical staff from outside. You cannot find a single schoolgirl in all Paktika who could graduate from 12thgrade, he said. Moreover, doctors from other provinces are afraid of the lack of security in Paktika, so they lack the courage to travel here. What should the government do? There are efforts underway to improve maternal care in the province, such a midwifery scheme established in Sharana. And there are girls who hope for the chance to help serve their community, if given the opportunity. Helai, a 10-year-old from the village of Malizois a student at the Bibi Ayesha secondary school in KhairKoot district. Due to a lack of medical care, her mother died shortly giving after birth to Helai, her first child. Helai is a model student who is dedicated to her studies, and is clear about her motivation. I want to become a doctor, she said. Had there been a female doctor in our villages clinic, my mother would be right next to me today. This report was produced under IWPRs Promoting Human Rights and Good Governance in Afghanistan initiative, funded by the European Union Delegation to Afghanistan. Reuters, June 23, 2016 By Hamid Shalizi On a bright day in downtown Kabul, Jagtar Singh Laghmani was in his traditional herb shop when a man turned up, drew a knife and told him to convert to Islam or he would cut his throat. Only bystanders and other shopkeepers saved his life. The incident earlier this month was the latest attack on a dwindling community of Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan, a deeply conservative Muslim country struggling with growing insecurity caused by an Islamist insurgency and economic challenges. Once a thriving minority, only a handful of Sikh and Hindu families remain. Many have chosen to flee the country of their birth, blaming growing discrimination and intolerance. "This is how we begin our day - with fear and isolation. If you are not a Muslim, you are not a human in their eyes," said Jagtar Singh, speaking in his tiny shop in the bustling center of Kabul. "I don't know what to do or where to go." Afghan Hindu and Sikh families wait for lunch inside a Gurudwara, or a Sikh temple, during a religious ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan June 8, 2016. (Photo: Mohammad Ismail/Reuters) Afghan Hindu and Sikh families wait for lunch inside a Gurudwara, or a Sikh temple, during a religious ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan June 8, 2016. (Photo: Mohammad Ismail/Reuters) For centuries, Hindu and Sikh communities played a prominent role in merchant trade and money lending in Afghanistan, although today they are known more for medicinal herb shops. According to Avtar Singh, chairman of the national council of Hindus and Sikhs, the community now numbers fewer than 220 families, compared with around 220,000 members before the collapse of the Kabul government in 1992. Once spread across the country, the community is now mainly concentrated in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar, Ghazni, and the capital Kabul. Although Afghanistan is almost entirely Muslim, its constitution, drawn up after U.S.-led forces drove out the Taliban government in 2001, theoretically guarantees the right of minority religions to worship freely. But as the conflict drags on, Avtar Singh said conditions were worse than under the Taliban, which imposed strict Islamic laws, staged public executions and banned girls from schools. Hindus and Sikhs had to wear yellow patches that identified them in public, but were otherwise seldom bothered. "The good old days have long gone when we were treated as Afghans, not as outsiders," Avtar Singh said from a temple in Kabul, all the while keeping an eye on visitors using monitors linked to security cameras. "Our lands have been taken by powerful figures in the government, especially by the warlords. We are facing threats, and this small community is getting smaller and smaller every day," he added. Last week, dozens of Hindu and Sikh families left Helmand, where Taliban insurgents, who have a presence in much of the southern province, sent a letter demanding 200,000 Afghani ($2,800) a month from the community. HOSTILITY Tensions have surfaced in Qalacha, an area on the outskirts of Kabul where the Sikh and Hindu community owns a high-walled crematorium. As the capital has expanded in recent years, the neighborhood has become densely populated and some newer residents oppose Hindu and Sikh cremations, a practice foreign to Muslims, who bury their dead. "When they burn the body the smell makes our family sick and we don't want this to happen here," said Ahmad Timor, a Muslim resident in Qalacha. The Sikhs say local Muslim hardliners have stirred up hostility against them, and the community now requires police protection for their funeral rituals. "They throw stones and bricks at us, at the bodies of the dead, whenever there is a funeral," said Avtar Singh, pointing to a newly built house next to the crematorium. Dahi-ul Haq Abid, deputy minister for Haj and religious affairs, said the government had done what it could to improve the livelihood of Hindus and Sikhs. "We agree that conflicts pushed them out of the country, but their condition is not as bad as they claim," Abid added. "We have allocated them a place to burn their bodies because inside the city people complained about the smell, but they did not agree," he told Reuters. Harassment is also common. Jasmeet Singh, eight, stopped going to school because of what he said was daily harassment. He and other children from the community now either go to private schools or study inside the temple. "While I was at school, other students were making fun of me. They were removing my turban, hitting me and calling me Hindu and kaffir (infidel)," said Jasmeet Singh, as other boys nodded their heads in agreement. Increasing numbers of Sikhs and Hindus have moved to India, their spiritual homeland, but some say they remain foreigners wherever they go. "When we go to India, we are known as Afghans, but when we are here, we are seen as outsiders even if we are native Afghan," said Baljit Singh, a shopkeeper in Kabul. "We are lost between both worlds." Property details: Beautiful 5 acres of land in Culberson County/ Van Horn Texas. Gorgeous 5.01 ACRE Land. This Huge Property is a Whopping 218,000 Square Feet of Breathtaking Texas Land. It is Parcel 69 of Unit 202, in Section 21 of Block 63, Which is Located in The Southwest Sunsites plan of ranches of Culberson, Texas. It is Located About 4 Miles North Of Exit #153 on Interstate 10, just off of the Michigan Flats Exit.Legal Address: AB5282BLK 63 Sec 21 PLS Unit 202 PAR 69 SWSS... Price: $ 2,500 Seller State of Residence: arizona Property Address: AB5282BLK 63 Sec 21 PLS Unit 202 PAR 69 SWSS State/Province: Texas City: Van Horn Zip/Postal Code: 79855 Location: , Alpine, Texas You will be redirected to eBay Nearby 79855 Muuy Biien pulled in a crowd of just enough people so that everyone had enough space to bounce around without fear of elbowing anyone in the f Razzilicious SHARE Razzlicious will take cards With Spoon Me in downtown Redding closing June 27, Razzlicious will offer a 25 percent discount on entire orders to customers who bring in valid Spoon Me gift cards. The offer starts after June 27, Razzlicious co-owner John Carelli said. Razzlicious has three locations in Redding, two in Anderson and one in Red Bluff. Go to www.razzlicious.com for more information. Therapist chapter meets July 14 The next meeting of the Redding Regional Chapter of California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists is July 14 at Northern Valley Catholic Social Service at 2400 Washington Ave. The meeting will go from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the first floor meeting room. This month's meeting presentation is "Mindfulness Programs for Adolescents At-Risk." Additional information regarding the Redding Regional Chapter CAMFT and contact information can be obtained at www.reddingcamft.org. Reporter David Benda can be reached at 225-8219 or at david.benda@redding.com. SHARE Q. What steps does your faith organization take to avoid or embrace secular politics? We, as Christians, need to participate in secular politics. It has been the absence of faith in politics that has gotten us where we are today. While it's not necessary to voice one's faith, it is one's values that are brought to the table that's important. So many people want to label God as a rule maker, but take a look at some of his instructions. Show me one that would harm us. God and his values are good and his goodness was meant for us to live by. Jim White, lay leader Weaverville Church of the Nazarene Unity Church in Redding services do not address secular politics. We base our talks on the Unity principles and the divine laws and principles as taught by Jesus. We know that as people grow in spiritual understanding, they discern how to best participate in political discussions and activities in alignment with their own beliefs and with respect for those of others. We neither discourage nor encourage political discussions among congregants during social hour or outside of church. One of Unity's beliefs is that each of us is responsible for our life, including the choices we make. As we grow in spiritual awareness, we make choices and decisions based on what we believe are in the best interest for ourself and all others. Carolyn Warnemuende, spiritual director Unity Church in Redding Faith organizations depend on donations and fundraisers to sustain their work. Most have a tax-exempt status, which forbids them from promoting or sponsoring any secular political event. Our temple's members retain their individual right to promote and fund any political candidate or lobbying issue; they may not use the temple's name, materials, or facilities to do so. Temple Beth Israel does not solicit grants or donations from any organization created for the sole purpose of manufacturing, selling or distributing any product that is contrary to Reform Jewish initiatives. Without risking our tax-exempt status, TBI has sponsored educational events related to secular issues as long as they do not advocate hatred, bigotry, racism or any perspective contrary to our beliefs or practices. We also make yearly contributions to support the efforts of secular nonprofit public benefit organizations. George Wandrocke, chaplain Temple Beth Israel of Redding In Sikhism sacred and secular are co-mingled but purified. Guru condemned the secular authorities as "beasts and animals" and the religious leaders as "butchers and liars."He said that "truth, fair play and justice have taken flight" from both. He secularized religion by divesting it of mystery, miracles, magic, divine incarnation and supernatural mediation between man and God, and purified secularism by investing it with equality, mutual respect, goodwill, morality, equal opportunity, religious toleration and openness in administration. In Sikh concept of secularism, "All have equal rights in affairs. Nobody is an outsider." Guru treated all religions equally and wanted all to share in the bounties of nature. "O Nanak a truly religious leader should be known as such only if he brings all people together." To demonstrate this Guru Granth Sahib contains verses of various enlightened souls. "Everybody is my friend and I am a friend of everybody." Amarjit Singh The Sikh Centre, Anderson As a nonprofit, we are not allowed to either endorse or dis-endorse any specific candidate, although we can endorse issues. We generally stay away from politics, unless it's about human rights issues. Where there's an opportunity for greater respect or ending patterns of limiting full expression of people, we will engage. Our teaching applies the best of spirituality, science and philosophy to human needs and aspirations, so we are engaged in supporting people in having lives they love. Primarily, this begins from within, and that is where the majority of our attention is placed. However, we do recognize that outer circumstances, while they can be individually overridden, do influence our freedom to create lives of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Politics can be very polarizing. We invite people to "take a breath" and remember that we need to take responsibility for our own happiness and well-being. Leadership comes from within. Where am I personally leading? The Rev. David Robinson Senior minister, Center for Spiritual Living, Redding The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issues a special instruction called responsible citizenship every major election period. The instructions expect Catholics to actively participate in elections by registering in the party of their choice, turning out to vote on Election Day, and to do their research before voting according to their own conscience. The church is also their guide in terms of moral issues and has urged its own opposition to capital punishment, torture, unjust war, discrimination and economic tyranny. The church strongly endorses measures that support the common good over special interests that may cause harm and continues to recommend a "preferential option for the poor" in economic affairs. The instructions in responsible citizenship require Catholic people to remain engaged with the secular governing bodies, continuing to call them to mercy, justice and concern for those who are most in need of relief and help. Deacon Mike Evans Sacred Heart Church, Anderson Members of Thich Nhat Hanh's Order of Interbeing attempt to study, practice and observe the "Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings." The "Tenth Mindfulness Training," protecting the Sangha, states in part our resolve "not to use the Buddhist community for personal gain or profit or transform our community into a political instrument." On the other hand, we commit to taking "a clear stand against oppression and injustice ... without engaging in partisan politics." Buddhist practice is sometimes referred to as the "Middle Way" because practitioners attempt to find a middle way between extremes. With respect to secular politics, we attempt to find a middle way between the extremes of political apathy and extreme partisanship. May all citizens find skillful ways to practice and embody their ideals without excluding or demonizing their opponents. May we listen deeply to others points of view. May conflicts be speedily and fairly resolved. May all beings be peaceful and happy. Chris Carrigan, Buddhist River Oak Sangha, Redding Next week's question: Do you think God prefers America or any other country/place over others? Firefighters remove a woman whose leg was injured in a hit-and-run collision April 2 at Churn Creek and Old Alturas roads in Redding. SHARE Redding police are requesting the Shasta County District Attorney's Office seek an arrest warrant for a 33-year-old Virginia man who hit another car in early April and drove off, officers said early Saturday. Gregory Kfoury, of Great Falls, Virginia, ran a red light at the intersection of Old Alturas Road and Churn Creek Road on April 2 and hit another car, Redding police Sgt. Brian Barner said. Kfoury then drove off in his Acura before police arrived, Barner said. Witnesses said the Acura had out-of-state license plates, possibly from Virginia. Michele Sekela, 49, of Redding, was riding in the car hit by Kfoury and suffered major injuries, including a fractured ankle, police said. She continues to suffer complications fron the injuries, Barner said. A few weeks later on April 26, police received a tip on the Acura that led to the identification of Kfoury. Officers found him three days later at his job and Kfoury gave inconsistent statements about his involvement in the crash, police said. He admitted owning an Acura matching the description of the one involved in the April 2 crash and police found the car with damage from the crash after serving a search warrant at his local home, Barner said. Police impounded the vehicle by Kfoury has left the area and refuses to contact officers, Barner said. Officers have passed the case to prosecutors and are asking anyone with information on the case to call 225-4200. Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight Allison Bamford stands next to her son, Cory Bamford, who is wearing a sash and eagle feather she placed on him during his graduaiton from Anderson High School to celebrate his American Indian heritage. SHARE By Alayna Shulman of the Redding Record Searchlight Anderson Union High School has apparently gone back on its requirement that two 2016 graduates do 20 hours of community service before getting their diplomas because their family members walked onto the field during graduation to adorn them with accessories significant to their cultures. While the school initially required the community service as a way to deter loved ones from disrupting future ceremonies, the parents of both students confirmed that the school let them know they would send their sons' diplomas in the mail without finishing the work after all. "I said, 'I would very much appreciate it,'" Fataali Leota-Misa said of receiving her son's diploma. Leota-Misa said her daughter subtly entered the field to adorn her son, Joe, with a lei made of money to honor their Samoan heritage at the June 2 ceremony. Meanwhile, fellow graduate Cory Bamford's mother, Allison Bamford, also entered the field to give him an American Indian sash and feather. The women were clandestine about the accessories because the school has a "no adornment" policy for graduates, so they feared the students wouldn't be allowed to walk if they wore the items from the start. Anderson Union High School District Superintendent Tim Azevedo confirmed that no adornments are allowed at graduations, but the main issue was the disruption, which isn't fair for the students whose names are being called to have attention drawn to a family member who decides to put the focus on their child instead. Because there were no legal routes that could be taken against the offending family members, Principal Brian Parker essentially decided to hold the graduates accountable for others' actions so an example would be made to prevent future incidents, though Azevedo also expressed doubt that the boys didn't know what their family members had planned. But both parents expressed outrage that not only were their sons being punished in someone else's place, they weren't allowed to honor their culture at graduation while other items are allowed for valedictorians and high-achieving students, for example. Leota-Misa said she called to complain and the school eventually relented on its requirement for Joe Leota to do community service. Allison Bamford also said on Facebook that she got word from the school that her son's diploma was on the way. "I'm so happy this is over," she wrote. "What a hassle. I'm so glad I didn't have to protest any further." Leota-Misa might not be done with protesting, though she's still so upset that cultural adornments aren't allowed at Anderson's graduation that she's considering circulating a petition to change it. "I feel that we should have never went through this," she said. SHARE About 520 patients with Mercy Medical Center of Redding may have had their personal information exposed through a partner company, which employed a person working under a false identity. All of us at Mercy Medical Center Redding deeply regret the inconvenience this has caused our patients. We take the confidentiality of our patients information very seriously, Mercy stated in a prepared statement. Mercy, which operates under Dignity Health, discovered on June 6 that its partner company naviHealth unknowingly employed a case manager who was working under an assumed identity and nursing license. The company provides Mercy patients with support after they leave the hospital. When naviHealth discovered the problem, it severed ties with the case manager, prevented computer access and contacted law enforcement. The company is cooperating in the ongoing investigation. According to the press release, the patient information accessed by the individual during employment included: Individual information, such as name, address, phone number, Social Security number, date of birth, email, medical record number, account number, dates of service. Clinical information such as diagnosis, lab results, medications, dates of treatment, and provider notes. Health insurance account information, such as group health plan number and member identification. Mercy is notifying patients whose information may have been accessed and is providing them with recommendations on protection from identify theft. The hospital will also enroll patients with a credit monitoring service for the next year to help monitor for fraud on their credit files. Mercy stated that naviHealth recorded all calls made by the case manager, which have been reviewed for content and clinical accuracy. All current naviHealth employees nursing licenses and identification were reviewed and new employees will go through an additional screening process when hired. Patients who visited Mercy between June 2015 and May 13, 2016, are advised to call 800-960-0427 with any questions. Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight Boaters take part in a ranger guided kayak tour Wednesday at Whiskeytown Lake. Whiskeytown National Recreation Area will lead tours twice a day during the summer. SHARE By Damon Arthur of the Redding Record Searchlight About 40 kids attending Whiskeytown Environmental School's day camp stood on the sandy banks of Whiskeytown Lake and fidgeted while a ranger talked about kayaking techniques and safety. There were no questions after ranger Matt Switzer's short talk. These kids didn't come to stand on the beach. As soon as he was done they headed for the water. As the kids climbed into the kayaks lined up along the shore, camp counselors shouted out kayak team assignments and barked orders. Soon they were all out on the water following Switzer, paddling out like baby ducks skimming along behind their mother. Thursday's morning session of the Whiskeytown kayak program drew more participants than usual. The weekday paddles typically don't fill up, he said. But he was happy to get students, including some who had never kayaked. "It's nice to get people who've never been out on the water before. It's fantastic out there," he said. This summer marks the 14th year the National Park Service has been leading kayak tours on the lake. Switzer said rangers typically take visitors to different parts of the lake to talk about the history of the area and why Whiskeytown Dam was built. Rangers also paddle out to islands and other locations where they can see wildlife such as bald eagles, osprey, otters or bear. The free 2 1/2-hour tours are held twice daily, at 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., except Friday nights. Switzer said the Park Service also provides the kayaks, life vests and paddles. Kayakers only need to arrive at Brandy Creek Beach dressed appropriately, with water shoes or sandals with a heel strap. Park service officials also encourage visitors to wear a hat, slather on sunscreen and bring water. Tours are limited to 20 kayakers, and visitors need to make reservations by calling 242-3462. There are also special kayak programs such as the Friday evening programs in July and August for people with developmental disabilities or mobility issues. The moonlight kayak programs are also popular, Switzer said. This summer the 2 1/2-hour programs are July 14 to 18 and Aug. 13 to 17. Moonlight kayak tours start at 7:30 p.m. "People love the moonlight tours," Switzer said. "The lake takes on a whole different character in the moonlight." The kayak programs are heavily supported by volunteers. All of the equipment kayaks, vests and paddles was purchased by the Friends of Whiskeytown. Rangers also get help on the water from a group of regular volunteers who assist on the tours. Switzer's three volunteers Thursday said they often bring along water guns for a friendly water fight. "We have the reputation of having the most fun," said volunteer George Ross of Shingletown. Ross said he moved to Shasta County after he retired specifically because of the outdoors. "I love this lake," he said. "It's why I moved to this end of the state. You see all kinds of wildlife." 5 luxurious homes for sale in far Northern California The North State is home to some opulent real estate. Here are photo galleries of five properties for sale, each with their own creative flair. SHARE Britain's stunning vote Thursday to leave the European Union was part of a dramatic internal struggle over the country's identity, culture and independence that will transform its role in the world for the foreseeable future. It will undoubtedly cause economic pain for its citizens while likely sparking a fresh Scottish referendum on independence, as well as a possible reassessment within Northern Ireland of its place in the United Kingdom. The "Brexit" vote may turn out to have been a blunder of historic proportions: Instead of affirming Britain's identity and independence, it could tear the country apart. The vote also will affect the post-World War II movement toward an ever closer, more integrated Europe efforts rooted in the belief, after two massive wars, that a unified Europe is a safer Europe. Today, other EU nations are wrestling with many of the same nationalistic and isolationist pressures that won the day in England. In a recent meeting at The Times, the Czech prime minister noted that if there were a referendum held in his country, a very substantial number of voters would opt to leave the EU. A senior French official raised similar concerns at a meeting with the editorial board, and nationalist leaders in France and the Netherlands are already demanding votes in their countries about leaving the EU. Unquestionably, the institution is at risk. Americans would be wrong to see this as a faraway dispute with no bearing on our own politics. In the United States, populism is also winning hearts and minds as well as votes for presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump. Trump's popularity is rooted in anger and frustration and those emotions are not only felt on the right. A different sort of dissatisfaction but dissatisfaction nonetheless propelled Sen. Bernie Sanders' improbably strong showing in the Democratic race. Does the Brexit vote reflect a failure of democracy or of politics? Maybe a little of both. Elections are the foundation of a democratic system, and even when voters opt for a path that is contrary to their best interests, they need to be respected. It is through elections that competing visions and, yes, grievances, are mediated. Yet the Brexit vote also points up just how much work needs to be done by those who believe in a society that is pluralistic, pro-free-trade, and non-isolationist. The skeptical need to be persuaded and the disengaged need to be brought into the process. One lesson of the British vote is not to become complacent, not to assume that voters will eventually come to their senses and opt for the safe choice. The message is clear: Don't underestimate the power of angry voters. This editorial originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times. It has been edited. Firms to find alternative export routes or face increased trade barriers It was a sombre mood at the boardrooms of Indian companies with a lot of exposure in Britain and in the European Union (EU). Tata Motors, Tata Steel Europe, Motherson Sumi, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys are expected to face the brunt of Brexit, due to their exposure to the region and volatility in currency values. Though the actual exit of Britain is still two years away, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the UK-based arm of Tata Motors, and Tata Steel will have to make alternative arrangements to sell their products in the EU or face increased trade barriers. Based on revenues from Europe, here are some companies likely to face a negative impact due to Brexit. Tata Steel Among all Indian companies, Tata Steel earns the highest, 57.5 per cent of its revenue, from its European operations - due to its 2007 acquisition of Corus Steel. The acquisition did not make any money for the group and to make matters worse, it faced competition from cheaper Chinese imports. Increased costs in its UK operations due to a costly pension plan expedited the financial mess. The company is now in the process of selling its British plants and merging its European operations with ThyssenKrupp in a 50-50 joint venture, a German magazine reported on Friday. Brexit will come as a serious risk. In fact, just before the voting, Tata Steel Europe (TSE) had cautioned its staff, saying the relationship between the UK and the EU was very relevant for the company. The EU is by far our largest export market, with over a third of our UK steel heading there... (and) access to that market is fundamental to our business, Tim Morris, head of public affairs at TSE had said. Tata Steel shares fell by 6.3 per cent on the BSE on Friday. Tata Consultancy Services Indias largest software exporter, it earns close to 27 per cent of its revenues from Europe. Information technology analysts say the fall in the pound versus other currencies will lead to lower income from exports. TCS did not comment on the Brexit impact. A Nasscom (apex sectoral body) statement warned the fall in the pound could render many existing contracts into losing propositions, unless renegotiated. It also warned Indian IT companies might need to establish separate headquarters for the EU and might lead to some disinvestment from the UK. It also raised red flags on the mobility of labour in Europe, as both the EU and UK will set up immigration controls on their borders. TCS shares were down 2.7 per cent. Motherson Sumi The automobile parts maker was punished by investors on Friday. Its shares fell 8.5 per cent after the voting results. The company earns 70 per cent of its revenue from Europe. However, V C Sehgal, the chairman, said Brexit will not impact so much. We have seen a knee-jerk reaction and there is a huge job ahead (for Britain) to go out of Europe...There are many aspects which must be done and it will be almost two to three years; conditions have to be agreed mutually. So, it will be business as usual and I do not see any (substantial) changes as England is still (for quite a while) a part of the EU and does not cease to be because of a referendum. The company has two plants in the UK and plans to set up a third to cater to British customers. Infosys Apart from TCS, Infosys is another IT giant which might get impacted. The Bengaluru-based company earns 23 per cent of its revenues from Europe and any volatility in currency would negatively impact it. Though IT companies hedge their currencies, the 10 per cent fall in the pounds value on Friday was unexpected, say sector analysts. Infosys shares fell 1.4 per cent. Photograph: Luke Macgregor/Reuters Exchange rates to provide for 5-7% savings in package costs; consultants forecast higher property purchases by Indians; currency depreciation to make education cheaper Britain could emerge a favourite destination for Indian holidaymakers and property-hunters, as value of the British pound drops against the rupee. The currency depreciation will also make education in British universities a lot cheaper. But, on the flip side, immigration laws could get tougher following Brexit, making it difficult for students to secure work visas after education. The British pound fell 10 per cent against the rupee on Friday and was expected to fall further as markets remain volatile. Naveen Chopra, founder and chairman of The Chopras, an overseas education consultant, said students would benefit from cheaper fees in the short term. While students will have an advantage from a cost perspective, it will get tougher for those who have an ambition to work there and take up jobs. Student traffic to the UK from India is expected to drop further due to this, said Chopra. The number of Indian students opting for Britain has been on the decline. Between August 2014 and June 2015, 18,320 Indian students went to Britain while 22,385 Indians enrolled there in 2012-13, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency of Britain. On an average, fee for students in UK can range from pound 10,000 - pound 30,000 every year, depending on the course and the institute. This could see some temporary relief as long as the pound depreciates. On travel front, tour operators said demand for trips to London could see a boost with a weakening pound. Last year, UKVI issued more than 450,000 visas to Indian citizens. Britain is both a stand-alone destination for Indians and also part of European package tours longer than 12 days. "With the peak leisure season behind us, we dont foresee very discernible impact of Brexit on global travel to UK, at least till the next summer. However, for those planning a vacation in the immediate future, the exchange rates are expected to provide for 5-7 per cent savings in package costs, said Rakshit Desai, managing director of FCM Travel Solutions. Also, as the British summer is still going strong, any traveller planning an international trip in the near future must consider UK as a destination, Desai said. A Makemytrip spokesperson said the development was new and was yet to unfold and thus it wouldnt be ideal to speculate on this right now. However, with the pound dropping, there is a possibility that we will see an increased number of travellers from India to UK and EU nations. The long-term impact on business travel and trade relations remains to be seen. Real estate is yet another area where theres optimism. Consultants have started forecasting higher property purchases in the UK by Indians. With the latest developments, Indians who have been traditionally buying properties in UK were expected to buy more as realty rates come down, said property consultants. We expect that the combination of lower prices and devaluation of the pound would draw Indian investors looking to acquire assets in the UK, said Shishir Baijal, chairman of India unit of UK-based property consultant Knight Frank. Anuj Puri, chairman of property consultancy JLL India, compared the UK situation to the earlier recession in the US, when Indians took leading position among investors to take advantage of falling property prices. Puri said high net-worth individuals (HNIs) with business interests or families in the UK would certainly keep a close watch on the effect of Brexit on UK property prices, and it was likely that many more Indians would invest there. Until today, 2016 was looking seemingly positive for the real estate sector in terms of investment inflows (read PE or FDI inflows). But now that is somewhat at risk, he said. Meanwhile, indications are that the real estate sector here would continue recovering on the back of a resilient Indian economy and strong capital inflows. Brexit will not disturb that recovery much, as Indias office market leasing is dependent only by 5-7 per cent on UK-headquartered companies, and investments and activity of PE Funds from EU countries is more in India than in the UK, he added. Thailand's importance to India's Act East policy is too significant to be overlooked, says Rajaram Panda. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Thailand's Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha at Hyderabad House, New Delhi, June 17, 2016. Photograph: Press Information Bureau Thailand's Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha paid a State visit to India from June 16 to 18. The general was accompanied by a large delegation including his deputy prime minister, five cabinet ministers, 42 business leaders and senior officials. General Chan-o-cha's visit is the first by a Thai leader during the Modi administration, the last Thai prime minister to visit India was then prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra in 2012, when she was the chief guest for Republic Day. The general's visit assumes importance because of the changes in the strategic environment and the prime ministerial dialogue is seen as a medium of sharing interests on common challenges and addressing them appropriately. At the economic level, deepening ties by fostering trade and economic cooperation was a major objective of the general's visit, which was why a business delegation accompanied the prime minister. It was appropriate then that all three trade bodies -- the CII, FICCI and Assocham -- participated in a business event hosted on the occasion. It was there that an India-Thailand Business Forum was established. The sectors for possible collaboration between Indian and Thai companies are iron and steel, infrastructure, machine and tools, banking and food processing. Thai companies can participate in India's Make in India programme with a view to scale up economic ties. This increasing bonhomie is supported by the historical civilisational ties that both nations share. As in other Asian countries, in Thailand too, Buddhism is an important binding factor. Being Next door to Myanmar through which India finds the only gateway to ASEAN, Thailand's importance to India's Act East policy is too significant to be overlooked. This is complemented by Thailand's Look West policy. As a strategic partner, India and Thailand work closely in several regional forums -- the East Asia Summit, ADMM+, the India-ASEAN Summit and others. Both countries are members of the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation, BIMSTEC, the Indian Ocean Rim Association and the Asian Cooperation Dialogue. These forums provide a platform for both India and Thailand to interact and share issues of common concerns. In the economic realm, bilateral trade has grown eight times in the last 15 years, totalling about $7.93 billion. India has an adverse balance of trade with exports accounting for $2.63 billion as against imports totalling $5.3 billion. This imbalance can be addressed by greater market access in Thailand. Both countries have had 29 rounds of discussions to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement. The ultimate aim is to arrive at a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement. Already, 84 tariff lines have been liberalised and discussions are ongoing for more. There are other areas where both India and Thailand share commonality of interests. Prime Minister Modi and General Chan-o-cha discussed defence, security, education, science and technology and people-to-people contacts. About 250,000 people Thai nationals are of Indian origin. The connection of this segment of the Indian Diaspora with the country of their origin contributes immensely to the strong bonding at the people-to-people level. As a fallout of this, tourism has blossomed, so much so that about one million Indian tourists visit Thailand every year and about 100,000 Thai tourists, largely Buddhists, come to India. The significance of the Thai prime minister's visit to Bodhgaya cannot be missed. This soft power component in the India-Thai relationship considerably helps foster mutual understanding. India is doing its best to attract more tourists from Thailand, especially to its Buddhist sites. Though there are direct flights connecting Bangkok to several Indian cities, there are no direct flights to the Buddhist pilgrimage sites. This impediment restricts the tourist traffic from Thailand to India. The introduction of e-visas for Thai nationals could be an incentive for tourism. IMAGE: General Prayut Chan-o-cha is given a ceremonial guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, June 17, 2016. Photograph: Press Information Bureau Both India and Thailand have a strong defence relationship, with frequent high-level visits by defence personnel. In 2015, India's air chief and navy chief visited Thailand. The Thai defence minister and the head of its defence research organisation visited India in 2016. With India opening up its defence industry to foreign collaboration and raising the equity to foreign partners, it could be an attractive option to Thailand to join India as a partner for defence production. Both nations also conduct regular staff-level talks between their air forces and navies. This is complemented by regular ship visits to each other's ports. There is also a very strong capacity building training element and several training programmes that take place between the two countries. Thailand being India's maritime neighbour, both nations have a stake in securing the sea lanes of communication and the regular interaction between the two navies helps. Modi and the general agreed to further enhance the partnership in maritime security, defence and counter-terrorism. Both leaders avoided discussing the ongoing spat between China and other Asian nations over the South China Sea, and focused more on the Indian Ocean. This is because Thailand is not a party to the maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea and has avoided taking a position on the issues involved. This did not deter Modi and General Chan-o-cha to enhance 'cooperation in the maritime domain including anti-piracy cooperation, security of the sea lanes of communication including coast guard cooperation to maintain peace and ensure safety and security of navigation in the Indian Ocean.' 2017 marks a significant milestone in India-Thailand ties. It is the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Prime Minister Chan-o-cha's visit will provide further impetus as both nations celebrate this milestone next year. Dr Rajaram Panda, former Senior Fellow at the IDSA, New Delhi, and based in Delhi, is a leading expert on security/strategic issues of the Asia-Pacific. Ruby Rai, who topped Bihar's Class 12 exams in the Arts stream this year and was accused of cheating earlier this month, has been arrested by the Special Task Force investigating the case. M I Khan/Rediff.com reports from Patna. Bihar class 12 board topper Ruby Rai, who had triggered a controversy by telling a television channel political science pertained to cooking, was arrested on Saturday after appearing before the Bihar School Examination Board for a re-test. "Police have arrested Ruby Rai when she finally appeared in a re-test at Bihar School Examination Board," a police official said. She was missing after her name came to limelight following BSEB toppers scam was exposed. Ruby Rai failed to appear in a re-test on two occasions -- June 3 and June 17 -- despite multiple invitations from the board. She reportedly informed the board that she is not well and unable to appear for the re-exam. Today was the third time when the board provided her chance to appear in re-test. She finally reached, officials said. Ruby scored 444 out of 500 marks in the Arts stream. The results of Ruby and other toppers had been put on hold following the scams exposed. Special Investigation Team probing into the Bihar toppers scam has arrested her in the case as an FIR was lodged against her and three other toppers. According to police officials, the Patna civil court has also issued a non-bailable warrant of arrest against four toppers including Rubi Rai. Rubi Rai is student of infamous V R College in Vaishali district,known as centre of manufacturing toppers for last few years. All 14 toppers of the board, except Rai, had earlier appeared for re-assessment before a panel of experts and the anti-corruption wing of the BSEB which tried to find out if they used impersonation, bribery or other fraudulent means to pass the exam. The state government had ordered a SIT probe into the matter during which Bachcha Rai, the principal of BishunRoyCollege, was arrested besides four others. The results of Rai and others were put on hold following the TV sting which suggested that education in Bihar continues to be a dubious affair with the possibility that cheating and fraud continue at a large scale. The BSEB claimed this year that Class 12 exams were conducted free of cheating, citing a drastic fall in the pass percentage as the proof. Till last year, mass cheating in board exams was reported. Former BSEB chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh and his wife Usha Sinha were recently arrested in connection with the issue. Mukhtar Ahmad/Rediff.com reports from Srinagar on the J&K CM's win. IMAGE: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti greeted by party workers after her win in Anantnag. Photographs: Umar Ganie Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti won the by-elecvtion to the Anantnag assembly constituency after securing an unassailable lead of over 12,000 votes. The victory was crucial for Mehbooba to retain the position of chief minister and also for her Peoples Democratic Party to assert its popularity after its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state. Mehbooba defeated her nearest rival, Hilal Ahmad Shah of the Congress party, by 12,085 votes. Mehbooba polled 17,701 votes. National Conference candidate Iftikhar Misger was a distant third, polling just 2,702 votes, district election officials said. A formal announcement of Mehbooba's victory will be announced after all the votes are counted, the officials said. IMAGE: PDP women workers celebrate Mehbooba's win. Mehbooba represented the Anantnag parliamentary constituency in the Lok Sabha and had to get elected within six months after taking over as chief minister as per the J&K constitution to either House of the bicameral state legislature. This will be Mehbooba's fourth term in the J&K assembly. Mehbooba, 57, was among the eight candidates for the by-election for the Anantnag assembly seat, which was necessitated after her father, then chief minister and Anantnag MLA Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, passed away on January 7. IMAGE: PDP workers celebrate in the streets. Mehbooba took over as chief minister in April. The victory is critical for Mehbooba and her party. Some observers felt the PDP had become unpopular after renewing its alliance with the BJP. With her election, the party must feel confident it can retain the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat which will fall vacant with Mehbooba being elected an MLA. IMAGE: Mehbooba easily defeated her Congress and National Conference rivals. Despite the chief minister being in the fray, Anantnag witnessed a low key campaign. Mehbooba held two road shows without going in for larger campaign rallies. Various separatist groups had called a poll boycott in the constituency. Somalia's Al Shabaab Islamist group launched a suicide bomb attack on a hotel in the centre of capital Mogadishu on Saturday before militant fighters stormed the building, a police officer said. According to several news reports, at least 15 people had died and many injured. Gunfire echoed round the seaside city after the blast and ambulances raced to the scene. The attack on the Nasa-Hablod hotel began when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at its gate, the police said. Heavy exchange of gunfire between security guards and the attackers were still going on inside the hotel. Earlier this month, a female journalist was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Somalia's capital. In previous years, Al Shabaab has often intensified attacks during the fasting month, often picking targets where people gather just before or after breaking the fast. IMAGE: Somali government forces hold their positions during gunfire after a suicide bomb attack outside Nasahablood hotel in Somalia's capital Mogadishu. Photograph: Feisal Omar/Reuters Attacking his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton over donations to her family foundation, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has alleged that she received funds from Indian political leaders and institutions to vote for the Indo-US civil nuclear deal. Released by the Trump campaign in form of a 35-page booklet, none of these allegations are new and have been known in the public domain for past several years. Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, had refuted these allegations several times in the past. In a statement, the Trump campaign said the information provided in the booklet is in-depth summary of the top 50 facts about Clinton's record that were detailed by Trump in a major speech early this week in New York. Citing a New York Times report, the Trump campaign alleged that as early as 2008, Indian politician Amar Singh had donated between USD 1,000,001 and USD 5,000,000 to the Clinton Foundation. "Singh visited the US in September 2008 to lobby or a deal allowing India to obtain civilian nuclear technology; then-Senator Clinton assured him democrats would not block the deal," the Trump campaign alleged. It said in 2008 the Confederation of Indian Industry gave USD 500,000 to USD 1 million to the Clinton Foundation. It also alleged that Indian-American Raj Fernando was appointed to the State Department's International Security Advisory Board by Clintons chief of staff Cheryl Mills at her "insistence". Fernando, he alleged, has donated between USD 1 million and USD 5 million to the Clinton Foundation. Trump alleged Clinton's foreign policy has cost America thousands of lives and trillions of dollars -- and unleashed ISIS across the world. Throughout history, public libraries have contributed to the lifelong education and connection of the citizens and communities they serve. Established in the third century BC in Egypt, the Library of Alexandria was the most important library of the ancient world. The Imperial Library of Constantinople had 120,000 volumes and was the largest library in Europe. It was rebuilt several times due to fires. In England, The Francis Triggee Chained Library was established in 1598. It still exists today and is referred to as the forerunner of the public library. The founding of what some consider to be the first actual public libraries were built in New York and Boston anywhere from 1713 to 1725. After the Civil War, the number of public libraries in the United States expanded. Newly formed womens clubs were often the champions. They contributed their own collections of books, led fund raising campaigns, and sought financial support. Their efforts resulted in the establishment of 75-80 percent of the libraries across the country. With the financial support of American philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, over 2,500 Carnegie libraries were built by 1929. The U. S. Library of Congress, established in 1800, is the largest library in the world. Collections include over 162 million items on approximately 838 miles of bookshelves, more than 38 million books/print materials, 3.6 million recordings, 14 million photographs, 5.5 million maps, 7.1 million pieces of sheet music and 70 million manuscripts. In Columbus, the ever-changing progress of the public library started with a library association in the 1870s, which established a lending library. In the 1890s, the Columbus Woman's Club sought pledges of financial support and donations of books. The city council allowed the woman's club to add bookcases in the City Council Chambers to be used as a public library. A small Carnegie Library was built in 1915 and expanded in 1961. That space was also outgrown. In 1977, a former Nebraska Public Power District building was purchased and remodeled and serves as the librarys present location. In the span of about 40 years along with the progress that Columbus has experienced, the current space has presented some limitations and challenges. Our library, as well as others, will be impacted by changes in service trends and technology for years to come. Planning is ongoing in finding ways to meet these challenges and in funding a new location. The Columbus Public Library plans and provides for varied and valued, current and future, resources and services for all age groups. Visit and join your library. Participate in childrens story times, author talks, book discussions, cultural and educational programs, performance and art exhibits, and get assistance in using government services. Digital literacy and equitable access is critical to every community. Check out all thats available and attend Tech Tuesdays. Individual appointments can be booked with a librarian. Stay connected to your community and discover all that the Columbus Public Library has and plans to offer. Visit in person or online at www.columbusne.us/library. A reunion between friends revealed a connection beyond the years spent together in high school. As they gathered in Estes Park, Colorado, a group of eight women were eager to catch up. It had been years since some of them had seen each other after graduating from Columbus High School in 1979. They chatted, filling each other in on what had gone on in their lives, talking about children, careers and their parents. As the conversation started to flow, five of the eight women learned they share one thing in common they all had a loved one suffer from dementia. It was sobering, Julie Plugge-Phares said. It is amazing how this terrible disease touches so many peoples lives. Plugge-Phares, of Estes Park, was joined by her friends, including Kristy Hardin of Birmingham, Alabama; Ann Tillery of Lincoln; and Karen Romero of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in April for the reunion. They all are in the midst of or had cared for a family member diagnosed with a form of dementia. The reunion not only brought the group of friends back together, but revealed a link between them that has provided an additional source of support. Id say we have a renewed support system and are an instant message ding away from helping each other, though we live miles apart, Romero said. Romeros mother, 93, has dementia and is living in a long-term care facility in Columbus. She said her mother probably started showing signs of dementia while in her 80s, like confusion and memory loss. I recall her telling me she got lost while driving to the bank. That was probably my first big 'ah-ha.' Something had changed, she said. Romero said her goal is to keep her mom safe and comfortable each and every remaining day they have left with her. Every time she sees a change in her mom, or what she calls a new normal, it causes her take a step back. For me, I always get a little lump in my throat. Its one step closer to closure with this wonderful woman I love dearly. Logically thinking, we cant stop the cycle of life. We can only embrace it, share our love with mom, giggle with her and do our best to ensure her comfort and safety along the way, she said. Dementia is an umbrella term for cognitive disorders, the most prevalent being Alzheimers disease. Common symptoms are memory loss and thinking impairment. Dr. Mark Lemke, family physician in Columbus, said there isnt a blood test or X-ray that confirms dementia. It takes a clinical diagnosis based on evaluations. There is no cure and treatment options are limited, but Lemke said the reason to get diagnosed is twofold. Medication might help manage some symptoms and early diagnosis can help a family plan for the future. That plan is important not only to the one with dementia, but the caregivers as well. That is what Hardin discovered when her mother-in-law was diagnosed with dementia. It is hard on everybody, she said. Her mother-in-law had lived with family members and in nursing facilities before dying a few years ago when she was in her 70s. Even though she is a nurse, Hardin said providing 24-hour care, seven days a week is difficult for families. Some dont want to or aren't able to take the time to be a caretaker. A big step families can take, she said, is in the early stages by accepting the diagnosis and not blaming the person when they dont remember or are acting differently. They arent doing it on purpose or being difficult. They have no control. They dont know they have a problem. They will never know because they wont get better. Its the disease. That is the worst thing about it to me is people dont understand it is the disease, she said. After her mom was diagnosed with Alzheimers disease, Tillery became a vocal advocate for dementia awareness. She is a volunteer as a congressional ambassador for the Alzheimer's Association and has spoken to elected officials, including Sen. Ben Sasse, while pushing for an increase in funding for research. She also supported the creation of a state plan for Alzheimers disease and related dementias, which will be introduced to the public Tuesday. Mom had probably been struggling with Alzheimers disease for awhile, although her death came just one year after her initial diagnosis at the age of 86. She was 83 when my dad died, and she had a stroke three months prior to his death. Initially, it was easy to brush off her increasing erratic behavior. It quickly became apparent following dads death that something was very wrong with her executive functioning, Tillery said. Her mom, who died in 2014, would withdraw large amounts of money from the bank and forget about the items she bought. The actions werent just simply normal signs of aging. Tillery said continued discussion about dementia is important because there is a stigma associated with it. The stigma that comes with Alzheimers disease or another dementia keeps people quiet and ashamed to talk about it. But the truth is, were right in the middle of an epidemic, but as a nation were in denial, she said. It is estimated that more than 5 million Americans have Alzheimers disease and that number is expected to triple by 2050, according to the Alzheimers Association. People 65 and older are the most at-risk. Because of the prevalence, Plugge-Phares said dementia shouldnt be hidden or a problem that rests on the shoulders of one family member. That is what her dad tried to do with her mother, who had Alzheimers and died in 2000 after having an aneurysm. Her dad took it upon himself to be the primary caretaker until it became too much for him. He didnt want to burden his children with their mothers ailing health. Communication, though, is what Plugge-Phares said is needed. Families need to come up with a game plan when a dementia diagnosis is made. She also preaches about visibility to combat the stigma. Be out there. People arent embarrassed they have cancer or other diseases. Dont be embarrassed to say I have a loved one with dementia. Youll be amazed at the people who come out of the woodwork to help, she said. Community leaders discuss future of mental health services in Morgan County A large crowd gathered at First Christian Church to learn about local efforts that are underway to manage growing mental health pressures facing the city and all of Morgan County. Goodwill-West Texas staff announcements Goodwill-West Texas recently announced the following changes to its staff: Paul Klingler has joined Goodwill-West Texas as contracts manager. He oversees the grounds and janitorial contract services for Goodwill, and has 35 years experience in management of facility operations. Julie McCay has been promoted to donated goods/retail director. She has worked for Goodwill-West Texas as retail director for almost 3 years, and was recently promoted to add donated goods responsibilities. She has more than 34 years experience in retail management and operations. Christy Shaw has joined Goodwill-West Texas as donated goods/retail assistant director. She has 26 years experience in retail management and operations. Sadie Smith has joined Goodwill-West Texas as communications/development director. She holds a master's degree in communication from Abilene Christian University and a bachelor's degree in communication from Hardin-Simmons University. Brennan Favor has joined Goodwill-West Texas as mission services director. She holds a master's degree in social work from UT Arlington and a bachelor's degree in social work from Hardin-Simmons University. Early chiropractor honored The Texas Chiropractic Association has named Dr. Lorin Wolf, of Heartland Chiropractic, in Early, as the Texas Young Chiropractor of the Year 2016. The award recognizes doctors who are under age 40 or who have been practicing for fewer than 10 years. Wolf is the state director for District 7 of the Texas Chiropractic Association State Board. Goodwill-West Texas store in Eastland recognized The Goodwill-West Texas has been named the 'Business of the Month' by the Eastland Chamber of Commerce. Goodwill-West Texas operates 13 retail stores in West Texas. Hotel opens in Snyder Fairfield Inn & Suites Snyder, operating as a Marriott franchise, recently opened at 5207 Big Spring Highway in Snyder. The 81-room hotel is owned by Civitas Capital Group and managed by Pillar Hotels & Resorts, of Irving. The reins of Little Joe Movers have passed to the second generation of the Leal family in Abilene, and the woman leading the company says they are still committed to the high standards set by her father. Opened by Joe Leal in 1963, Little Joe Movers has been dedicated to serving the moving needs big and small of families and businesses all over the region. 'My dad was an entrepreneur who loved his community and was active in his church for many years,' said Sylvia Leal, Joe Leal's youngest daughter, who assumed day-to-day responsibility for the business in March. 'He was passionate about giving back and helping others.' Joe Leal retired from the Army in 1961 and worked on the construction of Atlas missile silos in the area before starting Little Joe Movers. 'After retiring, my dad needed a job and my parents really liked Abilene, so my dad started his small business hauling items for people and later for a construction company,' said Sylvia Leal. 'The idea that began as a one-man operation with one truck has now grown into a full-service moving company that does local residential and commercial moves. 'My parents started the company by hard work, dedication and helping the customer customize every move. We have handled thousands of residential and commercial moves and we are proud of that.' Joe Leal used a small business loan in 1970 to add several new trucks, property and equipment. 'Few family-owned moving companies in town can say they've been in business for more than half a century, and as second-generation owner, my sister and I are very proud of my dad's accomplishments,' said Sylvia Leal. She said much has changed since the early days of her father's business, including the advent of other small, niche moving companies, and, of course, the big boys the cross-country moving companies. 'Since 1963, many things have changed, such as the way we advertise, compliance, rules and regulations, and recently, in the last five years, local competition,' she said. 'We've remained successful because we have provided a niche service to the customer and the community consistently for 53 years.' Little Joe Movers specializes in household goods moves, senior relocation, packing service and office and commercial moves. Sylvia Leal said the company just completed a large, commercial move recently, moving the Merkel Elementary School into its new building. It also was the mover for the Friends of the Library sale this year, moving thousands of books from storage to the Civic Center. Joe Leal died in June 2011, but Joe's wife, and the family's matriarch Lupe Leal still stays involved in the business. 'Most of the daily operations is overseen by myself and my sister, Annie,' said Sylvia Leal. 'My mother is truly the rock of this family, and her insight adds tremendous value. In addition, the man who coordinates a lot of the moves, the crews, and our fleet of vehicles is Patrick Martinez, who has been with us for more than 30 years; we couldn't do as well as we do without Patrick.' Little Joe Movers has packed and moved almost anything someone can imagine, said Sylvia Leal, including a stuffed (real) alligator. 'We have literally moved anything and everything,' she said, smiling. As a certified, woman minority owned business, Sylvia Leal said she and her sister are currently working on certification to become 'certified moving consultants' through the American Moving and Storage Association; they are also active members of the Southwest Movers Association in Texas. Sylvia Leal said taking on the task of running the business her father started is daunting at times, but she and her sister are dedicated to making it work. 'I'm so proud of my dad's accomplishments and it's important to see this business continue providing a service to Abilene and the Big Country,' she said. 'We love Abilene, we hope to continue his legacy by growing the business and learning the industry even better; our long-term plan is to pass this along to our children.' Thanks to a Google search, Hardin-Simmons University landed a first-of-its-kind program that brings a spiritual dimension to physical healing. Students in the university's Physical Therapy Department are completing a week of working at a retreat near Houston for people with disabilities and their families. As soon as they return from the camp they will repack their bags and head off for Haiti, where they will help fit disabled people with wheelchairs that were donated and refurbished. It's all part of a collaboration with Joni and Friends International Disability Center in California. One of the physical therapists at the center, Daniel Thomson, earned a master of theology degree in 2009 from Dallas Theological Seminary. In February 2015, Thomson joined the staff of Joni and Friends where he now is director of the center's global missions and internships component. He wanted to expand on the role of the spiritual element in physical healing and proposed a course at Dallas Theological Seminary that would combine the two. When the class didn't get enough students, he hit the Internet in search of Christian universities with a physical therapy program. Imagine the surprise when Janelle O'Connell, head of the Physical Therapy Department at Hardin-Simmons, answered the phone about a year ago. Thomson was on the line. 'We just combed all the schools,' he said, 'and thought you were a fit.' And so, the negotiations and planning began. A year later, 28 physical therapy students at Hardin-Simmons are deep into the new program. They are taking the spirituality courses on a voluntary basis now, but the courses will be a required part of the curriculum beginning next year. 'To be the first is kind of cool,' O'Connell said. Earlier this summer, the students spent a week in classes, led by Hardin-Simmons and DTS faculty. They have spent the past week at the family retreat at Camp Allen, located in Navasota near Houston. Next week, 24 of the students, plus faculty, will go to Haiti to work with the Wheels for the World program, a part of Joni and Friends that provides donated and refurbished wheelchairs to disabled people. Kendra Mueck, a 2015 Abilene Christian University graduate, is a first-year student in the physical therapy program at Hardin-Simmons. She already was interested in how empathy plays into healing when she learned about the new component of the HSU program. 'I'm excited to expand on that,' she said. Part of the training involves learning how to walk through life with people who are grieving, Mueck said, something she is looking forward to doing as a physical therapist. 'I want to be able to give emotional support as well as physical,' she said. Last week, the students listened to presentations from Larry Waters, a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, and faculty from the Logsdon School of Theology at Hardin-Simmons. They were using a textbook quite different from traditional physical therapy courses, 'Beyond Suffering: A Christian View on Disability Ministry.' Waters offered advice, as well as specifics in working with people with disabilities. 'As you're healing with your hands,' he advised, 'heal with your heart.' A major hurdle is convincing people that their disability isn't their fault and that it isn't God's will, something the future physical therapists will have to learn to deal with in their coursework. Dan Stiver, a theology professor in the Logsdon School of Theology, talked to the students about the history of theology concerning disability, including both Christian teaching and the views of other religions. Stiver is excited about the possibility of theology and physical therapy students interacting in the future to learn from one another. Theology students, especially future ministers, may learn to rethink some of their views and how they will work with disabled people. 'It could help ministers be more sensitive to people with disabilities,'Stiver said. Joni and Friends International Disability Center was founded in 1979 by Joni Eareckson Tada, who suffered a diving accident in 1967 that left her a quadriplegic in a wheelchair. According to the center's website, its purpose is to 'provide Christ-centered programs to special-needs families, as well as training to churches.' That sounds attractive to HSU students like Mueck and Ryan Yezak, a 2011 graduate of East Texas Baptist University who taught English in Vietnam before enrolling in the physical therapy program. Both he and Mueck had been on mission trips in the past and want to incorporate that spiritual element into their work. It is easy to become depressed when suffering a disability, Yezak said, and he wants to bring hope to patients he treats. The new spirituality component of the physical therapy curriculum will be beneficial in helping students bring that bit of hope. 'This is a good reminder,' Yezak said, 'of why we do what we do.' ALBANY Those with tickets to the Fort Griffin Fandangle on Friday night got an unexpected bonus in the form of former first lady Laura Bush, who made a special appearance as part of her work with a nature conservation organization. Stamford resident Peggy Mansell was among those in the audience at Albany's annual outdoor musical delighted by the surprise visit. 'I was really excited when I saw it was her,' said Mansell, who was attending the Fandangle for the first time with her family. 'I couldn't take my eyes off of her, and she spoke with such grace and poise. I'm so glad I was here.' Bush is the founder of Texan by Nature, an Austin-based nonprofit that seeks to 'spur Texan-led conservation that produces tangible benefits for people, prosperity and natural resources.' 'I am thrilled to see you here in Albany tonight,' Bush said after arriving to a standing ovation from the crowd. 'Just as the Fandangle celebrates the rural community built on our prairie roots, I share your love for the rich heritage of Texas.' Bush said Texans' quality of life is directly tied to their conservation of natural resources. 'The challenges we face are bigger than any one of us,' she said, 'but not all of us together.' An important connection contributed significantly to the former first lady's decision to come to the Fandangle, said Erin Franz, executive director of Texan by Nature. 'At the heart of this organization is our vision for all Texans to share a conservation ethic that ensures Texas' economic vitality and heritage for generations to come,' Franz said. 'The city of Albany has proven itself a steward of Texas' natural heritage, not just by re-enacting the story of this prairie land year after year, but also by living that heritage each day.' Steve Waller, a member of the Fandangle board, said it was an honor to have Bush in Albany. 'Her presence here is significant, and we are very impressed with the work Texan by Nature is doing,' Waller said. 'Mrs. Bush was gracious and very engaging; she took time to speak to many of our cast members, and that made a real impression on them.' 'Albany and Texan by Nature share a deep care and commitment to the land and to the wildlife that makes its home here,' Franz said. 'The stewardship they display on their properties creates shared benefits, including enhanced air and water quality, for all Texans to enjoy. Mrs. Bush and Texan by Nature are here to honor and celebrate that and share this story with our entire state.' 'Congratulations to all of you, and to the Fort Griffin Fandangle, for 78 great years,' Bush said. 'We salute your commitment.' McMurry University announced Friday a $10 million campaign to endow its school of business. The University has already reached ninety percent of the goal. At the successful completion of the campaign the school will be named for longtime Abilene bank executive Walter F. Johnson and his wife Virginia Johnson, whose selfless contributions to McMurry, First Financial Bank, the United Methodist Church, and the Abilene community exemplify stellar servant leadership. Johnson served as First National Bank president from 1954 to 1973 and then formed the holding company First Financial Bankshares where he served as president and chairman until 1986. In 1970, Johnson became a member of the McMurry board of trustees where he faithfully served for 16 years. 'It will be an honor to McMurry and the entire Abilene community for this school to carry the name of Walter and Virginia Johnson. For those folks who knew, worked with, and were positively impacted by the Johnsons, a gift to this campaign is a wonderful way to honor their legacy,' said Debra Hulse, McMurry University vice president for institutional advancement. The $10 million endowment will fund student scholarships, faculty positions and programs to enhance student professional success. A significant portion of the funds will be dedicated for faculty support and will provide McMurry the opportunity to recruit and retain student-centered faculty who are outstanding scholars and experienced practitioners. Chris Johnson, son of Walter and Virginia Johnson, commented on the honor of naming the School of Business for his parents. 'My father was committed to McMurry and to Abilene and he loved and believed deeply in both. His core Methodist values showed in the integrity with which he approached everything from business to community service to his personal life. His no-nonsense business acumen and leadership were instrumental in setting First Financial Bank on a course to flourish when the vast majority of local banks did not survive and made a small town banker into a bit of a legend in Texas banking. Both my parents were tireless in their leadership and service to Abilene and McMurry University, and though they were never ones to seek recognition, I am certain that this honor would touch them deeply. I believe that the McMurry Board of Trustees has chosen well to associate its School of Business with their legacy.' COLUMBUS Trudi Cadenbach and Therese Noonan waited a long time to say the words "I do." On June 4, Cadenbach wore a flowing white dress and Noonan a black suit when the couple did something they waited years for legally wed. Sunday marks a year since same-sex marriage was legalized across the U.S. We were in shock, Trudi, 57, said, reflecting back on day the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to ban gay marriage. The Noonans wasted little time. Four days after it became legal, they were a little surprised to learn they were the first same-sex couple in Platte County to apply for a marriage license. I thought others would have already been in, said Trudi, a science teacher at Columbus High School. They would have gotten their license sooner had they not been on vacation in Minneapolis for the Twin Cities Pride Festival. Since then, five same-sex couples have received marriage licenses in Platte County. Because marriage licenses are good for a year, the Noonans set their wedding date for this June. After five years of dating and getting engaged on Valentines Day in 2014, they were more than ready to officially start their lives together. It was a quaint backyard wedding on a Saturday morning. Nothing big, nothing flashy. It was for them and no one else. "We now feel like a family, and the best part was planning the ceremony, said Therese, 50, a telemarketer. Looking over invites, seeing the flowers, and having our families and friends surround us during the ceremony, that made it so different than just dating or being engaged." It was a moment that left them both beaming with pride pride for themselves and pride for others. Knowing we have legal rights that all other married couples have is awesome, said Trudi, who took Therese's last name. Still, events like the Orlando, Florida, shooting that targeted a gay nightclub earlier this month echo in their minds. Trudi said while the majority of her encounters within the Columbus community have been uplifting and supportive, theres also another side theyve learned to deal with, too. People have come up and spoke their acceptance. Others have been disappointingly not accepting and have even been quite rude and hurtful, she said. I cannot imagine saying the things to someone's face that has been said to ours. But to them, the rights they longed for outweigh any negativity they've experienced. We need to be visible and proud as an example for others struggling with their sexuality, Trudi said. I think we have put a face to the issues for some who had mixed feelings prior. I think it helped them realize we (are) just people." Setting a record is one thing, preventing a drowning is another. About 30 youngsters, from ages 5 to 12, converged on The Dive Spot Friday morning to try to set a world record. Thousands of others joined them at swimming pools large and small around the world in what was billed as the 'world's largest swimming lesson.' Last year's event drew an estimated 38,000 children in 22 countries, said J. Wilson, president of The Dive Spot Inc. The world record attempt is secondary to the real purpose of the event, which is to draw awareness to drowning prevention. 'We're trying to reduce drowning,' Wilson said. 'Forty-seven kids in Texas have drowned already this year. A lot of those, it was a supervision issue.' Wilson said that if a child is taught professionally how to swim ('Not the parents teaching their own kids, or a friend that's a lifeguard.'), drowning rates can be reduced by 88 percent. 'Anything in life we can get an 88 percent return, we're gettin' after it,' he said. Wilson's wife, Lorraine, said the day's lesson consisted of six components: introduction of instructors to the swimmers and parents, safety, entering/exiting the water, breathing and submerging, floating and strokes. 'They get to experience all that in a 30-minute lesson,' she said. Jeff Kissell was there with his 12-year-old daughter, Heidi, who has participated in the event for the past three years. This year she served as an assistant to one of the instructors. Kissell said they picked The Dive Spot because of the small class size. Each instructor is limited to six students per class. 'We didn't want to go to a place where there's 15 or something like that,' he said. 'You have a better teacher ratio,, and they have a more enjoyable experience learning how to swim.' He has enjoyed watching his daughter go from being reluctant to enter the water to mastering a snorkel and mask and other swimming things, and now beginning to assist younger swimmers. J. and Lorraine Wilson are certified in SCUBA, rescue swimmer and lifeguard instruction and training instructors in many swimming activities. Participants Friday were all elementary age, but the Wilsons can work with children even younger. 'We tell people that this lesson works best if the kids are above 5 years old,' J. Wilson said. 'We start teaching kids at 6 months, but they can't do the curriculum that we're trying to do today in a short period of time.' Officials who keep the world records eased the requirements this year, J. Wilson said. Previously, all the lessons had to be done at precisely the same time around the world, meaning some swimmers had to hit the water at hours like 2 a.m. 'Now it's one day,' Wilson said. 'They took out specific hour times.' In Cisco, you can have your pie and eat it, too. Or three. Or more ... Greg Jaklewicz This was never supposed to happen. Three years ago, when U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron promised his country a referendum on remaining a member of the European Union, he was sure of victory. The country had other ideas. On Thursday Britain voted to quit. It's a momentous choice and not in a good way. The immediate risk to Britain's economy is grave, because the vote creates enormous uncertainty. This is likely to persist for months, until it becomes clear what kind of new trading rules will govern Britain's economic relationship with Europe and the rest of the world. Add to this the likelihood of political turmoil at home. Cameron, in effect, has just lost a national vote of confidence; he announced his resignation Friday. Most members of Parliament Labour and Conservative alike were supporters of the Remain campaign. What confidence does the electorate any longer have in them? Scotland has supported remaining in the E.U., so demands for Scottish independence might surge anew. This vote will shake the U.K. to its foundations. It may shake the European Union almost as badly. Britain is only one E.U. member, but among the biggest and most influential. The first country to leave the union in this fashion, it will now resolve to prove that exit works. If, against the odds, it succeeds, other E.U. members could be tempted to do the same. Anti-EU sentiment is not confined to Britain. In 10 E.U. countries recently polled by the Pew Research Center, the union is viewed unfavorably by roughly one in two citizens. A median of 42 percent want powers returned to national governments, versus 19 percent who want more transferred to the EU. Today, the union is less popular in France than it is in Britain. An election is approaching in Spain, as is a referendum on constitutional reform in Italy. The shock of Brexit is sure to reverberate. There'll be time later for blame and there's plenty to go around. For the moment, amid all the uncertainty, the priority must be to restore calm. This means rowing back from the rhetorical excesses of the campaigns, with each side predicting doom if the other had its way. Instead, so far as possible, the emphasis should be on continuity over discontinuity. As Britain prepares to leave the E.U., it will seek and should quickly be promised access to Europe's market on friendly terms, akin to those enjoyed by Norway and Switzerland. This is a matter of compelling mutual interest. To make this possible, the U.K. will have to accede to an array of E.U. rules and regulations, with details to be decided. In coming to this new accommodation, neither side should take a maximalist position. After the bogus certitudes of the referendum debate, a spirit of compromise is called for. To be sure, Britain's former E.U. partners may be tempted to punish the U.K., and that way set an example for other would-be quitters. They should resist. First, because a punitive approach is unlikely to endear the E.U. to citizens elsewhere, already chafing at what they perceive to be its excesses. Second, because the U.K. and the E.U. can and must be close friends and allies, despite this vote. The time to start building this new relationship is now. It's clear that the dangers in all this outweigh the opportunities yet there are opportunities nonetheless, and they should be seized. Whatever posture the E.U. adopts toward its former partner, it should recognize the force of rising anti-EU sentiment elsewhere in the union and act to stanch it. Maybe Brexit will provide the necessary jolt. Europe's leaders have long preferred to ignore such discontent rather than acknowledge it much less accommodate it. Britain's vote for exit shows the great cost of such complacency. To minimize the harm to its own interests, and to stop the next such vote before it happens, Europe needs to change. Bloomberg View Today in history: On June 25, 1950, South Korea is invaded by forces from North Korea and moves to Seoul, starting the Korean War. The United States immediately comes to the aid of South Korea, and its three-year involvement, called a 'police action,' begins. Korea is a former Japanese possession that had been divided after World War II, with the Soviet Union taking the north. The U.S. pressed the United Nations to assist South Korea; Russia was not present on the Security Council at the time. The Abilene Police Department is joining forces with the Texas Department of Transportation and other law enforcement agencies across Texas in the Impaired Driver Mobilization campaign. The purpose of the IDM Campaign is to reduce the number of DWI-related crashes through the use of dedicated DWI patrols. Through July 5, the Abilene Police Department is deploying dedicated DWI patrols on the streets of Abilene. These DWI patrols will consist of officers working overtime and will be dedicated solely to the detection and apprehension of DWI offenders. This effort is funded by a TxDOT grant. Over the past five years, 19 people have been killed in Abilene due to alcohol-related crashes, according to the Abilene Police Department. 'Drunk driving is not a victimless crime. Lives are at stake,' Police Chief Stan Standridge said. 'It is a myth to believe DWI is defined as way too drunk. Instead, intoxication is defined as not having the normal use of mental or physical faculties, or having an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more. We want everyone to have safe holidays, and that includes intentional efforts to avoid drunken driving.' Alternatives to driving while intoxicated are calling a cab, asking a friend or a family member for a ride, handing their keys to a designated driver or simply staying put until they sober up. They also can take advantage of TxDOT's website SoberRides.org, which lists ride options in areas throughout Texas. In addition to the Abilene Police Department, the Taylor County Sheriff's Office has extra patrols on rural roads through July 5 as part of the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program, and the Department of Public Safety said in a news release that it will have extra people on duty Friday though July 4. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below This just in... Pope Francis has demanded that the world never forget the slaughter of Armenians during the Ottoman era, just hours after he declared that the mass killings were part of a planned "genocide" aimed at exterminating the Armenian people. In Yerevan on June 25, Francis wrote in the guest book of the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial, "Here I pray with sorrow in my heart so that a tragedy like this never again occurs, so that humanity will never forget and will know how to defeat evil with good." Francis also wrote: "May God protect the memory of the Armenian people. Memory should never be watered-down or forgotten. Memory is the source of peace and the future." Meanwhile, crowds filled a main square in the northwestern city of Gyumri on June 25 for Francis's only public Catholic Mass during his three-day trip to Armenia. WATCH: Pope Francis met with the supreme leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Garegin II, at an ancient cathedral in the town of Echmiadzin on June 24. Francis praised Armenia for making Christianity an "essential part of its identity." On June 24, the pope added the politically charged word "genocide" to the prepared text of his speech -- listing the Armenian "genocide" alongside the Holocaust and Stalinism as the three great slaughters of the 20th century. There was no immediate reaction from Turkey, which rejects the term "genocide" and denies that the Ottoman government tried to systematically exterminate Armenians. Ankara argues that the deaths of Armenians were part of a collective tragedy in which both Turks and Armenians died. Turkey also denies the death toll of up to 1.5 million Armenians that is cited by historians, saying that figure is inflated. With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP Ukrainian troops are holding out against attacks near two towns in the eastern Donbas region, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reported on October 26, saying the front line has not significantly changed. Zelenskiy said the fiercest battles were taking place near Avdiyivka and Bakhmut. Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, Russian protests, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. "This is where the craziness of the Russian command is most evident. Day after day, for months, they are driving people to their deaths there, concentrating the highest level of artillery strikes," he said in his nightly address. Russian forces have repeatedly tried to seize Bakhmut, which sits on a main road leading to the cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk. British intelligence has said Moscow may see the capture of Bakhmut as a prerequisite for advancing to the two cities -- the most significant Ukrainian-controlled parts of the Donetsk region. Russian-installed authorities in Shakhtarsk, east of the city of Donetsk, said Ukrainian shelling had set ablaze fuel tanks at the town's railway station. The reports could not be independently verified. Zelenskiy did not provide an update on the situation in the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, which has been the scene of recent movements on both sides. "Generally, we are strengthening our positions all over the front line, reducing the invaders' capabilities, destroying their logistics, and preparing good news for Ukraine," he said. Russia, meanwhile, repeated the unfounded claim that Ukraine plans to set off a dirty bomb. This time it was Russian President Vladimir Putin who made the accusation, speaking in remarks carried by Russian TV. Putin said Ukraine plans to use a so-called dirty bomb as a provocation. It was the first time Putin made the unsubstantiated allegation, which his officials have been repeating since the weekend. Putin made the remarks as he monitored drills of Russias strategic nuclear forces. "Under the leadership of...Vladimir Putin, a training session was held with ground, sea, and air strategic deterrence forces during which practical launches of ballistic and cruise missiles took place," the Kremlin said in a statement. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to Putin that the exercise simulated a massive nuclear strike retaliating for a nuclear attack on Russia. The United States said Russia provided advance notice of the annual drills, which are taking place as NATO carries out its own annual nuclear exercises. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called Russias unsubstantiated statements about the use of a dirty bomb "absurd." The NATO allies reject this blatantly false accusation, and Russia must not use false pretexts to escalate the war further, Stoltenberg told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Ukraine and its Western allies have denied the claims and contend that Russia might itself try to detonate a dirty bomb, a weapons that would use the explosion of a conventional warhead to spread radioactive, biological, or chemical materials over an area. Shoigu on October 26 called his counterparts from India and China to share Moscows concern about possible Ukrainian provocations involving a dirty bomb, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on October 26 that Russia would "vigorously" continue to make the case to the international community that it believed Ukraine intended to detonate a "dirty bomb" with radioactive contaminants. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the United States has communicated directly and very clearly to the Russians the consequences of such an attack. Blinken, speaking at an event sponsored by the U.S. news outlet Bloomberg, did not specify when the Russians were informed or who did it. Blinken repeated that the U.S. is "very closely" following Russias comments about the use of nuclear weapons but "does not see any reason to change its nuclear position." Russia's statement that Ukraine is considering the possibility of using a dirty bomb is "another fabrication and is the height of irresponsibility on the part of a nuclear state," Blinken said. He noted that Russia has a history of accusing other doing something they themselves have done or are about to do. He also said the U.S. was in direct communication with the Russians about their attempts to use the false claim as a pretext for any escalation. Moscow over the weekend claimed Ukraine is preparing to use a so-called dirty bomb on its own territory, drawing immediate dismissal from the United States and other countries that have backed Ukraine. Kyiv and its allies suspect Russia might have made the claim to set up a "false flag" attack in which it would use a dirty bomb itself but would blame the attack on Ukraine and use it to justify the use of conventional nuclear weapons by Moscow. "Let me just say Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake were it to use a tactical nuclear weapon." U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters on October 25 . "I cannot guarantee you that it is a false flag operation yet. We dont know. But it would be a serious mistake." Shoigu presented no evidence for the claim when he spoke on October 23 with his counterparts from several NATO countries, including Britain, France, and the United States, who dismissed the claim after the series of calls. WATCH: Speaking to Current Time in Riga on October 22, Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks said Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot change the course of war in Ukraine by dropping nuclear bombs. Moscow took its accusations against Ukraine to the UN Security Council on October 25, and the country's UN ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, said afterward that Russia was "satisfied because we raised the awareness." Speaking to reporters, he added: "I don't mind people saying that Russia is crying wolf if this doesn't happen because this is a terrible, terrible disaster that threatens potentially the whole of the Earth." The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said earlier on October 25 that it is preparing to send inspectors to two Ukrainian sites in the coming days in reaction to Ukraine's request for an inspection following Russia's claims. Enerhoatom, Ukraines nuclear energy operator, issued a statement on October 24 voicing its concern that Russias statements may indicate that Russia is preparing an act of nuclear terrorism. Russian troops have occupied Ukraines Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, since March. It is still run by Ukrainian engineers though Russia claimed after its illegal annexation of the Zaporizhzhya region that it is on Russian territory. Enerhoatom said that Russian forces have carried out unauthorized, secret construction work over the last week at the plant in the area of the spent nuclear fuel storage facility. Russian officers controlling the area wont give access to Ukrainian staff or monitors from the IAEA that would allow them to see what they are doing, the operator said. Enerhoatom added that it assumes the Russians are preparing a terrorist act using nuclear materials and radioactive waste stored at the plant. With reporting by AFP, dpa, BBC, and Reuters German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier says the European Union's six founding states want Britain to begin leaving the union "as soon as possible" in order to keep the bloc from being stranded in political "limbo." Steinmeier made the remark after hosting crisis talks on June 25 with the foreign ministers of France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The talks came as more than 2 million Britons signed an online petition urging the government to hold a second referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union, signaling the extraordinary divisiveness of the vote to leave the 28-nation bloc. Steinmeier said the six original states of the European Union "join together in saying that this process must begin as soon as possible so we don't end up in an extended limbo period, but rather, can focus on the future of Europe and the work toward it." German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after the June 25 crisis talks that it "shouldn't take forever" for exit negotiations with Britain to begin, but she said the decision is a matter that is up to Britain. European Council President Donald Tusk, meanwhile, appointed a Belgian diplomat to coordinate negotiations with Britain on its exit from the EU. Didier Seeuws was chief of staff to Herman Van Rompuy, Tusk's Belgian predecessor as chairman of EU summits, until 2014. He was a spokesman for Guy Verhofstadt when the liberal leader in the European Parliament, a strong advocate of deeper EU integration, was Belgian prime minister in 1999-2008. To begin the process, Britain must give formal notice of its intention to leave the EU by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. But under Britain's constitution, that move would require an act of Parliament that goes through both chambers of the legislatures and all of its committee stages. British Prime Minister David Cameron said on June 24 that he would resign from office before October, but would continue at his post for the next three months to guide the country. Cameron also suggested that he would not invoke Article 50, but instead, would leave that formal notification process to Britain's next government. Other European leaders want to ensure the transition is economically, politically, and socially as painless as possible. They've stressed the importance of a quick transition that reduces uncertainties on financial markets, which were pummeled on June 24 by news of the results from the so-called Brexit referendum. But although 52 percent of voters in Britain's June 23 referendum sided with leaving the EU, compared to 48 percent who voted to remain in the bloc, the referendum is not legally binding. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on June 25 called for Cameron to resign within the coming days and for Britain to quickly begin negotiations on its exit from the EU. Ayrault also said pressure would be "very strong" on Cameron to speed up the process on June 28 when he is scheduled to attend an EU summit. Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said after the emergency crisis talks near Berlin on June 25 that the ministers don't want a political vacuum after the Brexit vote. He said the days and weeks ahead would not be business as usual. Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said after the June 25 talks that Britain should not "play a game of cat-and-mouse" by delaying the start of the exit negotiations. The talks came amid a petition to parliament that called on the government to "implement a rule that if the remain or leave vote is less than 60 percent, based a turnout less than 75 percent, there should be another referendum." Parliament is obliged to "consider for a debate" all petitions attracting more than 100,000 signatures. Cameron has previously said that holding a second referendum would not be possible. More than 130,000 people signed another petition urging London Mayor Sadiq Khan to "Declare London independent from the U.K. and apply to join the EU." Scottish Vote 'Highly Likely' Meanwhile, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on June 25 that Scotland would launch immediate talks with the EU and was determined to remain in the bloc if the rest of Britain leaves. On June 24, Sturgeon said it was "highly likely" that Scotland will conduct its own referendum on independence from the United Kingdom if Britain begins the process of leaving the EU on the basis of the nonbinding referendum. Scotland voted to remain as an EU member in the June 23 referendum. A 2014 referendum on Scottish independence was defeated, with many voters saying the wanted to remain a part of the United Kingdom in order to remain a part of the EU. In comments published in German newspapers on June 25, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker expressed concern that anti-EU "populists" in other countries, emboldened by Britain's vote, could push for similar referendums on leaving the EU. With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa Ukrainians have increasingly woken up to the sound of suicide drones as Russia turns to Iranian-made imports to destroy civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Now they may have another deadly Iranian weapon to worry about -- ballistic missiles. Cheap but effective, Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 "kamikaze" drones have already made a deadly impact in Ukraine. If U.S. intelligence assessments pan out, Russia will soon be able to supplement its use of Iranian suicide drones and its own cruise and ballistic missiles with powerful short-range Iranian Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar ballistic missiles. Coming as the Kremlin is reportedly struggling to maintain its depleted stockpile of aerial weapons as it ramps up strikes, the missiles would potentially boost Russia's ability to continue its costly air campaign. Jeremy Binnie, a Middle East defense specialist at the global intelligence company Janes, said having more missiles gives Russia the ability to sustain the bombardment against Ukraine." Going Ballistic The Fateh-110, which was unveiled in 2001 and has a stated range of 300 to 500 kilometers, was developed from a heavy artillery rocket dating from the 1980s. To increase the weapon's accuracy, the Fateh-110 was given a guidance system and movable fins that allow it to be steered as it approaches its target. The Zolfaghar, which debuted in 2016 and also has guidance capabilities, comes from the same family as the Fateh-110 but boasts a much longer range due to its use of a lighter carbon-fiber airframe and a smaller warhead. Binnie said the Zolfaghar's use against the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in eastern Syria confirmed that the missile was capable of reaching at least 650 kilometers, which he said is "a statement of how much the Iranian tactical missile program has really advanced over the years." Iran's claim that the Zolfaghar can travel even farther -- up to 700 kilometers -- would put the western Ukrainian city of Lviv within range of strikes launched from Russian territory, while the more powerful Fateh-110 could potentially hit the city from Belarus, which has served as a staging ground for Russian attacks. While there has been no indication that Russia plans to purchase launching systems from Iran, Binnie suggests that the Russian military could pair the missiles with existing equipment because the Iranian launchers were adapted from a Soviet-era system. "It might be possible for the Russians to quickly adapt some old equipment they have lying around into launch systems," Binnie said. The Iranian military, he added, fitted the Soviet system to trucks, allowing for mobility and concealment. "Those civilian trucks can be covered over to make it hard to spot that they're actually missile launchers," Binnie said. 'Lawnmowers' And 'Mopeds' Iranian military drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), have been homing in on targets across Ukraine since late August, according to the United States. The buzzing sound of the Iranian Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 drones, built with off-the-shelf components, have earned them derisive monikers such as "lawnmowers" and "mopeds." But the slow-moving, low-flying drones, which are maneuvered to crash into their target, have proven themselves capable of hitting their mark both in terms of military effectiveness and cost. It is capable of extracting or delivering attrition and damage when launched, but it costs little compared to other UAVs that Russia has in its own arsenal," said Samuel Bendett of the Virginia-based Center for Naval Analyses (CNA). Ukraine alleges Russia has ordered 2,400 of the Iranian suicide drones, and its military has claimed to have shot them down in great numbers, often using conventional anti-aircraft guns or even small-arms fire. But their ability to be launched in bunches of five -- often from the cover of civilian trucks -- improves their chances of reaching their target. "The Ukrainians are stopping most of these, but the whole point of these drones is that they fly in a large mass," Bendett said. "The air defense does not always catch all of them. All it takes is for several or even one to make it through." The estimated range of the Shahed-136 varies, but Iran says it is capable of traveling 2,500 kilometers. The slightly smaller and older Shahed-131, which has been used by Huthi rebels in Yemen to attack Saudi targets in the Arabian Peninsula, has been estimated to have a range of 900 kilometers, according to tests conducted by the Ukrainian military. Ukraine's Defense Ministry has published multiple images of downed Shahed-136 drones in recent weeks, and the Ukrainian National Guard on October 19 claimed to have shot down a Shahed-131. Ukraine has also claimed to have shot down a more advanced Iranian combat UAV, the Mojer-6 drone capable of carrying out both reconnaissance missions and aerial strikes within a range of 200 kilometers. There have also been reports of Russian interest in obtaining Irans Shahed-129 and Shahed-191 combat drones. "When launched from any territory that Russia controls or is allied with -- anywhere from the south, from the Donbas, from Belarus -- they're able to strike a lot of Ukrainian targets," Bendett said. In addition to the U.S. intelligence assessment that Russia will soon boost its arsenal with Iranian ballistic missiles, as first reported by The Washington Post on October 16, the White House on October 20 said that Iranians are now "directly engaged on the ground" in Moscows war against Ukraine after sending "a relatively small number" of personnel from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to assist Russian forces in using the Iranian drones. Iran has denied sending combat drones to Russia, and Moscow has rejected claims that it is using Iranian UAVs. Images of downed Iranian drones appear to show that they have been rebranded to look Russian-made, experts say, with the markings in Cyrillic naming them as the Geran-1 (the Shahed-131) and Geran-2 (the Shahed-136). Observers are widely skeptical of Russia's denials, noting that the drones are essentially identical right down to the font of the serial numbers. Even Russian Defense Ministry experts have unwittingly admitted that the suicide drones are Iranian. But the rebranding of the drones to make them appear to be Russian has opened the possibility that Moscow could, if it is not already doing so, seek to manufacture or assemble the Iranian drones on its own territory. Sustaining A Campaign The new aerial weaponry fits well with the Russian military's renewed focus on striking military and civilian targets far from the front lines in southern and eastern Ukraine. The air assault has ratcheted up following the October 8 appointment of Colonel General Sergei Surovikin, a former Aerospace Forces commander, to lead the Russian war effort. Just days after Surovikin's appointment, Russia launched the biggest air strikes since the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine in February. Moscow said the drone and missile strikes, which targeted civilian areas and infrastructure in cities throughout Ukraine, were in response to a bomb blast that damaged a key bridge linking Russia to the occupied Crimean Peninsula. While the Kremlin has accused Ukraine's intelligence services of carrying out the "terrorist" attack on the Crimea Bridge, Ukraine has denied responsibility. Since the initial air assault in response to the bridge blast, Russia has continued to pound Ukrainian infrastructure, often targeting power plants in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said is a deliberate effort to wear down the Ukrainian people by denying them heat and electricity as winter approaches. "Civilian infrastructure is obviously the new layer in this war. The Ukrainian economy is now the target, the Ukrainian population is now the target," Bendett said. Hard To Stop The hypersonic speed and high trajectory of Iran's Fateh-110s and Zolfaghars, should they arrive, would be extremely difficult for Kyiv to counter without a network of high-tech and costly antimissile batteries it currently does not possess. Ukraine has repeatedly requested more advanced missile-defense systems from the West, and in the face of the threat of the delivery of Iranian ballistic missiles reportedly sent an official request to Israel this week for components of its "Iron Dome" system. While the United States has said that it is seeking to expedite the process of sending two U.S. air defense systems known as NASAMS, Washington has appeared reluctant to provide more advanced Patriot missile systems. Janes' defense expert Binnie is skeptical that the delivery of the Patriot system, which has proven to be successful in shooting down ballistic missiles, is realistic for Ukraine. "It's eye wateringly expensive and it's probably not really practical because each [missile] battery only covers one city," he said. "You would never get enough batteries to get the coverage you would want. You just wouldn't be able to find them, produce them, and train enough Ukrainians." Vladimir Putin has invested a lot of energy trying to pivot eastward to China to counterbalance Western economic sanctions over Ukraine. But when the Russian president visits Beijing on June 25, he is likely to find little enthusiasm on the Chinese side, partly due to China 's diminishing appetite for Russian natural gas amid its own economic slowdown. Putin 's talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will be the latest in a string of meetings that have seen the two leaders confer directly or on the sidelines of summits as often as five times a year recently. The frequency has fueled an impression that they are forging ever-closer relations based upon a mutual interest in energy, trade, and a desire to counter perceived U.S. global domination. Yet that image, which seemed particularly convincing last year when Putin privileged Xi with a seat next to him as most Western leaders boycotted Russia 's annual Victory Day Parade due to Moscow 's interference in Ukraine, appears to be fading. The two leaders, it seems, are encountering the long-standing difficulty of converting talk of Russian-Chinese cooperation into reality. The biggest item on Putin 's agenda as he visits Beijing illustrates the problem. Putin wants to push ahead with a landmark 30-year deal struck in 2014 under which Russia is to sell China natural gas worth $400 billion. But the actual process of building pipelines to deliver the gas has bogged down in squabbles over prices and, more fundamentally, apparent second thoughts in Beijing about how quickly it needs the gas. One of the pipelines, dubbed Power of Siberia, is intended to bring gas from eastern Siberia into eastern China. The other, the Altai Pipeline, is to bring gas from western Siberia to China's northwest. "I think [Putin] will get a message from the Chinese, which will be something like 'our gas market has changed, our outlook has changed, let's do Power of Siberia, see how that works, and then let's not sign anything new until we have that project [behind us],'" says Jonathan Stern of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies in Britain. "That's not a message that he will want to hear but my guess is that is roughly the message he will get from the Chinese side." The contract for the Power of Siberia pipeline has already been signed and some construction is under way. But the enthusiasm that once saw both sides calling for it be completed by 2019 has now given way to aiming for 2021. A contract for the Altai Pipeline has yet to be signed and its future has grown cloudier as China 's need for gas weakens. "Their gas demand has dramatically reduced in terms of its rate of increase," Stern says. "In the first half of 2010, their gas demand was increasing in double digits of 10 to 15 percent a year. But in 2015, and this year, we think it will be perhaps a 3 to 5 percent increase." China 's economic growth, which ran around 10 percent a year in 2011, has plummeted in recent years as the country struggles with industrial overcapacity and other problems. Chinese officials are hoping for a 6.5 percent growth rate this year. All that is bad news for Russia when it hopes to build trade with China to offset the slump of its own economy under the double burden of low oil prices and Western trade and financial sanctions slapped on Moscow in 2014 for its seizure of Crimea and backing of separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine. Most of Russia 's trade with China -- two-thirds -- is energy related, making energy the center of Moscow 's hopes for any significantly expanded trade. Arms Sales With prospects for fast progress on energy exports dimming, Putin may have better luck in China with Russia 's other big export item: military technology. In recent years, Moscow has sought to strike large deals with Beijing and has met with some success. "Russian arms sales had, about a decade ago, plummeted to a very small amount but have subsequently come up quite significantly," says Jeffrey Mankoff of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. In April last year China and Russia finalized a long-awaited deal for a long-range S-400 air-defense missile system. The deal, reportedly worth $3 billion, was the largest Sino-Russian arms deal in over a decade. But while big-ticket arms sales can be lucrative, they suffer from two limitations. One is that China remains a regional military rival for Russia, giving reasons for Moscow to be reluctant to transfer its most sophisticated technologies to its eastern neighbor. Another problem is that China is adept at copying arms that it buys, so that in the future sales dry up as China manufactures its own versions. Beyond trade, Putin could have additional reasons to go to China, including bolstering his argument to the Russian public that Moscow still has powerful friends despite its confrontation with the West. He has underlined that point recently by showing solidarity with China in its territorial dispute with Japan over the East China Sea. Earlier this month both Chinese and Russian naval vessels sailed into the disputed waters in an exhibition of mutual support, though the two countries do not have a formal military alliance. But many observers say that Russia 's attempted pivot to the east has limited prospects of going much beyond where it is now because ultimately it is not in China's interest to do what Moscow wants in return, a reciprocal pivot toward Russia. The reason is Beijing's main economic interests lie in its trade partnerships with the West. "Chinese financial institutions have a lot more at stake in their relationship with the United States, and with the West more broadly, that they have proven understandably reluctant to jeopardize for the sake of the Russian market," Stern notes. Total trade between the United States and China totaled about $600 billion in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That is roughly 10 times the value Chinese officials give for trade between Russia and China the same year: $60 billion. On June 16, U.S. F-18 fighter jets scrambled to intercept a group of Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers that had just conducted an air strike against a camp of soldiers who are central to the mission of the United States and the United Kingdom in their efforts to defeat the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group. The camp that was hit was relatively new, and a British newspaper had just recently broken the news that British special forces regularly operate there, though it's unclear whether British or U.S. soldiers were in the camp at the time. Regardless, the commanders of the U.S.-led coalition believed that the Russian air strikes needed to be stopped, and they sent fighter jets to stop them. According to the Los Angeles Times, the F-18s reached the Su-34s on emergency broadcast frequencies and told them to cease their activities, a capability the United States and Russia put in place in order to avoid accidental conflicts or midair collisions. But when the F-18s left the area to refuel, the Russian bombers ignored the U.S. threats and conducted a second bombing raid on the same camp. If this story played out in Afghanistan in 2001, in Iraq in 2003, during the NATO mission to end genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1995 or in Kosovo in 1999, this incident would have made front-page news, with 24/7 coverage of the growing threat of war plastered across every television in the United States. But since the incident occurred in 2016, in a small desert town in Syria called Al-Tanf, near the border with Jordan and Iraq, the Western media and political apparatus does not seem to care. Perhaps some are confused by the complicated conflict and don't know who to trust on the topic of Syria. Perhaps some have bought the Russian line, echoed by some Western politicians, that Russia is fighting IS. For sure, everyone is tired of headlines about war in the Middle East. To be sure, the Pentagon addressed the issue with both the Russian Defense Ministry and the press, expressing its "strong concerns about the attack." A U.S. official told the Los Angeles Times that this was "an egregious act that must be explained." The unnamed source continued: "The Russian government either doesn't have control of its own forces or it was a deliberate provocative act. Either way, we're looking for answers." It appears Russia is continuing to focus exclusively on preserving the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, even if that means drawing out the conflict, or even allowing terrorism to flourish. I argued previously that Russia's bombing campaign, which started in September 2015, was nearly exclusively focused on bombing anti-Assad rebel groups, including groups that were backed by the United States and which played a major role in ejecting IS from northeastern Syria. In May, Russia did indeed assist the pro-Assad coalition in recapturing the ancient city of Palmyra from IS. As I noted, those actions served to accomplish three aims, all of which strengthen the Assad regime: to consolidate territory, to secure access to the energy-rich fields of central Syria, and to propagate the myth that Russia and Assad are primarily locked in a battle against terrorists. That was six weeks ago. As my new analysis of the work done by the Institute for the Study of War shows, since then there has been a significant increase in Russian air strikes, almost exclusively against civilians or rebel groups that have been trained and armed by the United States. Russia has largely returned to its pattern of ignoring IS. Russian air strikes, by crippling Western-backed rebels that oppose IS, have allowed the terrorist organization to expand into new territory. In an interview with RFE/RL, Frederic Hof, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East and former special adviser for transition in Syria at the U.S. State Department, says that "Russia's decision to bomb an anti-[IS] unit trained by the U.S. and the U.K. illustrates two points: the low priority Moscow places on fighting [IS]; and the contempt in which today's Russia holds the U.S." He continues: "Assad and the Russians see [IS] as Assad's ideal adversary: a horrific organization that may serve as Assad's ticket back to polite society, notwithstanding all of the regime's war crimes.... Moscow's assessment of American leadership emboldens it and encourages it to act in ways that may prove -- during the time left to this administration or in the next -- reckless, destabilizing, and dangerous." A memorial honoring Richmond police officers killed in the line of duty was relocated Friday to Byrd Park. The memorial is an 8-foot-tall bronze statue of a police officer carrying a girl clutching a teddy bear, along with a plaque of the names of 28 Richmond police officers killed from 1869 to 2003. The memorial was previously near the Richmond Coliseum, where some said it had become forgotten and neglected. The new site is in an open grassy area within view of the Carillon. (The sun will) shine on it for the first time. Its never sat to where the sun has been in its face or on its shoulder. Im very proud, said Glenwood Burley, a retired Richmond police officer, who, along with a group of others, has led the charge to have the memorial moved. Previously at the Nina F. Abady Festival Park in downtown Richmond, the police memorial was tucked away on a small patch of city parkland. It was under a tree, somewhat camouflaged by weeds and overgrown shrubbery, with tree branches drooping over it. It had been dedicated in 1987. Burley said that in May 2015, he was moved to tears when he saw the poor upkeep of the memorial, and he brought his concerns to Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham. The chief was still new to the city and had been unaware of the police memorials existence. Durham quickly became a key player in the relocation efforts. It was despicable the immediate surroundings of (the police memorial) a year and a month ago, Burley said. I mean, you couldnt even see the statue. So it was a given to get it out of there and get it cleaned up and give it its proper due respect and awareness. Many, many people over ... decades have seen this statue slowly and slowly become nonexistent, Burley said. The statue was trucked to its new location Friday morning, accompanied by a police escort. It now stands in an open field at Byrd Park, where the 240-foot-tall Carillon, a World War I memorial, can be seen in the background above trees. Landscaping and hardscaping work surrounding the police memorial is scheduled to be completed in coming months. In an interview Friday, Burley recognized the four other members of the Richmond Police Memorial Research and Relocation Site Committee, which led the search for a new home for the statue. He served as chairman. It took about a year for the committee to put sunshine on it, give it awareness, give it accessibility, give it individuality. One of those committee members, H. Penn Burke, is the grandson of one of the 28 fallen officers memorialized. His grandfather, Sgt. J. Harvey Burke, was fatally shot in the line of duty in 1925. Burke said the procedures to have the statue moved were far more complicated than he had expected. Initially, the committee wanted the statue a few hundred yards north and directly in front of the Carillon, but that proposal was met with opposition. Burke said he believes the final spot is actually better, considering the statue stands on its own but is also within eyesight of the Carillon. Its in the right place, Burke said, noting that the police memorial is in a high-visibility location now. Burke said his father served on a committee in the late 1980s that raised money to have the statue commissioned. I think my dad is looking down on me right now, saying Im doing the right thing in getting this moved, Burke said. The Research and Relocation Site Committee members are Burley, Burke, Durham, Richmond Times-Dispatch President and Publisher Thomas A. Silvestri, and Stephen Bonadies, deputy director for collections and facilities management for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Maria Kirby-Smith, who sculpted the statue in the late 1980s, said Friday that the statue has been given a new life, with more respect and more room. Kirby-Smith said she had been saddened by the neglect it endured, but she believes the memorial will be well-maintained in the future. Shes pleased the statue is now in sunlight, where it deserves to be, she said. Carroll Correll Jr., a Winchester attorney and Republican delegate to the partys national convention next month, has filed a federal lawsuit asking for a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction allowing him to avoid casting a vote for Donald Trump. Correll believes that Donald Trump is unfit to serve as president of the United States and that voting for Donald Trump would therefore violate Corrells conscience, according to the lawsuit filed Friday. Accordingly, Correll will not vote for Donald Trump on the first ballot, or any other ballot, at the national convention. He will cast his vote on the first ballot, and on any additional ballots, for a candidate whom he believes is fit to serve as president. Correll, chairman of the Winchester Republican Committee, filed the class-action lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Richmond. In it, he lists several defendants including Attorney General Mark R. Herring; Edgardo Cortes, the commissioner of the Virginia Department of Elections; and James B. Alcorn, chairman of the State Board of Elections. While his is the only name listed in court papers, the suit is filed on behalf of all delegates to both the GOP and Democratic Party conventions. With less than a month to go before the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Trump is facing a backlash from a group of delegates fighting to keep him from becoming the partys nominee. These delegates are looking for ways to cast votes for whomever they want. Correll, who did not respond to a request for comment Friday evening, says Virginia election laws bind him and the others to cast their convention votes for the winner of the states primary. He argues that by doing that, the state is violating his rights under the 1st and 14th amendments of the U.S. Constitution, as well as exceeding its constitutional authority and violating his, and others, right to vote freely. According to the lawsuit, Correll is asking for the temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction because he fears retribution from Trump and his campaign. Casting a vote other than for the chosen candidate, according to the suit, could be seen as a criminal act, and Correll could face criminal penalties if he cast his first-ballot convention vote for a candidate other than Donald Trump. The lawsuit claims Trump, on June 19, said convention delegates thinking of voting for another candidate cant do it legally. Donald Trump is known to be litigious and has been, according to news reports, involved in at least 3,500 legal actions. According to news reports, Trump has brought lawsuits of questionable legal merit against persons for the apparent purpose of harassing or punishing them, according to the lawsuit. It looks like nothing was found at this location. Maybe try a search? Search for: Search A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Dominion Virginia Powers decades-old coal ash ponds in Chesapeake have been polluting the Elizabeth River with arsenic, a federal judge said Friday. But U.S. District Court Judge John Gibney , who is presiding over a lawsuit alleging the utility violated the Clean Water Act, said hed be reluctant to order the utility to spend between $200 million and $600 million to excavate the ash and haul it to a modern lined landfill. It seems to me that the evidence produced by the plaintiffs shows theres arsenic in the groundwater, and the groundwater goes into the river, Gibney said. The Southern Environmental Law Center, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Sierra Club, contends the only way to stop the pollution is to remove 3 million tons of coal ash. The four-day trial wrapped up Friday, with Gibney expected to issue a written decision in the coming weeks. The case, which centers on the ash residue from the coal-fired power plants at the now-closed Chesapeake Energy Center, could have far-reaching impacts on Dominions plans to close its other coal ash ponds around the state, including at its Chesterfield Power Station on the James River below Richmond. Dominion prefers to bury the ash where it lies cap in place in unlined pits that the SELC argued leaches arsenic and other contaminants into the groundwater. Dominion has said the cost for closing its 11 ash ponds at four sites would jump from about $500 million to about $3 billion if it has to remove all the ash instead of bury it. Gibney said hed prefer a cheaper solution if he eventually rules against Dominion, which isnt a given because of another legal issue over whether the ponds can be classified as a point source of the pollution. Point sources are usually smaller, easier to identify sources such as discharge pipes. Lawyers for SELC said none of the cheaper alternatives theyve seen mentioned will meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act that require the pollution to be stopped. This is going to be a perpetual source of pollution unless the ash is removed, SELC lawyer Deborah Murray said. Somebody has to live with the consequences, and were saying the Clean Water Act puts the burden on the polluter. Dominions lawyers argued that the case was an attempt to sidestep the state Department of Environmental Qualitys authority by a group that disagreed with its decisions. James Golden, director of operations for DEQ, testified Friday that the agency is responsible for enforcing the federal Clean Water Act in Virginia and that Dominion is in compliance with all of its state-issued permits in Chesapeake. But Golden was forced to acknowledge during cross-examination that the agency wasnt fully aware of the details of the Clean Water Act, in particular a federal ruling that groundwater pollution directly connected to surface waters such as rivers should fall under its authority. He also acknowledged that in a deposition last week, he said that contamination in the groundwater at Chesapeake is likely seeping into the Elizabeth River. Instead of a traditional closing argument, Gibney on Friday afternoon held what amounted to a question and answer session on certain legal points with lawyers for both sides. Dominion lawyer Dabney Carr said the Sierra Club did not meet its burden of proof by failing to conduct any of its own testing. Before you start making hypotheses on your data, you have to confirm the data is accurate, Carr said. But Gibney said the evidence from Dominions own testing and the SELCs groundwater experts made a convincing case. With Dominions record of compliance with the DEQ at Chesapeake, Gibney said, hes unlikely to require the expensive removal of the coal ash even if he rules against the utility. He urged both sides to find an alternative they can agree on. How do I balance the environmental harm versus the cost of compliance, Gibney asked. Im a little hung up on a remedy. Carroll Correll, a Winchester attorney and Republican delegate to the partys national convention next month, has filed a federal lawsuit asking for a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction allowing him to avoid casting a vote for Donald Trump. Correll believes that Donald Trump is unfit to serve as president of the United States and that voting for Donald Trump would therefore violate Corrells conscience, according to the lawsuit filed Friday. Accordingly, Correll will not vote for Donald Trump on the first ballot, or any other ballot, at the national convention. He will cast his vote on the first ballot, and on any additional ballots, for a candidate whom he believes is fit to serve as president. Correll, chairman of the Winchester Republican Committee, filed the class-action lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Richmond. In it, he lists several defendants including Attorney General Mark Herring; Edgardo Cortes, the commissioner of the Virginia Department of Elections; and James Alcorn, chairman of the state board of elections. While his is the only name listed in court papers, the suit is filed on behalf of all delegates to both the GOP and Democratic Party conventions. With less than a month to go before the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Trump is facing a backlash from a group of delegates fighting to keep him from becoming the partys nominee. These delegates are looking for ways to cast votes for whomever they want. Correll, who did not respond to a request for comment Friday , says Virginia election laws bind him and the others to cast their convention votes for the winner of the states primary. He argues that by doing that, the state is violating his rights under the U.S. Constitutions First and 14th amendments , as well as exceeding its constitutional authority and violating his and others right to vote freely. According to the lawsuit, Correll is asking for the temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction because he fears retribution from Trump and his campaign. Casting a vote other than for the chosen candidate, according to the suit, could be seen as a criminal act, and Correll could face criminal penalties if he cast his first-ballot convention vote for a candidate other than Donald Trump. The lawsuit claims Trump, on June 19, said convention delegates thinking of voting for another candidate cant do it legally. Donald Trump is known to be litigious and has been, according to news reports, involved in at least 3,500 legal actions. According to news reports, Trump has brought lawsuits of questionable legal merit against persons for the apparent purpose of harassing or punishing them, the lawsuit says. Based on these reports, Correll is concerned that voting against Trump at the convention may subject him to retaliatory litigation by Trump, Trumps campaign, or other persons or entities associated with Trump. It's not often that you see Congress completely abdicate its responsibility to govern twice in one week. But, as has so often been remarked this year, we're living in unusual times. Given the opportunity to recover its colossal gun control fumble, the Republican-led U.S. Senate bobbled the ball yet again on Thursday with a vote on a compromise "no fly/no buy" bill sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). Yes, 52 senators managed to vote in favor of Collins' proposal, which was enough to allow further consideration of the proposal. But the bill, which would ban people on terrorism watch lists from buying guns, ended up eight critical votes shy of the 60-vote threshold needed for passage. And if you don't think the bar was set purposefully high, you're fooling yourself. "It's extremely frustrating there was an opportunity to get things accomplished here," U.S Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), one of the few sane GOP voices on gun control said this week. Frustrating is one word for it. Another one that rushes to mind is "ridiculous." And while we're at it, "incompetent" also works. That the Senate has been unable to get its act together to pass a bill that keeps suspected terrorists from buying guns even as it provides due process for people that end up government watch lists, is one of the great head-scratchers of our time. That it happened in the wake of a dramatic occupation of the U.S. House floor by Democrats, led by U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, a civil rights icon, aimed at forcing votes on gun-control, makes it all the more frustrating. And, yes, the murderous loon who mowed down 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando would not have been stopped by such a terror-ban. He was investigated and the FBI passed on him. But the next terrorism-inspired madman (or woman) who might decide to follow his lead could well be stopped with such a ban. That's not hard to decipher. The Orlando shooter, you'll recall, legally purchased the semi-automatic rifle he used in his deadly spree. It's also already well-documented that ISIS has told its homegrown followers to take advantage of our porous gun laws to assemble their own, personal arsenals. And when even the NRA thinks that (with proper due-process protections) that it's a good idea, that's saying something. Because they hate everything. "My starting point is two, simple ideas: If a person is so dangerous that we will not allow them to board a plane ... they should not be able to walk into a gun store and buy a firearm," Toomey said. Toomey knows first-hand how tough it is to get a gun-control bill through the Senate. In 2013, in response to the Sandy Hook shootings, he joined with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Toomey to offer an ultimately unsuccessful mandatory background check bill. During the Senate's gun-control votes this week, Manchin tried, and failed, to offer a similar measure. Toomey, himself, took a run at a middle-ground bill that imposed a "no fly/no buy" ban, but also provided for an annual review of government watch lists. It failed to garner any support and wasn't among the four proposals the Senate rejected last week. Toomey's currently locked in the political fight of his life with Democrat Katie McGinty, a former senior aide to Pennsylvania's Democratic governor, Tom Wolf. His is one of five seats Democrats need to flip to retake the Senate in the fall. She and her surrogates, including former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, hammered Toomey for playing politics. But as a candidate, McGinty has it easy. She has no responsibility to govern. That makes posturing easy. But it also accomplishes nothing. Toomey, meanwhile, wants to work to improve the Collins bill. Whether that's enough to actually flip the Republican no votes on Collins' bill is unclear. "There are a lot of Republicans who believe we need to address this gap in our security," Toomey said. But as the past couple of weeks have demonstrated, it's a long walk from belief to putting those beliefs into action. That requires something even tougher to find than 60 votes. It requires backbone. Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPSGY.PK) announced the resignation of Lawrence Rosen (58), Chief Financial Officer, from the Board of Management of Deutsche Post DHL Group. After more than seven years as FO of the leading global mail and logistics company and over thirteen years as CFO of DAX-listed companies, Lawrence Rosen wishes to retire on 30 September 2016. The Supervisory Board of Deutsche Post DHL Group has named Melanie Kreis (45), as successor to Lawrence Rosen as Deutsche Post DHL Group CFO. Since 2014, Melanie Kreis has been Member of the Board for Human Resources, Deutsche Post DHL Group and will retain this responsibility on an interim basis. Melanie Kreis started her career with McKinsey & Company in 1997, before moving to Apax Partners Private Equity. She joined Deutsche Post DHL in 2004, to focus on international M&A projects. Following the Group's acquisition of Exel in 2005, she moved to Bracknell, U.K., to lead the overall Logistics integration effort. Melanie Kreis was instrumental in planning and executing the sale of Postbank to Deutsche Bank. Prior to joining the Board, Melanie was Chief Financial Officer of DHL Express. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Canadian stocks tumbled Friday, although not as much as other global equities, as gold producers provided a measure of support in the wake of the UK's shocking decision to leave the European Union. The S&P/TSX Composite Index was down 238.57 points, or 1.7 percent, to 13,891.88, with losses pronounced among energy and financial stocks. Traders are concerned that the Brexit could spark a global recession, or at least spur the breakup of both the EU and the United Kingdom. Those in favor of leaving the European Union garnered 51.9 percent of the vote, while 48.1 percent chose to remain. Gold stocks skyrocketed 7.4 percent as bullion prices rallied to 2-year highs. A number of precious metal stocks hit 52-week highs, including Goldgroup (GGA.TO) and Silver Wheaton (SLW.TO). On the other hand, base metal miners plunged 6.9 percent, while energy stocks fells 3.7 percent. Health care shares fell 4.3 percent. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Market Analysis When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. 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 The Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, will on Friday launch a R22-million Green Fund Project in the uPhongolo Local Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal. The Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, will on Friday launch a R22-million Green Fund Project in the uPhongolo Local Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal. Farming the Wild is a community based project to green the rural economy of the uPhongolo Local Municipality. The project aims to create green jobs and sustain two rural communities in the province through game farming initiatives, thereby supporting the objectives of the Green Fund. It is funded through the National Green Fund, whose primary aim is to provide finance to facilitate investment in green initiatives, including funding green economy project initiation and development, research and development, and capacity building initiatives. The fund seeks to support green initiatives to assist South Africas transition to a low carbon, resource efficient and climate resilient development path delivering high impact economic, environmental and social benefits. Two days ago, a letter from the Attorney Generals Office arrived. Sent by the offices Principal Legal Secretary, Fagalele Iosefa-Tualatamalelagi, it is in connection with the death of the late, Jeanine Tuivaiki. Underneath the offices address are the words: *Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your understanding ... Proverbs 3:5* The letter reveals that the Attorney Generals office has opened a legislative file, as a result of the reporting of the death of Jeanine Tuivaiki. It goes on to quote Attorney General, Lemalu Herman Retzlaff, as having said: This is to do with suggested suicides, and how the reporting of this can be appropriately guided by law. He explains: The aim is to produce in consultation with the community, legal guidelines for the reporting of suicide in Samoa because we do not have any at present. And so, the truth that we have been waiting for has finally showed up, so that for us here at the Samoa Observer, we are sincerely thankful to Attorney General, Lemalu Herman Retzlaff, and his staff, for bringing this matter forward. We are grateful that they have made it publicly known for the first time that in the past, Samoa had not had any laws that guided the reporting of suicides and it still does not have any of them at present. Now that is the truth, the untainted truth. However, explains Attorney General, Lemalu Herman Retzlaffs letter: Government has been very clear, freedom of the press is sacred and must be protected. Therefore, this effort will aim to introduce rules that other countries have, that do not hinder the media, but rather guide its efforts when dealing specifically with this highly sensitive and emotional issue. Well done and thank you. Indeed, we have no doubt that the role they are now playing, will ensure that any discrepancy of this nature will not recur at any time in the future, thus relieving us all of this doubt and this terrible anxiety. Says Lemalus letter: The prayer here is that the tough lessons experienced by all involved and the wider community, can result in a positive set of legal guidelines for the future. Lemalus letter is published in its entirety down below. As for Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi though, hes such a hard man to please. I seems as if even with all that power hes wielding, hes still craving for more and more. He wrote: However, from time to time, there have been serious breaches of journalism ethics, and there is a clear disregard by some media outlets for fair and balanced reporting. He then wrote about his governments attempts to regulate the media in Samoa. For several years now, Government has been encouraging the local media industry to establish a regulating body to address issues of journalism ethics and standards. And then last year, Parliament passed the Media Council Act legislating for this need to raise standards and ensure media practitioners adhere to their own code of ethics and best practice. Although it has not yet been established, it is important to note that the Media Council will rely heavily on the Journalists Association of Samoa (JAWS), as the Act itself was formulated entirely through consultations with local media practitioners, and it is based upon the organizations code of ethics. What he did not say though was that the government took over JAWS, and then it ran it just like it did any other government department, and as a result JAWS is now jawless. The point is that the private media is the proverbial watchdog of the government in the public interest, which follows that throughout the democratic world today that role is respected, protected and encouraged. Besides, talking about regulations, we believe there are enough laws in place presently regulating the Samoan media, so that any more regulations would be completely unnecessary. For instance, apart from the laws of defamation which has been around for a long time, there is the Printers and Publishers Act 1992, which requires publishers and editors to reveal their sources of information to government leaders, who claim theyve been defamed by them. Although other countries have similar laws, this one is different in that the authority to reveal sources is not made by the judge, but by the plaintiff himself, and it has to be obeyed. And then there is the British law of criminal libel. Inherited by Samoa and other British colonies during colonial times, it had not been used by any Commonwealth country, including New Zealand and Australia. However, in the late nineties, it was used by the late Prime Minister Tofilau Eti Alesana, against the editor of the Samoa Observer, for allowing a certain letter to the editor he found offending, to be published. And unlike a civil claim, the criminal libel carried the maximum jail term of six months. That matter, however, was discontinued. Still, we are sincerely thankful to Prime Minister Tuilaepa, for all that he has done for Samoa over the years. We know that his has been a daunting task, and yet for his love of his country he has persevered, and we have no doubt in our minds that his legacy will endure. As for today, it is our prayer that all those problems were still struggling with in our quest to build a better Samoa for those who have yet to arrive, will soon become a thing of the past, never to be seen again. May the late Jeanine Tuivaiki, rest in peace. Have a peaceful Sunday Samoa, God bless. Dear Editor, Wow. England has voted to leave the EU. Although I hate to see the rise of right wing nationalism, which is the real reason the Brits voted to leave the EU, I think the status quo is underestimating the anger that people are feeling towards the elites who globalization is working for, while not working for many and leaving so many struggling to make ends meet. This is the same reason that Donald Trump has a legitimate shot at winning the US presidency. It is the same anger that could cause Hillary, part of the elite status quo, to lose to Donald Trump. I think it would be awful if Donald Trump won but I do understand why. People are feeling left out of the global economy. Take note PS Jeffery. This is what Ive been talking about when we debate whether or not your PM should sell out the Samoan people and their lands for a few pieces of foreign silver. Wendy Wonder The Attorney Generals office has opened a legislative file as a result of the reporting of the death of Jeanine Tuivaiki. Attorney General states: This is to do with suggested suicides, and how the reporting of this can be appropriately guided by law. The aim is to produce in consultation with the community, legal guidelines for the reporting of suicide in Samoa because we do not have any at present. Requirements recognised by law in other countries, and internationally by the UNDP, for example: giving notice and obtaining the consent of the family, quoting only the family, not mentioning the method and not picturing the deceased, together with a community based motive or purpose for the report, are the best starting point for discussions. There would need to be a requirement to publish the contact details of the appropriate community support groups, as an attachment to the story. There are laws that deal with defaming persons publically, but none that refer directly to a situation where suicide is suggested in a publication. Government has been very clear, freedom of the press is sacred and must be protected. Therefore, this effort will aim to introduce rules that other countries have, that do not hinder the media, but rather guide its efforts when dealing specifically with this highly sensitive and emotional issue. The intention is for it to be subsequently referred to the Samoa Law Reform Commissioners office to allow wider public consultation. This will allow community groups such as Faataua Le Ola and JAWS to take part, and articulate their views and consider any responsibilities they can and should commit to. The prayer here is that the tough lessons experienced by all involved and the wider community, can result in a positive set of legal guidelines for the future. It was a late race this year with the annual Savaii Crossing taking place in late June. But all that mattered for the three competing teams from Samoa and neighbouring state American Samoa yesterday was to reach Savaii and come back as soon as possible. And thats what the Samoan team Alotasi Pualele did best: with a fast time of 4 hours and 16 minutes, the host team took out the title. The race hosted by Pualele Outrigger Canoe Club for the first time in 2008 was not meant to be an actual race back then. Back in the day, it all started off as an annual club event to provide our paddlers with a unique, different paddling opportunity, explained Situfu Salesa, the clubs vice president at Sheraton Samoa Aggie Greys Resort, right before the event started. Now, eight years later, the Club launched three canoes, each and every one of them ready to overcome the more than 42-kilometre long distance to cross the finishing line in a new record time. The teams this year also included paddlers from American Samoa, starting in two separate teams with one being a mixed team while the other consisted of a canoe full of all female paddlers. The event began from Mulifanua on the island of Upolu turning at Salelologa wharf on the island Savaii and heading back to Mulifanua. A though route that stretched the races participants to their limits, both physically and mentally. The Savaii Crossing is a very difficult race. This is because the second half of the race is coming back from Savaii to Mulifanua where teams are paddling upwind and against the current sometimes with 20knot winds at 6ft swells. The 2nd half usually takes twice as long as the first half of the race. This is where paddlers usually get sea sick, fatigued, de-hydrated and sometimes overwhelmed with the elements, Mr. Salesa stated. Another kind of difficulty the paddlers had to be aware of was indeed of a human kind. Every year we have to make sure that the ferry schedule and our schedule dont intermix during the time of the race. Because of these difficulties, the teams were well prepared with the right strategies during the race, as Suisala Mele Maualaivao, the events Deputy Director was able to tell Sunday Samoan. Weve been paddling on a six-person outrigger each, but the race actually has twelve people and there are always changeovers for the entire distance every twenty minutes, where people were switching in and out. Despite these general strategies, every team had its own way to approach this years race. We did the best we could in terms of preparation for this years race. Of course there were some ups and downs with paddlers which couldnt make it into the team. But overall it has been a really good experience, said Tony Talouli, who took part in the race as the Captain for the only Samoan team, Alotasi Pualele. As he mentioned right before the race was about to kick off, the winds always are something to be concerned of for the paddlers out on the sea. I have participated here for the last seven years and it has to be said that the Savaii Crossing can be named as one of the hardest international races. This particularly applies to the second half of the race, when we have to come back from Savaii to Upolu. This part of the route is upwind and we have to fight against that all the time on the way back. The team from Samoa had set a realistic goal for the races outcome. I think for our team, finishing the race in five hours would be a good time, the captain stated, not knowing at that point that his team would break the intended time by approximately 45 minutes. For the other two teams, the experience of the Savaii Crossing was also not a completely new one at least for most of the paddlers. Our association has so far participated numerous times but this year, our club Le Vasa also takes part in the race with some new members, who we wanted to make sure should not miss this experience here in Samoa, explained team captain Paula Stevenson-McDonald of the Le Malu o le Vasa Outrigger Canoe Club. According to her, the team had not been spared during the preparations for the challenge. We spend as much time on the water as we could, simply to get our new members a feeling for what it would be like to spend so many hours on the sea today. One of those new members was Vanessa McKenzie, who despite of her first time at the Savaii Crossing was more than ready to start paddling before the race: Its exciting, but I am ready to get out on the water. It is certainly though, but were here to do the hard stuff. All three teams gave their best and certainly did the hard stuff on the South Pacific, but in the end, the only Samoan team in the race could win the competition, being only about 22 minutes faster than the all-female canoe from American Samoa, which was followed by their mixed team club colleagues with an overall time of about 4 hours and 47 minutes. With their end results all being placed under the five-hour mark, all three teams could be really proud of their achievement. The next years renewal of the Savaii Crossing will tell if the paddlers can even beat these fast finishing times. More than 20 local I.C.T officials who attended a seminar on their chosen field of work in China in May last year gathered at the Chinese Embassy on Thursday. They were there to honour an invitation by the Chinese Embassy to share their experiences on the application of the knowledge they acquired during the trip to China. Participant, Fainuulelei James Ah Wai, said the trip was a valuable learning experience. We had a great time in China and were hoping to get more opportunities to visit China in the future, he said. We visited companies and universities and we experienced different technologies which we can see will help our country in the future. In 2015, more than 200 Samoans visited China for training. But that number is only expected to increase, according to Chinas Ambassador to Samoa, Wang Xuefang. This year, I believe there will be even more various training programmes provided by the Chinese government that covers a broad range of fields, said Ambassador Wang. The Seminar on Information Communication is a bilateral training course tailor-made for Samoa by the Chinese government based on the need of Samoas economic and social development. The seminar covered IT Introduction, urban information, information security, enterprise information, mobile IT application, e-commerce and many of case studies. Mr. Xuefang also announced three bilateral seminars in China between August and October. They are training courses on Caring Techniques for Woman and Child for Samoa, Seminar on Public Administration for Samoa, Seminar on Culture and Art for Samoa. We will provide more targeted training programmes that meet the actual needs of Samoa. In 2017, we will hold the information technology seminar for Samoa again because there is a high demand in Samoa. We are inclined to give more training opportunities to teachers to improve their ability to use the computers. In this way, Samoan students can also benefit from the training for their teachers and I hope Chinas human resources training will make greater contribution to the development of Samoa and friendship between our two countries. The church fraternity is mourning the loss of a beloved leader, pioneer. It comes after the passing of Pastor Maanaima Pepa Aloalii. He was 75. Married to Faatupu Olive Aloalii with five children, Pastor Maanaimas eldest daughter, Malaefilogia Aloalii, described her father as a man of God and a man of faith. He preached faith and he lived it, said Malaefilogia. He was a strict father like most parents and he was a loving father to us all. Malaefilogia said her father always had high expectations for all of his children. He was more maternal he was a loving father to us, especially his grandchildren. All of his grandchildren were so close to him. He treated everyone and anyone like his own blood and flesh. Regardless of who they were and where they come from, he was always kind to so many people. And that is something he instilled in us. He planted in our hearts that we are all children of God and that we should help one other no matter what. Malaefilogia told the Sunday Samoan that her father has been sick for a long time. He was advised by the doctor to do his dialysis 16 years ago, and most doctors were surprised that he survived this long. He had a bypass operation in 2006, and his kidney failed a long time ago. He came to New Zealand last year and I took him to the doctor at Middlemore Hospital, and the doctors were shocked that he was still alive. But even when the doctors advised him to do his dialysis, he always said that he will wait for God to call him. Said Malaefilogia, it was his fathers faith that kept him alive. I am proud that he was my father, she said. I am also honored to be his daughter and to be raised by a loving person like him. Malaefilogia said she has a lot of good memories of her father when he was still alive. But my favorite memory of him was the quality time he spent with his grandchildren, she said. They are all close to him and he loved them so very much. He was more like a mother to us most of the time. I remember that whenever we feel sick in the middle of the night, he would always stay up the whole night to take care of us and make us feel better. He was a hero and we will forever miss him. His favorite saying to us was Be humble and have humility. His heart was the church, and even though we will miss having him around, but his words and spirit will continue to inspire us each and every day. We will continue his legacy. Pastor Maanaima Pepa AloaliI is from Salani Falealili and Moamoa. He is a grandfather of twelve and a great-grandfather of two. His family service will be held today at 2:00pm at his house at Moamoa, and this is for his family only. At 7:00pm today, there will be another service for his friends and members of the public. His final service will be held tomorrow. The President of the Samoa Faafafine Association, Sooalo Roger Stanley, is adamant. He says it matters little whether people choose to refer to him as a she or a he. We refer to ourselves as faafafines, said Sooalo. We are faafafines. We prefer that terminology and feel that we are more comfortable to be referred to as faafafines than any other word like transgender, gay, cross-dressers and other words. We feel that those terms are not only modern but are also medical terminologies. And those terms tend to differentiate us and categorises us and put us in a box to tick on which category you belong you. But we feel that faafafine is Samoan and it also describes the real us. Asked if he objected to being referred to as a man, Sooalo said it doesnt matter. We are good to go being referred to either she or he. But it always come down to the fact that we are males so we are fine with he. We also have some of our friends who prefer being called she. But to me, I would prefer he. Sooalo made the comments during a press conference hosted by the S.F.A on Friday, at the Samoa Stationary and Books where they invited members of the public to join a peaceful candle parade in the early hours of tomorrow. The march will start from the Town Clock all the way to Taufusi where a faafafine, known as Jeanine Tuivaiki, was found dead inside a church hall last week. What happened to Jeanine was terrible, said Sooalo. To me, what happened to Jeanine has proved what I always say about us, faafafine, he said. I always say that we are a vulnerable group and that we are a minority group. Over time, people had denied that we are a minority group. But we are a minority group, we are similar to people with disabilities and victims of violence and abuse. To me, when this incident happened with Jeanine, I recalled back what I always said about our group as faafafines. Sooalo said the faafafine community is often marginalised. But the publication of Jeanines story and the outrage it has attracted over the use of the image is a wake up call. I think it came at the right time, he said. It was a good timing and it was indeed a wake up call for us. So for us moving forward, we saw this as an opportunity to bring in our advocacy work. In terms of creating awareness programmes to avoid these kind of problems to save more lives from this type of incidents, and to put an end to violence and discrimination. We want to avoid having such problems and create awareness so that people will not have to go through such dilemma anymore. We really want people to give us the respect we deserve. We want everyone to please take away all the discrimination against Faafafine. That entire homophobic attitude we need to learn how to work together to avoid these issues. There are many other issues out there and I think its about time for us to wake up, and start working together to solve these issues. Sooalo said people need to get real about the rise in social issues. I think we should stop thinking that we are living in paradise free from all the problems. Lets not take for granted that we are safe in our country and that we are free. We should stop with that mentality and should start looking at the real issues. There is discrimination out there against faafafine and we need to put our foot down and try to erase that. There are many other issues out there. I think its about time for us to wake up, and start working together to solve these issues. I think we should stop thinking that we are living in Paradise free from all the problems in Samoa. Lets not take for granted that we are safe in our country and that we are free. We should stop with that mentality and should start looking at the real issues. There is discrimination out there against faafafine and we need to put our foot down and try to erase that. Sooalo also wanted to remind the public that the government has set up a Human Rights Commission. People need to know that the government has set up a Human Rights Commission, the National Human Rights Institute. We are also member of the Human Rights Council. However, Sooalo said he was reluctant to join the Human Rights Council when it was first set up. This is because I felt that in Samoa, Faafafines were well taken care of, he said. We are welcomed in our society; we are loved by our families, and by our community. We are different from any other countries when it comes to Faafafine. In other countries, faafafines are beaten up and killed by people in their societies at all times. But thats not the case with Samoa, he added. Faafafines runs around freely in Samoa. Everywhere I go I always say that no faafafine in Samoa has ever committed suicide or has been tested positive with HIV Aids. And if it turns out that Jeanine committed suicide, then I will not say that anymore. I just hope that the investigation will come out otherwise. But we will just leave it to God. One unique feature about Samoa is that we respect faafafines very well compare to other countries. A lot of them (faafafines) from other countries are envious of how faafafine here in Samoa are treated. Nevertheless, faafafines are getting the same opportunities as men and women in our societies. Faafafines have never been declined the opportunity to go to school, and getting a job in Samoa. I have never heard about a faafafine being denied to the opportunities here in Samoa because they are faafafines. I always see that our faafafines are getting the same opportunity. Ive been in the public service for more than fifteen years now and I have never come across a case like that. However, Sooalo said that it is time for people to wake up and work together to avoid some of the issues in our country, such as violence, discrimination and suicide. We also need to be aware of the fact that there are also problems in our peaceful country. Lets not take that for granted. Theres always that room for discrimination in our society. But then now, its time for us to wake up. We cant stop living like there are no problems and start working together to solve these issues. Aforementioned, Sooalo said that the S.F.A are now looking at addressing these issues. Like I said, we see this as an opportunity to bring in our advocacy work. And I want to tell people that we have work to do. We also do vocational trainings and forums for us to discuss some of the main issues regarding faafafine. Thats when we come together and discuss our own issues as faafafines. because we have our own issues different from men and women. We have our own forum and thats where we talk comfortably about the issues faafafines problems. We are now continuing on our advocacy work and we will focus on addressing the issues such as violence, discrimination and suicide. Tomorrows parade starts at 4:30am. Take a candle if you go. Phuket, Thailand -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/24/2016 -- AndamanCoralDivers.com, the best diving school in Phuket, Thailand discusses the health benefits of Phuket diving. In the past few years, diving is considered as one of the most popular underwater activities in Phuket. The marine biodiversity of Phuket, Thailand is known for its amazing coral reefs and rich marine life. Thus, AndamanCoralDivers.com encourages the tourist to try out diving not just for pleasure purposes but also because of its health benefits. AndamanCoralDivers.com iterates the primary health benefits of diving which include relieving the stress, improving blood circulation, and reducing blood pressure. In addition to that, the pressure coming from the waves can also help to unleash the tension in the muscles. According to AndamanCoralDivers.com, diving can also help to develop flexibility and overall strength. This is due to the fact that the muscles work harder underwater. Plus, the muscles have to resist the force of the water current. As a matter of fact, diving is considered as one of the most effective methods in order for the athletes to train before a big sporting event. In addition, the underwater current helps to develop the overall strength and immunity of the body. There are several types of research that prove that staying underwater can increase the strength of the body. For individuals who are having difficulties in breathing, AndamanCoralDivers.com suggest that diving or scuba diving can aid in order to practice proper and calm breathing. Diving is also appropriate for older individuals since the pressure of the water, as well as the temperature under can help to ease muscle spasms and joint pains such as the ones felt by patients diagnosed with arthritis. AndamanCoralDivers.com advocates scuba diving in the wonderful ocean of Phuket, Thailand not just because of its rich marine life but also because of the benefits the divers can get while enjoying the activity. About Andaman Coral Divers Andaman Coral Divers is a diving school that is based in Phuket, Thailand offers "day trip" to the most beautiful diving spots in Thailand. The world's renowned diving instructor Philippe will accompany you to discover the richness of the seabed of the Similan Islands. There are several PADI diving courses to suit all levels or expertise of the students like you. Andaman Coral Divers also offers ECO tourism excursion through the beautiful island of Ko Yao Noi. Contact: Dimitry Vital PR and Marketing @ Andaman Coral Divers Telephone: +66 (0) 86 272 7011 Website: http://www.andamancoraldivers.com A strange noise emanating from the Caribbean Sea has reportedly been detected by researchers from UK's University of Liverpool. The sound, which was found to be similar to a whistle, was so remarkable that it could be picked up from space, even though it was too low to be initially caught by human ears on our planet's surface. The scientists heard the sound when conducting a research about regional sea level and pressure changes, especially in the Caribbean Sea owing to its significant role in creating currents that feed into the Gulf Stream. The team soon realized there was something mysterious going on when they noticed pressure oscillations in their study model which did not seem quite right. The scientists zeroed in on the oscillations and realized that they emanated a low noise, which could only be described as a whistle. The whistle's pitch was so strong that it could be measured in space by observing the oscillations on Earth's gravity field. The further study of the effect led the scientists to understand that the sound was actually a Rossby Wave, a phenomenon that moves west on the ocean, and reaches the Caribbean basin, where it disappears for 120 days and then reappears again to make the journey back to the east of the ocean. The researchers attributed the mysterious whistle of the sea floor to the Rossby Wave. "An ocean current flowing through the Caribbean Sea becomes unstable and excites a resonance of a rather strange kind of ocean wave called a Rossby wave," said Chris Hughes, from the researching team. "Because the Caribbean Sea is partly open, this causes an exchange of water with the rest of the ocean which allows us to 'hear' the resonance using gravity measurements". Incidentally the note of the wave is in A-flat tone, which is around 30 octaves lower than a piano's lowest note. Furthermore, the researchers believe that the "Rossby Whistle" is actually impacting the flow of the Caribbean current and subsequently the whole North Atlantic Ocean. The team now wants to study more about the effect of the Rossby Whistle, particularly its capability of coastal flooding prediction. The Hubble Telescope has detected a huge, dark spot the size of US in the atmosphere of Neptune, according to a recent press release by NASA. The images captured by Hubble shows a vortex which was confirmed as a storm by the American space agency. The large spot is the first instance of a new storm caught brewing on the cold and gaseous planet in the 21st century. New dark vortex discovered in the atmosphere of Neptune, observed by @NASA_Hubble: https://t.co/IXmS6hZo40 pic.twitter.com/l4voKGiwF3 NASA (@NASA) June 23, 2016 The images of Neptune show that the dark storm is accompanied by bright companion clouds; a feature which is more common compared to the storm and has been associated with various other storms in the past. According to researchers, the bright clouds form when gas gets frozen into methane above the storm. "Dark vortices coast through the atmosphere like huge, lens-shaped gaseous mountains. And the companion clouds are similar to so-called orographic clouds that appear as pancake shaped features lingering over mountains on Earth," said Mike Wong, astronomer at University of California, Berkeley astronomer. Scientists first noted the clouds on Neptune in July 2015, however it was only last month in May that they confirmed the presence of a vortex after studying the images and data captured by Hubble. Incidentally, this is the third time that a vortex has been detected on Neptune. The first time a dark spot on Neptune was noticed in 1989, when the Voyager 2 flew by the large planet and sent back photos of a dark cloud in the southern hemisphere of the planet, and such a phenomenon was again spotted in 1994 by Hubble. As per NASA, researchers like to study and hunt the occurrence of storms in space as they help in throwing more light on the solar system's planetary processes. The detection of a new dark vortex on Neptune will help the experts to find out more about their evolution. On its part, Hubble will be contributing to more such discoveries, especially since NASA has extended the space telescope's operations until at least June 30, 2021, which gives it five more years to do its job. The researchers from Mainz University Medical Center and Goethe University Frankfurt discovered that the use of active systemic insecticides called neonicotinoids causes the alarming bee mortality. The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE. It is led by Professor Ignatz Wessler of the Institute of Pathology at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and collaborated with Professor Bern Grunewald of the Bee Research Institute at Goethe University Frankfurt and other colleagues. This insecticide lessens the concentration of acetylcholine in the royal jelly/larval food secreted by nurse bees. It can also damage the microchannels of the royal jelly gland in which the acetylcholine is produced. The researchers also found that neonicotinoids impair the development of the honeybee larvae. Professor Wessler explained that in 2013, the European Food Safety Authority printed a report determining that the neonicotinoid class of insecticides represented a risk to bees. He further explained that the undesirable effect of neonicotinoids now discovered is an indication that these insecticides represent a clear hazard to bee populations. He added that this factor must be taken into account in the approaching reassessment of the environmental risks of this substance class. The researchers were able to demonstrate that neonicotinoids lessen the acetylcholine content of the larval food that was produced by nurse bees. Acetylcholine is a signaling molecule formed in the microchannels of the royal jelly gland of nurse bees. Neonicotinoids are also referred to as neonics are neuroactive insecticides that are chemically the same with nicotine. The Shell and the Bayer work on their development. Among the neonicotinoid family are the imidacloprid, which is the most commonly used insecticide in the world, nitenpyram, acetamiprid, thiacloprid, clothianidin, nithiazine and the thiamethoxam. It was linked to adverse ecological effects. The European Union and other EU countries prohibited the use of certain neonicotinoids in 2013. FLORENCE, S.C. When a vulnerable person is reported missing to police, minutes can be the difference between finding the person safe or finding the persons body sometime later. In some cases, the person missing has a mental condition and will wander away from home unknowingly, making it even more difficult for officials to find them. Florence County sheriffs Capt. John Crouse can recall a missing person case from years ago involving an elderly woman with Alzheimers. People kept picking her up and taking her to places she would ask them to go, unaware that she was a missing vulnerable adult, Crouse said. They cant help themselves. They cant tell you Im so-and-so and this is my address. Crouse said they tracked her tirelessly for days. We just never could catch up to her, Crouse said. We found her remains five years later. In the hopes of preventing similar tragedies in the future, The Florence County Sheriffs Office is looking to join Project Lifesaver, a search and rescue program specifically designed for vulnerable adults and children. Project Lifesaver International works in conjunction with public safety agencies to use search-and-rescue technology for at-risk individuals, such as people with Alzheimers, autism, dementia and other related disorders. As a part of the Project Lifesaver program, public safety officials learn about various cognitive conditions, search and rescue techniques, and how to apply tracking technology in the event of a missing at-risk person. Once an agency such as a sheriffs office, police or fire department becomes a member of Project Lifesaver, it is able to offer the program to members of the public who wish to apply. Once someone is enrolled in the program, the caregiver can purchase a small personal transmitter which the at-risk person will wear on a wrist or ankle. If the person wanders or goes missing, the caregiver is able to notify the public safety agency who can track the missing persons location from the receiver. A standard search-and-rescue operation without this technology takes an estimated nine hours with sometimes hundreds of officers searching for the missing person, Nunn said. Thousands of dollars are spent on manpower during these extensive searches. Despite the amount of money and time spent looking for the missing person, the average recovery rate is low. When using Project Lifesaver, agencies average search time is around 30 minutes and the number of officers used during the search drastically decreases. On Sunday night, the Richland County Sheriffs Office used its Project Lifesaver technology to locate a missing 15-year-old autistic boy wearing a transmitter around his ankle. It took only a few minutes from the time he was reported missing for deputies to find him and return him to his family. Maj. Michael Nunn of the Florence County Sheriffs Office said he spoke with a sheriffs deputy in Richland County about the average success rate in using Project Lifesaver to find people who go missing. She said, 100 percent, Nunn said. Thats pretty remarkable. Any program that touts itself as having a 100 percent success rate, you want to take a look at that one. Nunn said he has been attempting to bring the Project Lifesaver program to Florence County for the last five years. One of the roadblocks Nunn has faced is finding funding for the project. Nunn said the initial training and equipment costs would total close to $6,000. The Darlington County Fire Department is a member of Project Lifesaver and was the first fire department in the state to be certified in the program. Interim Chief Ricky Flowers said the department received all of its funding from the Darlington Pilot Club. Theyve funded the entire project as of now, Flowers said. Weve saved a ton of money and we wouldnt have been able to do this without them. Florence County does not have a Pilot Club, forcing Nunn to look for funding options elsewhere. We were looking at finding a corporate sponsor to get us the hardware and the training, Nunn said. I just could not get any traction on it and Im not exactly sure why. This thing is so great it should sell itself. Initial funding isnt the only challenge. Continuing expenses are also a factor, including transmitter and replacement battery costs. The transmitters worn by vulnerable people cost approximately $300 each and require batteries that need to be changed every 30 days, according to Nunn. The batteries will cost $30 per month to replace. For Crouse, the funding cost is a small price to pay when talking about finding a vulnerable loved one who goes missing. In the case of the woman with Alzheimers, Crouse said, having that kind of equipment might have drastically altered the outcome. Had we had this technology then and it was on her, wed have had her home that night, Crouse said. It wouldve made all the difference in that familys life. Fourth in a series FLORENCE, S.C. When the Abbeville v. South Carolina case proceedings began in 1993, there were a number of grievances that plaintiff districts aired: facilities, transportation, teacher recruitment, student achievement. Nowhere on that original list was early childhood education. But when a trial court gave its ruling in 2006, it said that areas like facilities and achievement had adequate funding structures, but called out the States failure to fund early childhood intervention programs. In response, the General Assembly created and has given funding to the South Carolina Child Development Program since its pilot legislation in 2006. Still, some are worried that pre-K children in rural areas, including the Pee Dee, are not given great opportunities to access child care. Early childhood programs have been shown to have a critical effect on the development of a childs mental network. Even play time has been lauded by scholars as a key learning experience, sometimes developing several areas of the mind in tandem during a single activity. In fact, specialists in the field of child development have argued that increasing focus on early childhood education will produce tangible benefits down the road. The number varies, but for every dollar we send for early childhood education, some see between an $8 to $17 return on investment because of savings in things like special education, academic retention and incarceration, said Tammy Pawloski, a professor of early childhood education and director of the Center For Excellence at Francis Marion University. Much of this has to do with human development, especially in terms of neuroscience. The most rapid periods of growth in humans happens from conception through early childhood, and the brain develops neural connections to understand its environment most rapidly during the ages from birth until the age of five, according to Pawloski. Taking advantage of that growth, she says, is a proactive way to ensure better academic success down the road. If we have children without the opportunity to create neural networks early on, then schools have to spend a lot of resources to make those connections, she said. Pawloski also emphasizes that all years of early childhood are vital, not just 4K. Though kindergarten is universal in the state and 4K is more available than in past decades, she says she contends that 4K is too late to start. For children in poverty, environment and access to quality child care are stacked against them in any of these first steps of education. The Pee Dee falls into this category in many counties, including Marion and Marlboro, where children-in-poverty rates are above 50 percent as of the last S.C. First Steps report. Options may be affordable in theory for children in these rural regions, but are often far away from their area and families may lack the knowledge of how to get assistance. This creates an environment not suitable for academic growth, according to Pawloski. Children in poverty have great, big, powerful brains, she said, but they arent given the environment to grow those academic neural networks, though she says that they have networks that serve them well in the environments they live in. Even if there were child-care providers in every corner of the Pee Dee, the quality of child care would not be a given. Though providing early childhood learning opportunities may seem simple, like reading the alphabet or explaining colors, Pawloski says teachers in these environments must be of high quality to ensure the children are ahead in their learning. Whoever is providing care for children from birth to the age of five are the people creating the wiring in the development of that childs brain, she said. So its important to make sure these care providers are quality. Although South Carolina stepped up in 2006 with Child Development Program funding in addition to other funding provided under the Education Improvement Act, the Palmetto State is still ranked 42nd nationally in state spending on pre-K, according to the National Institute for Early Education Researchs most recent State Report Card. Pawloski says this translates into teachers who are often working historically low-wage jobs that have long-term effects on who they serve, and less funding for oversight programs to ensure proper training and implementation of programming. There are local efforts in the Pee Dee to address issues raised in early childhood education. Every county in the state has a regional office of the S.C. First Steps organization, which exist(s) to ensure South Carolinas children are ready for school success, according to the organizations website. Programs in each county vary, but common program partnerships through First Steps in the Pee Dee include child-care scholarships, child-care provider training and parent as educator training, among other infant and 4K assistance provided throughout all districts. The School Foundation has been awarding grant money and providing training opportunities to many child-care providers over the past decade throughout Florence School District One. But poorer families in rural districts are still facing the troubles of finding and paying for child-care providers, and this is a trend throughout the nation. Some studies show that low-income parents can spend on average 30 to 35 percent of their monthly income on child care, depending on the number of children. Transportation to accredited child-care centers can also be a make-or-break factor for working families who lack the time and resources. Though more initiatives are out there for early child development than past years, Pawloski still says there is a need for better systems in place to make sure children are receiving necessary attention at the earliest point possible. The earlier we start taking care of our children, the sooner they are going to be school-ready and successful, she said. WASHINGTON -- With Britain's vote to leave the European Union, did Donald Trump just win the presidential election? On the surface, this may seem an odd question, but the concerns that led a majority of Brits to vote "leave" on Thursday are similar to those that have catapulted Trump to the Republican nomination -- immigration, refugees, underemployment. Also similar have been reactions to Brexit and to Trump's political rise. Analysts and market speculators were shocked that the prediction models they used were wrong. Overnight, the political playbook seemed to have become a relic of some distant past. The biggest gambler of all was Prime Minister David Cameron, who held the referendum despite his preference to "remain." His resignation essentially marked the death of the establishment and a rebirth of people who have risen in protest of a world they refuse to accept. The populist, anti-establishment movement we've been witnessing in the U.S. isn't purely local. Other countries, especially in Europe, are feeling similar stresses to their psychic as well as their material infrastructure, leading to renewed calls for nationalism. Already, other nations are queuing up to join merry old England on the exit ramp. The ground has shifted and, with it, global markets. Immediately, the pound plunged along with stock values. Rattled investors tried to regain their equilibrium. The world gaped in breathless wonderment as a new, upside-down landscape took shape. All, that is, except for Donald Trump. Conveniently in Scotland to visit his Turnberry resort, the brand-brandishing baron of bombast opined that Brexit was "a great thing." Never mind that the "Scotch," as Trump recently referred to his Scots heritage, voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU and likely will hold a referendum soon to separate from Britain. What matters is that Trump saw in Brexit an opportunity to profit. Because that's what Trump does. One impoverished fellow's home foreclosure is Trump's business opportunity. One nation's lost cause is his tourist bonanza. You probably thought Brexit was about national independence, didn't you? Trump thought it was about him. The pound's decline, he explained, could mean more travelers to his resorts -- and what could be better than that? Trump further explained that it was great the British people are taking their country back, just as Trump supporters are hoping to do in November. Indeed, in many respects, Trump is America's "Trexit" -- a ticket to leave the establishment and entrenched bureaucrats whom Trump's admirers -- and Britain's leavers -- see as responsible for their respective nation's problems. This message, though we've heard it a thousand times, has taken time to penetrate the minds of commentators and analysts who now humbly acknowledge that they didn't see "it" coming -- neither Brexit nor Trump. It was easier to name the manifestations -- xenophobia, racism, sexism, "fear of the other" -- than it was to recognize the root causes, which, distilled, amount to a looming sense of lost identity. The smartest thing Trump has said during his campaign was in a speech last week. Citing Hillary Clinton's slogan "I'm with her," he said his slogan is "I'm with you, the American people." Brilliant. When Trump frames things this way, he wins. When his critics point to his xenophobia and racism, legitimate though these observations may be, he wins again. To his fans, the critics don't get it. When Trump supporters hear post-Brexit analysts say the "leavers" suffered "fear of the other," they hear fools ignoring the realities of unsecured borders, possible terrorists posing as refugees and illegal immigrants demanding entitlements. A majority of Brits apparently heard the same thing. Their retreat isn't only away from the European Union and, inferentially, from globalization, concubine of the New World Order. It is rather a turning back toward home, the idea as well as the place. Home is who we are, the values we share, the traditions we practice and the one flag to which we all pledge allegiance. This is the red meat of the matter. Those who miscalled Brexit haven't -- or hadn't -- fully grasped the gravity and intensity of the identity imperative. Trump, love him or hate him, grasped it, embraced it, gave it a helicopter ride and promised to respect it in the morning. He placed all bets on the power of nationhood and on his unique power to harness and reinvent globalization in his own image. Clinton would do well to heed these identity concerns lest she become America's Cameron to Trump's Trexit. Kathleen Parker's email address is kathleenparker@washpost.com. (c) 2016, Washington Post Writers Group The long line of parents with children hanging about them is just one of the reasons why Summerfair organizers believe replacing the opening parade with opening ceremony instead was a good idea. This marks the third year Dickinson Colleges Rush Campus hosted the opening ceremonies, which began at 6:30 p.m. with music from local band Cheap Sneakers, the kids carnival with 10 stations of childrens activities and an ice cream social. Summerfairs chair this year, Tara Salislbury, believes that in a roundabout way, the popularity could be gauged in the mount of ice cream eaten. Its growing every year, she said. Last year we went through 13 tubs of ice cream. This year, we ordered 16 of the three gallon tubs. Ice cream, ice cream, chanted Jonathan Hair after Ann-Marie Murray mentioned the dessert. Weve done a lot of Summerfair events, but this is our first year at the opening ceremonies, Murray said. I was excited for it, but I just told them a few hours ago that this was the plan for tonight. Two years ago, officials decided to eliminate the opening parade due to a lack of attendance and popularity, and the switch has worked, thus far. We seem to be getting more and more people out, Salisbury said. Its taken the community a little bit of an adjustment period from the parade to this, but overall this is actually doing better. But it wasnt just the kids who were out in bunches. There were plenty adults scattered throughout the campus reclining in lawn chairs enjoying the music, with many alongside their dog companions. For Rosalie Lehman of Newville, sitting beneath the shade of a tree as she waited for a friend, Summerfair is a yearly tradition. Its a fun thing to do, its a beautiful evening, you see people you havent seen for a while, its a great way to start the Summerfair, she said. I always check the schedule to see whats happening, and this is one of them. She also said she lieks to attend the craft show and Harrisburg Smyphony Orchestras performance. Salisbury believes many in the community have similar traditions of attending the festival every year, which plays a major factor in its success. Everyone loves Summerfair, and people who live here and are from here can remember coming to Summerfair as children, she said. Canadian rockers Five Man Electrical Band sang the lyrics, Sign, sign, everywhere a sign, blockin out the scenery, breakin my mind, Do this, dont do that, cant you read the sign? Having travelled a good bit the past few months, and sometimes on unfamiliar highways, I have become more aware of signs. As we do with billboards, we often pass road signs without paying much attention. Traveling through western New Jersey late at night I exited the highway when I saw a Starbucks logo on the highway department sign letting me know which restaurants I could find at the next exit. But as I followed the signs I quickly realized this Starbucks was not at the exit. In fact, it was 3 1/2 miles off the exit. Some signs, it turns out dont give you all the information you need to make a good decision. Closer to home I noticed a company had put temporary signs in the grassy median at the intersection of Walnut Bottom Road and Interstate 81. The signs advertised that a local company was hiring. Temporary signs like that are really an eyesore. Like political signs they often become very shabby looking after a rain or two, and while zealous supporters are quick to place them, legally or illegally, they are slow to pick them up. But because they were new, the temporary signs caught my attention. And thats when I noticed the permanent sign. On the lower right side was a symbol for a telephone, you remember them, the handle with the mouthpiece on one end and the earpiece on the other. I drive past this sign daily, yet I had never seen it. And apparently no one with the state, or the entity that is in charge of upkeep has noticed it either. A public telephone sign? Really? I decided to drive the length of Walnut Bottom Road to Hanover Street and out to Burnt House Road and nowhere in that stretch did I see a pay phone/phone booth. I doubt one has graced this area for more that 20 years. But there it is, at the corner of Walnut Bottom Road and I-81, still being advertised on the state highway sign. And while we are talking about outdated or inaccurate signage, why does the sign say the exit is College Street? College Street can be reached from this exit, but so can 100 other streets. And then there are signs that just make you scratch your head. Like the one pictured here. My wife and I took this picture about 15 years ago in Princeton, West Virginia. At the corner there is both a stop sign and a traffic light. The stop sign reads STOP unless light is green. I dare you to approach it and not come to a stop even if the light is green. After all, it is a STOP sign. The telephone sign is just comical; A. Because no one has thought to remove it long after the phones have been removed, and B. Because in a country of 318 million people and 328 million cell phones it is unimaginable that anyone would look for a pay phone. As for the STOP sign, it is just breakin up the scenery and breakin my mind. ES Group, which builds, converts and repairs tugs, barges, rigs offshore support vessels, oil tankers and cargo ships, posted first half net profit of S$2.8m ($2.2m) compared to S$1.9m in the same period of 2011. Revenue, however, dipped 1.6% year-on-year to S$23.2m due to a general slowdown in business leading to fewer projects from its newbuilding and conversion segment. The Singapore-listed company has proposed an interim dividend of 0.2 Singapore cents per share, representing 10.1% of net profit. On the outlook, ES Group's ceo Christopher Low said: Against the global economic situation, the offshore and marine sector remains stable. The group will continue to explore opportunities to focus on building, repair, upgrading and converting higher value add vessels for the offshore and marine sectors to take advantage of this growing demand. Low added that the company remains on the lookout for opportunities to expand its core business while exploring possible mergers and acquisitions. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) said on 20 August that it had received the 30th ratification of the MLC, and it would come into force 12 months later. Ratification was completed by both the Philippines and Russia, meaning 30 states had ratified the convention, representing nearly 60% of global shipping tonnage. This is a remarkable achievement. Not only are these first 30 ratifications drawn from almost every region of the world, but the tonnage level is nearly double the required amount, said Juan Somavia, director general of ILO. The MLC has been described as a bill of rights for seafarers covering conditions of employment, hours of work and rest, accommodation, recreational facilities, food and catering, health protection, medical care, welfare and social security protection. This convention is the result of tripartite negotiation over a lengthy period, which means that the labour standards which we have all agreed can be supported by governments, shipowners and seafarers giving us a uniform global framework of sound employment standards that is required by both shipowners and seafarers, said Arthur Bowring, ISF Labour Affairs Committee Chairman. Revenue fell 4% to MYR2.49bn from MYR2.59bn in the previous corresponding period due to lower revenue in the petroleum and chemical businesses on fewer earning days and softer petroleum freight rates. The business saw an 11.5% drop in revenue. MISC added however that these lower revenues have been tempered by commencement of the new MOPU 2 offshore project in August 2011 and development of new heavy engineering projects, combined with higher progress of existing heavy engineering projects. Losses from the liner business have also been eliminated. As a result second quarter operating profit rose 41.2% to MYR553.5m. MISC recognised a loss of MYR45.0m from these discontinued operations in the second quarter. The group also took some MYR43.4m in impairment charges onto its books and accepted a MYR12.5m loss on disposal of vessels. For the first half, revenue fell 6.1% to MYR4.79bn from MYR5.10bn. Operating profit grew by 9.6% to MYR883.0m, helped by lower losses in the petroleum business, combined with improved performance of the offshore business. Copyright 2022. All rights reserved. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited. The contract involving its maintenance and construction/accommodation support vessel Seasafe Supporter is expected to generate about $10m for the minimum scheduled period of the charter, according to Otto Marine. The charterer, a Dutch operator, will deploy the vessel to support offshore works in Gabon, west coast of Africa. Africa is one of our key target markets and we certainly have made inroads and our presence felt as we have around eight offshore vessels deployed there, said Aw Chin Leng, executive director and deputy president of Otto Marine. Meanwhile, Singapore-listed Otto Marine reported a second quarter net loss of $33.6m compared to a net loss of $32.4m in the same period of 2011. Revenue improved 143.8% year-on-year to $83.9m. Saturn Petrochemical, an affiliate of Warburg Pincus, had filed a petition on 5 July against Titan for a winding up order and appointment of liquidators over unpaid debts. The court has now adjourned the next hearing to 5 September. We are pleased that the court has granted an extension. This important decision recognises the complexity of the situation and diverse interests of all the parties involved, a Titan spokesman said. Titan is banging its hopes on a significant potential investment into the company through a subscription agreement with China-based Guangdong Zhenrong. We note that Saturn Petrochemical refer to their very recently formed joint venture and as yet unpublished plans with SouthernPec, as offering superior returns to StorageCo (Titan Group Investment Limited) stakeholders. Having not seen any details of these plans, we are unable to evaluate whether this is the case. However, we note that Titan's bondholders and shareholders would not derive any benefit from these plans, the spokesman said. We are confident that together Titan and Guangdong Zhenrong offer a far superior solution over the medium and long term for all stakeholders, rather than just those of StorageCo. In late May, I took a two-week pilgrimage down to southeast Tennessee and then out to Oklahoma. My main purpose was to visit historical sites related to the removal of the Cherokees from parts of North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee, especially under the 1830 Indian Removal Act. I visited the birthplace of Sequoyah, whose contribution to language exceed anything you or I will ever do, and his humble cabin near Sallisaw, Oklahoma, where he briefly settled after bowing to pressure to leave Tennessee. I visited the Cherokee Removal Memorial, a site near where several stockades were erected to gather up the Cherokee before they were sent off on the Trail of Tears westward. Perhaps as many people died in those stockades as on the various journeys to Indian territory, but we will never know for certain. Their deaths were not closely tracked. The Cherokee were considered the most civilized of the Five Civilized Tribes, having adopted farming, education and Christianity at the behest of the Americans. None of that protected them from prejudice and greed. The path I took is littered with markers of the destruction our ancestors wrought. It would take months to do them justice. Ethnic cleansing like this has occurred over and over and has a clear cause. It is an extreme form of racial discrimination, which grows from unchecked prejudice. While we may think this abhorrent behavior is behind us, it is here, now, waiting to be unleashed. Donald Trump, admirer of Operation Wetback, has insisted he will round up 11 million undocumented immigrants and expel them. We can easily imagine the process. Any person who looks Latino may be asked to prove their status. Many patriotic Americans will help out by turning in their suspicious-looking neighbors. White Americans will not have to show their papers. In Carlisle, we have the makings of a different outcome. Following the attack on the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Councilwoman Dawn Flowers was quoted in The Sentinel describing an ordinance that would prohibit discrimination based on LGBT status. Councilman Sean Crampsie told me he hopes the ordinance can be expanded to ensure it protects all groups who face discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation and other categories. In a perfect world, we could hope that people would limit their discrimination to the actions of people: put murderers in jail, for example. In our actual world, however, people discriminate based on ignorance-fueled prejudice. Hence Trumps argument that we must ban ALL Muslims because some tiny minority engages in violence. So, an ordinance is appropriate and necessary, and we should hope that at the June 29 Employee Relation & Community Planning meeting in Carlisle it receives broad support. However, we must do more. The trek through heart-wrenching Cherokee sites showed how inhumane we can be and caused me to present a challenge to my friends and now to you. While our political leaders deal with the damaging effects of prejudice, we must attack the cause. Our responsibility: Defend humans; fight prejudice. Alan Howe lives in Carlisle. He is an Air Force veteran with two decades of overseas experience, and a life-long student of history, governance and the Letort. He is a member of the Carlisle Area Dog Park Association board; and chair of the CADPA Site Committee. He also serves on the CVTU board, is the CVTU Information and Education Chair, and as South-Central VP for the Pennsylvania Council of TU. Launched on March 14, the European ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has already started imaging the red planet -- even though it still has four months to reach orbit. This pixelated view was photographed on June 13, when the planet was a mere dot in the TGO's camera lens, but this first ExoMars photo of Mars was an important test of the orbiter's camera sensitivity. RELATED: ExoMars Mission Will Arrive on Time, Despite Hiccup "The images have confirmed the sensitivity of the instrument and are sharp," said Antoine Pommerol, co-investigator of the Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System at the University of Bern. "It seems to be well-focused and the signal level seems to be close to prediction." "Telescopes on Earth and the Hubble Space Telescope in orbit around it can still do far better than us at present, but we are still a long way away from Mars," added Nicolas Thomas, the camera's principal investigator. "If the instrument continues to perform well, indications are that we should begin to exceed what is achievable from Earth in the second week of October, and then further improvements in resolution will happen rapidly." WATCH VIDEO: A New Clue To Finding Life On Mars Press Release June 24, 2016 Villar bats for competitiveness of the food sector Senator Cynthia A. Villar underscored the need to enhance the country's food sector competitiveness due to its huge potential to help spur economic growth. "In my capacity as a legislator, I want to add to those impetuses that will create further growth and development in food and agriculture through various legislations," said Villar. She stressed that these legislations will make Filipino food entrepreneurs and companies globally competitive. "We really have a lot of good things going in the Philippine agriculture sector that of course greatly affect the growth of the food industry as well. The momentum is here," said Villar. Being the chairperson of the Senate Agriculture and Food committee, Villar said she went on official trips last year and attended various food events in Rome, Venice, and Germany. She said the food events included the World Food Day celebration in Milan, the Plenary Session of the Committee on Food Security of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization or FAO in Rome and the Anuga Food Fair in Cologne, Germany, among others. She said it was the country's 18th participation at Anuga. She related that last year's Philippine pavilion featured total of 35 food-exporting companies, represented by over 96 delegates from the food sector. "And our participation was expected to generate US$52.80 million or PhP2.376 billion in export sales, which was further expected to provide an estimated 45,520 new job opportunities for our fellow Filipinos," said Villar. The senator was the guest speaker during the 10th Manila Foods and Beverages Expo (MAFBEX), which has been providing companies involved with food and beverage with an ideal platform to promote their product, held at World Trade Center Metro Manila. She commended MAFBEX for providing a big help to food-related companies and entrepreneurs. "I have also been attending various trade fairs and expos here and abroad. And I know that many of the participants are 'food entrepreneurs' which are under the category agri-entrepreneurs," said Villar. Furthermore, Villar said aware that half of the micro, small, and medium enterprises or MSMEs in the country are involved in the food and beverage sector. She said MSMEs comprise more than 98 percent of the businesses in the country and provide more than 65 percent of jobs. "So, expos such as MAFBEX, play a very important role in the growth of trade and business in the country. On top of that, provides invaluable service and support to entrepreneurs and MSMEs," added Villar. Colombia Government, FARC rebels sign historic ceasefire and disarmament agreement Published: June 25, 2016 The Colombian government and the leftist FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) rebels have signed a historic ceasefire and disarmament agreement. It was signed in presence of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, FARC leader Timoleon Jimenez and UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon at a ceremony held in Havana, Cuba. Key Facts The ceasefire and disarmament agreement is considered as one of the last steps toward ending a half-century conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people in Colombia. The deal puts a definitive end to fighting in Latin Americas longest civil war, which has torn Colombia apart with shootings and bombardments in its coca-rich jungles and hills. The ceasefire and disarmament agreement establishes a bilateral ceasefire and end to hostilities and the definitive laying down of arms. Under the agreement, the FARC rebels must hand over its weapons to United Nations monitors within six months. The FARCs members (estimated to be around 7,000) will gather in normalisation zones for a demobilisation process. The sides also agreed to government action against criminal organisations blamed for fueling the conflict. About FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) FARC is Colombias largest rebel group and Latin Americas oldest left-wing insurgency. It was established in 1964 as a communist-inspired peasant army fighting to reduce the gulf dividing rich and poor and land reform for equality in the Andean country. Since its formation it was also active other Latin American countries in Venezuela, Panama and Ecuador besides Colombia. In recent times, the FARC had shifted from its original ideology and was active in illegal drug trade, kidnapping and extortion activities. Month: Current Affairs - June, 2016 Topics: Colombia FARC Places in News Terrorism Latest E-Books Gormless is British slang for very stupid or foolish. It applies to the election results to pull the country out of the European Union, the isolationist arguments against a united Europe and British Prime Minister David Cameron, who set up the disastrous Brexit vote. Britain should have that morning-after feeling of doubt and worry. In the coming months, theres no certainty where the go-it-alone spirit will take the country. The rest of Europe may give in to similar uprisings to pull away from neighboring countries. The instant damage was severe. The pound plunged to a 30-year low, wrecking confidence in a relatively strong British economy with London at the apex of global commerce and finance. Cameron, who wanted to quell anti-EU forces in his conservative party, risked everything by calling for the vote. That failed gamble will cost him his job. Questions over the countrys stature and reliability as an ally should trouble Washington. The outcome is already hitting Americans with a stinging effect. Millions are checking their stock holdings and retirement nest eggs after an elevator-shaft plunge in prices. As the worlds go-to currency, the U.S. dollar shot up in value, but that surge will make exports from here more expensive and harder to sell. California state financial officials shot out a quick warning that the whipsaw reactions could send shock waves through the states economy. Britains seething anxieties come with a global price. British election analysts say the outcome shows a deep split between job holders who are blessed by and those who are harmed by globalized trade. Added in are worries about the flood of refugees pouring into Europe and a long-held distrust of the Brussels-based European Union. All of these factors have a sharp echo in this country. In broad political terms, its a win for Donald Trump, whose anti-immigrant and flag-waving policy nostrums match up with the British urge to cut ties with the continent. Trump was quick to praise the decision to leave and compared its spirit with his own message. His stumbling campaign is catching a break. In his first reaction, President Obama reflected on the vote as a reaction to globalization, an economic force thats torn through traditional industries and upended job markets, trade and living standards. In a speech at a Stanford tech forum, he acknowledged the Brexit decision but emphasized the flip side of globalization: There are more opportunities in a creative, expanding economy. That positive outlook needs to be heard, not smothered in the wake of the Brexit vote. Turning inward offers the wrong answers that wont work. Globalization should be channeled and not halted by a door-slamming rejection. Indian-origin lawyer Yasmin Sooka to chair UN commission on human rights in South Sudan Published: June 25, 2016 South African Indian-origin lawyer Yasmin Sooka has been appointed to chairman of three member UN commission (committee) to monitor the human rights situation in South Sudan. The committee was constituted by the United Nations Human Right Council (UNHRC) resolution 31/20 which was adopted by consensus, the 47-member body. Key Facts Other two members of the committee are Kenneth R. Scott (US) and Godfrey M. Musila (Kenya). The committee has been tasked to monitor human rights violations in South Sudan and make recommendations for the process of transitional justice, healing and reconciliation. The Commissioners will serve in their personal capacities and shall provide guidance to the South Sudan Government on transitional justice, accountability and reconciliation issues. It will also engage with regional and international mechanisms to promote accountability for human rights violations and abuses. The committee will have tenure of one year and shall present a comprehensive written report to the UNHRC at its 34th regular session in March 2017. About Yasmin Sooka She has vast experience in global human rights matters. Currently she is serving as the Executive Director of the Foundation for Human Rights (FHR) in South Africa. She was also a leading anti-apartheid activist and had served on the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) established by former President Nelson Mandela. She also had served on the UNs Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Sierra Leone from 2002-2004. She also had advised the UN Secretary General on accountability for war crimes committed during the final stages of the war in Sri Lanka Background The UNHRC had constituted Commission following calls for investigation into alleged atrocities committed by the government and rebel forces before an independent South Sudan was carved out of the larger Sudan in 2011 over the issue of ethnicity. Month: Current Affairs - June, 2016 Topics: Indian diaspora Persons in News South Africa South Sudan UNHCR Yasmin Sooka Latest E-Books Dennis J. Opatrny, a veteran San Francisco reporter who covered everything from cops to courts to major scandals, died in San Francisco on June 17 after complications from surgery. Mr. Opatrny, who was 77, had suffered from cancer. Mr. Opatrny, who spent 25 years at the San Francisco Examiner, was a legend in the news business. He was one of the best police reporters I ever knew, said Leonard Sellers, a journalism professor emeritus at San Francisco State University. He was an excellent reporter, a colleague and a friend, said Steve Cook, who worked with him at the Examiner. Pats curiosity and openness caused people to tell him things that not every one of their associates wanted public. Mr. Opatrny covered the state capital for a time, he covered crime and the courts, and, working on a team with reporters Stephanie Salter and Elizabeth Fernandez, wrote stories that exposed child sex abuse and corruption by San Franciscos Catholic clergy. He also wrote a series of stories about rich parents who sent their difficult and uncontrollable children to a jungle camp in South America. He traveled there himself and freed a young woman being held there. Mr. Opatrny was a bit of an old-school reporter who loved stories and loved adventure. He loved life and lived it well, reporter Lance Williams wrote on Facebook. He was also an accomplished small boat sailor, and Mr. Opatrny and Sellers crewed together in races on San Francisco Bay. We would lose gloriously with fun and laughter, Sellers said. Dennis James Opatrny was born in the Chicago suburb of Berwyn, Ill., in 1939 and grew up there. He joined the Marine Corps at the age of 18, and after his service was discharged in San Francisco. He then enrolled at UC Berkeley and majored in journalism and Russian. He traveled the world for a year, then worked as a reporter in Lincoln, Neb., then at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. He was hired by the Examiner in 1972. He left in 1997 and worked for some years at the Recorder, a San Francisco legal newspaper. He is survived by his wife, Robin Allen of San Francisco, by a son, Jeffrey Brown of Lincoln, Neb., and by three stepchildren, Gabriel Hammond of Salt Lake City, Joshua Hammond of Del Mar (San Diego County) and Tara Lisa Hawkins of Logan, Utah. Private memorial services are pending. Carl Nolte is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cnolte@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @CarlnolteSF Mothers and medical experts gathered at an East Bay trauma center Friday to advocate for a bill that they say could save thousands of lives and help put an end to drunken driving. The proposed legislation would require people convicted of driving under the influence to have breathalyzers installed in their vehicles to test blood alcohol content before they can turn on the ignition. Current state law leaves it up to judges to decide whether the technology should be installed in a convicted drunken drivers car. State legislators, trauma doctors and representatives from Mothers Against Drunk Driving gathered at a news conference outside the John Muir Medical Center emergency department in Walnut Creek to support the legislation. The bill, SB1046, would expand on a pilot program launched in 2010 that requires drunken-driving offenders to use car breathalyzers, known as ignition interlocks, in four counties: Los Angeles, Alameda, Sacramento and Tulare. According to data gathered by MADD, ignition interlocks have prevented nearly 150,000 attempts to drive while drunk since the pilot program began. Advocates gathered with hope that they could prevent tragedies like the death of Scott Leister, a 21-year-old Castro Valley native who was a passenger in a car hit by a drunken driver in 2008. The car Leister was riding in was crossing the Bay Bridge after a Saturday night in San Francisco when a 22-year-old man crashed into the vehicle, sending both cars out of control, according to MADD. The drivers blood alcohol content was over twice the legal limit, MADD says. Leisters mother Carol, a MADD board member, joined others whose lives have been shattered by drunken drivers and who support the bill. Once installed, an ignition interlock requires drivers to blow into a breathalyzer before they can drive their vehicles. Once driving, the device requires the driver to breathe into the breathalyzer again three to seven minutes after starting to drive, and after that randomly every 35 to 45 minutes. Each breath is recorded by the device. The bill is sponsored by state Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo. The Senate passed the measure unanimously on May 31, and the Assembly Transportation Committee will begin debating it next week. Its way overdue, said Assemblywoman Catharine Baker, R-San Ramon, who serves on the transportation committee. Its technology that saves lives. Alameda County District Attorney Nancy OMalley, state Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, and Ken Meehan, the board chair of air ambulance provider Calstar, also spoke in support of the legislation. If you look at what happened with seat belts, if you look at what happened with helmet laws and motorcycles, (they) saved lives and reduced injuries, Meehan said. This is just one more extension of that. If the legislation passes, California will be the 29th state to pass a mandatory ignition interlock law. Libby Rainey is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email lrainey@sfchronicle.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Three organizations have pulled out of this weekends Pride Parade in San Francisco as grand marshals in protest of the heavy police presence planned during the annual celebration. Black Lives Matter, the Transgender, Gender Variant, and Intersex Justice Project and St. James Infirmary are refusing to march in the parade in their honorary roles to make the point that they feel less safe, not more safe, with the added security, according to representatives of the organizations. Security has been heightened this year in response to the massacre two weeks ago of 49 people at an LGBT nightclub in Orlando, Fla. The parade honoring LGBT community and pride will take place downtown and is expected to draw around 1 million people. For a parade whose theme is racial and economic justice, we just feel that increasing the police presence with indiscriminate searches and pat downs, and undercover officers throughout the event is really not the way to keep us all safe, said Malkia Cyril, a Black Lives spokesperson who identifies as queer and gender nonconforming and had been planning to march with the group. A real safety plan would have been attacking homophobia at its root. Just throwing a lot of police at the problem and not changing the condition doesnt do it. The justice project, commonly known as TGI Justice, posted a notice Friday echoing Cyrils concerns. In the aftermath of the Orlando shooting that took the lives of dozens of queer, trans and gender non-conforming people of color, many people in our community are afraid, the projects statement said. For us, celebrating Pride this year meant choosing between the threat of homophobic vigilante violence and the threat of police violence. We had a tough decision to make, and ultimately we chose to keep our people safe by not participating in any event that would leave our communities vulnerable to either. Cyril said parade organizers were very understanding of the withdrawals. Calls and emails to Pride Parade leaders were not returned. Kevin Fagan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kfagan@sfchronicle.com After two false starts and a years delay, a developer has acquired a key parcel near the Transbay Transit Center. Its an important deal in shoring up the financially struggling transit project at First and Mission streets. F4 Transbay Partners has paid $175 million for the site on Howard Street, between First and Second streets. Parcel F is the last remaining site available for development of a very tall building in downtown San Francisco and one of three sites with direct connection to the Transbay Transit Center rooftop park via a planned pedestrian sky bridge. The development group a joint venture of Hines, Urban Pacific Development and an affiliate of Goldman Sachs plans to build a 60-story, 750-foot-tall, mixed-use tower containing office space, a luxury hotel and residential units at the top. It will be designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli in partnership with the local office of HKS Architects. As agreed to when the deal was outlined in March, the Transbay Joint Powers Authority received an extra $15 million for the site because it was able to acquire a contiguous piece of privately owned land at 540 Howard St. On that parcel, known as Block 4, the developer will build a 45-story, 450-foot-tall residential tower with mid-rise residential buildings around the base. Block 4 is on the southern side of Howard Street between Beale and Main streets, adjacent to the future Transbay park. Combined, the two projects will likely generate 600 to 700 new residential units, though the exact number is in flux. The amount of affordable housing to be built at Block 4 could exceed 45 percent. Our vision for Parcel F and Block 4 will create core located, transit-oriented Class A office space, hotel rooms, and a substantial supply of affordable housing in the most dense and dynamic neighborhood in San Francisco, Hines Senior Managing Director Cameron Falconer said in a statement. The agreement represents the third time the transbay authority has tried to sell Parcel F. In December, residential builder Crescent Heights backed out of a deal to pay $165 million for the property after concluding that it would not be economically feasible to meet the 35 percent affordable housing requirement set by the Transbay District Plan. In September, the transit authority canceled a live auction because of lack of interest. In April, the city announced a $260 million emergency bailout of the struggling Transbay Transit Center construction project, a loan that officials say is needed to prevent work on the $2.25 billion transportation hub from shutting down this summer. Rising costs have left the transit authority with a $360 million shortfall. Longtime Executive Director Maria Ayerdi-Kaplan left the transit agency shortly after the bailout was announced. The sale of Parcel F is good news as a critical part of the interim financing solution needed to complete Phase 1 of the project, San Francisco Controller Ben Rosenfield said. J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen this hibox is fiction MOSCOW For sale in Russia this summer: one repossessed asset, well loved and maintained. Seller is motivated. Everything must go. In this fire sale, the asset is Bashneft, the oil company once owned by Vladimir Yevtushenkov, who was prosecuted and put under house arrest. And the seller is the Russian state, in desperate need of cash. At the right price, investors will bite. But the sale, and dozens of others taking place around the country, will reinforce Russias reputation in the global markets for uncertainty. Early in his tenure, President Vladimir Putin pursued a policy of controlling the commanding heights of the economy with a nationalization push that elbowed Russian and foreign owners out of strategic industries. Now, he is inviting investors back, as Russia faces the economic fallout from a second year of Western sanctions and low commodity prices. The political about-face, part of the seemingly endless cycle in Russia between nationalization and privatization, adds to investors worries about being blindsided. In the early post-Soviet period, privatization was viewed as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But those opportunities are just happening over and over again under Putin. Full circle Bashneft is coming full circle. Bashneft, Russias sixth-largest oil company, was first privatized in a series of sales in the early 2000s. Then it was renationalized in 2014 when Yevtushenkov was put under house arrest. Now, it is for sale again. Any buyer today should understand the risks, Aleksandr Abramov, a professor of finance at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, said of the latest planned resale of 51 percent of Bashneft. In a few years, this deal, too, could be unwound for one reason or another. Such uncertainty is a big reason investors remain wary of Russian stocks. Consider the differing perceptions of Brazil and Russia. Both developing countries are big commodity exporters facing serious economic headwinds. But investors are willing to pay only about half as much for a Russian company as they would for a Brazilian business with the same earnings potential, according to Renaissance Capital, a Moscow investment bank. Illustrative of Russias stock troubles is Gazprom, the state-controlled oil giant that was once the countrys biggest company. Gazproms market value was $52 billion last week, down from its peak in May 2008 of $367 billion. Share vouchers Russias mighty oil, mining and industrial holdings looked like a good deal in the early 1990s during the transition from communism to capitalism. The government tried to create a society of stockholders out of the Soviet ashes by giving everyone vouchers representing shares in state-owned businesses. But the chaotically run effort largely flopped. Hard up for money ahead of an election in 1996, President Boris Yeltsin tried a new tack of catering to rich insiders. He sold companies on the cheap to a new class of wealthy Russians. After Putin assumed power on New Years Eve in 1999, he vowed to eliminate these oligarchs as a class. Three years later, police arrested Mikhail Khodorkovsky, then Russias richest man as owner of the Yukos oil company, bought in the sale under Yeltsin. The primary pumping asset became Rosneft, the state oil company. Rosneft was partly privatized; the state sold 13 percent on the London Stock Exchange in 2006. Foreign investors have been hurt, too. In 2006, Russian regulators forced the Western oil giant Shell to sell a 25 percent share in its valuable Sakhalin Island field after threatening to shut it down for environmental violations. The threat went away after Gazprom, the state gas giant, gained control of the field. It was Shells second run-in with the Russian agenda. The companys oil assets in the country were nationalized in 1918, and Shell was only partly compensated by the Soviet government. Bashnefts story is perhaps one of the most tangled. In 1993, the Russian government transferred Bashneft to the regional government of Bashkortostan, at a time when Yeltsin was trying to curry favor with local leaders. In the early 2000s, the regional government sold shares to a company owned by elites, Ural-Invest. In the years after, Yevtushenkov steadily picked up shares through a holding company called Sistema, in deals that were certain to have been approved by Kremlin, according to oil analysts. Then the government changed its mind. In 2014, prosecutors asserted that the companys original transfer 21 years before to a regional government had been illegal. So all subsequent transactions were voided. Yevtushenkov was ensnared by the flurry of criminal and civil cases that followed. His shares were handed over to the state. Yevtushenkov was finally cleared in a ruling late last year. Sistema won $950 million in a lawsuit against the previous owner, Ural-Invest. A spokesman for Sistema declined to comment. Overseas investors Russias view of Bashneft has changed, too. Putin in April removed Bashneft from a list of strategically important companies, despite oil reserves of 2.2 billion barrels. The move clears the way for the companys potential sale to overseas investors. The for-sale signs are broadly up again. Along with Bashneft, the government plans to offer shares in Sovcomflot, a shipping company; Alrosa, a diamond miner; VTB, a state bank; and the national energy giant, Rosneft. Investors are already sniffing around. Russian oil companies, one run by a former chief executive of Rosneft, have announced plans to bid for Bashneft. Executives and government officials in India and China have said the countries energy giants are potentially interested in buying shares in Rosneft. $36 billion deficit The government needs money to cover a portion of Russias projected deficit this year of $36 billion, up from $31 billion last year. And the privatization push is one of the few ways for the government to raise money. Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis make it difficult for Russia to hold bond sales, a common method for governments to cover budget shortfalls. While the U.S. Treasury has not specifically outlawed Russian bond deals, it has told American banks not to underwrite them. At a meeting of presidential economic advisers last month, Aleksei Kudrin, a former minister of economy, suggested that the Kremlin spur growth by easing international tensions, as another option along with privatization. Putin responded that Russia would not bargain with its sovereignty. Russia insists that the government will do better this time around with the privatization plan. Dmitry Pristanskov, head of the Federal Agency for State Property, who is overseeing the effort, said the early post-Soviet sales were partly rolled back because corruption had tainted the process. At the time, 25 years ago, there was no clear criteria for choosing an investor, Pristanskov said. He said the state now carefully vetted potential buyers for criminal ties or flaws like weak compliance departments, limiting the risk that deals will fall apart later. This is exactly what we do differently today. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Santa Clara County prosecutors dismissed murder charges Friday against the younger of two brothers accused in the shooting deaths of their parents at their San Jose home in April. Omar Golamrabbi, 17, was released from jail Friday after the move by the district attorneys office, which cited insufficient evidence to proceed against him. His brother, 22-year-old Hasib Golamrabbi, remains in custody without bail on the double murder charges. The prosecutors decision came just days before a preliminary hearing scheduled for Monday. The younger brothers two public defenders said they had planned to contest the evidence presented by prosecutors. We are grateful and excited that the Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office has dismissed the murder charges against Omar, the attorneys, Jessica Delgado and Sajid Khan, said in a joint statement. We are thankful to Deputy District Attorney Matt Braker for examining the evidence in this case with an open mind and for exercising his discretion to dismiss. Khan said he is eager for Omar, now a dependent of Santa Clara County, to finish high school. Omars big brother told investigators after his arrest in Tracy that a stranger told him to kill his parents, according to a police affidavit. The younger brother, who had been charged as an adult, told police he was at home at the time and that after his father was shot, he closed the curtains at Hasib Galomrabbis request before his brother killed their mother. The brothers then went to an anime convention in Oakland, police said. Later inside the home, police found writing on the walls that appeared to be penned by two different people. Some scrawls matched writing found in Omars notebook, according to the affidavit. Hasib Galomrabbi emphatically told The Chronicle in a jailhouse interview shortly after his arrest that his brother was innocent. I want everyone to know what happened, he said at the time, but I cant say anything without a lawyer. The parents, 57-year-old Shamima Rabbi and her 59-year-old husband, Golam Rabbi, were found shot to death in their home on the 3000 block of Lucas Court in San Joses Evergreen neighborhood on April 24, police said. The Rabbis had immigrated from Bangladesh more than three decades ago. The arrest of their sons shocked neighbors and family friends, who said there were no signs of tension within the family. Hasib Galomrabbis next court appearance is scheduled for July 13. Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov A pair of thieves broke into a jewelry store in San Franciscos Union Square neighborhood early Thursday morning and stole over $500,000 worth of gold chains and bracelets before fleeing in a Ford sedan, police said Friday. At least one of the crooks was caught on security cameras using bolt cutters to destroy the lock and break through the back door of Grace Jewelry on the 100 block of OFarrell Street at 3:44 a.m., said the stores owner, Peng Zhou. The thief could then be seen entering the store with a bag and a sledge hammer and systematically going from counter to counter smashing through the glass and scooping up the jewelry, Zhou said. From what we could tell, he was very targeted. He knew exactly where he was going, Zhou said. We have about 27 cases. He went for the mens gold chains, bracelets and pendants. And then mens diamond pieces. He did not touch anything else. The store is situated inside of the Ellis OFarrell Parking Garage. Both the garage and the store have security cameras, which Zhou said were able to document the crime as it unfolded. Zhou was notified of the burglary shortly after the stores alarm went off and the security service company called him, despite the thieves attempt to break or disarm the surveillance system upon entering the store. The suspects are still on the loose and authorities are actively searching for them. Still images of the two suspects and the Ford sedan used in the crime were taken from the security camera footage in the Ellis OFarrell Parking Garage and released to the public. The first suspect shown is black with dreadlocks, and wearing a dark colored jacket, tan pants and white shoes. The second suspect is also black, and was wearing a dark colored hoodie pulled over his head. Zhou said he and his employees are very upset by what happened. It appears safety is really worsening, he said. We are not the only store in the area that has been victimized by burglary. We hope that overall the community and SFPD can work together to stop the spread of crime. If not it will drive a lot of business away from the city. Zhou is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for anyone who helps lead officials to the suspects. Meanwhile, San Francisco Police Department officials are asking anyone with information about the heist to contact them through the anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or by texting a tip to TIP411 and beginning the message with SFPD. Kevin Schultz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kschultz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kevinedschultz With the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union, travel prices to the UK from the United States could drop dramatically in the near future. While the full impact on travel costs is still unclear, the "Brexit" vote could open the door on opportunities to visit some of the world's most amazing landmarks, such as Stonehenge or the Urquhart castle near lake Loch Ness. It never hurts to plan. Sri Lankan Parliament unanimously passes Right to Information bill Published: June 25, 2016 Sri Lankan Parliament has unanimously passed the Right to Information (RTI) bill aimed at restoring transparency and good governance in the country. The RTI bill seeks to give citizens access to public information which is in the possession, custody or control of a public authority. Key Features of the bill The bill envisages setting up a 5 member RTI Commission and the appointment of information officers in every public authority to assist citizens who wish to obtain information. Under it ambit it is mandatory for public authority to duly catalogue, indexed and preserved all public records. Public authorities will also be required to preserve all their records in electronic format subject to the availability of resources. However, the bill has kept personal data, national security information, financial and commercial policy decisions, intellectual property and medical reports out of its ambit. Month: Current Affairs - June, 2016 Topics: Governance International RTI Sri lanka Latest E-Books This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Sunday's march down Market Street will mark the 46th incarnation of the San Francisco Pride Parade. The San Francisco Chronicle has been covering the event since the beginning, long before it made the transition from protest to party (although it has always been a bit of both). Now GATE and Chronicle staffers team up to cover not only the parade, but a full weekend of events. We get you the advanced forecast, tell you where to dine along the parade route, and even take you inside the costume creation process. As we told you in a retrospective of Chronicle coverage of LGBT rights last year, the first Pride Parade drew an estimated 2,000 marchers and 15,000 spectators to an event the Chronicle called "S.F.'s lively gay parade." By comparison, roughly 300,000 people are expected in the Civic Center Plaza area between Saturday and Sunday. We recently dove into the archives and selected some of the photos from San Francisco Chronicle photographers dating back to the 1970's. Click through the slideshow above to see how much San Francisco's Pride has grown. NEW YORK Bernie Worrell, the ingenious Wizard of Woo whose amazing array of keyboard sounds and textures helped define the Parliament-Funkadelic musical empire and influenced performers of funk, rock, hip-hop and other genres, has died. Mr. Worrell, who announced in early 2016 that he had stage-four lung cancer, died Friday at age 72. He died at his home in Everson, Wash., according to his wife, Judie Worrell. Throughout the 1970s and into the 80s, George Clintons dual projects of Parliament and Funkadelic and their various spinoffs built upon the sounds of James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone among others and turned out some of the most complex, spaced out, political, cartoonish and, of course, danceable music of the era, elevating the funk groove to a world view. With a core group featuring Mr. Worrell, guitarist Eddie Hazel and bassist Bootsy Collins, P-Funk maintained an exhausting and dazzling pace of recordings, from the hit singles Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker) and Flash Light to such albums as One Nation Under a Groove and Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome. And the studio music was just a starting point for the live shows, costumed spectaculars of wide-brimmed hats, war paint, dashikis, military gear or perhaps a white sheet with only a fig leaf underneath. Moog pioneer Mr. Worrell was among the first musicians to use a Moog synthesizer, and his mastery brought comparisons to Jimi Hendrixs innovations on guitar. Anything seemed possible when he was on keyboards, conjuring squiggles, squirts, stutters and hiccups on Parliaments Flash Light that sounded like funk as if conceived by Martians. On Funkadelics Atmosphere, his chatty organ prelude, like a mash-up of Bach and The Munsters, set up some of Clintons more unprintable lyrics. Mr. Worrells contributions as a keyboardist, writer and arranger didnt bring him a lot of money, the source of much legal action and fierce criticism of Clinton, but fellow musicians paid attention. He played with Talking Heads for much of the 1980s and was featured in their acclaimed concert documentary Stop Making Sense. Mr. Worrell also contributed to albums by Keith Richards, Yoko Ono, Nona Hendryx, Manu Dibango and the Pretenders. In 2015, he was a member of Meryl Streeps backing group in the movie Ricki and the Flash. Kindness comes off that man like stardust, Streep said during a 2016 benefit concert for Mr. Worrell at Manhattans Webster Hall. Solo albums Meanwhile, he toured frequently on his own and released such solo records as Funk of Ages, and Blacktronic Science and most recently Retrospectives. His other credits ranged from co-writing the soundtrack for the 1994 film Car 54, Where are You?, based on the old TV sitcom, to his brief membership in Paul Shaffers band on Late Show With David Letterman. In 1997, Mr. Worrell, Clinton and more than a dozen other P-Funk members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A native of Long Branch, N.J., he was a musician virtually from the time he could speak, trained to play piano at age 3 and giving public performances by age 10 with the Washington Symphony Orchestra. While at the New England Conservatory, in Boston, he became interested in synthesizers through listening to a group not otherwise known for its contributions to funk, the British progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer. I loved the Tarkus album, he told MusicRadar.com in 2013. Keith (Emerson) was the first guy I heard using the Moog. I liked the sound of that album and the things he was doing with the instrument. Mr. Worrell met Clinton in the early 1970s and performed with him off and on through the following decades even as P-Funk had imploded by 1980 amid reports of drug abuse and unpaid royalties. He would remember P-Funks prime as stressful, circus-like, but worth it once the music began. When the band wasnt getting into arguments and fooling around, it was OK, he told MusicRadar.com. There were family things that came up. A group that size, and everybodys living together, its just like family. After theyd go through their antics and settle down with whatever was going on, Id come in and crack the whip. All right, lets do Flash Light. NEW YORK Michael Herr, the author and Oscar-nominated screenplay writer who viscerally documented the ravages of the Vietnam War through his classic nonfiction novel Dispatches and through such films as Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket, died after a long illness. He was 76. His death Thursday in an upstate New York hospital was confirmed by publisher Alfred A. Knopf, which released Dispatches in 1977, two years after the U.S. left Vietnam. A native of Syracuse, N.Y., with a knack for eavesdropping and a reverence for Ernest Hemingway, Mr. Herr was part of the New Journalism wave that included Tom Wolfe, Truman Capote and Norman Mailer and advocated applying literary style and techniques to traditional reporting. Dispatches is often ranked with Tim OBriens novel The Things They Carried, Neil Sheehans A Bright Shining Lie and Stanley Karnows Vietnam: A History as essential reading about the war. If you think you dont want to read any more about Vietnam, you are wrong, critic John Leonard of the New York Times wrote when Dispatches came out. 'Dispatches is beyond politics, beyond rhetoric, beyond pacification and body counts and the psychotic vaudeville of Saigon press briefings. Its materials are fear and death, hallucination and the burning of souls. It is as if Dante had gone to hell with a cassette recording of Jimi Hendrix and a pocketful of pills: our first rock-and-roll war, stoned murder. Vietnam War column Mr. Herr spent much of his 20s traveling and working for magazines before persuading Esquire magazine editor Harold Hayes, in 1967, to let him travel to Vietnam and write a monthly column. He ended up staying more than a year, producing few columns at the time, but gathering the material for what became Dispatches, profane, impassioned and knowing reports that helped capture a generations sense of outrage and disillusion. I keep thinking about all the kids who got wiped out by 17 years of war movies before coming to Vietnam and getting wiped out for good, he wrote in a chapter prefaced with lyrics from a Bob Dylan song. You dont know what a media freak is until youve seen the way a few of these grunts would run around during a fight when they knew there was a television crew nearby; they were actually making war movies in their heads, doing little guys and glory Leatherneck tap dances under fire, getting their pimples shot for the networks. Unsettled by fame Although he loved writing and storytelling, and as an undergraduate at Syracuse University contributed to a magazine edited by Joyce Carol Oates, Mr. Herr only published a handful of books. He struggled with depression before Dispatches and found the fame from his acclaimed Vietnam work disorienting. He moved to London and for years traveled little and gave few interviews. The reception (for Dispatches) couldnt have been better, frankly it couldnt have been more wonderful, he told The Los Angeles Times in 1990, around the time he released Walter Winchell, a novel about the famous gossip columnist. It totally changed my life. But it also blew my cover. Full Metal Jacket Admirers of Dispatches included some prominent filmmakers, and Mr. Herr began a career in movies. He helped write the voiceover narration for Francis Ford Coppolas Apocalypse Now and co-wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay for Stanley Kubricks Full Metal Jacket. Mr. Herr became friends with Kubrick, one of the industrys most reclusive and demanding directors. Stanley wanted to meet me because hed liked Dispatches, my book about Vietnam, Mr. Herr wrote in Vanity Fair in 2010. It was the first thing he said to me when we met. The second thing he said to me was that he didnt want to make a movie of it. He meant this as a compliment, sort of, but he also wanted to make sure I wasnt getting any ideas. Mr. Herr is survived by his wife, Valerie; daughters Catherine and Claudia; and siblings Steven Herr and Judy Bleyer. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate It seems slow news days extend to urban transit systems as well. This afternoon, BART's Twitter challenged Metro Los Angeles to a digital poetry slam "haikus only" and after several prodding tweets, Metro obliged. The war is ongoing, and the winner, should one emerge, has yet to be decided. Alyssa Pereira is a staff writer for SFGATE. Follow her here on Twitter. A teenaged German exchange student and a Farmington couple who opened their home and hearts to her in 1996 developed a special bond of friendship that has only continued to deepen over the past 20 years. Bruce and Clara Slinkard had never had an exchange student in their home before and probably never would have if they hadn't been contacted out of the blue by Jackie and Gary Pinkston. "They were in charge of the foreign exchange program for this area," Clara explained. "They said they had a girl coming in January for just five months and asked if we'd be willing to take her. We had a foster son who had left temporarily, so we decided that, yes, we would take her." It was a cold and snowy night when the Slinkards drove to St. Louis to pick up 16-year-old Katja Heinrich (now Werner) at Lambert International Airport. "The plane came in and circled and circled," Slinkard said. "It couldn't land and had to go back to Chicago. Katja had to spend her first night in this country in Chicago. Bruce and I finally picked her up the next day. She loved it here so much that when she had an opportunity to go to California with some other exchange students, she extended her stay by another month." Although happy living in a town near Frankfurt with her family, Katja said she wanted to become an exchange student because at that time it was popular for students to experience living in another country. While one might assume Katja's parents might not have been all that comfortable about sending their only daughter away to another country, that wasn't the case at all. "My parents were pretty excited about it," Katja said. "They supported me all the way and were happy with my decision." Because Katja had begun learning English when she was in fifth grade, language wasn't an issue for the teenager, but there were a few differences she had no choice but to get used to. "In Germany I was in the junior grade, but when I got here I was a senior at Farmington High School," she said. "America has a completely different school system than we do. In Germany we went to classes as a group together. Here the students have to choose their subjects, so you're always changing rooms and going different places and don't stay together as a group. It was different for me, but I could manage it pretty well." And what was Katja's first impression of the United States of America? "That everything was big and everybody was really very friendly," she said. The Slinkards were immediately smitten with Katja as well and were glad to have her staying in their home. "We bonded," Clara said. "She is like our daughter. Katja was very willing to learn about our culture. She was very flexible." Clara recalled that one of her favorite memories of Katja's time in the states with the couple was when the teenager learned how to drive. "She told us she needed to get her drivers license before she went back to Germany because it costs a fortune to get one there around $1,500" Clara said. "So Bruce taught her how to drive and then took her to Potosi to get her license. We knew the lady who worked over there. Bruce told her, 'She's not going to drive when she gets back, but she needs this license. Can you help her out?' She got her license." "Barely," Katja interjected, with a laugh. Through the years the Slinkards crossed the Atlantic several times to visit Katja's family in Germany. "We have been there four times," Clara said. "We went there to visit her mom, Ulli; dad, Udo; and brother, Stefan. Their neighbors, their friends my goodness they were all so loving. They'd take you in. They'd embrace you. They wanted to meet the 'crazy Americans' who were coming. They wanted us to come over so they could hear us speak English. Of course, we don't really speak English we speak slang. "The next time we went was in 2009 for Katja and Markus' wedding and then they came back here for their anniversary. Then we went back for their first son's baptism Jakob was six months old then. We had not met their second baby, Rune (pronounced Roo-na), until this visit." If there is only one thing Clara hopes people will take away from their story, it is this "We would recommend that people open their home to the foreign exchange students and get to learn about some of the different countries and cultures," she said. "We have heard of a lot of relationships with foreign exchange students that just didn't work out. Some do and some don't, but only very few keep in contact like us." Katja agreed with her American friend. "What I think is really extraordinary about our story is that we keep in contact after this long," she said. "It's really outstanding. That's not a normal thing. It's not only nice that we're still together after 20 years, but that my family is part of it too. My decision 20 years ago has an influence on them, too. I think it's wonderful that my kids learn how the Americans live and that they get to know Bruce and Clara." The Werners return to Germany on Monday. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Scores of police, dozens of beeping metal detectors and a moving tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting cast a sobering presence over the traditionally exuberant Pride celebration Saturday in San Francisco. Tens of thousands of people some naked, some wearing only body paint, and some in 7-inch heels filled Civic Center Plaza and surrounding streets for the first day of the weekend festival. I came with a message, in light of Orlando, said Alex Golding, 22. Were gay, and were here to stay. Golding and his boyfriend, Roman Lyman, 21, were wearing matching mesh tank tops, black shorts and high heels. They said all the extra security was a sign of the times. We want to have fun, but we dont want to get hurt, Golding said. On the main stage, set up on the Polk Street side of the plaza across from City Hall, a giant screen displayed a slideshow of portraits of the Orlando victims while the usually raucous crowd observed a moment of silence. Two drag queens who were serving as emcees, Honey Mahogany and Sister Roma, thanked the crowd for their courage to attend. Do not allow anyone to make you live your life in fear, Honey Mahogany said. Sister Roma urged the crowd to report anything suspicious If you see something, say something, she said. The extra security was on everyones mind. Getting into the plaza meant standing in lines at one of nine checkpoints to pass through one of the 50 or so metal detectors. Lines moved faster than at the airport, in some cases because there was much less clothing to inspect. One of the detectors, which straddled the bike lane on Polk at Hayes Street, was designated to serve festivalgoers on bicycles. Early in the day, there was no waiting. As crowds grew and lines formed, the wait to enter the plaza was 20 minutes or more. There were no major incidents or arrests, police said. Half a dozen ambulances were lined up on Polk Street as a precaution. Id rather have this event safe, said Elyse Kolnowski, 24, who waited 20 minutes to pass through a detector. If it means no ones going to come and shoot this place up, Im for it. The metal detectors are a necessary evil, said a 61-year-old named Ricky, who said he did not have a last name or a gender but who appeared to be a man wearing lingerie. You cant deny them anymore. But Charline Rosenmund, a transgender woman who said she was an Army veteran, called the lines an annoyance. I know its intended to keep us safe, but look at this line, she said. As far as whether its necessary or effective, the jury is out. I feel so liberated Regardless of the security, a drag queen named Bunny said this years celebration was clearly different. Its more personal, Bunny said. Its more of a movement and not just a celebration. We dont want to be silenced. Stephanie Parrish, 39, said she moved to San Francisco two months ago after serving in the Army as a man for 11 years. Pre-transition, I was so terrified because I couldnt be myself, said Parrish, who was wearing a pink satin gown and carrying a rainbow parasol. I feel so liberated. The sun was bright, the music was loud, and the crowd was friendly. All over the plaza were booths, some set up by gay rights groups and others from commercial vendors. There were purveyors of sunglasses, health screenings, deep-fried Oreo cookies, new cars, stun guns, pupusas, jewelry made from salvaged nuclear missile cables, designer ice cream sandwiches, DNA tests and rainbow-colored grilled cheese sandwiches. Variety of vendors A T-shirt that said I Cant Even Think Straight cost $19. A tarot card reading cost $7. At one booth, passersby were encouraged to grab a marker and write salacious messages on a large wipe board. At another booth, ministers were telling people God says its OK to be gay. At a half dozen other booths, free condoms were up for grabs by the handful. At the stun gun booth, vendor Erica Black said her $60 stun gun packs 4.5 million volts. She said she doubted anyone would need to use it at a safe, friendly place like the Pride Festival. But once you leave here, youre back in the real world, she said. Then its different. Taking in the entire spectacle was Angelina Gica, 19, of San Francisco, who said it was her first Pride celebration. She was wearing a pink, yellow and blue flag around her neck to identify her as a pansexual. She said a pansexual is somebody who loves everybody. It doesnt matter if theyre male or female or transgender, she said. We like them for the person they are. A mile south of Civic Center, a few hundred people set up tents and blankets at Dolores Park for the opening ceremony of the 24th annual San Francisco Dyke March. Vibrant rainbow flags, colorful tutus and the occasional bottle of beer could be seen, but attendance seemed lower than in previous years. Around 6 p.m., several thousand marchers proceeded up 18th Street to the Castro. Scores of police blocked intersections and traffic was delayed, but there were no incidents. Before the march began, Cassie Walling, 35, of Sacramento proposed to her partner, Angela McDonald, 46. I cant believe it, McDonald said. I said yes. Shes the love of my life. The two fiancees marched together to show, Walling said, that they were part of this community, having to fight to keep our rights for just loving each other. Kissiah Young, 41, of Oakland said attendance at the park was off. I remember coming and not being able to find a piece of grass, Young said. Its not like how it was. Oakland resident Emily Abad said fear after the Orlando shootings was keeping people away. She said she even considered not coming out of safety concerns but changed her mind. This year feels especially important. The shooting in Orlando had a really big effect on me. That motivated us to come out stronger, she said. Celebrating identity Catherine Raynor, 29, a visitor from England, said it was her first Dyke March, and she said she felt safer in California with her wife and friends than she did back home. This trip to San Francisco is coming to the motherland, said Raynor. Its like a mecca of gays. Daly City resident Karina Padilla sat on a blanket at the park under a blue tent, reflecting on the LGBT movement. Weve definitely come a long way, Padilla, 25, said. Were all just people. Were humans. We are all ideally just created equal. Its really important that were all out here today. Thats what its all about. Being together and celebrating who we are. Steve Rubenstein, Jenna Lyons and Libby Rainey are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com, jlyons@sfchronicle.com, lrainey@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveRubeSF, @jennajourno, @Rainey_l SAN RAFAEL (BCN) The driver of a bus with 33 Marin County teens, drugs and alcohol on board pleaded not guilty in Marin County Superior Court this afternoon to nine misdemeanor drug and vehicle charges and infractions. James Franklin Greene, 63, of San Francisco is charged with misdemeanor charges of transporting a person under age 21 in a charter-party carrier containing alcoholic beverages, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, and carrying a switch blade knife in a motor vehicle. The infractions are possession and storage of an open container of alcohol and possession of marijuana while driving. Greene will return to court July 29 for setting of a trial date, Assistant Marin County District Attorney Barry Borden said. Central Marin Police Authority officers pulled the 45-passenger, black and silver bus over shortly after it left the Larkspur Ferry Terminal parking lot around 5:40 p.m. Tuesday. Police said they found marijuana, hard alcohol and hard lemonade, empty and partially consumed alcoholic beverages and prescription drugs. The teens, ranging in age from 15 to 17 are from Larkspur, Tiburon, San Rafael, San Anselmo, Kentfield and Mill Valley, police said. Greene told police he was taking the students to their parents and was not aware of alcohol on board, police spokeswoman Margo Rohrbacher said. A 16-year-old Tiburon boy rented the bus online and had a $900 cash payment that did not exchange hands before police arrived, Rohrbacher said. Police learned about the departing bus from an anonymous caller. DEAR BRUCE: I am a 72-year-old widow with a fixed income that meets my monthly needs. I have a small amount in an IRA and even smaller amount in mutual funds. I also have long-term care insurance, and my insurance company is talking to me about an indexed annuity. I know you have said in the past that you are not a fan of annuities. My IRA is in mutual funds, and so far, it has remained fairly stable. Is there any advantage for me to go to an indexed annuity? -- B.M. DEAR B.M.: It sounds to me like you have a good handle on your investments. I am not necessarily surprised that the broker is talking about getting an annuity, given the fact that the commission is likely to be substantially higher than some other investments he might recommend. The problem with most annuities is that your money is tied up for a good number of years. At 72, you're not old, but you're not a spring chicken, either. Given that, you surprised me when you said your mutual funds are fairly stable. Mutual funds have dropped for good reasons. They're paying very little in returns. By all means, investigate these annuities before you commit. Be certain to find out the particulars of what kind of penalty would be fixed to any early withdrawals. This is the one thing that sincerely made me think there might be better places to go than the annuity. DEAR BRUCE: I received a medical bill in the mail that I consider suspicious. What actions would you suggest I take? -- R.D. DEAR R.D.: No big deal! If I received a bill I was suspicious of, I would call the company the bill was from and have them explain the charges. I am sure they will take it seriously. DEAR BRUCE: I was in a medical appointment with a new physician. She read from my medical chart and it was obvious she had the chart for another person. After she told me I had had a medical procedure I never had, I questioned her and she realized her mistake. She had also sent a report to my insurance company with information from this person's medical chart. I became angry and told her to get my chart and she'd have to redo the insurance report. She told me she felt threatened by me, and I'd have to find another physician. She later sent me a letter saying I had insulted her and threatened her. I have to find another physician to do the insurance report and I have to explain the errors to the insurance company. What would you do in a case like this? -- P.J. DEAR P.J.: I can understand your being upset because this could cause some serious mistakes on your future medical care. That having been said, I suspect that you really blew up on the doctor. While she might have been threatened at the time, she certainly should have cooled off. I would send her a letter apologizing for my behavior, explaining that I was very upset because of the consequences that could have resulted from her error, and maybe you should start all over again. If that doesn't work, find yourself another physician. DEAR BRUCE: We're a super senior couple (80-plus) with about $400,000 in an IRA account and $500,000 in a Schwab One account. Our investment plan for several years has been following the retirement portfolio in the No-Load Fund Investor newsletter. Schwab has suggested that we consider moving our accounts to their managed portfolio option (continuing with our conservative approach). What do you think? -- F.L. DEAR F.L.: Given the fact that you are a super senior couple, you might want to be a little more conservative than some kid around 65 years old! First, if investing hasn't worked out well for you, why not try this: Take the Schwab approach with a small amount of money, or even just do it hypothetically, for six months and see how their handling of your account compares to the proven value of the Investor account. Second, at your advanced age, consider a relatively conservative investment such as moving into three or four well-established American companies that have a record of paying dividends and having a decently predictable increase in value over the years. DEAR BRUCE: I am a 78-year-old single, retired man with $800,000 in total assets. Most of my assets are held in mutual funds with most of that held in an IRA that generates about $32,000 per year, plus I receive Social Security benefits of about $22,000. The IRA is comprised of $140,000 in bond funds, $70,000 in international stocks and the rest in stock mutual funds. I want to maintain my current lifestyle, which is not extravagant, and leave a legacy to my three grown children. I owe $17,000 on my mortgage, but have no other long-term debt. My concern is that I may be too heavily weighted in stocks, even though the stocks are held in mutual funds. I have been advised to put $150,000 in bonds, laddered to provide interest payments over several years. I am not familiar with bonds and thus am not comfortable with that advice. -- R.J. DEAR R.J.: On balance, you have a good plan, with assets totaling $800,000 and $22,000 per year in Social Security income. However, I must criticize your choice of mutual funds. There was a time when mutual funds were extremely good, but that time has long since passed. While they are safe enough, they barely cover the taxes. The idea of putting $150,000 in bonds, laddered to protect the interest payments, is a good one. You say you're not familiar with bonds and you're uncomfortable with that advice. I say get comfortable and learn about bond investing. A single man who's retired has plenty of time to do research. DEAR BRUCE: In a recent column, you stated that there are companies willing to negotiate student debt. However, I have no idea who they are or how to contact them. Many people would be interested in how to locate such an entity. I just started making money this year, and I'm 65. -- M.S. DEAR M.S.: You mentioned that you're 65 and you are just starting to make money! What have you been doing, and how long have you had these student loans? If you consult the Internet, you'll find several companies that are willing to negotiate student debt and get paid only in the event that they succeed in reducing it. DEAR BRUCE: I stayed at a Los Angeles hotel July 10 to July 13. I booked the room for $84 per night. When I noticed the hotel charged me $140 per night, I told them I would pay only $84 and to present me with a bill for that rate. They refused, and I refused to sign the charge receipt and left the hotel. Someone at the hotel signed an illegible name to the receipt and sent it to Discover for the $140 rate. The receipt that went to Discover was dated July 6. I reported this as fraud to the police department and to Discover. Discover says I must pay them and take the hotel to small claims court. I say it is illegal, under FTC rules, for Discover to make me pay a fraudulent bill. Would you pay a fraudulent bill? -- Reader DEAR READER: I don't understand on what basis the hotel suddenly charged you $140 for a room you had booked at $84 a night. I would have paid only the $84 when the bill was presented and put the rest into dispute. Your position is clear. If you can demonstrate that you had booked the room with a reservation for $84 a night, then the hotel has no ability to raise it to $140. On the other hand, if you've nothing to prove the reservation (a quote or guarantee), you may have a problem. In the meantime, I would tell Discover that you intend to pay only the $84 until such time as this is settled. DEAR BRUCE: I just exercised my 500 stock option shares with my current employer. I was granted them five years ago and had three to five years to exercise them. When I exercised the options, they asked if it is my intent to remain with the company for a year. If I were to leave the company during the next 12 months, can they really do anything? If so, what can they do? My intent, indeed, is to stay with the company for a year. -- P.O. DEAR P.O.: You can certainly inquire to the company about what would happen should you leave in less than a year, just for information alone. And you should tell the company you have every intention of staying, whether that turns out to be the case or not. What, if anything, it can do since you have already exercised your options is another question. Send questions to bruce@brucewilliams.com. Questions of general interest will be answered in future columns. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided. The Bruce Williams Radio Show can now be heard 24/7 via iTunes and at www.taeradio.com. It is also available at www.brucewilliams.com The latest national polls show Donald Trump in dire shape. In the RealClearPolitics average, Trump has dropped below 40 percent -- 39.1 percent, to be precise -- while Mitt Romney, in the entire losing 2012 campaign, never fell below 43 percent. In a nation roughly evenly divided, the thinking goes, even an unpopular candidate should be able to muster 40 percent support, and yet Trump is falling short. At this point four years ago, Romney trailed Barack Obama by 2.2 percentage points nationally, according to the RealClearPolitics average. Trump is 5.8 points behind Hillary Clinton. The gap has led to predictions of catastrophe in November. "The Republican Party's Coming Trumpian Disaster," read the headline of a recent George Will column in National Review Online. But remember the lesson of 2012, which has also been the lesson of every other election: The presidency is won by winning states, and therefore the condition of the race in key states tells more about the campaign than any national poll. "This isn't a national vote contest where you can be on cable news every day and dominate national coverage," Mitch Stewart, battleground states director for Obama in 2012, told the Associated Press recently. "This is literally going state-by-state and coming up with a plan in each." What is notable now is that in some key states Trump is trailing Clinton not by staggering, historically disastrous margins, but by margins that look remarkably like the Obama-Romney race in 2012. Look at the polls in Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio, four states Trump will likely need to win (or at least win three) if he is to capture the White House. Some of the most recent polling in those states has been done by the Democratic firm PPP, which has done fairly reliable work in the past. In the most recent Florida poll, from PPP, Trump leads Clinton by a single point, 45 percent to 44 percent. In the RealClearPolitics average of polls, which includes surveys going back to late April and might be less accurate than PPP, Clinton leads Trump by 1.6 percentage points. In June 2012, the RealClearPolitics average had Obama with a miniscule 0.2 percentage point lead in Florida. On Election Day, Obama won by just under 1 point. The bottom line is that Trump appears to be roughly even with Clinton in Florida, much the way Romney was roughly even in Florida at the same time in 2012 before going on to lose by a narrow margin. In Virginia, the newest poll, taken by PPP in the second week of June, has Clinton ahead of Trump by 3 points, 48 percent to 45 percent. (The RealClearPolitics average, which contains some old polls, has Clinton up by 4 points.) At the same time in 2012, the average had Obama up by 3 points, and Obama went on to win by 3.9 points. So today looks pretty similar to back then. In Pennsylvania, a PPP poll from the first week in June has Trump and Clinton tied at 44 percent. The RealClearPolitics average isn't of much value, since after the PPP survey, the most recent poll is two months old. So if PPP is correct, the race is even. That's much better than Romney's position in Pennsylvania in 2012. In June of that year, the RealClearPolitics average had Obama ahead of Romney by 8 points, and Obama went on to win by 5.4 points. So Trump today appears significantly stronger in Pennsylvania than Romney was at the same point in the 2012 race. And indeed, Pennsylvania has for months seemed the best candidate for a Trump win in a big blue state. On the other hand, Pennsylvania has often seemed within the grasp of Republicans, but the last time a GOP presidential candidate actually won was in 1988. Unless there is a big shift in the race, it's not a bad bet that Trump will end up losing, because Pennsylvania always slips away. In Ohio, all the polls in the RealClearPolitics average are at least a month old. In the average, Clinton leads Trump by 1.4 points. At the same time in 2012, Obama led Romney by 1.8 points. That's pretty close to today. Obama went on to win Ohio by 3 points. The bottom line is that the Clinton-Trump numbers in some critically important states are more in line with the Obama-Romney race than they are with some sort of doomsday blowout suggested by the national poll numbers. And that suggests that after all the noise and drama and weeping and gnashing of teeth, Trump could be headed for a loss that looks, not like a party-ending calamity, but an ordinary Republican defeat. Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio or Jeb Bush might have lost in much the same way. The Electoral College numbers are what they are; Democrats have a real, long-term advantage in states that by themselves approach a winning total of 270. That could be more important than any Trump controversy, or even all of them put together. Rep. John Lewis was 20 when he took his first stand. On a Tuesday in May 1960, Lewis walked into a Woolworth's and sat down at a lunch counter for whites only. Police arrested him. Lewis served jail time for attempting to order lunch. A year to the day, Lewis took his second stand. This time, he got firebombed. Lewis boarded a chartered bus on May 10, 1961, filled with Freedom Riders, white and black volunteers sitting together when Southern laws forbad doing that. Their driver had pulled into a small Trailways bus station in Anniston, Alabama, when they were met by local citizens -- who torched the bus. Lewis, along with everyone else, escaped through bus's windows because the white mob held the doors shut as the interior filled with acrid smoke. Lewis came back on the next Freedom Ride. That's when he had his head cracked open. He found himself in a Birmingham Greyhound bus station, surrounded by a white mob. Lewis, then 21, survived and rode again. And again. Fifty-five years later, Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts emailed John Lewis, now 76, and suggested they organize a sit-in of Congress. She wanted to protest Speaker Paul Ryan's commandment that no gun control legislation reach the House floor for a vote. Lewis jumped at it. She organized; he would lead. Previously, the Republicans found time -- more than sixty times, actually -- to vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. On the night that Lewis and Clark (couldn't resist) marshaled 125 Democrats for their historic sit-in, Republicans found time to vote to override Obama's veto of a bill that would enrich financial advisers. (They failed). "No bill, no break," they shouted, meaning until Ryan allowed a vote on a bill to stop a terrorist from buying a gun, they would not break their sit-in. Reuters reported that Ryan said he would not let the House vote on the anti-terrorist bill "that would take away Constitutional rights." Such as the right to live? While sitting representatives filled the well of the House, Ryan both recessed Congress and shut down C-SPAN's access. He pulled the plug so that Lewis, Clark and 125 members of Congress couldn't be seen on home television screens. Banning the cameras was a mistake. "It was a telling move," wrote the Boston Globe. "Censorship is not something that politicians who are confident of the righteousness of their beliefs bother with." Rep. Scott Peters of San Diego came to the rescue. He downloaded Periscope, an app that allowed him to broadcast from his smartphone. Someone contacted C-SPAN, and a free press being what it is, fed Peters' cellphone broadcast to its viewers. There's nothing like suppressing something to make a person determined to read or see it. So when Ryan brought the House back from recess, the nation, Twitter, Facebook, and overseas news agencies were glued to Peters' and C-SPAN's bootleg coverage of the sit-in. "Sometimes you have to do something out of the ordinary." Lewis dryly told The Associated Press. Ryan told CNN's Wolf Blitzer the sit-in was a "publicity stunt." Lewis said to the House, "We have lost hundreds of thousands of innocent people to gun violence. Tiny little children. Babies, students and teachers. Mothers and fathers. Sisters and brothers. Daughters and sons. Friends and neighbors. And what has this body done?" Ryan adjourned the House. At that moment, Rep. Ted Deutch tweeted, "From a Republican colleague of mine as he walked off the floor: 'We're going to have a drink and a cigar. Enjoy your protest.' Really." Deutch added, "Our sit-in isn't about partisan politics. The members here represent diverse Americans nationwide who want us to act." When Ryan gaveled the House back into session at 10 p.m., Democrats shouted "No bill, no Break." Veteran political reporters in the House press gallery were both excited and stunned. John Bresnahan, the veteran Capitol bureau chief for Politico, tweeted, "I came to Capitol Hill today and the '60s broke out," observing "a virtual carpet" of lawmakers sitting on the floor, while Rep. Don Young "was being physically restrained from trying to grab (the) mic from Dem lawmakers." Huffington Post correspondent Matt Fuller tweeted, "The House gallery is screaming right now. I've never seen anything like this." The chief of correspondents for the McClatchy newspaper chain, Mark Seibel, called the Democrats' protest "an unprecedented day." Sen. Elizabeth Warren walked over from the Senate with coffee and donuts. An unidentified person from California spent $324 dollars to send pizzas to the sit-in. Rep. Adam Schiff spent his 56th birthday literally on the House floor. "Whether you agree with us or not," Schiff told CBS, "the American people want to have a vote." The Democrats' sit-in empowered the nation. Polls show a historic majority want a bill to keep assault rifles out of the hands of a terrorist. But at 3 a.m., Speaker Ryan managed to adjourn the House until July 5 -- when the protest will begin again. At least Ryan and the GOP majority are being forced to do a lot in order to avoid doing anything about gun violence. Lewis quoted an old saying to CBS, "Sometimes you gotta turn things upside down in order to turn them right side up." To the House, Lewis said, "It is always right to do right." I agree. Secessionists are pushing for an independent Texas after voters in the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union Thursday. The hashtag #Texit is making the rounds on Twitter, with some people calling for Texans to demand a vote for independence from the United States in the same fashion as the UK. Regarding Treatment first, not housing (Open Forum, June 23): The 2004 passage of Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act, created one strong funding stream for providing treatment to the vast number of people who have a mental illness. To tap this money now for housing is not in keeping with the intent of the legislation. Note that the word service was key in the name of the act. After years of struggling services, here was a financial mechanism not only to help fund services, but also to allow counties to build an array of appropriate options. These services are critical and must not be sacrificed. Lives are at stake. Vivian Imperiale, San Francisco Whom to support Regarding Print the list (Letters, June 18): I concur with the author. If all of our papers published the names of politicians and their National Rifle Association rating, this would give voters a good idea of whom to support. We need to let all politicians know that we must stop this horrendous gun violence; there is no excuse for what is happening. Catherine Norman, Pleasanton Coastal protection Regarding Safeguard our states coastal gems (Insight, June 19): The Surfrider Foundation stands with Sen. Barbara Boxer in her call to protect our iconic California coast by the California Coastal National Monument Expansion Act. Our coastline is irreplaceable. From Trinidad Head on the Northern California coast, with significant spiritual and historic importance for the community, to Lighthouse Ranch overlooking the Eel River Delta, the South Spit of Humboldt Bay and the Pacific Ocean, occupying a site of exceptional panoramic views, designation means protection, local and community-based management, and opportunities for funding conservation work. We urge President Obama to expand the monument with the authority given to him under the Antiquities Act, which was done recently in Mendocino County. Surfrider applauds Boxers tireless work for the last 24 years protecting the coast and hope that this legacy is honored with the advancement of these coastal protections. Jennifer Savage, San Clemente No need for GOP From heat, drought and insects, global warming is killing millions of trees, and not just in California. As the dead trees burn, the released carbon dioxide will make climate change even worse. But, of course, the Republican Party doesnt believe in global warming. They are getting too much money from coal and oil companies. They also dont believe in doing anything about gun violence. Too much cash from gun companies and the National Rifle Association. Its all on The Chronicles June 23 front page. Question: Do we really need the GOP anymore? After the disappearance of the Federalists and then the Whigs, we still had a two-party system, and democracy got better. Laurence Schechtman, Berkeley Civil hypocrisy The recent videos of police shootings of Mario Woods and the homeless man in the Mission District are shocking, but no less shocking are the situations that police officers confront daily due to our lack of mental health and social welfare services. I was on Castro Street on June 23 and witnessed the police subdue and arrest a young man who appeared to be mentally disturbed and homeless. He was confrontational and volatile, yet the officers did not use excessive force. I suspect this is a situation that occurs all too frequently on our streets today. As the police and various city agencies try to develop a new use-of-force policy, they must recognize the reality that we ask officers to be humane in dealing with this growing population of unstable and potentially dangerous individuals and, yet, demand they remove the tent cities and unhinged vagrants during events like the Super Bowl and Pride Week. Its civil hypocrisy to ask cops to do the dirty work but insist they dont make a mess. Stephen Abney, San Francisco Untied Kingdom Now that the Brexit vote is confirmed, leaving Scotland and Northern Ireland very unhappy and making noises about departing the United Kingdom, the British Isles should be known as the Untied Kingdom. Ruth Bailey, Lafayette Well-regulated Ive written about gun control too many times over the past three years, and now weve had the worst gun tragedy in our country so far. So Im amazed that fans of the Second Amendment dont want gun registration, better background checks and more. Doesnt a well-regulated militia mean that we should have some rules in place for guns that would be equivalent to getting a drivers license? Whenever I read about opponents to gun legislation that would somehow check on a persons background, mental capability, suitability, etc., to own a gun, it seems to suggest an unregulated militia which is not protected by our founding fathers vision for this country. Lets start a new conversation about what well-regulated means. Its the key phrase in the one sentence that defines gun ownership for our country. John Koetzner, Healdsburg Not helpful So how many shooting massacres in the United States have been prevented by the thoughts and prayers of the National Rifle Association and Republican politicians? Carlo Gardin, Fairfax LONDON The European Union wants a quickie divorce, but Britain wants time to think things over. Senior EU politicians demanded Saturday that Britain quickly cut its ties with the 28-nation bloc a process it says wont begin for several months as the political and economic shock waves from the United Kingdoms vote to leave reverberated around the world. There is a certain urgency ... so that we dont have a period of uncertainty, with financial consequences, political consequences, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said at a meeting in Berlin of the EUs six founding nations. EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker warned that the split was not an amicable divorce but noted it was never a tight love affair anyway. Britons voted 52 to 48 percent Thursday in favor of ending their countrys 43-year membership in the 28-nation bloc. But no country has ever left the EU before, so no one knows exactly how the process will play out. Britain must, at some point, unambiguously notify the bloc of its intentions and set a two-year clock ticking for negotiating its departure. Until then, Britain remains an EU member. In contrast to the clamoring of EU officials, the leaders of Britains leave campaign, who had reassured voters that the EU would offer Britain good terms for a new relationship, were largely silent Saturday. Englands 300-year-old union with Scotland could be another casualty of the referendum, because most people in Scotland voted to remain in the EU but were outvoted by a majority in much-larger England. Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon said Saturday that her semiautonomous administration will seek immediate talks with EU nations and institutions to ensure that Scotland could remain in the bloc. The nation will explore possible options to protect Scotlands place in the EU, she said after meeting with her Cabinet in Edinburgh, adding that a new referendum on Scottish independence is very much on the table. Scotland voted in 2014 to remain a part of the United Kingdom, but that decision is seen as being conditional on Britain staying in the EU. The victorious leave campaigners have said theres no rush to initiate Article 50 of the EUs Lisbon Treaty, which will begin the two-year exit process. BEIRUT Hundreds of Kurds fleeing Islamic State-held villages in northern Syria amid a wave of mass abductions have come under fire, with several killed or wounded, opposition activists and a Kurdish official said Saturday. In eastern Syria, meanwhile, air strikes on a village controlled by the extremist group have killed at least 30 people, opposition activists said. LONDON Britain has jumped. Now it is wildly searching for the parachute. Britains unprecedented decision to leave the European Union sent shock waves through the country and around the world Friday, rocking financial markets, toppling Prime Minister David Cameron and even threatening the ties that bind the United Kingdom. Britons absorbed the overwhelming realization that their antiestablishment vote has pushed the British economy into treacherous and uncertain territory and sparked a profound crisis for a bloc founded to unify Europe after the devastation of World War II. Leave campaigners hailed the result as a victory for British democracy against the bureaucratic behemoth of the EU. Conservative former London Mayor Boris Johnson said the British people have spoken up for democracy in Britain and across Europe, while Nigel Farage, leader of the hard-right U.K. Independence Party, said the dawn is breaking on an independent United Kingdom. But for the 48 percent of British voters who wanted to remain and for the 2 million EU nationals who live and work in Britain, but could not vote there was sadness, anger and even panic. In fact, so many Britons signed a petition for a rerun of the referendum on EU membership that they crashed the House of Commons website hosting the document. The petition passed the 200,000 mark on Friday evening, with a map of the voting indicating that most activity was in London where most boroughs backed the Remain camp. At a London train station, commuter Olivia Sangster-Bullers called the result absolutely disgusting. Good luck to all of us, I say, especially those trying to build a future with our children, said Sangster-Bullers. The decision to leave the EU launches a years-long process to renegotiate trade, business and political links between Britain and what will become a 27-nation bloc, an unprecedented divorce that could take a decade or more to complete. Cameron, who had led the campaign to keep Britain in the EU, said he would resign by October and left it to his successor to decide when to invoke Article 50, which triggers a departure from European Union. I will do everything I can as prime minister to steady the ship over the coming weeks and months, a somber Cameron said outside 10 Downing St. But I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers the country to its next destination. Pro-Brexit voters were persuaded by the argument that leaving the EU meant taking back control of immigration by abandoning the blocs principle of free movement among member states and reclaiming billions that Britain pays to Brussels each year. Its a vindication of 1,000 years of British democracy, said Jonathan Campbell James, 62, at a London train station. The McClure Fire in the Santa Fe Municipal Watershed is considered 50 percent contained, according to Friday afternoon media advisories, and some of the many resources allocated to that fire have been released. Firefighters using GPS to measure the fire Friday morning revised the size of the fire to 7.6 acres after aerial surveys Thursday reported it at 15 acres. As of 4:30 pm Friday, they said the fire had not grown in size. Air operations had been put on hold while hotshot crews worked on the ground on containment and mop-up until about 8 pm Friday. The Barillas Lookout Tower in the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest first reported smoke from the fire at 12:21 pm on Thursday, June 23. A lightning strike has been blamed for starting the fire, which ignited 3 miles northeast of McClure Reservoir, a key source for the city's drinking water supply. It caught in steep terrain densely forested with ponderosa pine not yet thinned or treated with prescribed burn to prevent catastrophic wildfire. The fire was considered at high potential for growth initially, but was downgraded to moderate as of Friday afternoon, according to a media advisory. As a threat to the Santa Fe Municipal Watershed and a communication site used by the FAA and EMS, it was met with a robust response from aerial crews Thursday afternoon and hotshot ground crews on Friday morning. Santa Fe Fire Department credited "strong work being done" in a Tweet about containment reaching 30 percent by about 1pm. Ground response included the city-managed Atalaya hand crew, while aerial work saw two fixed-wing aircraft, two heavy air tanks, one single engine air tanker, seven helicopters, three Forest Service engines and multiple city and county engines. "This fire is a high priority and I think the reflection of that is the resources that are being assigned to it," Porfirio Chavarria, wildland urban interface specialist for Santa Fe, said Thursday afternoon. The Forest Service reported the fire as under 30 percent control by 1 pm after hotshot crews completed a perimeter line of the fire and containment was considered sufficient to begin releasing some of the helicopters dropping water to other assignments. Rain and lower temperatures followed through Thursday and Friday evening, and winds hovered below 15 mph. The City of Santa Fe, Forest Service and other management partners in the Greater Santa Fe Fire Shed have authority to conduct prescribed burns and, according to a media advisory from June 24, would plan to do so after this year's fire season. New Mexico wildfire managers are dealing with multiple other blazes throughout the state, and even just in the county, with Santa Fe County Fire Department among the crews responding to the Goldmine Fire, which had burned more than 43 acres in the Ortiz Mountains near Madrid. The county fire department reported that fire as about 50 percent contained by noon Friday, with a line around the fire and mop-up operations beginning. The latest update for the Dog Head Fire, suspected to have been human-caused in the Manzano Mountains east of Albuquerque, was released at 8 am Friday, June 24, and reported that fire at 83 percent contained, having burned 17,912 acres and damaged 24 single residences and 21 other minor structures. An increase in rainfall and humidity was seen as decreasing the probability of ignition. The 625 total personnel working that site were continuing to mop-up fire, holding and patrolling the perimeter, and trying to finish securing the east side of the fire. Managers aimed to have it under control by June 30 and expected no new perimeter growth, despite warmer temperatures in the forecast for Saturday. Santa Fe Reporter New Zealand shares plunged after the UK voted to leave the European Union, taking investors by surprise with financial institutions hit hard. The S&P/NZX 50 Index dropped 153.57 points, or 2.3 percent, to 6,667.78. Within the index, 44 stocks fell, four were unchanged and two rose. Turnover was $132.6 million. "The next question will be just how far down markets will go overnight, particularly since they incorrectly rallied going into this," said Matt Goodson, managing director at Salt Funds Management. "Individual stock movements have not much information. Futures are down extremely sharply, and the difficulty is our market has been trading at expensive levels." Xero, a notoriously volatile stock, led the index down, falling 8.1 percent. Research house Morningstar said yesterday that the accounting software developer would start turning profits from 2020 as it continues to grow its customer base in North America and the UK. Morningstar predicts Xero's annual loss peaked this year, and that it will go on to post a maiden profit of $87.6 million on revenue of $754.1 million in 2020. A2 Milk, which has seen big movements of late as investor confidence has waxed and waned, fell 7.1 percent to $1.69 and New Zealand Refining Co dropped 5.1 percent to $2.41. "The bright side is we are seeing quite a rally in bonds," Goodson said. "Credit spreads will move out, that's why the financial sector's been hard hit today - although the direct exposures are relatively modest." Australia & New Zealand Banking Group fell 4.9 percent to $24.33, Heartland Bank dropped 4.8 percent to $1.20 and Westpac Banking Corp declined 4.5 percent to $29.60. The local bourse rallied yesterday as markets speculated the UK would vote to remain in the European Union following polls indicating there was more support for 'Bremain' than 'Brexit', but has given up those gains today. "The fear was always the exit voters would be more motivated than the remain voters, and that seems to be what has happened - where they have voted leave they've voted in greater numbers than expected," Goodson said. Ryman Healthcare dropped 1.6 percent to $8.80. The company's board will ask shareholders to sign off on a 9 percent pay rise for directors as they cope with an increasingly larger retirement village operator. Outside the main index, Smiths City Group rallied 3.9 percent to 54 cents, despite the NZX All index falling 2.2 percent on the Brexit news. The Christchurch-based retailer reported a 30 percent decline in annual profit while lifting sales as it overhauled its operations to exit low-margin business. Cavalier Corp shares jumped 7.7 percent to 70 cents after the carpet maker raised 2016 earnings guidance as its broadloom carpets unit outperformed expectations and it sold an unprofitable carpet tile operation. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: October 25th Morning Report Mainfreight Investor Day / Market Update GFI - Greenfern - Offer closes 27th Oct MCY - Quarterly Operational Update VCT - Operational performance for the 3 months ended 30 Sept 2022 NZL - Forestry Estate Acquisition October 21st Morning Report Air New Zealand Limited Retail Bond Offer Books Close Spark welcomes C-band spectrum allocation AIA - 2022 Annual Meeting Chair & Chief Executive Addresses Jon Mayson, chairman of IT services provider Fronde, has been asked to step down by the companys two main shareholder/directors who wanted to refresh the board. Mayson will stand down at the companys annual meeting in Wellington on July 29. The professional director holds a number of other chairmanships, including Scales Corp, Martin Aircraft, Titanium Technologies, C3, and Ziwipeak. In addition, director Andy Lark will also step down at Frondes AGM due to his expanded role at Xero and other board commitments and Power by Proxi chief executive Greg Cross has said he also wont stand for re-election as a director. Sandy Maier, David Irving and Celia Burton intend remaining as directors. Burton has an 18.86 percent stake in the business while the other major shareholder is the Chameleon Trust with 26.4 per cent. Earlier this month Fronde announced a $1.42 million profit for the year ended Mar. 31, a turnaround from the $3.35 million loss the year before. Overall revenue dropped nearly 4 percent as the company introduced product and service mix changes to return to profitability. The Australian business grew revenue 19 percent in the year and is now also making money. Deputy chairman Sandy Maier said as a result of the board changes, a subcommittee has been set up to review the boards composition and skills and to lead a search for two new directors who can help guide Frondes expansion into Australia. Chief executive Anthony Belsham said he looked forward to identifying the board members who can help with the companys next phase. Belsham took over as Fronde boss in December last year, replacing Ian Clarke who remains a shareholder. Fronde last traded on Unlisted at $1 per share in January. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: October 25th Morning Report Mainfreight Investor Day / Market Update GFI - Greenfern - Offer closes 27th Oct MCY - Quarterly Operational Update VCT - Operational performance for the 3 months ended 30 Sept 2022 NZL - Forestry Estate Acquisition October 21st Morning Report Air New Zealand Limited Retail Bond Offer Books Close Spark welcomes C-band spectrum allocation AIA - 2022 Annual Meeting Chair & Chief Executive Addresses Film: "7 Hours To Go"; Director: Saurabh Varma; Cast: Shiv Pandit, Sandeepa Dhar, Natasa Stankovic, Varun Badola, Himanshu Malik and Rohit Vir; Rating: *1/2 The concept of this film, without a doubt, must have been exciting on paper. A murder mystery, hostage drama along with a heist, is what gives an impetus to thrillers and this film has it all, except that it trudges on a convoluted, verbose plot, filled with plot-holes and poor characterisation. Directed by Saurabh Varma, the film, with a snazzy prologue begins with a promise of a murder mystery, where - Arjun Ranavat, a witness to the murder of Seema -- the mistress of Kabeer Khemka, a scion of a prominent construction giant, in Muzaffarpur, Bihar -- comes to Mumbai to look for work. A police informer pitches his story to a News Channel, which is readymade fodder for instant fame, for Arjun is willing to identify the accused. But that's not the bottom line. Instead, when Arjun lands up at Bombay High Court, he recreates the murder scene and takes the Mumbai police by surprise, when he holds seven hostages, threatening to kill one, every hour. He gives the police seven hours to solve the murder case. But again, that is not the bottom line. The promise soon crumbles, when subtlety is lost and the director thrusts, his oft quoted, "game of misdirection" concept on the audience too. The intricately complex path gets tedious to even let the audience bother about the real motive, which is so weakly presented. The first half of the film is tolerable, but it is during the second half that the director seems to have lost the plot. Quite literally. While the tale is designed as a thriller, the director has infused oodles of light moments with behind the scenes action involving his characters. This defuses the momentum of suspense and the thrill in the narration. The film is supposed to be about the hostages, but their anxiety or anguish is never shown. The only scenes with them are half-hearted and lukewarm. "7 Hours To Go" is technically polished but definitely weak on the script. The characters are poorly developed and paper thin. Especially jarring is the Assistant Commissioner of Police Dhadke who behaves like an uncouth Inspector and his assistant Inspector Ghorpade, too is a caricature. Their demeanour makes the entire narrative unconvincing. Varun Badola as the irritating and exasperating ACP Dhadke is flawless as an actor. So is Shiv Pandit who essays the role of Arjun Ranawat, a noir-protagonist, convincingly. Sandeepa Dhar as the agile and competent ACP Shukla who is investigating the case, is effortless. Natasa Stankovic as Maya has hardly anything to offer, due to her limited screen presence. Radio City's Jockey Rohit Vir debuts as the antagonist with flourish. His schizophrenic flunkey act too leaves a lasting impression, but unfortunately both of them are lost in the complicated narrative. Himanshu Malik as the sharpshooter Tamim Chakri and Vipin Sharma as the hostage are wasted due to their poorly written characters. Watch "7 Hours To Go" only if you have two hours with nothing better to do. Read Also: Cult Classics which were Hugely Successful Comics & No it is Not Marvel or DC!! 'Central Intelligence' Is Fun, Frothy, Refreshing STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Today's archive page is from Oct. 27, 1954. Sen. Irving Ivez promises that if he becomes governor, state laws will be made to end Staten Island smog and pollution. He makes the promise to a cheering audience of 400 people at a rally in Port Richmond, where he outlines his plans for Staten Island if he becomes governor. Ivez claims that as he came over to Staten Island from New Jersey he traveled through a blanket of smog. He declares that when he fought to have air pollution control measures incorporated in the federal housing bill, he was told that smog was not a federal matter. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- To help close what he feels is a gap between the district attorney's office and the community, District Attorney Michael McMahon attended the New Dorp Beach Civic Association's monthly meeting Friday night. Joined by several members of his team from various bureaus, McMahon spoke to residents about the drug epidemic, the recent increase in domestic violence homicides, and his goal to bridge the gap between his office and Staten Islanders. "I knew it [drug epidemic] was bad when I was running for office, but not to the extent of how bad it really was," McMahon said. "It's actually more of a plague than an epidemic," he said. He reminded residents that his office has an anonymous tip line, and urged them to report any suspicious activity, which helps his office, as well as the NYPD, crack down on local drug dealers and users. Speaking about domestic violence, he spoke about the creation the Domestic Violence Bureau, which will help tackle the spike in recent domestic incidents. "There have been 17 homicides this year, 11 of which where the result of domestic violence disputes," he said. "This bureau will allow us to focus on helping the victims get the resources they need, give them a safe place at the new family justice center, which is opening soon, and allow us to go after the bad guys," he said. Alex Zablocki from the New York State Housing Recovery Office, Stacey Sclafani from Congressman Daniel Donovan's office and Ame Peterson from Build It Back also spoke during the meeting and answered residents questions and concerns. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- Several Korean War veterans gathered Saturday afternoon in Sunnyside to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the end of the "forgotten war." "We freed the people there and they have always been grateful," said Commander George E. Parsons of the Cpl. Allan F. Kivlehan chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association. "The Korean people honor us every year. We do these in hope of remembering all the sacrifices we've made. The Korean War is the forgotten war." Parsons, 86, who served one year in Korea, was the master of ceremonies. Speakers from the Korean and Turkish communities shared their gratitude with the large group of veterans and family members in attendance. Norma Suh, dressed in a traditional bright yellow dress, sang the American and Korean National anthems. The ceremony also included a laying of the wreaths. Kivlehan, Parsons said, was the first Staten Island man killed in combat in Korea. Thirty-seven Staten Islanders never returned from the war. Their names are etched into a stone monument at the Korean War Memorial. "The real heroes are the ones who never came back, and the ones who are permanently disabled," said veteran Louis Tirone of Todt Hill. On Friday night, 18 Staten Island veterans received a deed of appreciation medal at a ceremony at Carnegie Hall in Manhattan. The medals contain barbed wire representing the militarized zones that separate north and south, Parsons said. Five hundred kids from Korea entertained the crowd with signing and dancing. "It's a great, great country," Parsons said of Korea. "When I left, there was one building there. When I returned in 1997 and 2011, it was like a metropolis, like New York City." Heart Transplant Salvatore Prestigiacomo III, his wife Shelley, future daughter-in-law Kristen Giordano, and son Salvatore IV (l. to r.) said it was important to give back to a charity that helps people in need of transplants. (Staten Island Advance/ Paul Liotta) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Doctors told Salvatore Prestigiacomo III, 62, of Sunnyside, that half his heart was dead in November, 2012. Over the next three months he underwent several surgeries, the entire time his family unsure of what would happen. Then at the end of January 2013, they got the call that a heart was available. Doctors successfully performed the transplant, and saved his life, his family said. "We never really discussed what happens if he doesn't get the heart, because at that point he was so bad, he was top of the list to get the heart," Prestigiacomo's wife, Shelley, said. "It was pretty much either that or nothing." Since the transplant, he's been in perfect health, she said. Now, more than three years after that ordeal, Prestigiacomo's only child, Salvatore IV, and his soon to be daughter-in-law, Kristen Giordano, will be using their wedding to raise awareness and donations for LiveOnNY, the state-designated non-profit that works to save lives through organ and tissue donation. "It's something very near and dear to all of us, because we've been through it," Prestigiacomo IV said. "Without the organization people wouldn't be able to get a second chance, like they do." The couple will be giving money to the charity that they would have used for party favors for their more than 200 guests. Prestigiacomo III will be matching whatever the young couple contributes to the charity. He said that it's important to remember what families go through when their loved ones are sick, and in need of transplant. "For what they lived through with me, I think it's a great way to pay back to those who helped me," Prestigiacomo III said. "What makes it even better is that nobody prompted them to do this, it was all on them." The family said they wanted to give back to a transplant organization, but chose LiveOnNY after a representative approached Prestigiacomo III at an organ donor support group. "We knew we wanted to give back in some way," Giordano said. "We thought that would be the perfect way to both honor him and to get awareness out about donating." James Pardes, a spokesman for LiveOnNY, commended the couple for donating to the charity. "It's a wonderful gesture, and we're completely appreciative of it," Pardes said. "We're happy that this particular event is happening, and that this father will be there to see his son get married." He said the need for organ donation in New York is particularly urgent. While 92 percent of New Yorkers support organ donation, only 27 percent are registered donors, he said. "It's bordering, from my perspective, on crisis level," Pardes said. "Every 18 hours a New Yorker dies waiting for an organ transplant." The couple said their ultimate goal is to raise awareness about the need for organ donation, and to help convince people to become organ donors. "Nobody wants to think about it because it means something happened to them," Prestigiacomo IV "But what you don't realize is that you could save somebody else's life." By clicking Agree, you consent to Slates Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and the use of technologies such as cookies by Slate and our partners to deliver relevant advertising on our iOS app to personalize content and perform site analytics. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about our use of data, your rights, and how to withdraw consent. Agree A commentator from this ridiculous Globe & Mail Editorial. I'd have just linked the comment, but for some inexplicable reason, G&M's comment section doesn't provide links to comments. Sigh. This is written with a sense of correcting a lot of nonsense. I'm a Briton who lived in Canada for eight years. That doesn't make me an expert in Canada, but it does mean I know a lot more about Canada than the writer of this editorial knows about the UK. So, here goes: Back in the 1980s, Canada fought a general election on the basis of free trade with the United States. It was a heated debate, with issues like national sovereignty and national identity raised, along with those of economics. The free-trading Conservatives won; the deal was done. That's the history. Now imagine if, on the basis of this result, subsequent Canadian governments, without putting it their party platforms, slowly but surely ceded more and more political and not economic, sovereignty to the United States. All the while denying they were doing so. As the process went on, it accelerated, and soon Canadians found their Supreme Court overruled by the US Supreme Court and that certain laws passed by the US Congress, lacking support in Canada, nonetheless became applicable to Canada. Pretty soon you'd start to question what the end destiny of this process was, only to be told by your elected representatives not to worry, political union with the United States was not on the cards. The analogy is imperfect, but the fact is in 1975 the UK held a referendum on remaining in a "common market" (to quote from the actual ballot paper). Since then, successive parliaments have surrendered more and more of our sovereignty to the European Union -- mostly in a series of treaties which polls repeatedly showed were overwhelmingly opposed by the majority of Britons (for the past 30 years polls have consistently shown that only around 20% of the British people support political union with Europe). It's fine for you to say the British are wrong to hold these views, just as it would be fine for me to tell you that Canada should form a political union with the United States. It's not fine to deny people their democratic right to reject such union -- or to lie about it. I won't waste too much time correcting the misconceptions in here about Scotland. I'll only note that if a leave vote was so beneficial to the Scottish Nationalist Party, you may want to ask why the SNP's chief ventriloquist, Alexander Salmon, and his dummy, Nicola Sturgeon, campaigned so aggressively for the "remain" side. Trust me, it wasn't out of any love for Britain. Frankly, the view of the English towards the Scots Nats is beginning to resemble that of English-speaking Canadians to the Quebec Nationalists -- political blackmailers whose bluff needs to be called. This newspaper has called for Canada to become a republic when Queen Elizabeth II dies. I understand why. Canada wants to cut the final colonial tie and become a completely sovereign nation. I respect that. But how about dropping he hypocrisy? We want to return to being a completely sovereign nation, too. She's too young to drive a car, but Jade Esler is Australia's youngest female pilot. The year 9 student made her maiden solo flight at Fly Oz school in Cowra on her 15th birthday last week. Jade Esler took her maiden solo flight on her 15th birthday last week. At 15, the Jerrabomberra teenager is still too young to have an official pilot's license and had to fly with her instructor contactable by radio on the ground. Esler, whose father and grandfathers were pilots, says her love of flying came at an early age. She would go up with her dad from the age of two, and always relished a rarely enjoyed part of family holidays: the airport. For the first time, Questacon is hurling open its doors with the promise of free entry this weekend. Introduced to help make the national science and technology centre accessible to all, the free weekend is expected to attract thousands of visitors across both days. Freya McCarthy-Law 7 of Sydney enjoys the free day at Questacon. Credit:Jay Cronan Guests to the centre will be greeted by a giant, animatronic, anatomically correct spider benignly named Cherub in the entrance foyer as part of the latest exhibition. As well as fake spiders, real creepy crawlies are on show, including some of Australia's most dangerous. We can wipe out the remainder of emissions from our buildings by investing in large-scale solar energy systems. This investment would save an eye-watering $20 billion in energy costs by 2030. The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council's Low Carbon, High Performance report finds we can halve building emissions without any technological breakthroughs, simply by boosting thermal efficiency and switching to energy-efficient electrical appliances. A new report has found we can eliminate emissions from our buildings entirely by 2050 and we can do so with technology that exists today. Credit:Graham Tidy But a new report has found we can eliminate emissions from our buildings entirely by 2050 and we can do so with technology that exists today. This figure doesn't include the productivity improvements that can be achieved when people work in more efficient buildings which can be as much as 15 per cent. It also doesn't include the improvements in quality of life that people enjoy when living in more comfortable, energy efficient homes. When Australia signed the Paris Agreement in April, we committed to work towards a zero emissions economy by the second half of the century. The task before us is undoubtedly great if we are to meet our obligations, but this is achievable. To date, we already have a lot of runs on the board. Australia is considered the "global green leader" according to the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark, and almost a third of our office space boasts Green Star certification. While the economic and environmental savings are great, the costs of delay are just as significant. ASBEC finds that every five years of delay could lead to $24 billion in wasted energy costs and more than 170 megatonnes of lost emissions reduction opportunities. While 170 megatonnes may seem like a meaningless number, it is the emissions generated by 131 million passenger vehicles over the course of a year, or the electricity required to power 92 million homes. In this context, it's easy to see why action is needed. On two of these issues, the republic and climate change, Turnbull has managed to mould positions that have assuaged disappointment to a surprising degree. In the case of the republic, he says he remains fully signed up but believes nothing can occur while the current Queen remains on the throne. That was two months into Turnbull's leadership when his well-known anti-Coalition positions on the republic, climate change and same-sex marriage presaged a style of government that was similarly centrist in orientation. Turnbull's personal popularity, which in November saw him leading 69-18 over Bill Shorten (51 points) and saw his Coalition also ahead 56-44, had turned very specifically on his personal brand as a moderate centrist. Anything less than this, represents a failed strategy. But it threatens to get a lot worse than an electoral blood nose for the Coalition. Bear in mind, the predominantly conservative Liberal Party didn't suddenly fall in love with Turnbull in late 2015. Indeed, it only repeated Labor's reviled leadership coup in order to win. And Turnbull himself, having seized the top post, then only insisted on enforcing a double-dissolution, to strengthen his government's hand through a renewed mandate, and through a Senate relieved of "ferals". On climate change, a combination of stealthy progress by his fellow traveller in Greg Hunt, simple public despair over bilateral chain-dragging in Canberra, and the befuddling complexity of the arguments, has allowed Turnbull to neutralise the issue to some extent. But on same-sex marriage, a potentially weakened Turnbull is sitting on a powder keg. Sources within the Coalition party room say this issue will be his biggest problem in 2016, "and that includes the challenge of winning this election". It would be difficult to overstate the determination of some conservatives - let's more accurately label them reactionaries - to defeat the push for marriage reform. The fact that they have been relatively quiet of late, should not be mistaken for any softening of their opposition. Rather, it is only a public quiet. And it is a public quiet that has been paid for with costly private undertakings which once known, will further denude an already pointless and expensive plebiscite of its remaining integrity. Tactically the silence is wise. Objective number one is to ensure the Coalition is returned, thereby ensuring the issue will be litigated by way of public vote, rather than Labor's parliamentary vote. The Parliament, by the way, is where the law will be changed when it does occur - irrespective of any plebiscite. That is as it should be, both as a technical matter of law, and as a proper function of "representative democracy". The High Court has affirmed this as has political and moral precedent. Weightier moral matters have come before the Parliament, such as the abortion drug RU486 and live stem-cell research without resorting to a plebiscite. A week is a long time in politics. Seven days ago the election campaign was largely focused on policy; a clear choice between Labor's priority for schools and health versus the Coalition's push for business tax cuts to boost confidence and jobs. Malcolm Turnbull was finally getting his economic message straight, while Bill Shorten was defying low expectations by spruiking his "100 positive policies". Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Last Sunday The Sun-Herald could have comfortably recommended on policy grounds a vote for either the Coalition or Labor. But a week ago Mr Shorten began a Medicare privatisation scare campaign. The Coalition struck back with a scare on boat people. All political leaders have their own quirks and peccadilloes when it comes to being interviewed. John Howard used to prefer doing live talkback radio; it enabled him to talk directly to voters without the fear of some demonic leftie producer in the edit suite chopping up his words in a way that didn't suit him. Kevin Rudd's distrust of journalists went if anything even further than Howard's; he tended to take matters into his own hands and ask himself questions, and press conferences would regularly turn into a festival of relentless self-interrogation. ("Do I wish that the global economic crisis hadn't happened? You bet. Do I think this government is capable of dealing with its challenges methodically and effectively? Yes I do," and so forth.) But the past week has given us something completely, exhilaratingly new: A political leader interviewed by his own wife. Christo built it and people came, in droves. In fact, so many visitors have travelled to tiny Lake Iseo in Northern Italy to experience the conceptual artist's latest work, The Floating Piers, that officials have decided to close the installation from midnight to 6am so that workers can clean and repair the saffron-colored fabric enveloping the walkway, which has seen unexpectedly considerable wear and tear. People walk on 'The Floating Piers' by Christo, on Lake Iseo in northern Italy. Credit:AP Since the installation, which is free to the public, opened last Saturday, more than 350,000 people have converged on the lake; organisers had planned for 40,000 to 45,000 per day. "Yesterday, we registered 97,000 visitors, more than twice than what we had calibrated reception for," said Valerio Valenti, the prefect of nearby Brescia, who leads the committee responsible for the project's security and assisting visitors. The rug is being pulled out from under the arts and intellectual community making it difficult for many to maintain a decent life while embarking on creative enterprises. The reach, speed and quality of a national broadband network is the foundation stone for any successful digital economy. Without a high-quality and pervasive broadband footprint, a nation cannot compete effectively on the world stage. Australia currently ranks poorly in this area 60th in the world for internet speed and despite an accelerated NBN rollout in recent years our relative position has not improved. This must change, says the Australian Computer Society. The internet, too, is crucial for our intellectual life. Such wide expression of grave alarm for the national culture at a federal election has not happened before in my life time and I reckon I have consciously followed about 20 federal elections. The mission of every federal government is to raise revenue to meet the standards of public service expected by the electorate, to meet expectations of fairness, and to serve cultural enrichment which in turn helps create a responsive and vibrant society. Maybe it might be easier for some in government to understand what I am talking about if I use the Key Performance Indicators inflicted upon the community of arts and ideas by government funding agencies. Key Performance Indicators Evidence of economic, environmental, social, health and/or cultural benefits to Australia arising from the practice of the arts and research: more than 95 per cent of completed arts and research projects would report that their objectives were met, well, in the arts, give or take 50 per cent and fingers crossed (and if not, the applicants told me that they would try harder next time things do not always work out as you want them in the arts). Yes, the arts and intellectual research do "build social and economic capital" the 2008-9 National Accounts puts the cultural and creative input to the economy as double agriculture, forestry and fishing; a couple of points behind construction; and bigger than education and training. As well, artists and thinkers "drive innovation", in fact, we do little else other than "drive innovation" all our lives, and, yes, we think that we probably "promote social inclusion by bridging communications between disparate groups", assuming that the disparate groups wish to be communicated and bridged sometimes we have to push it down their throats. Oh yes, the community of ideas and arts also "works to counter disaffection through alienation", even when they themselves, are feeling rather disaffected and have always, through the centuries, often felt alienated, although it has been demonstrated that a decent income for those working in the community of arts and ideas could allay some alienation and disaffection quite quickly. Evidence of the building of Australia's imaginative and intellectual capacity through the winning of prizes and awards: there is excellent evidence that arts and intellectual projects win prestigious prizes and awards, here and internationally, (but, strangely, some of those works which do not win prizes sometimes have a longer life than the prize winners and are ultimately considered of more importance. Even those projects which do not win prizes are often valued highly. Odd). Evidence of the building of Australia's imaginative and intellectual capacity through the winning of audiences and readership: Yes, we have won ever-larger audiences and readerships at least, sometimes, sometimes not, sometimes no one turns up except friends and family, sometimes the audience does not appear until 50-100 years later. Any suggestions? A coup for Coupe? It's rare that the police have to be called to a writers festival, but that's what happened at the Williamstown Literary Festival last weekend. It seems that an audience member took umbrage at the session in which Rhys Muldoon interviewed Stuart Coupe about the latter's recent book, Gudinski: The Godfather of Australian Rock 'n' Roll. At the end of the session, according to Coupe, the man stood up to ask a question and launched into a tirade about Gudinski and the damage the music promoter had allegedly done to a band he had been involved with, and how Coupe's books was an outrageous apology for him. Coupe later encountered the man at the book-signing table and was surprisingly asked to sign a copy, which he duly did: "Hi ----, Hope you enjoy my non-apology, cheers Stuart Coupe." The man irately screwed up a large paper bag and threw it at the writer before stomping out. But when Coupe left the Williamstown Library 40 minutes later, his questioner was waiting for him and, hurling abuse, trailed Coupe and friends for several blocks as they walked down Ferguson Street. They eventually doubled back to the library and on the way the man chucked Gudinski at Coupe but succeeded only in hitting his partner. (That's how Coupe knows what he wrote in the book he still has it.) Stuart Coupe. Coupe and his party retreated to the library where organisers locked the door and called the police. "I've never had anything like that. If you write books or are a public figure you can take someone getting up who hates the book - that's the turf. But we were all shocked by the intimidatory nature of it." Festival president Angela Altair said the police had been called for precautionary reasons. "Unexpected things happen at the Willy Lit Fest. But this was the biggest festival ever, by a long shot." Sunset City MELISSA GINSBURG FABER & FABER, $27.99 Sunset City transplants noir's hard-boiled heart to the city of Houston, Texas. When Charlotte Ford is informed her best friend from high school, Danielle, has been brutally bludgeoned to death, she wants to get drunk. And she wants answers. The friends had drifted apart after Danielle became addicted to heroin and was sent briefly to prison, but Charlotte reached out to her not long before the murder she wonders if they're not connected somehow. Danielle worked as a porn star, and Charlotte embarks on an alcohol-fuelled ride into Houston's seamy neon underbelly, encountering fringe-dwellers, addicts and sex workers along the way. Melissa Ginsburg's gritty, compulsive novel might not have the finely tuned plot mechanics of the best detective fiction, but what it lacks in mystery it makes up for in sordid atmospherics. Young Digger ANTHONY HILL VIKING, $29.99 On Christmas Day 1918, a young orphan, with disarming self-assurance and speaking perfect English, walked into an Australian Flying Corp mess in Germany and, in a very short time, became their mascot. When pressed, he answered to the name Henri. He was French, his parents were dead and he came from somewhere near Lille. But his memories were fragmented, and his origins have remained hazy. First published in 2002, this biographical work relates one of those astonishing stories that wars throw up. Tim Tovell and his brother, loath to leave Henri to his fate in the rubble of post-war Europe, hatched a cunning plan: to sneak Henri, inside an oats sack, into Australia. And, after many close shaves, they did it Henri growing up in Queensland with Tovell's family, before dying in a motorcycle accident in 1928. To any other band it would be one small step, but for the Unity Hall Jazz Band, changing spots from one floor to another was a giant leap. Since the band arrived at Balmain's Unity Hall Hotel in 1972, they'd played weekly on the ground floor a gig acknowledged in the music biz as the world's longest residency. But as they prepare for their 45th anniversary at the end of this year, you'll find them pleasing crowds upstairs at the pub's hip, street-art decorated Workers Bar, where this new pic was taken. The Unity Hall Jazz Band: (from left) Stan Valakos, Anthony Howe, Gary Walford, Ben Jones, Al ("Red") Davey. Credit:David Pike Bandleader and pianist Gary Walford admits to trepidation about the change. "I was sceptical when [pub manager] Matt Walsh suggested it. We'd been downstairs for 44 years, and we thought if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But it's been a huge success." And as the venue is still part of the same pub, the mammoth residency continues. The only other band boasting anything close is Japan's New Orleans Rascals, who've played at the same Osaka venue for 35 years. Sydney actor Dan Wyllie may be strapping on a stethoscope for the highly anticipated sixth season of the hit Ten Network drama Offspring but insists his character won't be defined by a stereotype. "He's not the McDreamy," Wyllie laughs, referring to the TV medical soap archetype, a nickname coined to describe Grey's Anatomy's Dr Derek Shepherd. Asher Keddie and Dan Wyllie play Dr Nina Proudman and Dr Angus Freeman in the new series of Offspring. "Dr Angus Freeman is a bit of a wild card from the beginning of this series," says Wyllie. The 45-year-old won't be drawn on the detail, particularly whether Freeman shapes up as a love interest for Offspring's unlucky-in-love medico, Dr Nina Proudman, played by Gold Logie winner Asher Keddie. I wonder if Kevin Rudd deserves a credit of some sort on Secret City because this riveting, if occasionally implausible, drama brings to mind that moment in 2009 when our then PM expressed his frustration with the blocking tactics of China at the climate change conference in Copenhagen. "Those Chinese f---ers are trying to rat f--- us," he reportedly, and rather memorably, said. It wasn't elegant (though you had to admire its robust muscularity), and it certainly wasn't very diplomatic (especially when uttered at a festival of diplomacy). But it made the point: the Chinese are not to be trusted, not even by our first Mandarin-speaking Prime Minister. That is, at first glance, the proposition at the heart of Secret City; the "rat f---er" phrase even gets a workout. But there's way more going on beneath the surface here than there is on Lake Burley Griffin, across which investigative journalist Harriet Dunkley (Anna Torv) was rowing in the chill of a treeless winter morn when she was suddenly shot at in last week's episode. As she tumbled out of her kayak she didn't flail about, she simply stood up and strode to shore. Thankfully not much else here is so shallow. This Sunday's episode is the penultimate in the six-part series. This being a Foxtel offering, if you've missed it so far you have about 1000 opportunities to catch up between now and next Sunday. My advice: take them all. Repeat exposure may reveal the true fault lines of this complex and sometimes confusing narrative of intrigue, double-crossing and cross-dressing. "It is the last shot in the locker for the minor parties," says Glenn Druery, the fixer who has made a living guiding many fringe candidates through the complexities of creating a party then trading preferences in the hope of slipping into Parliament. Suddenly fringe views have an outside chance of being aired on the national stage. "If I was the Health Australia Party I would be as extreme as possible," he says. "I'd be screaming about vaccination. The vast majority of people disagree with them, but they don't need the vast majority, they need 3 per cent." The new laws passed by the government with the support of the Greens encourage voters to distribute their own preferences rather than leaving it up to parties to do so. This means voters are more likely to opt for names they know - Labor, Liberal, Greens or even Xenophon - rather than those they have never heard of. One habitual candidate, this year vying for a NSW Senate seat, is Peter Breen, a former state upper house member who has served both Labor and the Liberal parties, the Bill of Rights Group, the Motoring Enthusiast Party, the Reform the Legal System Party and the Human Rights Party. This year he is running for the Renewable Energy Party, an outfit he formed having recycled the constitution of the Human Rights Party. Many of the results of Saturday's election have been tentatively coloured in on maps at major party headquarters. But a handful of key seats remain blank and operatives from both sides will be watching them intently this week. Labor needs 21 seats to win government. Depending on some variables the coalition could lose its majority with as few as 15 losses. ALP strategists put their potential gains at between eight to 10 seats, with many likely changing hands in regional Queensland and NSW while Victoria remains largely stable. A Coalition candidate who belongs to an obscure religious community had an apprehended violence order taken out against him by a fellow member of his flock. Adam Farhan is the Liberal candidate for the western Sydney seat of Fowler and also a leading figure in Australia's Sabaean Mandaean community. Members of the Mandaean community perform a ceremony in the Nepean River, Sydney. Credit:Wolter Peeters Fairfax Media can reveal a fellow Mandaean secured an interim AVO against Mr Farhan in July 2014. The complaint was heard in Liverpool Local Court a few weeks later but was promptly thrown out. Paul Keating has come to the rescue of Anthony Albanese, using his first election campaign appearance to launch a withering attack on the "pathetic" Greens trying to unseat the Labor frontbencher. The acerbic former prime minister was in fine form on Saturday as he emerged to excoriate the Greens, accusing them of splitting Australia's progressive vote and standing in the way of real reform. "They're a bunch of opportunistic Trots hiding behind a gum tree trying to pretend they're the Labor Party," he declared in his address to the party faithful at the Petersham Town Hall in Mr Albanese's inner-western Sydney seat of Grayndler. "In hindsight, had there been an independent federal anti-corruption agency operating, I would have gone there." Every state now has such an agency, and the Northern Territory is about to get one. The NSW version the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has repeatedly shone in a light in the darkest of Labor and Liberal backroom corners, its investigations having led to the sacking, resignation, or retirement upwards of 20 MPs over 18 years. Even in Victoria, which prides itself on its political purity, the new Independent Broad Based Anti-corruption Commission (established in 2011) has unearthed corruption in the education and transport departments. So why not a federal anti-corruption or integrity commission? What's so special about Canberra? Opponents of a federal ICAC say there is no need because Australia is not a corrupt country. And compared with much of Asia, Africa, southern and eastern Europe, and South America, it isn't. In 2015, it was ranked 13th cleanest of 168 countries by Transparency International's Corruptions Perceptions Index. An Australian National University study in 2012 found the direct, personal experience of corruption low, with nine out of 10 interviewees reporting no incidents of bribery in their lives in the preceding five years. Nor, argue the opponents, does the presence of a national integrity body necessarily equal success in fighting corruption. Those countries perceived as most clean including Germany, France, Finland, Sweden and Denmark don't have dedicated corruption busting agencies. The free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) has weighed into the debate, slamming all ICACs, state or federal, as "undemocratic" and unaccountable. Such bodies, IPA policy director Simon Breheny told a senate select committee in May, are "always in danger of losing sight of their original mission, objectivity and values of the common law justice system". Federal ICAC critics have been emboldened by the high-profile excesses of the NSW ICAC, its reliance on theatrical public hearings, and the ultimately doomed pursuit of Crown prosecutor Margaret Cunneen over allegations she advised her son's girlfriend to fake chest pains after a car accident in order to delay a breath test. After the High Court in 2015 struck out ICAC's findings against Cunneen on the grounds of a faulty definition of corruption, she declared her inquisitors "lawless gangsters". The IPA seized on the Cunneen case with Breheny citing it as evidence that a federal commission "would also would invite abuses of power". And anyway, say supporters of the status quo, Canberra already has an adequate, multi-pronged integrity system, capably overseen by the Attorney-General's department. In April the department deputy secretary Leanne Close warned that a national ICAC it would cost more than $100 million to run would be an unnecessary and expensive duplication. Existing corruption fighters include the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (ACLEI) which polices federal law enforcement agencies including Border Force, the Australian Crime Commission and the Australian Federal Police. Then there's the Australian Federal Police itself with its Fraud and Anti-Corruption Centre and the Commonwealth Ombudsman. Underpinning the current system, said Close, is representative government and the separation of powers enshrined in the constitution, effective parliamentary committees. But Brian Hood says the current system is not working. Many years after he first complained about international banknote deals and the alleged payment of bribes across the world, neither the companies nor all the individuals responsible have been held to public account in Australia. The RBA initially sought to deal with complaint internally and only called in Australian Federal Police in 2009 after Fairfax Media's extensive revelations about the alleged bribery. The corporate watchdog ASIC, refused to investigate. "All this has taken far too long. Without the perseverance of investigative journalists nothing would have come out," Hood says. Even then, only the most serious allegations from the banknote scandal are being pursued. The so-called grey areas of corporate failure and misconduct, and mistreatment of whistleblowers have so far remained largely unexamined. In truth, there are major gaps in the system. The police corruption force ACLEI only covers law enforcement agencies. The AFP's Fraud and Anti-Corruption Centre is focused only on fraud against the Commonwealth. The Ombudsman is limited to complaints about the public service. There is not integrity monitoring of MPs, not even a code of conduct. "It's a fragmented system," says leading integrity expert, Griffiths University Professor AJ Brown. "there is no strategic leadership, coordination or oversight, especially in that grey area of integrity, conduct, and risks." The NSW ICAC may have over-reached in some cases. But its broad definition of corruption and wide remit has seen it uncover some dark secrets of Australian politics. In doing so, it has also exposed a lack of such scrutiny at the federal level. One of the most troubling gaps in oversight that ICAC exposed was how property developers made backdoor donations to the NSW Liberal party when Senator Arthur Sinodinos was state Liberal financial director. They did so via the federal Liberal fundraising body the Free Enterprise Foundation. It is illegal in NSW for developers to donate to political parties. While the Free Enterprise case has clear national importance, it remains beyond the scope or interest of the assorted federal agencies, including political finance regulator, the Australian Electoral Commission. Increasingly, Australians doubt the hygiene of federal politics. Their country has slipped each of the last three years down the transparency international's corruption trust index from 7th in 2012 to 13th in 2015. The current system relies, to a large extent, on government departments' and agencies' internal checks and balances. The weakness is the tendency for those bodies to assume someone else is looking after such matters, and/or to protect their own reputations by downplaying corruption and misconduct. The Western Australian Corruption and Crime Commission says corruption is more prevalent than departments like to admit. "The Australian experience of Royal Commissions, parliamentary inquiries and the Australian Wheat Board illustrate the point that organisations can be motivated to under-report corruption that exists within them," it noted in a 2012 submission. It is a view echoed by the NSW ICAC: "While it is sometimes argued that other agencies could investigate the matters dealt with by the Commission, the Commission's experience is that they seldom do (or do effectively)." An oft-repeated truism in Canberra, recently repeated by the Australian Public Service Commission, is that federal public officials are less susceptible to corruption than local and state counterparts because they're focused on lofty national policy issues and are remote from decisions where corruption is most likely planning and licensing, for instance. The Accountability Round Table, a group that lobbies for integrity in Australian government, rejects this argument, pointing to the enhanced risks from privatisation of federal services, the growth of direct federal funding to programs, the "arms race" over federal campaign funds, the dominance of ministerial (political) staff over traditional public service, and the power of lobbyists. In fact Australians appear to view federal politicians as the most dodgy. A 2014 Griffith University study found respondents trusted the Federal sphere the least with only 53 per cent of interviewees saying they had a good level of confidence in national government. Stephen Charles, QC, speaking on behalf of The Accountability Round Table, says there is no reason to assume that "the corrupting influences" in Sydney, Melbourne or Perth do not operate in Canberra, where the government each year purchases tens of billions of dollars of goods and services. It is a sentiment expressed by Labor's retired integrity champion, John Faulkner, who told the senate in 2014 that the issues being raised at the NSW ICAC "do not miraculously stop at state or territory borders". While the recent NSW experience has drawn attention to the dangers of ICAC media circuses and the unfair trashing of reputations, federal ICAC advocates say that lessons have been learned. A federal ICAC could and should be carefully constituted so that such risks are minimised; public hearings would be the exception rather than the norm to minimise the likelihood of media circuses. Griffith University's Professor Brown says a federal ICAC would also require the tweaking of the roles of existing agencies to minimise duplication. Veteran journalist Quentin Dempster told a senate committee early this year that such changes, and the introduction of a one stop anti-corruption shop, could create savings, not added expense. When Queensland Labor's minister Gordon Nuttall was jailed in 2009 following an investigation by the state's Crime and Misconduct anti-corruption commission of secret commissions paid by businessmen, then premier Anna Bligh described it as one of the "inevitable embarrassments" that occur from time to time if a government takes fighting corruption seriously. "I would much rather live and work in a system which is not afraid to pick up the rock and discover the ugliness underneath than one that is content to leave the rock alone and assume that undisturbed rock is a sign of good health," she declared. So why won't the Coalition or Labor pick up the rock? Brian Hood suspects it is fear for what they might find if the established order is disturbed. "There might be some inconvenient truths. Institutions and organisations believed to be squeaky clean, may not be." "Various analysts bought the Slater and Gordon story, and I believed the back-room operations were fairly robust. For goodness sake, they were lawyers." - Max Lipski. Credit:Edwina Pickles For decades, the two have duelled as Australia's key progressive, Labor-aligned, union-representing law firms. They've hated each other like the Capulets and Montagues - partly due to some big personality fallouts in the 1990s, partly for reasons no one remembers any more - and have competed fiercely over class actions and union work. In the beginning, though, it was different. In the early 1900s, Maurice Blackburn and Bill Slater met in the Prahran Free Library, where Slater was educating himself in law after being caught swimming nude in the Yarra (he told police his mother could not afford to buy swimwear). John Moll received a bill from Slater and Gordon for $26,496 for a largely unsuccessful superannuation claim. He took his case to the Victorian Supreme Court's Costs Court. Credit:Damien Pleming They were, briefly, partners in Blackburn & Slater before the railways union offered Slater all its work and he branched out on his own in 1923. The two friends went on to become firm socialists, temperance advocates and politicians. In 2007, the partners of Maurice Blackburn were watching closely - and probably with some envy - when Slater & Gordon made world history by listing on the sharemarket, a move made possible by a change to Australian law. (Only a handful of law firms followed Slaters, and only a few have survived.) "It seems they have been routinely blindsided by events that arguably they ought not to have been blindsided by." - Andrew Watson, Maurice Blackburn lawyers. The float was controversial, inside the firm and out. The seven most senior partners, led by Andrew Grech, and including Peter Gordon (the mercurial lawyer and custodian of the firm's working-class values, who is unrelated to founder Hugh Gordon), became multimillionaires overnight, leaving other partners feeling shut out. "It was a confronting situation to be told, 'I am worth this many shares and you are worth this many,' " one senior lawyer told Good Weekend. Outside the firm, there was much hand-wringing in the legal community about a lawyer's hierarchy of duties, which are firstly to the court and secondly to the client. Where would the shareholder fit in this brave new world of law? Maurice Blackburn eventually decided not to follow Slater & Gordon by floating. "We are quite happy with that decision," Watson tells me, allowing himself a modest smile. And why wouldn't he be? His company now has the opportunity to sue its arch-nemesis, to turn the great plaintiff law firm Slater & Gordon into the defendant. "If he [Grech] was wearing snakeskin cowboy boots and driving a Ferrari, people might not have got caught out so badly." - Ben McGarry, hedge fund manager. Watson, who has clear, tanned skin and white wispy hair, is methodically pulling together a class action on behalf of 3000 Slater & Gordon shareholders. He believes it will reap at least $100 million - right up there with the biggest shareholder-rights cases his firm has run. The case, yet to be filed, will allege that Slater & Gordon failed to fully disclose its true position to the market. "It seems they have been routinely blind-sided by events that arguably they ought not to have been blindsided by," says Watson, in his understated, lawyerly way. Sydney outfit ACA Lawyers is also running a class action, but it's apparent that is not the class action Slater & Gordon is worried about. "I can tell you what happened. One word. Hubris." - Steven Lewis, ex-Slater & Gordon. "If Maurice Blackburn issue proceedings," one close observer tells me, "it is going to be Armageddon. In the middle of investigating what went wrong with Slater & Gordon, I was chatting to a contact, a high-up sort of fellow in Melbourne's legal community, about the Victorian chief justice's recent ban on wigs in the Victorian Supreme Court. He then asked me what I was working on. "Ah," he said. "They bought that business in the UK which was a basket case, then the British government changed the compensation laws on them and it destroyed the business model. Right?" Illustration: Igor Morski / The Illustration Room This is certainly the narrative most casual sharemarket observers would recognise: that Slater & Gordon fell because of a singular blunder, Andrew Grech's determination to buy one company. And that is what most people inside Slater & Gordon would also believe. But what is not widely known is that Slater & Gordon was in trouble long before it considered buying Quindell, a strange collection of loosely related insurance, legal and technology businesses that had become one of Britain's largest consumer law firms, dealing in accident and worker compensation claims. Ben McGarry, portfolio manager at hedge fund Totus Capital, recalls someone aptly describing the situation as a "skyscraper of cards", with the Quindell house of cards teetering atop the Slater & Gordon house of cards. In other words, despite the sharemarket hype and rising share price, something was seriously shaky at Slater & Gordon. The first problem was its appetite. Slater & Gordon had, Pac-Man-like, eaten every small law firm in its path in Australia and the UK - Trilby Misso, Keddies, Clark Toop & Taylor, Schultz Toomey O'Brien, Nowicki Carbone, Russell Jones & Walker ... Since 2007, Slater & Gordon had spent half a billion dollars on 40 firms and had become known as a "roll-up" - a company that grows by eating other companies. Business history is littered with the corpses of bloated roll-ups, because in order to grow, they have to keep munching away, making bigger and bigger deals, which almost always proves unsustainable. In Australia, market-watchers had seen this before. The Ferrari-driving Eddy Groves, who ran around in his cowboy boots buying childcare centres for his company ABC Learning, engaged in classic roll-up behaviour before he went broke. Several analysts Good Weekend spoke to drew comparisons between Slater & Gordon and ABC Learning. Crikey has described the similarities between the two as "extraordinary". The second problem went to the heart of Slater & Gordon's profitability. Perhaps more accurately, to how much the market believed Slater & Gordon was profitable. Investors are looking for a company's "growth narrative" - they want the key figures, the headline numbers, to be as big as possible and on an upward trajectory. Year after year, in his reassuring corporate-speak, Andrew Grech presented to the market lovely fat figures for net profit after tax, earnings per share, and price-to-earnings ratios (the higher these were, the more law firms you could buy). But underpinning these figures was a concept called Work in Progress. Slater & Gordon specialises in "no win, no fee" personal injury cases. This means it does not get paid until a case closes, something that typically takes 18 months to two years. If you sell cakes, you report your revenue when you sell a cake. But how does a law firm report revenue? Slater & Gordon decided to record revenue as cases progressed (Work in Progress), estimating the likelihood of success and how much work had been done. It recorded this as revenue, even though it was yet to get any - and, in some cases, would never get paid. In 2014, Slater & Gordon - which says it explained its methods to investors - declared $467 million of Work in Progress and, in 2015, $826 million. In April 2014, nine months before Slater & Gordon went into negotiations to buy Quindell, a forensic-minded man called Douglas Tynan turned his numbers-loving brain to Slater & Gordon. Tynan, who declined to speak to Good Weekend, works in the Sydney office of an often secretive hedge fund called VGI Partners, which manages $600 million for billionaires and other outrageously wealthy types. A former auditor at the international accounting firm BDO, Tynan had once worked on the books of the law firm Trilby Misso. This meant he understood Work in Progress. Work in Progress is an accounting recipe used by many professional services firms - including the big accountancy companies - largely without incident. But as VGI's research pointed out, it is "trust me" accounting, and gives management huge discretion over the profit they record. VGI's research into Slater & Gordon threw up 10 red flags, including its Work in Progress accounting and its aggressive appetite for smaller law firms. VGI believed Slater & Gordon was buying the undervalued Work in Progress in these firms and pumping up its value on its own books, inflating revenue and profits. Each year, VGI concluded, Slater & Gordon needed to buy larger firms to meet the sharemarket's appetite for growth. The VGI research suggested something even more troubling. Eighteen months to two years after the Work in Progress was declared, the matching cash was not coming through the door. Tynan and his eight-person research team did a run-of-the-mill check, pulling the balance sheets apart and trying to put them back together. But their analysis found black holes in Slater & Gordon's accounts: about $80 million in 2013 and $90 million in 2014. In November 2014, two months before it became known that Slater & Gordon was interested in Quindell, VGI took a multimillion-dollar "short" position in the market, a punt on Slater & Gordon's share price falling. VGI was predicting the Australian firm's romance with the sharemarket was about to end. A year later, in late November 2015, Slater & Gordon held its annual general meeting in the fourth-floor conference room at the Hilton amid a Sydney heatwave. It had been a tough year for the firm. In late June, the corporate watchdog, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), started investigating Slater & Gordon and its auditors over the 2014 financial accounts and, later, its 2015 accounts. Meanwhile, Britain's Serious Fraud Office had launched an investigation into Quindell. In July, Fidelity, one of the large institutional holders of Slaters stock, commissioned forensic accountant CFRA to look at the firm's books. It found the same concerns as VGI Partners: elevated Work in Progress and "accelerated acquisitions". And in October, Slater & Gordon's chief financial officer, Wayne Brown, resigned. Grech had a lot to explain to his audience, but he began by reflecting on how far his group of Melbourne lawyers had come. "It was hard to imagine," he said in his measured, always-steady voice, "that we would have the opportunity to stand before you today and confirm that this financial year we expect group revenue to exceed $1 billion. Slater & Gordon's expansion was indeed remarkable, but it had come at a cost. The culture of the old Slater & Gordon - challenging the law and running risky cases - had gone. Lawyers were no longer referred to internally as lawyers. They had become "fee earners". Steven Lewis, who now works at ACA Lawyers after leaving Slater & Gordon in early 2014, says management "ruled by spreadsheet" and the human resources department generated an "absurd" amount of work for itself, at one point producing a laminated document about the safety aspects of ping pong when the Sydney office acquired a playing table. It didn't stop there: there was an unrelenting focus on "file velocity" (resolving cases faster), say several former Slater & Gordon lawyers who have now left the firm. And one senior personal injuries lawyer who spoke to Good Weekend says many of the charges the firm expected lawyers to bill clients were unjustified. In fact, some cases of Slater & Gordon overcharging have begun to pop up in the Costs Court of the Victorian Supreme Court, including the case of supermarket shelf stacker John Moll, who was sent a $26,496 bill for a largely unsuccessful superannuation claim. Moll was also sent a bill for $23,916 for a workers' compensation case that had been put on hold, including $4003 for the firms contact with him via phone, letter and email over 34 months. (Slater & Gordon, when challenged, reduced both bills. Moll paid for his workers' compensation case but still considers his new superannuation claim bill of $13,250 too high.) It's hard to imagine, Grech said to the shareholders, how far Slater & Gordon had come. He could have added how far he'd come, transforming himself from solicitor to corporate high-flyer. Airport lounges were like a second home. He'd come a long way from northern Melbourne's Broadmeadows, recently selling his imposing white mansion in upmarket Kew, with its designer-landscaped hedges, for more than $10 million. He'd taken a hit as Slater & Gordon's share price fell, but he was still wealthy, and, by extension, so was his family. "Andrew is from a working-class ethnic background, he's that second-generation Australian whose parents worked very hard in Melbourne's northern suburbs to give him an opportunity," says a Slater & Gordon lawyer who has worked closely with Grech. "He has a desire to prove that he is doing something worthwhile, and take his close and extended family with him. Things could have been better at that November meeting, for sure. But Grech was still proving the doubters wrong. "The legal industry is a very bitchy industry, there are a lot of doubters," says the Slater & Gordon lawyer. "A lot of people regard Slaters as some sort of evil company and there are competitors who chip away at our market. The legal industry viewed him as being out on his own with this law firm that was the first in the world to list. It was his vision for a global law firm, and he was determined to pursue it. In the shareholder audience that day was a man called Max Lipski. A chatty retired businessman from Sydney's north shore, Lipski, 62, had taken the train on that unseasonably warm spring day and was now sat in the third row of seats. He wanted to get up close to Andrew Grech. "There was a bit of silly buggers going on, if I could use that expression," Lipski tells me. "I wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth. I wanted to look someone in the eye. Lipski's Slater & Gordon shares had lost tens of thousands of dollars in value. He'd bought shares in April 2015 at $6.95; now, they were $3. "I originally bought shares because various analysts had bought the Slater & Gordon story, and I believed the back-room operations were fairly robust. For goodness sake, they were lawyers. They are the ones who go after other firms in class actions." After moving in with his partner and selling his house, Lipski had invested some of his money in Slater & Gordon. He was hoping this investment, and others, would help provide financial security for his son Ben, who had become a quadriplegic in 2013 after a bicycle accident in a local park. "He was very confident," Lipski remembers of Grech that day. "He's not a guy easily rattled - but then again, he's a lawyer. I mean, do you know any rattled lawyers? He gave us reassurance, things will be fine." On the back of Grech's "air of confidence", Lipski bought 7000 more shares three days later. In one sense, it's easy to understand why Slater & Gordon bought Quindell. It had a good system of dealing with people's insurance claims in which it up-sold them a mechanic, a doctor, a physiotherapist. But the true mystery is why Slater & Gordon paid $1.3 billion. Most London analysts expected Quindell to go into bankruptcy. "When I first heard Slater & Gordon was interested in buying Quindell, I didn't believe it," Dan McCrum, a London-based business reporter and former Citigroup analyst, tells me. "It seemed crazy to me that anyone would come along and buy this company outside of bankruptcy. It was no secret that Quindell was on the skids. On April 22, 2014, a brilliant young financial markets professional called Daniel Yu published a report - a demolition, really - of the Quindell business, saying up to 80 per cent of its profits were suspect. Yu's report pricked the interest of McCrum, who wrote for the Financial Times' Alphaville blog. Between April and December of 2014, McCrum wrote 27 blog entries trying to throw some light on the dark corners of Quindell. It was an impressive body of work which was available on the internet to anyone thinking of buying Quindell. Quindell had two problems, says McCrum. The first was that it was paying insurers too much for claims. The second was that in 2013, when it arrived on the scene in full force, the claims business was already in decline. The previous year, David Cameron's Conservative government had announced a crackdown on the UK's "damaging compensation culture," particularly around whiplash claims, the highest in Europe. "Their series of reforms had fundamentally changed the nature of that business and made it less profitable," says McCrum. Quindell had predicted the reforms would curb some of its profits in road accidents, says McCrum, so it aggressively turned to a new and promising source of revenue: 54,000 claims for hearing loss. Quindell was bullish on these rather suspect claims, expecting a 70 per cent success rate when the industry average was 40 per cent. In 2014's final hours, Andrew Grech negotiated an exclusive window to assess and possibly buy Quindell's professional services division: the insurance claims and legal part of the company (this was the major part of Quindell; the other, smaller, part was called Digital Solutions). In the early weeks of 2015, Grech's counsel of suits joined him in London: banking advisers, outside legal firms, auditors. He gathered 70 Slater & Gordon lawyers to undertake a "bottom-up fundamental assessment" of 8000 files. A senior Slater & Gordon lawyer told Good Weekend they thought Grech was excited by the idea of leaving behind the grind of buying up small UK outfits and converting them to the firm's processes. This deal would be, Grech repeatedly said, "transformative", and would make the firm a big player in the UK overnight. The Slater & Gordon Pac-Man, at least in Britain, could finally rest. Grech later said he was aware of Quindell's problems. He had read Daniel Yu's report, he told The Australian late in 2015. But Slater & Gordon was only interested in the professional and legal services part, he said, not buying the actual listed entity "pregnant with those accounting problems". (Grech actually bought most of Quindell, and it was the legal services division that was pregnant, and gave birth to, many problem children, such as the deafness claims.) He told the UK's Financial Times in April 2015 that he had considered waiting to carve off Quindell's good bits - the straight legal parts - but then the value of its motor services and health care became clear. (In an email in April, Grech said it would not be "appropriate at present" to speak to Good Weekend; a later email went unanswered.) "Maybe it sounds like hubris," he told investors in June, "but those that know us well, know us not to be arrogant but to take a detailed, studied view. Six days after Grech told Slater & Gordon's November 2015 annual general meeting that he saw no damaging legislative reform on the horizon, further reforms were announced. The UK government, as part of its ongoing crackdown on compensation culture, signalled changes designed to reduce whiplash fraud and deal lawyers out of small claims. Shares fell by 50 per cent. On December 17, Slater & Gordon dumped its profit predictions, citing poor trading results. But no one expected the scale of the announcement which came on February 29 this year, with the firm declaring a $958 million net loss for the six months to December 2015. Its Quindell acquisition had lost $814 million in value. Of this, 73 per cent was because cases, particularly the hearing-loss files, were not being resolved. The rest related to the Cameron government's November reform announcement. Things weren't so good at home either. Slater & Gordon wrote down its Australian businesses by $52 million on lower-than-expected cash flows. Investors wondered if the company would survive, and whether the banks would take it over. "Clearly today's results are very disappointing," Grech said in a statement to the Australian stock exchange. Market watchers were so gobsmacked by Slater & Gordon's Icarus-like fall that they missed something significant in the February announcement. For months, at the insistence of ASIC, Slater & Gordon had been laboriously going through files and recalibrating its Work in Progress figures. This was sold in the statement to the market as simply an early adoption of a new accounting standard and, on the face of it, it was. But the new accounting standard forced Slater & Gordon to record only revenue that it could class as "highly probable", which triggered a huge writedown in previous Work in Progress - from $467 million to $382 million in 2014, and $826 million to $694 million in 2015. The company admitted the new standard led to a discounting of Work in Progress by 15 to 20 per cent. Slater & Gordon had been overstating its Work in Progress, which fed into its key revenue and profit figures, by up to 20 per cent (although a company spokeswoman says the "underlying value" of its services has not changed). With two class actions against Slater & Gordon already announced, ASIC made a carefully worded statement on February 29 saying that it neither "approved or disapproved" of Slater & Gordon's past Work in Progress accounting. (Meanwhile, Good Weekend understands, VGI Partners pocketed $50 million from its "short" market position on Slater & Gordon.) After this announcement, as his Slater & Gordon shares dropped to 32c each, Max Lipski was so fed up with "the spin" that he joined the Maurice Blackburn class action. "There are a lot of questions left to be answered," he says. "Why did the chief financial officer step down? Why did the external auditors sign off on the accounts each year? And the quality of the due diligence in the UK - did they look deeply enough? Clearly not. Someone needs to be held accountable. I'm taking the swift and shiny lifts up to level 21 of 120 Collins Street, a Melbourne skyscraper full of blue-chip companies. My destination is the office of Peter Gordon. As president of the Western Bulldogs AFL team, Gordon is a high-profile figure in Melbourne, and was Slater & Gordon's public face until he left in 2009. We are joined in the boardroom by Jack Rush, QC, who recently stepped down as a judge of the Victorian Supreme Court. (Rush is an eminent member of the Melbourne bar and a man whose cross-examination skills have been described as second to none.) There's much at stake now for Slater & Gordon. There's the question of its survival, which is by no means assured. And then there's the legal legacy of a firm much loved in Melbourne. "The history of Slater & Gordon has not been matched by any other firm," says Rush, who has worked on many of Gordon's cases. "The nature, the tradition, the way in which the firm thinks, is different." We talk about the great cases the firm fought. Of how it risked everything, was on the brink of going broke, in its defence of the underdog. There are several theories about why Slater & Gordon ended up where it is today, with shareholders wiped out, the banks at Grech's heels, and the staff, many of them in financial distress, furious. One is that the firm, as it grew to be one of Australia's top 100 companies, should have upgraded its auditors and senior finance people. Another theory is that Slater & Gordon was in trouble converting its Work in Progress and needed a big acquisition - Quindell - to satisfy the market's relentless desire for a "growth narrative". Another is that the "gang of four" Slaters managers - who had been there most of their working lives, Grech since 1994 - were reinforcing each other's views and started to believe they could do no wrong. And then there's the sense that there wasn't anyone, in the end, who could stand up to Grech. "It was hard to say no to Andrew at that point in time," one insider told me. "The person who historically said no to Andrew was Peter [Gordon]. When Peter left, who was there to say no?" And the last theory, of course, is that the cause is one of the oldest authors of failure, a flaw both ancient and common, one that manifests sometimes in snakeskin cowboy boots and sometimes in a suit. "I can tell you what happened," says former Slater & Gordon lawyer Steven Lewis. "One word. Hubris." From the butler and nanny to the housekeeper and chef, in the world of the super-rich and super-famous, confidentiality and discretion are highly prized virtues when it comes to hiring the "help". Bearing witness to some of the most intimate moments in any person's life, it is little wonder why legal contracts such as non-disclosure or confidentiality agreements are so common when it comes to working for and looking after high profile employers. Touting a tell-all tome: Alon Assouline and Hope Rinehart. And yet there are those who still believe they don't need such contracts. Last week PS was contacted by the former bodyguard of one of the wealthiest heiresses in the world, Hope Welker, the daughter of mind-bogglingly wealthy mining mogul Gina Rinehart. Hope has featured prominently in the news for years as a result of the ongoing legal battles over the family fortune. I think banning all priests from being alone with children is extreme...MOST priests are good men and can have meaningful discussions with children. Like all things, I don't believe the repugnant abusers should ruin the ability of the good priests to be able to do their jobs. Just like I don't think all people should lose their guns - but definitely believe that criminals, psych patients, and those on terrorist watch lists shouldn't be able to get them. Teresa Mullan has lived in Australia for more than half a century. During that time, she has raised children here, worked for three governments, voted at 10 federal elections and travelled the world on an Australian passport. But when she tried to renew that passport ahead of an overseas holiday next month, she was refused a replacement because she could not prove she was an Australian citizen. Fairfax Media has found that, on the instruction of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP), adoptees born overseas can no longer present their Australian birth certificate, issued as part of the adoption process, as lawful evidence of citizenship. The Baird government is preparing for a new wave of privatisation, likely to include health and education, prompting a surprising warning against "crude outsourcing" from a Liberal pioneer of public sell-offs. NSW Treasury has set up a special unit with instructions to save money and the guiding principle "the market should provide services where it can achieve better outcomes and value for money", according to the NSW budget papers. Gary Sturgess says constant market testing can be distressing to staff. The Commissioning and Contestability Unit is based on the work of Gary Sturgess, an adviser to former Liberal premier Nick Greiner, who coined the term "virtual government" in the 1990s to advocate privatisation. The latest buzzword is contestability. Corrective Services Minister David Elliott has already called in Mr Sturgess to examine private bids to run the John Morony prison, but the formation of the unit shows the "contestability" push will go much wider. Like an old war horse rediscovering his taste for battle, Mr Keating said it had "got up [his] nose" to hear the Greens calling themselves the "natural home of progressive mainstream Australian voters" and that he was "sick of their humbug". He pulled it out on Saturday morning, as Labor icon and former prime minister Paul Keating made a rare appearance on the hustings at the Petersham Town Hall in the heart of Grayndler before a handpicked audience of ALP campaign workers. Anthony Albanese has been quietly sitting on an ace in his battle to retain his seat of Grayndler against the Greens. Invoking the highlights of Labor's record on the environment under his and Bob Hawke's watch, Mr Keating declared, "this is the real conservation party ... we are more Green than they are." "I'll tell you about the Greens, they are a bunch of opportunistic Trots hiding behind a gum tree trying to pretend they are the Labor party." "Like the DLP of old, [which] split off the Labor vote and gave it to the conservatives always pretending that they were more Labor than the Labor party, the Greens are trying to split off the progressive vote in Australia pretending that they are more Labor than the Labor party," he said. "The Labor party is not a protest party, it's a party of government and that's what the Greens have never understood, they are a protest party ... but their game is to nobble the party of government that could actually make changes." A little more stooped than in his heyday, his voice a tad huskier, Mr Keating nevertheless packed plenty of punches in a half-hour speech that got plenty of cheers from the 200 or so party campaign workers who had gathered for a last weekend of door-knocking in Grayndler before next Saturday's election. Fatima is one of the many Muslim people who finds the ignorance about her culture tiring. "I only put the scarf to cover my hair, not my brain," she said. Hanadyi, Rouba, Dana and Ahmad dig into a Lebanese feast at Al Aseel Restaurant to break the fast during Ramadan. Credit:Cole Bennetts Hailing from Meshmesh, a village in Northern Lebanon, Fatima is now studying a Masters in Health Management and is a qualified midwife. The tensions behind religion and misinformation are left at the door at the Al Aseel Lebanese Restaurant in Greenacre in south-western Sydney. Queensland Deputy Premier Jackie Trad. Credit:Chris Hyde "With improved medical science and ultrasound technology, we know the child in the womb is human, feels pain, and therefore dismemberment and poisoning of an unborn child is barbaric. It is misleading to say abortions cannot be carried out under the current Queensland law, since around 10,000 per year are performed and no person has ever been convicted under the law," the petition, submitted by Queensland ACL director, Wendy Francis, read. Queensland Deputy Premier Jackie Trad, a founding member of Children by Choice, said while debate on the issue was healthy, it needed to be based on "fact and reason, not on hysteria and emotion". "As a community, we must move beyond irrational rhetoric to the actual lived experience of women and how our health and legal systems operate," she said. "Decisions around late term abortions are inevitably made because the life of the mother is in danger or the foetus is not viable. "I witnessed this first hand, when a friend of mine had to make the incredibly difficult decision to terminate her pregnancy after she was informed after 20 weeks that her baby did not have a full skull and would not live longer then a matter of hours. "These are the sorts of decisions that women and their health professionals are confronting every day. The way that these incredibly difficult decisions have been manipulated by anti-choice advocates is disrespectful to the expertise of our doctors and fundamentally degrades the lived experiences of women. "I feel passionately about the right of women to have agency over their own body and I look forward to engaging in this debate in a reasoned, evidence-based and respectful manner." Mr Pyne said he had deliberately avoided attaching a limit to the bill, as he wanted the review to focus on decriminalising the procedure, rather than argue over when the procedure could legally be carried out, and said an appropriate gestational limit could be set through consultation with experts. Queensland Health data shows 10,403 procedures were carried out in private health facilities last year. Health Minister Cameron Dick, in response to a question on notice from a LNP MP also released data showing 27 late term terminations - over 20 weeks - resulted in "live birth outcomes", which means born with a heartbeat. The procedure is only carried out if the mother's life is in danger, or the pregnancy is unviable, due to physical or genetic foetal abnormalities. Carol Portmann, an expert in foetal specialist medicine said context was needed to understand the procedure. "Any baby born with a heartbeat at any gestation is 'born alive'," Dr Portmann said. "This does not mean that they show vigorous signs of life babies less than 22 weeks do not breath, cry or show distress, in the majority of situations. They have a heartbeat, but that is all. These babies cannot survive they are too premature, too underdeveloped. A 25-year-old Loganlea man has been charged with wounding after reportedly stabbing his brother with a pair of scissors during an alleged altercation in Loganlea on Saturday night. Police said a 31-year-old Loganlea man was stabbed under his arm during a dispute at a Bianca Street residence about 8pm. Police have charged a 25-year-old Loganlea man with wounding after an alleged dispute on Saturday night. He was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital with non life-threatening injuries. The accused is expected to appear at the Beenleigh Magistrates Court on July 21. Researchers have urged the state government to choose land which was home to threatened species, rather than just cheap to protect. Environment minister Steven Miles said the latest acquisitions meant just under 8 per cent of Queensland was now considered protected land. Queensland is inching closer to its goal of having 17 per cent of the state declared a protected area by 2035, with the Governor signing off on another 474 hectares becoming national and state parks. 586.6 hectares has been added to Lamington National Park. Credit:Peter Lik Queensland is inching closer to its goal of having 17 per cent of the state declared a protected area by 2035, with the Governor signing off on another 474 hectares becoming national and state parks. Previous efforts to set aside land to save protected and threatened species have all but failed, research has found, with animal numbers continuing to decrease. That's been put down to economics winning out over research. Earlier this month, Dr Miles, announcing $12.1 million in funding for koala protection, admitted that it was time for a change in thinking in how the state set aside land, with a University of Queensland report finding existing protection measures had done nothing to bolster south-east koala populations. An expert panel has been established to investigate ways to reverse the trend in declining populations - and save those the south-east has left. "This is about saying what we can do differently, what can we do differently from a conservation perspective, what can we do differently from a town planning perspective," Dr Miles said earlier this month. "It could well do [mean more State Parks]. Again, I don't want to pre-empt those [ideas from the panel] but I think we are likely to focus our effort and investment into larger tracks of what we know is good habitat that can sustain lots of koalas, rather than trying to enforce sparse and stressful habitat protections that aren't, frankly, good for koalas." "Our goal is to provide affordable legal services to everyday people over charging or unjustified costs goes against not only the foundations of our business but the very core of our mission and our values," a Slater & Gordon spokesperson said. When challenged on the bills one of which Mr Moll took to the Supreme Court Slater & Gordon reverted to the original bills, a total of $27,433. The company says this was a discount and that its billing practice is industry standard and not unusual. When Gippsland resident John Moll, 54, queried his Slater & Gordon bills, they came back almost double the original amounts. Across the two bills for a workers compensation case and superannuation claim Slater & Gordon billed Mr Moll $6126 for contact with him over nearly three years ($37 for each letter, $22 to leave a message or take a phone call, $18 for every email opened). An injured supermarket worker who received bills of more than $50,000 for legal work by Slater & Gordon has described his treatment as "beyond a joke". But former Slater & Gordon lawyers have spoken about unrelenting budget pressure in the past five years in the listed law firm. And several were concerned that the famous firm was overcharging clients. "In my view the costs being sought (from the client) were excessive, they just didn't stack up," said one senior personal injuries lawyer, who declined to be named. Legal experts earlier this year urged regulators to audit Slater & Gordon over fears that clients' interests might be put at risk as the firm scrambles to repay its debts to banks. The firm announced a nearly $1 billion loss in February after it purchased a troubled British legal and compensation claims business called Quindell last year. After hurting his back pushing a faulty roll-cage at Coles Traralgon in 2012, Mr Moll engaged Slater & Gordon on his compensation case. It did some conciliation work and lodged an impairment claim, but the case stalled as the injury remained unstable. When he changed lawyers, Slater & Gordon billed Mr Moll $14,183. He asked for an itemised bill, thinking this amount was high. The new bill totalled $23,916. When his new lawyer challenged this 12-page bill, Slater & Gordon reverted to the original amount. A similar thing happened to his claim for income protection and Total and Permanent Disability under his superannuation insurance. (The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia recommends claimants do these themselves, but it's a growth industry for firms like Slater & Gordon. Last year the association accused lawyers of "milking" up to 35 per cent of disability payments and charging "$3500 just to fill out a form"). Slater & Gordon was successful in getting Mr Moll about $12,000 of income protection, but his TPD claim was rejected. For this he was charged $13,250. Again, this seemed high to Mr Moll. So he requested an itemised bill, which was suddenly double the original: $26,496. He took this bill to the Costs Court of the Victorian Supreme Court and Slater & Gordon backed down, again, to the original amount. A man was tricked into getting out of his car to inspect a supposedly flat tyre before being pinned by another car in Melbourne's south east on Friday. The man was a passenger in a stationary car on the Mornington-Peninsula Freeway at Bangholme about 7.45pm. Credit:Rob Gunstone Police say he was in a black 2008 Mazda 6 sedan waiting to turn right onto Springvale Road when a stolen car pulled up alongside. Victoria Police spokeswoman Amelia Penhall said the driver of the stolen car, a blue 1999 Nissan sedan with registration YOX 444, told the pair in the Mazda they had a rear flat tyre. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser A woman has died and three men have been injured in a head-on collision at Bruarong in the state's north east on Saturday. Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said paramedics were called to the crash on the Myrtleford-Yackandandah Road at 3.10pm. Ambulance crews attended a fatal collision in Bruarong, near Yackandandah, on Saturday. Credit:Paul Rovere Police say the female driver of a Toyota sedan was travelling south when she lost control and collided with a north-bound 4WD. The woman, in her 30s, died at the scene. They are one of Melbourne's most distinctive sights but it will not be enough to save them. Hundreds of mature trees will be removed from St Kilda Road to make way for the Metro rail tunnel, fuelling concerns about the environmental impact of the project. As the Andrews government starts awarding contracts for the $10.9 billion train line, documents have revealed a range of issues, including the loss of trees, traffic disruption and the possible relocation of residents put out by noise and vibration during construction. According to the environmental effects statement, about 900 trees could be removed along the tunnel route including up to 223 trees in the precinct surrounding the Shrine of Remembrance, where a new underground station will be built. This would result in "a high residual impact" on St Kilda Road, which is lined with plane trees and elms many planted in the late 19th century and is one of "Victoria's most significant landscapes". Police have sealed off parkland near Tyne Crescent in Wanneroo where a dead body was found around 10am on Saturday. Nine News reported the discovery on Facebook. Police will be asked to examine the various allegations. Credit:Georgia Matts Officers from the Major Crime Squad are at the scene. A man has been charged over making threats to kill students at a Seville Grove school on Friday. The threats were made in a Facebook post which called on parents with children at the Cecil Andrews High School to pick them up before school finished, and threatened to kill any who were left. Police have charged a man over threats to kill children at a Seville Grove school. "When the last bell rings blood will rain and all your kids will fall," said the post. The threats appeared to have been sparked by damage caused to a car. Police are hunting for a man who has carried out seven armed robberies in Perth's southern suburbs, the most recent on Thursday night. On Saturday morning officers from the Regional Investigation Unit published photos of the man they want to interview. Police want to speak to this man about a series of armed robberies in Perth's south. Credit:WA Police They believe he is connected with armed robberies carried out on service stations and shops in Kewdale, Wattle Grove, Maddington, East Victoria Park and Cannington. In each case the man entered the shops and threatened staff with a knife while demanding cash and cigarettes, often grabbing chocolate bars as he made his escape. Outside Number Ten on Friday, David Cameron insisted "The will of the British people is an instruction that must be delivered". It could become cheaper to travel to Britain in the short term. Credit:New York Times However he then declined to deliver it himself, saying it would not "be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination". For Britain to leave the EU the government must formally activate 'Article 50', a hitherto-unused treaty power that sets off a two-year period of negotiation with the continent over the terms of divorce. Boris Johnson, former mayor of London, is among the frontrunners to become prime minister. Credit:Bloomberg Mr Cameron said it was for the next prime minister to decide when to trigger Article 50. Behind the scenes, The Sun reported, he told aides ""Why should I do all the hard s**t for someone else, just to hand it over to them on a plate?" But Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, said there was no reason to wait and he wanted to "get started immediately" negotiating the UK's new relationship with Europe. Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK Independence Party. Credit:AP "Britons decided that they want to leave the European Union, so it doesn't make any sense to wait until October to try to negotiate the terms of their departure," he told Germany's ARD television station. The separation was "not an amicable divorce" from what "was not exactly a tight love affair anyway", he said. Mr Juncker has used this metaphor before in January, as Mr Cameron tried to extract treaty concessions to head off Brexit, Mr Juncker said he was "against all forms of grovelling it's easy to fall in love and more difficult to stay together". The historic Brexit vote has divided Britain, and cost a pretty penny, as well. Credit:Bloomberg The President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, said the EU would not let the UK re-join the single market. Mr Schulz added he did not want "a whole continent taken hostage because of an internal fight in the Tory party". The EU's six founding members were due to meet in Berlin on Saturday to discuss the Brexit fallout, ahead of broader discussions with all EU states except Britain next week. The EU leaders' main concern is now to reassure remaining members the European project has a future. Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel has ask people to remain calm and prudent after the Brexit vote. Credit:Bloomberg They are likely to push for a hard line in negotiations with Britain, for fear of encouraging other national referendums the internet has already prepared useful tags including Swexit, Grexit, Byegium, Czechout, Departugal, Italeave, Latervia and Finish. On Friday, in a provocative move, the mayor of Calais called for the crowded and controversial migrant camps in his town to be moved to Britain, tearing up the 'Le Touquet' agreement which keeps border checks on the French side of the Channel. A British Union Flag, also known as a Union Jack, flies above the Bank of England. Credit:Jason Alden "The British must take on the consequences of their choice," Natacha Bouchart said, backed by the president of the Hauts-de-France region who Tweeted "The English wanted to take back their freedom, they must take back their border". But the UK faced more immediate problems. Illustration: Matt Golding Ratings agency Moody's announced it had downgraded the country's credit rating, predicting "the negative effect from lower economic growth will outweigh the fiscal savings from the UK no longer having to contribute to the EU budget" and adding the UK had one of the largest budget deficits among advanced economies. It came after Standard & Poor's warned Britain would lose its last remaining triple-A credit rating, saying it was "untenable" in the face of Brexit. On Friday rumours spread of big businesses already making plans to quit for the continent. The BBC reported that US investment bank Morgan Stanley had a plan to move 2000 staff out of London, to either Dublin or Frankfurt though the company denied the story. Airbus announced it would "review UK investment strategy, like everybody else will". Labour's former foreign secretary Margaret Beckett said she feared major firms including Rolls Royce, train maker Bombardier and car giant Toyota would leave the UK. Indeed, an entire nation may leave. Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon said a new independence plebiscite north of the border was "highly likely". It would be "democratically unacceptable" to drag Scotland out of the EU against its will, she said, after 62 per cent of Scots backed Remain. And Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness called for a new poll on a united Ireland. His region receives considerable 'peace money' subsidies from the EU. However the call from Sinn Fein's McGuinness was rejected by both the pro-British first minister and the Irish prime minister. Nearly 100,000 people have signed a petition calling on London mayor Sadiq Khan to declare the capital independent from the UK and apply to join the EU. London defied the rest of the country with a strong turnout and overwhelming Remain vote. Within England, regions who had come out for Leave such as Cornwall sent querulous demands to the Leave camp seeking reassurance that their European subsidies would be re-funded by Westminster. They will most likely be taking their case to former London mayor Boris Johnson, who is expected to stand for prime minister with justice secretary Michael Gove as Chancellor in a 'Brexit government' though home secretary Theresa May is a possible moderate candidate, having kept quiet during the referendum campaign. On Friday Mr Johnson addressed those in the UK and overseas "anxious" about the consequences of Brexit. He also sought to reassure young Britons, who had voted strongly to Remain in the EU. "This doesn't mean the UK will be in any way less united nor any less European," he said, denying the result was an isolationist "pulling up a drawbridge". "We are part of Europe," he said. "Our children and grandchildren will continue to have wonderful future as Europeans. "Britain will continue to be a great European power. We can find our voice in the world again." He promised a more prosperous future for the UK by taking back control of laws and policies, saying Britain would continue to be a "powerful, liberal, humane and extraordinary force for good in the world." Michael Gove promised a calm and consensual approach to implementing the Brexit process. The mission was to "secure the best possible terms for Britain" in the upcoming negotiations with Europe, predicting a "gradual divergence" from the EU. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell told Channel 4 he expected a general election to be called as soon as the new prime minister took office in the autumn. Also on Friday a group of Labour MPs rose in open rebellion against Jeremy Corbyn, whom they blamed for not doing enough to energise the Labour base for Remain. A motion of no confidence in Mr Corbyn was tabled by Labour MPs Margaret Hodge and Ann Coffey, though he was expected to survive the move with the support of the unions. Scots rejected independence in a 2014 referendum by 55-45 per cent, with 'No' campaigners at the time arguing that a vote for independence would mean losing the UK's EU membership. With the UK now set to take Scotland out of the EU anyway, Ms Sturgeon's Scottish Independence Party (SNP) is renewing its push for Scotland to go it alone. Nicola Sturgeon chairs an emergency meeting of Scotland's cabinet on Saturday. Credit:Jane Barlow/Getty Images Ms Sturgeon said Scotland would not allow its EU membership to be taken away without exploring all the possibilities. She said she would seek to build broad-based support at home and abroad to maintain it including bypassing London to open up direct talks with EU leaders and member states. Less than two years after voting no to independence, Scottish voters may get a second chance. Credit:Getty Images "We will seek to enter into immediate discussions with the EU institutions and with other EU member states to explore all possible options to protect Scotland's place in the EU," she said. "A second (Scottish) independence referendum is clearly an option that requires to be on the table, and it is very much on the table." German Chancellor Angela Merkel responds to Brexit. Credit:Carsten Koall/Getty Images Ms Sturgeon said she would also establish a panel of experts to advise the Scottish government on legal, financial and diplomatic matters concerning EU membership. Merkel moves to ease pressure on Cameron The fast, clear and determined action from the Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon came as German Chancellor Angela Merkel sought to temper pressure from Paris, Brussels and her own government to force Britain into negotiating a quick divorce from the EU. Europe's most powerful leader made clear she would not press outgoing British prime minister David Cameron after he indicated Britain would not seek formal exit negotiations until a new prime minister was in place, possibly as last as October. "Quite honestly, it should not take ages, that is true, but I would not fight now for a short time frame," Ms Merkel told a news conference. "The negotiations must take place in a businesslike, good climate. Britain will remain a close partner, with which we are linked economically." Turmoil south of the border In England, eurosceptic newspapers rejoiced but others pondered an uncertain future. "So what the hell happens now?" asked the Daily Mirror. Mr Cameron announced on Friday he would resign after Britons voted 52-48 percent to exit the EU, a result that sent global stock markets plunging, and inflicted the biggest one day drop on sterling in history. There were ongoing fears the decision to leave the EU could hit investment, threaten London's role as a global financial capital, and cause months of political uncertainty. Ratings agency Moody's downgraded its outlook for Britain, saying its creditworthiness was now at greater risk. The uncertainty risks damaging economies far beyond Britain's shores, and European Central Bank (ECB) policymaker Francois Villeroy de Galhau joined the clamour for haste. Mr Villeroy delivered a warning over the City of London financial centre which handles trillions of euros of business even though it lies outside the ECB's jurisdiction. A : Possible. It's true that the referendum is non-binding and the UK's next prime minister is under no legal compulsion to act on the result. And a new premier could, in theory, go back to the EU and ask to negotiate a new deal before taking it back for a second vote. But this option has been ruled out by the EU's other leaders. Most importantly, it would be extremely difficult to ignore the views of the 17.4 million people who voted to leave. Britain is coming to terms with its decision to leave the European Union after Thursday's dramatic referendum. Here are some of the questions that are doing the rounds in the UK this weekend: In theory, the UK parliament would ratify the referendum and the prime minister would invoke Article 50. However any decision from the British parliament to exit the EU would need the consent of Scotland, whose electorate voted 62 to 38 per cent in favour of opposing Brexit. Scotland would need to consent to Brexit by amending section 29 of the Scotland Act 1998, which the House of Lords European Union committee says binds the Scottish Parliament to act in a manner compatible with EU law. The Welsh and Northern Ireland assemblies would need to amend their respective legislation also. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has vowed to do everything possible to keep Scotland in the EU and says blocking Brexit in the Scottish parliament is one option on the table. Q: What about this petition calling for a second referendum? A: At least 2 million people have signed a petition on Parliament's website calling for a second vote. However, there is no mechanism in the UK for the public to trigger a referendum -- the most that a petition can achieve is a debate among lawmakers. There are a few other problems. The petition demands the government annul the plebiscite if either side wins by less by 60 per cent or if turnout is less than 75 per cent. But the referendum has already taken place. And all the country's leading politicians have pledged to recognise the result. So this probably won't go very far. Q: Could the EU make the UK an offer that prompts a rethink? China's censors crack down on popular internet personality Papi Jiang Chinese newspaper editor denounces censorship Beijing: To the list of things that should not be uttered in modern China, add these: Padded bras cause cancer. The earth is on the brink of falling into a period of darkness for six days. Robots will soon conquer entire industries and eliminate the need for human labour. These were among the seemingly trivial posts on WeChat, a popular messaging app, that have been censored, according to a study by Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto. Chinese censors delete a wide range of posts from the internet. Censorship in China is a well-known phenomenon, with bureaucrats working assiduously to augment the stature of leaders and restrict discussion of topics deemed controversial, such as Tibet and Taiwan. But the Toronto researchers found that these faithful guardians of the Communist Party line have turned their attention to more mundane matters, devoting time and server strength to preventing rumours, fabricated news reports and superstitious premonitions from going viral. "Online rumours can be viewed as a kind of social protest by citizens skeptical of official news," explained Jason Ng, one of the Toronto researchers. WeChat, with 762 million monthly users, is hugely popular in China, where about nine out of 10 internet users connect by mobile phone. It is primarily a chat app, but people also use it to buy movie tickets, pay bills and write public posts, similar to Facebook. One recent study showed that Chinese people spend an average of 40 minutes per day using WeChat. The University of Toronto study examined 36,000 posts that had been shared publicly on third-party websites over nine months between 2014 and 2015. The posts were not selected at random; the researchers made a point of monitoring several dozen users who had a history of sharing what the Chinese deemed sensitive content. About 4 per cent of those studied were censored, including musings on the safety of drinking water in China; speculation that several celebrities were on the verge of death; and supposition that Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, was undergoing secret medical treatment in China. Zhao Yulian, 36, a technology entrepreneur, was thwarted when she recently tried to share an article about tips to avoid getting cancer. Even in the last days of the referendum campaign, Mr Cameron believed he would win, and survive. Earlier this week, Downing Street received private polling that persuaded the Prime Minister's inner circle that the referendum would go his way. As the polls closed on Thursday night, No 10 aides whispered triumphantly about a comfortable Remain victory, with around 56 per cent of the vote - enough for him to see off of his Tory critics and serve most of the full five-year term he had wanted. A chagrined David Cameron - post Brexit vote. Credit:Bloomberg Watching Mr Cameron announcing the premature end of his premiership, many people must have been left wondering: Why did he do it? Why did he gamble everything that he won last year? Didn't he know this could happen? He did know. Mr Cameron knew and has always known how dangerous an issue Europe can be to a Conservative Party leader. The Prime Minister's first experience of professional politics was as an adviser in John Major's administration. He was there for the Maastricht rebellions, and in the Treasury on Black Wednesday in 1992, the economic upheaval that put his party out of power for almost two decades. He has always known the destructive power of the European question. And that experience explains the approach Mr Cameron took to Europe as Conservative leader and Prime Minister, the approach that led Britain to Brexit and him to disaster. David Cameron with his wife Samantha Cameron, announcing he will resign. Credit:AP Mr Cameron thought that the Conservatives should not talk so much about Europe, believing that doing so led voters to believe that Tories were not in touch with them and the issues that mattered more to their everyday lives. "While parents worried about childcare, getting the kids to school, balancing work and family life - we were banging on about Europe", he told his party in 2006. But he never persuaded a significant number of his colleagues to take that view. They believed that distancing Britain from the EU was an urgent priority, and demanded action accordingly. Unwilling or unable to change his colleagues' minds, Mr Cameron tried again and again to placate them, making promises of Eurosceptic action he hoped never to have to deliver on. In fact, his leadership was born of such a promise. Boris Johnson leaving his London home on Friday. Credit:Getty Images Struggling for support from the Right of the party in the autumn of 2005, he promised to withdraw the Tories from the European People's Party, a bloc in the European Parliament formally committed to a federal Europe. Even though Mr Cameron privately had misgivings about the EPP pledge, he did it anyway. It helped him become leader, but it horrified many pro-EU Tories, and Angela Merkel of Germany, whose Christian Democrats sit in the EPP. That horror led Mr Cameron to delay, several times, the EPP withdrawal, finally honouring his promise to his party in 2009. He deployed the same tactics - a bold promise followed by delayed action - over the European Constitution, making a "cast-iron" promise of a referendum on the document. This time, deferral paid off: French voters killed the constitution in a referendum, allowing Mr Cameron to make a lawyerly argument that his "cast-iron" promise did not apply when the constitution was reincarnated as the Lisbon Treaty. That decision sowed the seeds of Mr Cameron's destruction, for it lent new energy to the UK Independence Party: many Ukippers took to calling Mr Cameron "Cast Iron Dave" in angry mockery. Foreshadowing his referendum tactics, he called them "fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists". But other Tories were not so quick to dismiss Ukip. They worried that the smaller party's appeal to voters, based on opposition to the EU and the immigration it brings, would cost the Conservative Party dearly. That fear drove the drum beat of Eurosceptic demands for Mr Cameron to take a harder line on Europe, the rhythm to which his premiership danced. The first major Tory rebellion of the Coalition came in November 2011 when 81 Conservatives demanded a referendum on EU membership. Rejecting their demand, Mr Cameron flatly told them: "Legislating now for a referendum, including on whether Britain should leave the EU, could cause great uncertainty and could actually damage our prospects of growth". By June 2012, the rebellion had grown to almost 100. Again, Mr Cameron tried to swat the rebels away. Speaking after an EU summit in Brussels, he declared that a referendum "is not the right thing to do" and that far from leaving the EU, Britain should stay because "the argument is going our direction". His pro-European tone provoked such a backlash from Conservative MPs that Mr Cameron had to change his tune, writing in a hastily composed Daily Telegraph column: "For me the two words 'Europe' and 'referendum' can go together". And with those words, he sealed his fate. Six months later, speaking in the City of London, he committed himself to the referendum he had repeatedly rejected. Privately, he told colleagues at the time that his view had not changed. He still didn't want the referendum but felt he had no choice but to promise it in the hope of "managing" his party. Nor was he certain he would have to honour his promise. To pass the law needed to hold the referendum, he would need a Conservative majority in the Commons, and that would mean victory in a general election he didn't believe he would win. On election night last year, Mr Cameron was holed up in his Oxfordshire cottage, practising his resignation speech. The "sweetest victory" that followed gave him the chance to promise a One Nation government and a program of social reforms that are much closer to his heart than the issue of Europe. But the same victory also gave him no choice but to hold the referendum that left him delivering a different version of that resignation speech, less than 14 months later. His departure means his One Nation agenda will never be more than fine words, his place in history defined not by radical social reform but by Europe, the issue he wanted so keenly to avoid. It also raises questions that may haunt Mr Cameron in the years ahead. Did he have to promise then deliver the referendum? Were this week's events inevitable? Was there a way to delay and dodge this European drama, as he so often had before? India tested today an air-launched version of the BrahMos-A supersonic attack missile on an Indian Air Force (IAF) Sukhoi Su-30 MKI aircraft. The missile was not launched on this test, as the carriage flight was designed to test the weapons aircraft integration. Following the initial flight tests on board the Su-30 MKI aircraft the first air-launch of the BrahMos-A missile is expected later this year. If successful, this planned flight test will verify the developers simulations, assuring the safe separation and initiation of the missile. A single test-fire from the aircraft will be enough. BrahMos has demonstrated its capability multiple times and once it is test-fired from the IAF jet once, it will be ready for integration on all other Su-30s immediately. BrahMos Aerospace CEO & MD Sudhir Kumar Mishra said. Once operational, the air-launched BrahMos will provide the IAF with extended range, supersonic, standoff attack capability, that penetrates deep inside defended enemy territory. BrahMos Aerospace plans to deliver 200 missiles to the IAF beginning in 2017, where it is expected to arm at least three squadrons. With a maximum speed of Mach 2 and a gross takeoff weight of 38.8 tons (85,600 lbs), Su-30 MKI carried the 2.55 tons air-launched BrahMos-A missile on its centerline hardpoint. The Su-30 MKI carries the missile on a special pylon, tucked between the engine bays, attached to the centerline hard points, under the fuselage. Adapting the surface-launched missile to air-launched mode required significant modifications, particularly with the flight laws and dynamics related to the weapons release and ignition phases. Weight saving required the use of a smaller booster; fins were added to improve stability after launch and umbilical connectors relocated to fit the pylon design. The air-launched BrahMos can be released from heights up to 46,000 ft (14,000 meters) and as low as 1646 ft (500 m). After ejection, the missile descends in a free fall of 100150 meters, its booster ignited after ensuring safe separation. Once the booster kicks in, the missile accelerates to supersonic speed and climbs to a cruising altitude of 46,000 ft. Near the target area, which can be up to 290 km away from the launch point, the BrahMos-A descends to a low altitude of 50 ft above the surface on the terminal phase of its flight. The recent test flight and forthcoming missions are operated from HALs Nasik unit where the two aircraft destined for the program were modified by HAL to accommodate the outsized air-launched missile. Two variants of the missile are developed an anti-ship missile and land attack version. A smaller variant of the missile will eventually enable the missile to deploy on other aircraft types, such as the IAF/Dassault Mirage 2000. Originally, the Indian Air Force and Navy wanted to deploy the BrahMos on Il-38 and Tu-142 maritime warfare aircraft, but these platforms were found unsuitable for the weapon. The 58-minute flight was piloted by Wg Cdr Prashant Nair with Wg Cdr Raju being the Flight Test Engineer. The first flight examined the missiles adaptation to the aircraft. In the next flights the missile will be fitted with sensors to evaluate its characteristics in flight. forthcoming tests will bmove to the Balasore test range will test dummy missiles clearing release and separation tests, toward the final launch and engagement test of a real target, planned for October-November 2016. "So I feel a real sense of responsibility, as so many of our young people do, to stand up and protect what we fought for, for so long." Ms Telford is a member of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition and was the 2015 Australian Geographic Society Young Conservationist of the Year. The 22-year-old is the founder and director of Seed, a "young, black and powerful" network of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people fighting for "a just and sustainable future ... powered by renewable energy." "We look at climate change with a focus on energy," Ms Telford said, "looking at coal and gas, how we need to transition our energy systems and our economies from a reliance on fossil fuels to systems that can be powered by the sun and the rain." Seed has connected Indigenous youth from around Australia, working to campaign against coal seam gas, mining, and calling on the Australian government to phase out fossil fuel subsidies. "For myself in Australia, I often look to different stories from overseas, particularly around the US and Canada where indigenous communities are sick of waiting around, sick of promises made by governments and are standing up and building solutions themselves." It was Ms Telford's interest in First Nations people around the world that led her to Joseph White-Eyes of South Dakota, more than 13,500 kilometres from her home of Kingscliff. At only 20, Joseph White-Eyes has already been campaigning on behalf of his own indigenous community, the Lakota people, for six years. He was among indigenous representatives to set up teepees in front of the White House in Washington DC in 2014, to protest the Keystone XL Pipeline, an oil pipeline system that runs from Canada to the United States. "When you have the indigenous and the youth as a whole or as one, it really opens it up to new ideas about keeping your land and your culture," Mr White-Eyes said. On his most recent visit to Australia Mr White-Eyes was part of a one-day blockade which stopped any coal from going in or out of the world's largest coal port in Newcastle, on the north coast of New South Wales, Australia. "I do travel a lot and when I do, I visit the indigenous communities. With the indigenous people I don't feel like I'm in a whole other culture," Mr White-Eyes said. "The Aboriginal people of Australia and the indigenous of North America, we've been been exchanging different perspectives about how to save the environment as well as preserving our culture." Culture is central to Mr White-Eyes' work with the Indigenous Environmental Network, an alliance of grassroots Indigenous groups in the US, working to address environmental and economic justice issues. He said he only had to look back at his "culture and coming of age ceremonies" to understand his responsibility in the fight for climate justice. "We have a war chief back home, his name is Crazy Horse. Before he died, in the 1800s, he created a prophecy. He called it the seventh generation. Me, I'm part of that seventh generation." The prophecy pointed to a change at the arrival of the seventh generation, when cultural and environmental revitalisation would restore the earth. "I've shared this with the First Nations people from Australia and I've noticed the same exact thing. The youth are leading this and we are bringing back our identity, our culture and restoring balance within the environment." While it is the cultural messages and traditions that connect First Peoples around the world, Ms Telford believes it is also the systemic struggles that communities have faced that bring them together. "The impacts of colonial destruction of our land, genocide and the ongoing impacts of colonisation, we share a lot. We are the ones being hit first and worst by climate change," she said. The children heard the gunfire, but didn't see the fatal encounter that left their mother dead. Their 63-year-old grandmother, Elizabeth Wall, had taken the boys outside Thursday in Georgia and put them in a truck, according to Cobb County Police Sgt. Dana Pierce. Then, Wall "goes right back inside, and shoots and kills their mom," Pierce said. Police say Wall allegedly fatally shot her 35-year-old daughter-in-law, Jenna, who was reportedly in the midst of divorcing Wall's son. Thursday's referendum wasn't actually legally binding - Cameron could have set it up to be so (a nationwide 2011 referendum was set up to be), but he apparently decided better of it. This means that, in theory at least, the British government could completely ignore the results and do whatever it thinks is best. Of course, doing that would anger the majority of the country who voted to leave the EU But a new referendum could provide some democratic justification to the decision. British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Friday he would step down. Credit:Bloomberg The close result does help the argument somewhat. Britain's 1975 referendum on membership of the European Economic Community was decided by a 67.2 per cent vote to stay in. In the 2011 vote (on whether to use the Alternative Vote electoral system) was decided by 67.9 per cent of the vote. Nigel Farage, a key Brexit supporter, unwittingly provided support for this argument by saying that if "remain" won by a "52 to 48" margin, there would be "unfinished business" and an argument for another vote. Another factor is the various reports of those who voted "leave" but now say they are dismayed at what has happened. Many of these accounts seem to suggest that the Leave voter in question thought their vote would serve as a protest vote. This referendum was not a fight between Britain and Europe. It was the first step of a pan-European uprising. Credit:Getty Images "I didn't think my vote was going to matter too much because I thought we were just going to 'remain,' " one man told the BBC on Friday, adding that he was "quite worried" about the effect. Why it's completely daft OK. There are a few things to unpick here, so we'll go through them step by step. Vote Leave campaigner Boris Johnson holds a press conference at Vote Leave headquarters in London on Friday. Credit:Stefan Rousseau Ignoring the clear result of a referendum is unfair. Sure, the results of Thursday's vote were close, but they were pretty conclusive. 51.9 per cent is a better mandate than most governments win for a general election, for example. It would also be political suicide for Britain's government to effectively say "your vote didn't count" to half the country. And more than 3.3 million may want a new referendum, but 17 million already voted in one to leave. You can't retroactively legislate like this. The proposal outlined in the petition would require setting up laws and then retroactively applying them to Thursday's vote. To put it simply, that's not how laws work. It's worth noting that the petition appears to have been set up in May, ahead of the vote, in a bid to change the rules before Britons voted. However, in practice this doesn't matter - it'd still be retroactive legislation if it happened now. Protesters at Parliament Square on Saturday. Credit:Matt Cardy Petitions don't mean much. Now that the petition has more than 100,000 votes it will be debated by Parliament, but members of the British Parliament have no imperative to act on it. Petitions get lots of signatures all the time and nothing happens. Remember the debate on whether to ban Donald Trump from Britain earlier this year? Remain might still lose anyway. For those who supported Remain, the idea that Leave voters are regretful voters who didn't know what they were doing is heartening. However, we only have anecdotal evidence of a few regretful pro-Brexit voters who have talked to media outlets. Until there is a vigorously conducted poll that shows otherwise, it's fair to conclude that Leave would win a second referendum anyway. What could possibly happen That said, there is a lot of uncertainty in the air. Cameron has already said he would step down, which will trigger a leadership contest for the Conservatives. There are signs that Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, may also be forced to step down. Some wonder whether there could be another general election before the end of the year. Meanwhile, Britain has not yet triggered Article 50 - the procedure for actually leaving the EU - and there are signs it may try to delay doing so for as long as possible. If there is a general election, how and when to leave the EU would probably become a major issue. Even when Article 50 is invoked, negotiations may take up to two years. Any new deal with the EU will have to pass Parliament. Some in Westminster are saying that it should probably be put to referendum again. If that happens, it may well be the last chance for Remain to have their voice heard. But wait - there's also the Scotland factor ... Satirical artist Kaya Mar poses with Brexit-themed artwork depicting Prime Minister David Cameron, former London Mayor Boris Johnson, Leader of the UKIP, Nigel Farage, and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Nicola Sturgeon in London Credit:Matt Cardy The immediate fallout Prime Minister Cameron, who led the "Remain" campaign, announced on Friday that he would step down. He offered no "precise timetable" but said he believed his successor - who will manage the process of leaving the union - should be in place by October. No longer the 'court jester': Boris Johnson. Credit:Joe Armao Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London who backed leaving the EU, is considered a front-runner to succeed Mr. Cameron. Global markets plunged. The British pound plummeted to its lowest level since 1985. Investors fled to the American dollar and the yen. The US market was down more than 3 percent at the close on Friday, with the Dow shedding over 600 points, after sell-offs overnight in Japan and Hong Kong. The financial damage was more severe on the Continent than in Britain and the United States. Is it a done deal? The referendum is not legally binding, though it is difficult to imagine that the British government would ignore the will of the voters. The process of leaving begins only after the British government invokes a provision of the European Union's governing treaty known as Article 50 - an action Mr. Cameron said he would leave to his successor. Once Article 50 is invoked, though, Britain could not change its mind and stay in the union unless the 27 other members all agreed. The broader impact Britain would leave the world's largest common market, with 508 million residents, including 65 million Britons. That would free them from the bloc's commitment to the free movement of labor, capital, goods and services. But it would also bring complications. Little will change for at least two years, but the vote sets off a series of negotiations as the country separates from the union's remaining 27 members. Britain, which has the bloc's second-largest economy after Germany, would have to come up with new trading agreements. Almost half its exports are sold on Europe's common market. London's role as a financial centre could be imperilled, particularly if the trade in euro-denominated securities moves to rival cities like Paris and Frankfurt. The immediate effect on travel will be limited, especially as Britain was not a member of the passport-free Schengen zone, which came under heavy pressure last year from the refugee crisis. There will also be limited impact on Britain's security: It remains a nuclear power, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a leader of NATO. Scotland and Northern Ireland could go their own way. Both voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU. But prominent political leaders in Scotland and Northern Ireland called on Friday for new moves toward separating from Britain. Scotland, which voted in 2014 to remain in the United Kingdom, may revisit that referendum. Northern Ireland has an open border with the Republic of Ireland, a member of the bloc. Border crossings could now be tightened, and pressure could increase for unification, prompting instability in both places. In the most ominous scenario, there could be a revival of sectarian violence that plagued Northern Ireland for three decades until a power-sharing agreement was reached in 1998. The reaction President Obama said in a statement: "The people of the United Kingdom have spoken, and we respect their decision." He pledged that the U.K. and the E.U. would remain "indispensable partners of the United States" and that Britain's "special relationship" with the United States would endure. Hillary Clinton: "We respect the choice the people of the United Kingdom have made. Our first task has to be to make sure that the economic uncertainty created by these events does not hurt working families here in America." Donald J. Trump: "I said this was going to happen, and I think that it's a great thing." ``The right to bear arms is enshrined in the Constitution,'' said NRA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker. ``Flying on a plane is not the same as a Second Amendment right.'' For the NRA, virtually any restriction on buying or selling firearms is unacceptable, and this one, dubbed ``No-fly, no-buy", is tied to a list whose embarrassing mistakes have prevented young children and the late Senator Edward Kennedy from boarding aircraft. San Francisco: Legislation proposed in Congress, which would bar gun sales to people on a government terrorist watch list, has achieved a rare distinction - a thumbs-down from both the National Rifle Association and the American Civil Liberties Union. Senator Susan Collins unveils a new gun legislation proposal. Credit:AP For the ACLU, the problem is a list that is shrouded in secrecy, giving those affected little notice of the reasons for their inclusion on it and little opportunity to challenge those reasons. The organisation won a ruling from a federal judge in 2014 requiring the government to provide more information to watch-listed air travellers but says it hasn't made much of a difference. The system ``uses vague and over-broad criteria and secret evidence to place individuals on blacklists without a meaningful process to correct government error and clear their names,'' the ACLU said this week in a letter to senators opposing all the proposed gun laws. The government established confidential terrorist watch lists after the September 11, 2001, attacks, and has expanded them under the administrations of both George W. Bush and Barack Obama. According to FBI records, the overall watch list known as the Terrorist Screening Database contains 1 million names of known or suspected terrorists, of which only a small fraction - fewer than 5000 - are US citizens or legal residents. The no-fly list contains about 81,000 individuals, fewer than 1000 of them Americans. The lists are so secretive that people first learn of their inclusion when they're unable to buy a plane ticket -- and even then, the information has generally come from the ticket agent, not the government. The FBI refused for more than a decade to confirm that an individual passenger was on the list or say anything about the reasons. PHILIPSBURG:---GIFTED Foundation is hosting their fourth annual SXM Weekend of POWER for June 27 July 2, 2016. The youth-empowerment foundation has a series of activities lined up for this event, tying in with the countrys celebration of Emancipation. With Curtis Jordans Caribbean Gospel Music Tour Beyond Borders, twelve artistes from across the Caribbean will be visiting primary and high schools from June 27 to 29 as students and teachers prepare for summer fun. On June 30, the University of St. Martin has partnered with GIFTED to host the GIFTED Royalty Awards Ceremony. On Friday, July 1, there will be a free concert held at the Port de Plaisance tent at 7pm, and on Saturday, July 2, a music network and trade show for local and regional talent will be held at USM. POWER School Tours School tours kick off on Monday, June 27 at the St. Maarten Academy (Academic Section). On Tuesday, June 28, the artistes will be visiting Milton Peters College, MAC Elementary schools and Comprehensive Secondary, St. Maarten Academy PSVE, St. Maarten Vocational Training School, Hillside Christian School St. Peters, Ruby Labega Primary. On June 29, the tour continues to Sundial School, Charlotte Brookson Academy, MG DeWeever, Prince Willem Alexander, SDA Primary, Dr. ML King Primary, Leonard Connor and Asha Stevens Hillside Christian schools. On visiting the high schools, the spotlight will be cast on this years GIFTED Royalty Award Nominees. These nominees will be honored on June 30 at a formal ceremony on the grounds of the University of St. Martin in Philipsburg. Emancipation Concert In the vein of the national holiday, on July 1 there will be a free Worldchangers concert under the tent at Port de Plaisance with the music ministers of the Caribbean Gospel Music Tour Beyond Borders, Curtis Jordan, Ayanah Gordon-Wallace, Gozzy, Omar Ewen, Nyquan, ONE Music Group, Pasquin, Dominic, Randy Freeman, Shawn J, DRJ, and Nigel Lopez. This promises to be a great night of positive messages in reggae, soca, contemporary, reggaeton, R&B, and traditional gospel. The artistes will also share their knowledge of the music industry on July 2 in a Music Tradeshow at the University of St. Martin. GIFTED Foundation seeks to impact the youth of St. Maarten and the region through providing positive influential social enhancement through music and other platforms by networking with local, regional and international partners. For more information, visit and like their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/GIFTEDLIGHT For WorldChanger t-shirts and/or more details you may call 524-3680 or 587-7533. CASTRIES:---The Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality (ECADE) stands with other hu- man rights and lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender (LGBT) organisations in mourning the loss of life that occurred in Orlando early Sunday morning. The Directors of ECADE extends condolences and com- fort to the families and friends of the 49 victims slain at the LGBT nightclub, Pulse and also to Caribbean LGBT people and allies personally impacted by the attack. For many of us, the tragedy which unfolded at Pulse struck a chord, because we realise how easily it could have occurred anywhere throughout the region and/or world, given the rampant stigma and discrim- ination still directed at LGBT persons and lack of protections for LGBT people in many countries. The fact that this gunman struck persons in a place where they felt safe is especially appalling, given that there have, historically, been so few spaces where LGBT persons could feel free to express themselves exactly as they are, says Director Joan Didier. Lysanne Charles of St. Martin says the fact that this did not occur at a pride march or to activists in the field, but to young people out having a good time was meant to undermine the momentum of the move- ment worldwide, but that LGBT persons should not become intimidated by these acts of violence. She says that the purpose of terrorism and hate-crimes are to instil fear and/or hatred into people and create divides, regardless of the group targeted, but that ECADE was urging LGBT persons and organisations not to succumb to fear or allow this tragedy to allow them to become divided from or hateful towards oth- ers. Instead she encouraged them continue the work they had been doing across the region and living their lives as authentically as they could, embracing all who embraced them and dialoguing with those willing to have conversations for progress. Horrified and saddened is how Director Kenita Placide describes her reaction to the outpouring of homo- phobic and anti-gay rhetoric on various media and social media platforms throughout the Caribbean; in- cluding from government officials and religious persons. ECADE encourages all persons to be vigilant about their words and actions across the region in the coming weeks. Events like Orlando do not just happen, but are fostered by environments that are hostile to a particular group of people; in this case LGBT. We have to remember that the 49 people who lost their lives in Pulse were human beings and that LGBT people across the Caribbean are human beings. When we reduce people to only parts of themselves we strip them of their humanity and feed into emotions which can lead to acts of violence like the one at Pulse, Placide says. While an event like Pulse should never happen in the region, LGBT persons already face a great deal of challenges across the Caribbean, including emotional, mental and physical violence, states Rene Holder of Barbados, urging regional government and religious leaders to address the cultures that lead to this. President Obama, when speaking about gun control said that the American public had to decide what kind of country it wanted to be. On the issue of human rights for LGBT people, Caribbean people and Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality governments also have to decide what kind of countries and what kind of region we want to be; countries and a region that stands up for ALL people or countries and a region that only stands up for some people, Holder says. Grenadas Hayden Bethelmy says that he is extremely proud of the LGBT people and allies who have stood up against those who would use this opportunity to further bully and disrespect LGBT persons, not- ing The expressions of support have been powerful to witness. It is demonstrative of the fact that while we still have a long way to go, we have also come far. Words of comfort and encouragement have come from many places in the Caribbean where we would not have expected it before and we thank those peo- ple for standing up for themselves and in the case of allies for LGBT people and human rights activists. However he did note that there has been a particular silence from governments and government officials across the region concerning the heartbreaking occurrence and urged them to address both Orlando and their communities on this matter. It is customary for our governments and leaders to sympathise with other countries and communities in times of devastation, this time should be no different. The fact only a handful of government leaders have extended condolences to the United States or Orlando in the wake of the murders at Pulse is not acceptable. This demonstrates a lack of maturity on the issue of human rights for LGBT people and absence of compassion for vulnerable peoples, Bethelmy says. Regional activists are urged to continue to work diligently, both locally and regionally, towards full emanci- pation for and empowerment of LGBT people in honour and memory of not only those slain in Orlando, but in countries across the Caribbean. Audre Lorde said it best when she said, to paraphrase, we are deliberate and afraid of nothing, for ECADE and other activist organizations around the region, the work continues. Stay the course, equality must be ours, Charles concludes. PHILIPSBURG:--- The suspended head of IND Udo Aron has filed an injunction with the Court of First Instance on Wednesday afternoon in order for the court to order the Minister of Justice to re-instate him to his position. Aron was suspended three weeks ago after the Landsreacherche started an investigation on the request of the Minister of Justice Edison Kirindongo. Aron was reported by an Immigration officer when he smuggled a woman from the Dominican Republic into the island without following immigration procedures. SMN News understands that Aron brought the national of the Dominican Republic to St. Maarten without a visa. Information SMN News obtained stated that Aron bypassed the immigration officer with his female companion who travelled with him and when the officer informed him that he needs to follow procedures Aron allegedly told the woman to do whatever she wants and she could also wrote what he said to her in her report. The source said that the immigration officer alerted her union after went to the acting director of IND who is a supervisor at PJAIE and told him that the officer refused to follow orders given to her by her superior. SMN News further learnt that the supervisor August Emmanuel then went to the officer and tried to reprimand her. After hearing of the incident the union immediately filed a complaint with the Minister of Justice who did his own investigation prior to submitting a request to the Attorney General asking him to have the Prosecutors Office on St. Maarten conduct an investigation into the incident. Since Aron was suspended and ordered not to enter any of the departments of justice pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation, Aron held on to the Government vehicle, telephone and other tools he was given to perform his duties. As of Monday the Minister of Justice appointed former Acting Commissioner of Police Richard Panneflec as Acting Head of IND. In an interview with SMN News the Minister said that the appointment was informal. The strike is scheduled to last 4 days and involves the nurses' call for improved staffing Kaiser has had disputes with its employee's unions, faced civil and criminal charges for patient dumping, faced action by regulators over the quality of care it provided, especially to patients with mental health issues, and has faced criticism from activists and action from regulators over the size of its cash reserves A strike by 1,300 registered nurses begins today at Kaiser's Los Angeles hospital. The strike is scheduled to last 4 days and involves the nurses' call for improved staffing. California Nurses Association/National Nurses United claims Kaiser made profits of $1.9 billion last year, money which should be invested in hiring more nurses and "protect economic gains." In other words, they want a raise. "Kaiser spends millions of dollars advertising that Los Angeles Medical Center is a world class Tertiary Care Center...Yet on most days we do not have a sufficient number of nurses to take care of our patients," said Tessie Costales, a nurse with 30 years at the hospital. "This needs to change." Nurses complain that short staffing means they cannot take breaks and this affects patient care. Also affected by short staffing is the Pediatric Care unit. No evidence of Jaguar Breeding Populations in New Mexico or Arizona, after the Pleistocene Era The myth that jaguars populated the USA prior to 1900 was started with a paper written by a political activistt, and unfortunately accepted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service without due scientific diligence. I am writing to inform you that your recent article, "Amazon jaguar shot dead after Olympic torch ceremony" contains statements of "fact" that are totally inaccurate. The myth that jaguars populated the USA prior to 1900 was started with a paper written by a political activist, and unfortunately accepted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service without due scientific diligence. There is no documented evidence of any naturally occurring female jaguar in New Mexico since the Pleistocene. The article is here: http://www.smobserved.com/story/2016/06/22/news/amazon-jaguar-shot-dead-after-olympic-torch-ceremony/1507.html Errors are confronted below: Error 1. "Apart from a known and possibly breeding population in Arizona (southeast of Tucson) and the bootheel of New Mexico, the cat has largely been extirpated from the United States since the early 20th century." Correction: No "breeding population of jaguars" exists in Arizona or New Mexico-or ever did. (Your article contains perhaps the tallest tale ever printed on this subject.) There is no verifiable evidence there ever was a post-Pleistocene, naturally occurring population of jaguars in either state. (There are only speculative claims that there were, but three stories about female jaguars killed with cubs in Arizona are entirely unverifiable and therefore nothing more than unscientific urban legends. This is confirmed in the comments the Arizona Game and Fish Department submitted to the US Fish and Wildlife Service during the public comment period on the critical habitat designation. (See p. 4 here-- http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/es/documents/130808.FWS.Jag.Critical.Habitat.Ltr.pdf ) Moreover, there is no documented evidence of any naturally occurring female jaguar in New Mexico since the Pleistocene--so it would be impossible for a breeding population of jaguars to have occurred in New Mexico in recorded history. The myth that jaguars populated the USA prior to 1900 was started with a paper written by a political activist, and unfortunately accepted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service without due scientific diligence. The writer plotted a histogram of the numbers of jaguars killed in Arizona and New Mexico since 1900. He did not present the actual data he plotted.) What the writer did not document is the fact that jaguars were observed no more frequently in Arizona or New Mexico prior to the exact year 1900 than they are seen today. Rather than showing an abrupt spike from zero to about 20 in jaguar numbers exactly in the year In 1900, the activist's histogram deceptively excludes records prior to 1900--which would show a spike from zero to 20+ records exactly in 1900. Exactly beginning in 1900, suddenly and dramatically, jaguars appeared in Arizona in significant numbers. Their numbers tapered off after trucking began to replace railroads for shipping cattle. Scientists prior to 1900 documented that scientists believed at that time that jaguars were either rare or absent from Arizona. The influx of jaguars occurred very suddenly, and shortly following establishment of a rail system with cattle pens and watering facilities at every depot from Phoenix all the way south to Guadalajara. Elliot Coues (1867) wrote in an article, "The Quadrupeds of Arizona," "Two other species of true long-tailed cats may possibly exist, particularly in the south- eastern portions. These are the Ocelot (F. pardalis Linn.), and the Jaguar (F. onzaliinn.). Within the limits of the United States, however, they have as yet only been found in the valley of the Rio Grande of Texas." John Duncan Quackenbos et al. (1887 Smithsonian team of biologists)wrote, "It is true that the Jaguar, the largest of American Cats, has been taken along our southern border, but it can be regarded only as a very rare straggler from the tropics." An article in the July 18, 1901 issue of the Arizona Silver Belt, p.2 states, "The jaguar is a beautifully spotted black and yellow creature and is exceedingly rare in Arizona, though quite plentiful in some portions of Mexico." C.M. Barber (1902) in recording his findings on the presence of jaguars in New Mexico stated: "The present paper is intended to record certain species of mammals not previously known to occur in New Mexico." Vernon Bailey (1931) wrote, "Distribution and habitat. - A few large spotted cats (pl. 16, A) have been found over southern New Mexico, where they seem to be native, although generally supposed to be wanderers from over the Mexican border." Sources: E. Coues, "The Quadripeds of Arizona" P. 285-286, The American Naturalist, Volume 1. University of Chicago Press, 1867 Quackenbos, J.D., Newberry, J.S., Hitchcock, C.H., Stevens, W. Le Conte, Gannett, H., Dall, W., Merriam, C.H., Britton, N.L., Kunz, G.F., Stoney, Lt. G.M .; Physical Geography Prepared on a New and Original Plan, Appleton's American Standard Geographies Based on the Principles of the Science of Education. D. Appleton and Co., NY. 1887 Barber, C.M. 1902. Notes on little-known New Mexican mammals and species apparently not recorded from the territory. Biological Society of Washington Proceedings. 15:191-193. Bailey V, 1931. Mammals of New Mexico. North American Fauna 53:283-285. Error 2. " The USFWS was ultimately ordered by the court to develop a jaguar recovery plan and designate critical habitat for the cats." This error on your part is understandable, because unfortunately this utter falsehood has been published by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and is repeated often by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, even though they know it is utterly false. The court actually stated the following: there is no documented evidence of any naturally occurring female jaguar in New Mexico since the Pleistocene--so it would be impossible for a breeding population of jaguars to have occurred in New Mexico in recorded history. A young jaguar in a zoo in Belize. "IT IS ORDERED that Plaintiffs' Motions for Summary Judgment (Doc. Nos. 44& 45) are GRANTED in PART and DENIED in PART. The FWS determinations to not designate critical habitat or prepare a recovery plan are set aside, and this case is remanded to the FWS so that it may, consistent with this opinion, consider whether to designate critical habitat and prepare a recovery plan for the jaguar. The FWS shall make a determination as to critical habitat and recovery planning by January 8, 2010. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Federal Defendants' Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. No. 53) is DENIED. 15 The Court expresses no opinion or conclusion in this matter regarding the construction of vehicle or pedestrian impediments along the international border." Source: http://elr.info/litigation/39/20073/center-biological-diversity-v-kempthorne Best regards, Cindy Coping A Lane County man was reported missing Friday afternoon after he didn't return from a day hike in the Marion Lakes area off Highway 22. According to a news release, the Linn County Sheriff's Office received a call around 1:40 p.m. Friday about the missing hiker, 75-year-old David Rice of Blachly. Sheriff's deputies were sent to the Marion Lake trail head to look for him. They located Rice's vehicle and entry receipts indicating that he had gone on a day hike. Deputies spoke with several hikers in the area and learned that the missing man had been last seen near Marion Lake. A Hasty Team was also dispatched. It searched the area all night. Six members from the Linn County Mounted Posse responded Saturday morning, and 12 members from Linn County Search and Rescue were searching the area on foot. The U.S. Air Force Rescue and Recover Center dispatched the Oregon Civil Air Patrol to assist the Linn County Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's Office also requested assistance from other SAR groups from around the region. More information will be added as it is received. On 27 September 2013, the National Report published an article reporing that President Obama had proclaimed November 2013 to be National Muslim Appreciation Month, a time to celebrate the Muslim community in the United States: President Barack Obama held a press conference to announce that he is declaring the month of November National Muslim Appreciation Month. The Muslim community deserves our full acceptance and respect, Obama told reporters. We have killed millions of Muslims overseas since the September 11th attacks. They are not all bad. In fact most of them are good. So from now on, November will be a month to celebrate the Muslim community, the Sunnah and the Quran. By the following day links and excerpts referencing this article were being circulated via social media, with many of those who encountered the item mistaking it for a genuine news article. However, the article was just another piece of fabricated clickbait from the National Report, a fake news web site that publishes outrageous fictional stories such as IRS Plans to Target Leprechauns Next, Boy Scouts Announce Boobs Merit Badge, and New CDC Study Indicates Pets of Gay Couples Worse at Sports, Better at Fashion Than Pets of Straight Couples. The National Report disclaimer page notes that all of the articles are fiction: National Report is a news and political satire web publication, which may or may not use real names, often in semi-real or mostly fictitious ways. All news articles contained within National Report are fiction, and presumably fake news. Any resemblance to the truth is purely coincidental. In February 2014, new life was breathed into this satirical concept when the Conservative Frontline web site lifted sections of the original National Report article and spun them into a (similarly fictional) report positing that President Obama had announced plans for the first ever federally funded Muslim outreach program targeted at American schoolchildren: At a press conference today, President Obama announced plans for the first ever federally funded Muslim outreach program. The program will be available nationwide for all elementary school students grade K-12 beginning February 1st, 2014. The program is designed to educate children about the fundamentals of the Muslim religion and Islamic belief. President Obama spoke with reporters to explain why it is so important that these outreach programs exist. The Muslim community deserves our full understanding and respect, Obama said. We have killed millions of Muslims overseas since the September 11th attacks. These folks are not all bad. In fact, most of them are hardworking citizens just like you and me. I encourage every student in America to participate in your schools Muslim outreach program. Learn about the Muslim community, the beauty of the Sunnah and the magic of the Quran. The phone number given at the end of the National Report article for contacting the 24-hour National Muslim Appreciation Hotline actually belongs to the notorious Westboro Baptist Church. The phone number listed in the Conservative Frontline piece for the Nationwide Muslim Youth Outreach Hotline is in fact the phone number for the Republican National Committee. TeraGo Inc. Announces Jim Nikopoulos as New Chair of the Board TORONTO, ONTARIO (Marketwired) 06/24/16 TeraGo Inc. (TeraGo or the Company) (TSX: TGO) () announces that following the Companys 2016 Annual General Meeting (the Meeting) held yesterday and the previously announced retirement of Charles Allen, TeraGo has appointed Jim Nikopoulos as the new Chair of the Board effective immediately. Mr. Nikopoulos joined TeraGos Board back in October 2013 and currently serves as the Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Element Financial Corporation. Mr. Nikopoulos previously served as Vice President, Corporate Development and General Counsel at TeraGo, and prior to that, was a partner at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree (Economics & Political Science) from the University of Toronto and a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. Mr. Nikopoulos commented, We were very fortunate to have had Charles Allens strong leadership who made a significant contribution to TeraGos strategic direction and recent transformation. With his retirement, Im excited and thrilled to take on this vital and enhanced role at TeraGo and will look to lead the Company into the next stage of its growth as Canadas premier enterprise class network, data, voice and cloud services provider. Mr. Stewart Lyons, President and CEO of TeraGo added, We are looking forward to Jims experience and continued guidance as the new Chair, and are confident the Board will continue its focus on creating long-term value for our shareholders and customers under his leadership. In addition to the appointment of Mr. Nikopoulos as Chair of the Board, Mr. Gary Sherlock, who was elected as a new director at the Meeting has been appointed as the new Chair of TeraGos Audit Committee. About TeraGo TeraGo provides businesses across Canada and globally with network and voice services, data center services and enterprise infrastructure cloud services. TeraGo manages over 3,000 cloud workloads, seven data centers in the Greater Toronto Area, the Greater Vancouver Area, Ottawa, Kelowna and Winnipeg and owns and manages its own IP network. The Company serves approximately 4,000 business customers in 46 major markets across Canada including Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Winnipeg. TeraGo Networks is a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) and was selected as one of Canadas Top Small and Medium Employers for 2015 and is recognized as a Canadian Telecommunications Employer of Choice for 2016. TeraGo Networks was also recognized by IDC as a Major Player in MarketScape Cloud Vendor Assessment. For more information about TeraGo, please visit . Contacts: TeraGo Investor Relations 1-877-982-3688 How Intelinet Systemss Cloud Migrations Proudly Risked Defying Convention Intelinet Systems today reflected on its release of Cloud Migrations Services 5 years ago, which was in development for 10 years. The main aim was always to give business owners piece of mind in knowing their data is protected and retrievable no matter what disaster strikes their server or their computers and by defying convention, this DIFY data migration to the cloud did so, with a difference. Jeff Wheeler, Partner at Intelinet Systems, says: Intelinet Systems wanted to try something new with Cloud Migrations. Anyone familiar with the IT management market will probably have noticed how everyone else always seemed to treat all client situations the same way. This was a problem because every business is unique. So as a welcome breath of fresh air, with Cloud Migrations Services instead creates a series of steps designed to optimize each client migration. Intelinet Systems chose to make this move because of a belief business operations should become easier, not more complex, after their data migrates to the cloud. As far as security goes, data protection in the cloud can be made more secure than most small businesses now have on their own network. Jeff Wheeler also said Our customers now have an ability to focus on growing their business, and let experts take care of data safety. With Cloud Migrations, they have a fresh new possibility. We want them to feel like theyve made the right choice when using Cloud Migration Service. Trying something new is always a risk, but its a risk worth taking. Intelinet Systems has been in business for over 30 years, being established in 1982. Since Day 1 it has always aimed to take care of IT Management for businesses focused on growth. Cloud Migrations Service is now available in the Dallas Fort Worth area and throughout North Texas. To find out more, visit [http://www.intelinetsystems.com/services/cloud-mig](http://www.intelinetsystems.com/services/cloud-migrations) For further information about Intelinet Systems, all this can be discovered at http://www.intelinetsystems.com/ It wasn't in the job description for the Lebanon city manager's job, but Gary Marks has nevertheless risen to the challenge: Marks, a lifelong artist in addition to his government work, has plans to refurbish the community's weathered 14-foot-tall cedar log totem pole. If everything goes to plan, the totem pole would be a big part of the planned renovation of Mural Park in the downtown area into Strawberry Plaza. But this is a project that could go awry: Marks noted that the totem, first erected in 1993, is weather-cracked and rotted. It could be that the level of rot makes the salvage work impossible, but Marks is hoping that's not the case. His plan is to sand the totem extensively and then use epoxy to fill its numerous cracks and rotted areas. Then he'll repaint the totem, doing his best to match the original colors white, red, yellow, blue, brown and black. The totem is made of a single cedar log and features artwork of an eagle with its wings spread standing atop a beaver. Marks said the totem originally was erected because the Kalapuya tribe is indigenous to the mid-valley. Much of Marks' other artistic works have been in mediums other than wood, but he's no stranger to woodworking: His father was a woodworker and Marks spent many hours in the family shop as he was growing up. Marks said he's spending three days on the project to start, as part of the city's community service program, which allows all city employees to be paid for up to 20 hours of volunteer work annually. (That program is praiseworthy as well.) But our sense is that Marks will have a considerable chunk of his own time invested in the project by the time it's done. And the totem, when completed, should offer a nice nod to the city's history even as it stands watch over the city's new Strawberry Plaza. (The plaza itself, which will feature a fountain designed to look like a strawberry and a stage for community arts groups, sounds like it will be a big deal as well.) We wish Marks well with his work with the totem and we're pleased that he's taken on this project. (mm) The governor's debate plans You might have noticed our earlier item about how Gov. Kate Brown has declined an invitation from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association to debate her Republican opponent, Bud Pierce, at the association's annual convention next month. Generally, the association's debate serves as the opening event of the fall campaign, but a spokesman for Brown said she would be too busy working as governor to participate this year. So we choked on our coffee a bit later in the week when we read a press release from Brown's campaign. Let us quote from it: 'Governor Brown looks forward to sharing her vision for Oregon, taking part in regional debates between September 1 and Election Day,' said Michael Kolenc, campaign manager. 'In the meantime, Oregonians expect their governor to work hard and take care of the people's business, and that is what she is going to be doing.'" The press release goes on to note some of Brown's ground rules: She won't debate before Sept. 1; she wants at least three debates to be televised regionally, and additional debates will be considered on a case-by-case basis "depending on format discussions, schedule availability and neutral sponsoring organization." The press release goes on to note: "The campaign has received very few debate and forum proposals." Well, OK. But we know of at least one proposal that's been turned down. (mm) YWCA, police use 11 questions to protect domestic violence victims The idea: See if a victim is at high risk of being seriously injured or killed. And if they are, hook them up with a shelter or services. Brexit and Foreign Policy Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, also a senior member of the SPD, is calling for a "flexible" EU together with his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault. The two met on Saturday in Berlin with the foreign ministers of Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium, countries that, together with France and Germany, represent the six founding members of the European Coal and Steel Community. The group issued a joint statement following the meeting which, echoing Merkel's language, called Brexit a "watershed moment in the history of Europe." Furthermore, the paper called for efforts to work for a more cohesive EU while also providing insight into the kind of flexibility they have in mind. "We shall ... recognize different levels of ambition amongst Member States when it comes to this project of European integration," they wrote. "While not stepping back from what we have achieved, we have to find better ways of dealing with these different levels of ambition so as to ensure that Europe delivers better on the expectations of all European citizens." The foreign ministers likewise urged that Britain quickly invoke Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon so as to begin the negotiation process as soon as possible and avoid a prolonged period of uncertainty following Brexit. Steinmeier said that "intensive European discussions" are needed. "We understand the result and understand that Britain will now concentrate on Britain," he continued, but added that the country has a responsibility to engage with the EU on leaving the bloc. His French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault added: "There is a certain urgency ... so that we don't have a period of uncertainty, with financial consequences, political consequences." Brexit is a bitter pill to swallow for Germany. Britain was a frequent ally when it came to financial policy and EU spending. Together Berlin and London often joined together in criticism of the lax approach other EU member states exhibited with their own finances. It is almost certain that Steinmeier and Ayrault are right, that Germany and France will play a leading role in reshaping a rattled EU. Coordination between Paris and Berlin is more important than ever. That, though, may not be as easy as it has been in the past. France is facing significant economic problems and the relationship between Merkel and Hollande has not always been a harmonious one. Furthermore, Germany is facing a general election in 2017 and France, too, will choose a new president that same year, with Hollande's chances for re-election not looking good. Furthermore, the right-wing populist Front National could give the establishment parties a run for their money. The big question, though, is whether a two-speed Europe will emerge from the current crisis, one in which a limited number of strong countries push ahead and deepen their cooperation. The Steinmeier-Ayrault paper discussed by the six foreign ministers in Berlin on Saturday seems to allow for the possibility that some EU member states may not be interested in deeper European integration. Bir-Lehlou (Liberated Zones), June 25, 2016 (SPS) - President of Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Jatri Adduh, has expressed the concern of the Polisario Front over the lack of progress after two months of the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 2285(2016) on Western Sahara. In a letter to UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-moon, President of Republic said I am writing to express our concern related to the fact that nearly two months after the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 2285(2016) on Western Sahara, there is no progress on the UN political process to find a just, fair and peaceful solution that will ensure the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination in accordance with UN General Assembly resolution 1514(XIX) and the UN settlement Plan that was endorsed by the Security Council resolutions 658(1990) and 690(1991). By adopting resolution 2285(2016), the Security Council has underlined the urgent need for the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to return to full functionality, and has recognized that Moroccos expulsion of the MINURSO civilian personnel constitutes a direct threat to peace and security in Western Sahara and the region. Moroccos actions are a brazen attempt to shut down the UNs role in Western Sahara, despite the legal obligations it had agreed to in accepting MINURSOs presence in Western Sahara. So far, not a single staff member has been returned nor has tangible progress been made to restore the full-functionality of MINURSO. Instead of holding Morocco accountable to implementing resolution 2285(2016) in good faith, it seems to us that the UN continues to allow Morocco to persist in its attempts to intimidate and undermine the independence and credibility of MINURSO, which was mandated to organize a self-determination referendum for the people of Western Sahara, added the President of the Republic. The President of the Republic called for return to full functionality of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) and outlining a process for direct, intensive, time-bound and high-level talks between the Frente POLISARIO and Morocco. Below is the full text of the letter: 25 June 2016 To His Excellency, Mr. Ban Ki-moon UN Secretary-General United Nations, New York Your Excellency, On behalf of the Frente POLISARIO, the legitimate representative of the Saharawi people, I am writing to express our concern related to the fact that nearly two months after the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 2285(2016) on Western Sahara, there is no progress on the UN political process to find a just, fair and peaceful solution that will ensure the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination in accordance with UN General Assembly resolution 1514(XIX) and the UN settlement Plan that was endorsed by the Security Council resolutions 658(1990) and 690(1991). By adopting resolution 2285(2016), the Security Council has underlined the urgent need for the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to return to full functionality, and has recognized that Moroccos expulsion of the MINURSO civilian personnel constitutes a direct threat to peace and security in Western Sahara and the region. Moroccos actions are a brazen attempt to shut down the UNs role in Western Sahara, despite the legal obligations it had agreed to in accepting MINURSOs presence in Western Sahara. Excellency, So far, not a single staff member has been returned nor has tangible progress been made to restore the full-functionality of MINURSO. Instead of holding Morocco accountable to implementing resolution 2285(2016) in good faith, it seems to us that the UN continues to allow Morocco to persist in its attempts to intimidate and undermine the independence and credibility of MINURSO, which was mandated to organize a self-determination referendum for the people of Western Sahara. In this regard, we take exception to the fact that a technical meeting held between the UN and Morocco officials on 10 June 2016 was firstly held in El-Aaiun. There is no precedent of such meetings taking place in Western Sahara occupied territory over which Morocco has no sovereignty under international law. Secondly, Moroccan media have deliberately echoed that the UN technical delegation included an official of Moroccan origin who has no direct link to the Western Sahara dossier, thereby provoking in our public opinion legitimate interrogations about this fact and its implications on what should be a credible and objective process aimed at achieving the full return of MINURSO personnel as requested by the UN Security Council resolution. It is difficult to understand that this process has already taken two months while the expulsion by Morocco of MINURSO personnel has been carried out in 48 hours. While we welcome all the efforts You have undertaken to make sure that MINURSO will get back its full capacity to enable it to implement its mandate as set forth by the UN Security Council resolutions 658 and 690, the information we have indicates that there is no formal acceptance by Morocco to the full return of MINURSO personnel expelled, despite the attempt made by the technical mission, and there is no convincing reason or facts which would lead Morocco to change its current position that can be summarized in two words: deception and procrastination. Excellency, We, the Saharawi people, the region, as well as the international community have received with great hope your historic visit of last march. We share with You your assessment and conclusions, mainly your repeated call to the two Parties to enter into serious negotiations that must take into account the unshakable truth that the negotiations that started in 2007 on the basis of the two Parties proposals did not lead to the results You and the Security Council have been waiting for. The UN Security Council resolution 2285(2016) refers to this sensitive and crucial element. You and your Personal envoy have received the mandate to call for a fifth round of formal negotiations between the Frente Polisario and Morocco. We cannot understand the reasons by which this essential element of the resolution has not yet been implemented. The entire process is once again a prisoner of delaying tactics since there is neither the full return of MINURSO personnel nor the resumption of negotiations. It is time to confront the reality. There is not much time left. Excellency, We have been drawing your attention, and that of your Personal Envoy, as well as the Councils, on the need to protect the independence and credibility of your Mission in Western Sahara. The full return of MINURSO personnel should be taken as a new golden opportunity to fix what has been undermining both its independence and its credibility. It is well known that Morocco operates as if Western Sahara is a de facto part of its territory, rather than reaffirming its rightful status of a Non-Self-Governing Territory (NSGT) awaiting a process of decolonization. Beyond the fact that MINURSO has been unable to report on human right abuses that have been fully documented by independent international organizations, on a number of occasions the Frente POLISARIO has brought to your attention the many instances where Moroccos treatment of MINURSO is unacceptable. Specifically, this includes stamping the passports of MINURSO personnel with Moroccan stamps, requiring UN vehicles to operate with Moroccan license plates (as opposed to UN license plates in accordance with standard practice for a UN peacekeeping mission), addressing UN correspondence for destinations within the territory with labels of Morocco as place of destination rather than Western Sahara, and preferential treatment when it comes to arranging visits of UN personnel to the region, telephone calls with UN officials, and advance opportunity to edit reports written by the UN Secretariat. The failure of the UN to properly address these breaches by Morocco and to ensure respect for its Mission and its mandates in Western Sahara has been a significant contributor to the current impasse in the political process to find a just and fair solution based on the right of the Sahrawi people to the self-determination. Excellency, By adopting resolution 2285(2016), the Security Council, in placing emphasis on the importance of the parties commitment to continue the process of preparation for a fifth round of negotiations, has recognized that the ceasefire will not hold in the absence of a substantive political process, and has recognized that Moroccos ongoing circumventing, blocking and delaying tactics to prevent substantive progress in the UN political process must come to an end. The Frente POLISARIO wishes to reassure your Excellency of its support for your Personal Envoy Christopher Ross in his work to facilitate the entry of the parties into formal negotiations that will ensure the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. Nevertheless, we must say that in the face of Morocco's repeated and persistent demonstrations of bad faith in the many rounds of negotiations, the UN political process has reached a crisis point. Accordingly, it is incumbent upon your Excellency, and the UN Secretariat, particularly your Personal Envoy, Ambassador Christopher Ross, and your Special Representative on MINURSO, Kim Bolduc, to adopt a more urgent and proactive approach in pursuit of the self-determination for the Saharawi people, including by taking steps to: Ensure that MINURSO returns to full functionality. This includes obtaining a commitment from the two parties to respect MINURSOs original and ongoing role in Western Sahara, and that MINURSO must be allowed to continue to do its work free of interference or restriction of movement by upholding long-established principles and practices of UN peacekeeping. Outline a process for direct, intensive, time-bound and high-level talks between the Frente POLISARIO and Morocco, with the necessary decision-makers from both sides at the table, to be conducted within the framework of UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, in order to resolve the conflict by the end of 2016. Excellency, The UNs full implementation of resolution 2285(2016) must occur on an equal and evenhanded basis, or it will only serve to reinforce the pattern of unequal treatment by the UN towards the two Parties to the conflict. By failing to confront Moroccos intransigence, including on its forced obstacles to the UN political process and the most basic principles for maintaining the independence and impartiality of a UN peacekeeping operation, the UN has lost it way on Western Sahara. This does not bode well for the people of Western Sahara and for the prospects for peace and security in the Maghreb region already shaken by instability and increasing threats posed by extremist, terrorist, and criminal elements. I would be most grateful if you would transmit a copy of this letter to the members of the Security Council. Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration. JatriAdduh Secretary-General of the Frente POLISARIO BirLahlou, Western Sahara (SPS) 062/090 A driver who handed himself in after killing a man in a hit-and-run incident was caught speeding at more than 140mphs only days later. Farhan Ali, 30, caused the death of Adam Partyka in Osterley after hitting him in the early hours of the morning on February 8 before driving off. The next day Ali, of Hounslow, handed himself in and was arrested. Police said that four days after he was charged, Ali was arrested for driving at speeds in excess of 140mph on the M40. The 30-year-old was jailed at for six and a half years at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday. He was also handed a four-year extended sentence, disqualified from driving for 10 years with an extended retest. His licence was endorsed and he was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of 120. Jailed: Farhan Ali was given a six year sentence / Met Police In March he was sentenced at Aylesbury Crown Court to 12 months in prison for dangerous driving. Detective Sergeant Jeff Edwards, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "Ali showed complete disregard for the safety of other road users and his recklessness has caused the death of a much loved man who had everything to live for. "His excess speeding beggars belief and he rightly deserves a custodial sentence for his crime. Our thoughts are with the family of Janusz who have behaved with the utmost dignity throughout this investigation." A petition calling for London to be declared as an independent city state has been backed by more than 100,000 people. Freelance writer James OMalley set up the Londependence campaign in response to Britain leaving the EU in an historic referendum. Tens of thousands showed their support in the hours after it was posted online with signatures now past the 100,000 landmark. It calls on Mayor Sadiq Khan to declare London as an independent state so the capital can remain part of the European Union. Sadiq Khan arrives to vote in the EU referendum in Tooting / Lucy Young / Evening Standard Londoners were overwhelmingly in favour of remaining in the EU with with 2,263,519 votes compared to only 1,513,232 backing Brexit. Loading.... Mr OMalley said yesterday he was considering staging a rally after he admitted he had been blown away by how popular his call had become. TODO: define component type apester He said: I thought maybe I could get 200 signatures so the reaction to it has been unbelievable," he said. Leave wins EU referendum - in pictures 1 /30 Leave wins EU referendum - in pictures David Cameron announces his resignation outside Number 10 Downing Street Stefan Wermuth/Reuters David and Samantha Cameron outside Downing Street as the PM announces his decision to stand down Stefan Wermuth/Reuters Boris Johnson leaves home following the stunning EU referendum result Lucy Young A triumphant Nigel Farage near the Houses of Parliament Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images Jeremy Corbyn MP, leader of the Labour Party, is followed by journalists as he walks towards the Houses of Parliament Rob Stothard/Getty Images London Mayor Sadiq Khan speaks to the media after Britain voted for Brexit Matt Writle Leave supporters cheer results at a Leave.eu party after polling stations closed in the Referendum on the European Union in London Toby Melville/Reuters Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall Rob Stothard/PA Vote LEAVE supporter Christine Forrester celebrates with others outside Vote Leave HQ Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images Supporters of the Stronger In campaign look dejected as results come in Rob Stothard/AFP/Getty Images The Houses of Parliament as dawn breaks on London after the vote Rob Stothard/Getty Images Stronger in campaigners look dejected after the result Leave supporters celebrate opposite the Houses of Parliament in London Anthony Devlin/PA Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home this morning Rob Stothard/Getty Images A man reacts to a vote count results screen at an 'Leave.EU Referendum Party' in London Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at the Royal Festival Hall Rob Stothard/PA UKIP Leader Nigel Farage at the Leave.EU party in London as he claimed victory Stefan Rousseau/PA A London taxi driver holds a Union flag, as he celebrates following the result of the EU referendum Toby Melville Traders react to the fast moving Euro results at ETX Capital in the City of London this morning Chris Gorman/Evening Standard People gathered in The Churchill Tavern, a British themed bar, react as the BBC predicts Briatin will leave the European Union, in the Manhattan borough of New York Andrew Kelly/Reuters Traders monitor computer screens with the day's exchange rate at a foreign exchange brokerage at a securities firm in Tokyo Eugene Hoshiko/AP Conservative MP Nigel Evans (left) and UKIP's Paul Nuttall, members of the Vote Leave campaign, celebrate at Manchester Town Hall where the national result in the UK referendum will be declared later Peter Byrne/PA Traders react to the fast moving Euro results at ETX Capital in the City of London this morning Chris Gorman/Evening Standard It was mainly done as a joke but some people have got in touch with me saying I should make a thing of it. Some people are taking it seriously so maybe I should hold a rally. The organiser said he was unaware how London would operate as an independent state but has suggested Sadiq Khans job title could switch to President. Supporters who have backed the online campaign have put forward suggestions for London to control its own borders through an Australian-style points-based immigration system. A Londoners letter calling for the United Kingdom to change its name to Poundland has delighted Twitter. Many Londoners have express their dismay after the Brexit campaign won a majority vote in the EU referendum. After a vote which has divided much of the country, David Jones, from Notting Hill, suggested that the country should be renamed after the discount supermarket. He wrote to the Times: Sir, it is now surely unthinkable that we can continue to call our country the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Brexit - EU leaders in quotes The only thing uniting us is our currency. Perhaps Poundland would be more appropriate. Many people have praised Mr Jones letter on Twitter using the hashtag #poundland. A petition calling for a second referendum proved so popular yesterday that the government website crashed due to the sheer amount of visitors. More than 100,000 people have also signed a petition calling for London to declare its independence from the EU. L ondoners who backed staying in the EU coped in time-honoured fashion - by flocking to the capital's pub. Leave campaigners celebrated as 52 per cent of Britain's voters backed Brexit. But the results in the capital showed that Londoners were overwhelmingly in favour of remaining in the EU with with 2,263,519 votes compared to only 1,513,232 backing Brexit. More than 100,000 people signed a petition calling for London to declare independence from the UK to stay in the EU, while others suggested the capital should form a new nation with Scotland. But most chose to discuss London's future at the pub. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has moved to reassure Londoners that the city would continue to prosper outside of the EU following the brexit vote. Loading.... He said: "Londoners should know that over the coming weeks, months and years, I will work with the Government and businesses in our city to ensure London continues to be the best place in the world for business, creativity and innovation - and that London continues to be a great city in which to live, work and raise a family A London school has sparked outrage after a disturbing and Islamophobic article by a member of a far-right group was handed out to Year 8 children in an English lesson. The piece, called Ten Reasons Why Britain Should Not Accept Syrian Refugees and written by Liberty GB member George Whale, was given to pupils as part of a lesson on bias at Oaks Park High School in Ilford. Headteacher Steve Wilks has defended the material, saying it had been chosen as an example of something the pupils could easily argue against. But pupils parents and family members reacted with fury after being told of the lesson involving pupils as young as 12. Claims: The article made reference to Syrian refugees and Muslim terrorists / Syed Ahmad The family of one child said she was left ashamed to be a Muslim after coming home with the article and was scared of returning to school the following day. The 13-year-old girl's mother told the Standard she was shocked and horrified when the article was brought home. She said: "The question I would ask was if a pupil was to say something homophobic, or xenophobic, or anti-Semitic, the school would have to take action over it. In this case, students were sent home with far-right and Islamophobic material, and told that their children could be terrorists too. What action is the school planning on taking over this? She went on: Was there no other material that could be used to teach this to 12-year-olds? Will they also be critiquing ISIS material? Our children should be safe at school." The girls cousin Syed Ahmad, 22, said: She actually felt ashamed of being a Muslim afterwards. When I went to the house to talk to them she was hiding in her room. She was actually scared of going to school the next day. He went on: I asked her what was the lesson about. She didn't say propaganda, she didnt say media bias, she said it was about why we shouldn't let Syrians come into the UK. I think this is just a very poor choice of article to give to children as young as 12. I think it's a very poor choice given the current tide of Islamophobia. Vaseem Ahmed, chairman of the Muslim Engagement and Development anti-Islamophobia group, called for lessons to be learned from the parents response. He said: Its just a very disturbing way of doing it. Why would you expose young kids to that extreme stuff? Mr Ahmed also questioned why a far-right group had been chosen, saying: It just seems like, to some, Muslims have become fair game. Its not malicious intent from whoever did it but there was a lack of thought in it. However, since images were published on Facebook this week, some students have rushed to the schools defence. One wrote: As a student at this school, I'd like to make it clear that yes, our lessons were planned around this article. But it was made adamantly clear how derogatory the views of the article were by our teachers. The schools headteacher said in a statement: The aim of this lesson was to teach pupils an understanding of bias by giving an example of a view that they could easily argue against. The teachers and students read the piece together and at each stage explored the content of the article and the opinions contained within. The views contained within the article were not endorsed or supported by the teacher, but rather quoted as part of the lesson. This was an exercise to empower pupils to separate truth from lies in articles when doing their own reading, and the assessment objective was to write a letter to the author of the piece arguing their views. The class were given a printed copy of the article to refer to and to use for homework, and were not directed to find this or any other articles by the same author online. R ecord numbers have turned out to celebrate Pride in London amid heightened security after the Orlando mass shooting. Up to one million people were expected to attend this weekends Pride in London celebrations held in the wake of the worst US terror attack since 9/11. Nearly 300 charities, businesses and organisations will parade through the West End which will be transformed into a sea of bright colours in honour of the LGBT community. Among them is Mayor Sadiq Khan who said it was 'more important than ever' to embrace LGBT community in the run-up to the festival. Highlights from Pride in London 2016 Absolutely Fabulous pair Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley have also been pictured celebrating at the parade. Absolutely Fabulous: Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley celebrate at this year's Pride festival / PA Security has been stepped up for the event as police seek to reassure visitors following the atrocity at a gay club in Orlando earlier this month. Police join in the fun at Pride in London / Paul Brown/Rex Marchers will pause for a minutes silence in Trafalgar Square in remembrance of the 49 victims killed in a homophobic attack by Islamic State supporter Omar Mateen. Mateen opened fire at Pulse nightclub on Sunday, June 12 before he was shot dead by police. Honour: Participants will honour the victims of the Orlando massacre after 49 people were shot dead at a gay club / Paul Brown/Rex Pride in London chairman said the appalling tragedy has led to a surge of support for this weekends event. He said: It will be a celebration and commemoration. So many people have got in touch to say that they want to show their support after Orlando. The Metropolitan Police will unveil its new support association for its Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender officers and staff called LGBT Network at Pride. Pc Anton Brown, chair of the network, said: The Met had been lacking in a LGBT staff association for a number of years. This will represent LGBT matters in the Met, promoting recruitment and delivering training to LGBT liaison officers. It will also provide access to local and national events, promote reporting and provide support to members who have suffered LGBT crimes or bullying. A survey found that one in six members of the LGBT community fear being the victim of hate crime, according to a poll of 2,000 people conducted by specialist LGBT insurer Emerald Life. S cores of anti-Brexit protesters have gathered in Parliament Square to show their anger at the prospect of leaving the EU. Demonstrators descended on Westminster armed with EU flags and banners proclaiming "Yes 2 EU" as they refused to give up the fight this afternoon. Frustrated Londoners were taking to the streets for the second day running after the nation voted to quit the union by a thin majority on Thursday. Anti-Brexit slogans were held aloft including one sign saying "So long 'Great' Britain" and others which simply read: "F*** Brexit". It comes as an e-petition calling for a second referendum surpassed 1.7 million signatures and is set to be considered for a debate in the Commons. There was so much support that the petition repeatedly crashed the governments Parliament.uk website on Friday. Many Londoners have reacted with fury after the capital became the only region in England and Wales to vote in favour of remaining in the union. More than 140,000 people have signed a petition calling for London to break away from Britain and remain in the EU in protest. TODO: define component type apester And tens of thousands are expected to attend a major protest in Trafalgar Square on Tuesday. Remainers continue the fight at the pro-EU protest on Saturday / Matt Cardy/Getty Images Hundreds of Londoners had already taken to the streets on Friday, marching across London Bridge to the Shard. An estimated 650 people marched through the streets in protest at "anti-migrant" rhetoric of the Leave campaign and chanting refugees are welcome before gathering outside the headquarters of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation publisher of The Sun and The Times. Loading.... The Sun had backed the Leave campaign, while The Times was in favour of Remain. Its sister paper The Sunday Times also endorsed Leave. A n online petition calling for a second EU referendum has stormed past two million signatures amid claims it is being rigged by Remain voters. The petition on the Governments website has amassed more than 2.3 million backers since the Brexit vote was confirmed on Friday. But the huge show of support for a fresh vote has prompted accusations that the petition has been fraudulently manipulated. Leave voters have been sharing a tweet which allegedly stated: If youre not British, sign this petition anyway pls and DM for postcode. Were desperate #VoteRemain. It was apparently posted from an account which has since been deleted. Robert J F Barnes was among those to share a screenshot of the tweet, writing: The petition with 2m votes is fraudulent. Another tweeter sent the screenshot to the Met Police, writing: Hey @metpoliceuk is inciting foreigners to interfere in UK Government some kind of treason? There were also claims that the petition had been targeted by hackers who were furiously voting. A screenshot of a message which was allegedly written by a hacker has also been sent to the Met Police after being shared on Twitter. It stated: "I have hacked the UK petition website and am currently voting like crazy on this petition." Meanwhile, a German journalist claims to have signed the petition to prove it can be manipulated. Lorenz Hemicker tweeted: Are you British? Sure! Voting for a 2nd #Brexit-Referendum takes only 30 seconds. Even for a German journalist. People are asked to confirm they are a British citizen or UK resident and provide a postcode and email address to sign petitions on the Parliament.uk website. TODO: define component type apester They then have to click a link which is sent to the given email address to confirm their signature. The petition went viral after the EU referendum ended with a narrow win for the Leave campaign. It was created about a month before Thursday's poll, which saw 17.4 million votes cast to leave the EU, compared with 16.1 million for remaining, with a turnout of 72.2 per cent. It states: We the undersigned call upon HM Government to implement a rule that if the remain or leave vote is less than 60% based a turnout less than 75% there should be another referendum. It became so popular on Friday as Remain voters sought to register their anger at the Brexit vote that it repeatedly crashed the website. Steps have since been taken to ensure the web servers can cope with the demand. The petition may now be discussed in the Commons after gaining more than 23 times the threshold of 100,000 backers required to be considered for a debate. But the countrys foremost elections expert today insisted there was no chance of a second referendum taking place. Professor John Curtice, who produced the only general election exit poll to correctly predict a Conservative victory, was speaking after the petition reached a million signatures. He said: How many people voted in favour of Leave? Seventeen million. One million is chicken feed by comparison. It's no good people signing the petition now, they should have done it before. Even then, these petitions don't always mean a great deal. It has passed the 100,000 mark for it to be debated in Parliament. All that means is that some MPs will say, 'It's a terrible shame', others will say, 'Hallelujah'. Then that's the end of it. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said manipulation of the petition would not be a matter for police and that no formal allegations have been received. A ngela Merkel has insisted there is "no need to be particularly nasty" to Britain over its "divorce" from the EU. The German chancellor also said she would not be pushing for the UK to speed up its withdrawal from the union. She struck a different tone to several EU foreign ministers including Germanys who have demanded a swift Brexit. European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker also insisted any delay "doesn't make sense". But Mrs Merkel that while it shouldnt take forever for Britain to begin exit negotiations, she would not fight over a short period of time. She added that she was seeking an objective, good climate in the talks and played down suggestions that remaining EU states would want to punish the UK for its decision, or seek to deter others from leaving the bloc. [There's] no need to be particularly nasty in any way in the negotiations, she said. Her intervention came after David Cameron was put under intense pressure from the EU to take immediate action. Mr Juncker said that Britain's departure was not an amicable divorce and talks should begin immediately on wrapping up what was never "a tight love affair anyway". Germanys own foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said negotiations should begin as soon as possible. His French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault suggested a new Prime Minister should be chosen within days to speed up the process. However, David Cameron said he will leave it to a successor who will not be chosen until October to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty when he announced his resignation. Invoking Article 50 will set in motion up to two years of negotiations to exit the EU. C ornwall pleaded with the government to step in to fill the gap to be left by EU funding after the county decisively voted for Brexit. The county, which has suffered economically since the collapse of the mining industry, relies heavily on subisidies from Brussels. It is believed to have received more than 650million from 2007 to 2013 in EU funding to help develop infrastructure, broadband and universities. But that didn't stop Cornish voters backing Brexit by a majority of 56 per cent in the EU referendum. Leave wins EU referendum - in pictures 1 /30 Leave wins EU referendum - in pictures David Cameron announces his resignation outside Number 10 Downing Street Stefan Wermuth/Reuters David and Samantha Cameron outside Downing Street as the PM announces his decision to stand down Stefan Wermuth/Reuters Boris Johnson leaves home following the stunning EU referendum result Lucy Young A triumphant Nigel Farage near the Houses of Parliament Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images Jeremy Corbyn MP, leader of the Labour Party, is followed by journalists as he walks towards the Houses of Parliament Rob Stothard/Getty Images London Mayor Sadiq Khan speaks to the media after Britain voted for Brexit Matt Writle Leave supporters cheer results at a Leave.eu party after polling stations closed in the Referendum on the European Union in London Toby Melville/Reuters Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall Rob Stothard/PA Vote LEAVE supporter Christine Forrester celebrates with others outside Vote Leave HQ Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images Supporters of the Stronger In campaign look dejected as results come in Rob Stothard/AFP/Getty Images The Houses of Parliament as dawn breaks on London after the vote Rob Stothard/Getty Images Stronger in campaigners look dejected after the result Leave supporters celebrate opposite the Houses of Parliament in London Anthony Devlin/PA Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home this morning Rob Stothard/Getty Images A man reacts to a vote count results screen at an 'Leave.EU Referendum Party' in London Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at the Royal Festival Hall Rob Stothard/PA UKIP Leader Nigel Farage at the Leave.EU party in London as he claimed victory Stefan Rousseau/PA A London taxi driver holds a Union flag, as he celebrates following the result of the EU referendum Toby Melville Traders react to the fast moving Euro results at ETX Capital in the City of London this morning Chris Gorman/Evening Standard People gathered in The Churchill Tavern, a British themed bar, react as the BBC predicts Briatin will leave the European Union, in the Manhattan borough of New York Andrew Kelly/Reuters Traders monitor computer screens with the day's exchange rate at a foreign exchange brokerage at a securities firm in Tokyo Eugene Hoshiko/AP Conservative MP Nigel Evans (left) and UKIP's Paul Nuttall, members of the Vote Leave campaign, celebrate at Manchester Town Hall where the national result in the UK referendum will be declared later Peter Byrne/PA Traders react to the fast moving Euro results at ETX Capital in the City of London this morning Chris Gorman/Evening Standard Council leader John Pollard has now appealed to the British government for protection amid fears Brussels subsidies have been put in jeopardy. Global reaction over Brexit He said: Now that we know the UK will be leaving the EU we will be taking urgent steps to ensure that the UK Government protects Cornwalls position in any negotiations. We will be insisting that Cornwall receives investment equal to that provided by the EU programme which has averaged 60million per year over the last 10 years. Prior to the vote, a statement on the councils website said the county had been reassured that leaving the EU would not affect funds that had already been allocated to it by the EU. Brexit campaigners also promised Cornwall would receive equal or better investment before the vote. A petition calling for a second EU referendum vote has now been signed by more than a million people. Angry Remain voters have flocked to the Governments website calling for a re-run of the ballot. The Brexit campaign won Friday's vote with a 52 per cent majority but many of the UKs major cities backed staying in the EU. The petition states: We the undersigned call upon HM Government to implement a rule that if the remain or leave vote is less than 60% based a turnout less than 75% there should be another referendum. Leave wins EU referendum - in pictures 1 /30 Leave wins EU referendum - in pictures David Cameron announces his resignation outside Number 10 Downing Street Stefan Wermuth/Reuters David and Samantha Cameron outside Downing Street as the PM announces his decision to stand down Stefan Wermuth/Reuters Boris Johnson leaves home following the stunning EU referendum result Lucy Young A triumphant Nigel Farage near the Houses of Parliament Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images Jeremy Corbyn MP, leader of the Labour Party, is followed by journalists as he walks towards the Houses of Parliament Rob Stothard/Getty Images London Mayor Sadiq Khan speaks to the media after Britain voted for Brexit Matt Writle Leave supporters cheer results at a Leave.eu party after polling stations closed in the Referendum on the European Union in London Toby Melville/Reuters Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall Rob Stothard/PA Vote LEAVE supporter Christine Forrester celebrates with others outside Vote Leave HQ Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images Supporters of the Stronger In campaign look dejected as results come in Rob Stothard/AFP/Getty Images The Houses of Parliament as dawn breaks on London after the vote Rob Stothard/Getty Images Stronger in campaigners look dejected after the result Leave supporters celebrate opposite the Houses of Parliament in London Anthony Devlin/PA Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home this morning Rob Stothard/Getty Images A man reacts to a vote count results screen at an 'Leave.EU Referendum Party' in London Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at the Royal Festival Hall Rob Stothard/PA UKIP Leader Nigel Farage at the Leave.EU party in London as he claimed victory Stefan Rousseau/PA A London taxi driver holds a Union flag, as he celebrates following the result of the EU referendum Toby Melville Traders react to the fast moving Euro results at ETX Capital in the City of London this morning Chris Gorman/Evening Standard People gathered in The Churchill Tavern, a British themed bar, react as the BBC predicts Briatin will leave the European Union, in the Manhattan borough of New York Andrew Kelly/Reuters Traders monitor computer screens with the day's exchange rate at a foreign exchange brokerage at a securities firm in Tokyo Eugene Hoshiko/AP Conservative MP Nigel Evans (left) and UKIP's Paul Nuttall, members of the Vote Leave campaign, celebrate at Manchester Town Hall where the national result in the UK referendum will be declared later Peter Byrne/PA Traders react to the fast moving Euro results at ETX Capital in the City of London this morning Chris Gorman/Evening Standard A House of Commons spokeswoman earlier said the site had temporarily been taken out of action due to "exceptionally high volumes of simultaneous users on a single petition, significantly higher than on any previous occasion." How the UK felt about Brexit "UK Parliament and the Government Digital Service are aware of the issue and are working hard to resolve the problems as quickly as possible." The parliamentary petitions system is overseen by the Petitions Committee, who consider whether petitions that receive more than 100,000 signatures should be raised in the house. The committee is due to sit again on Tuesday. A Change.org petition calling on Mr Khan to instigate the secession of London from the rest of the UK had passed 100,000 signatures by Saturday morning. The page, set up by James O'Malley, stated: "London is an international city, and we want to remain at the heart of Europe. "Let's face it - the rest of the country disagrees. So rather than passive aggressively vote against each other at every election, let's make the divorce official and move in with our friends on the continent. Foreign ministers from the six founding members of the EU held a crisis meeting this morning to discuss the repercussions of the Brexit vote. EU officials have called for the UK to exit the union as soon as possible to avoid any more complications. Frances foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said there would be a lot of pressure on David Cameron at the next EU summit on Tuesday to speed up the process of leaving. Aides of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have denied he is on the verge of resigning following the referendum. Under pressure: Jeremy Corbyn / Getty Mr Corbyn has been blamed by Labour Mps for not campaigning enough to try and keep Britain in the EU. A motion of no confidence in the Labour leader has been submitted and will be discussed at the next Parliamentary Labour Party meeting on Monday. F rance today urged Britain to install a new Prime Minister within days as EU leaders piled pressure on the UK to speed up the Brexit process. David Cameron suggested that the two-year withdrawal clause would not begin until a new PM is in place in October. But at a summit of six EU founder states, ministers said negotiations should begin as "soon as possible". The intervention came as the UK's European Commissioner Lord Hill announced he is to stand down, saying "what is done cannot be undone". European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said the proposed delay until October "doesn't make sense", and announced: "I would like to get started immediately." Quick exit: Jean-Claude Juncker said he wanted Britain to start work immediately to leave the EU / EPA He said the separation was "not an amicable divorce", adding: "It was not exactly a tight love affair anyway". Germany's foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said negotiations should begin "as soon as possible" and Britain had a responsibility to work with the EU on exit terms, while his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault agreed there was "a certain urgency ... so that we don't have a period of uncertainty, with financial consequences, political consequences". The intervention came as the AFP news agency reported that France wants a new Prime Minister to be in place in Britain within the coming days. With the financial consequences of Brexit causing increasing concern, influential credit rating agency Moody's downgraded the UK's outlook to "negative", warning it was facing "a prolonged period of uncertainty" with implications for the country's medium-term growth. Jeremy Corbyn delivers a speech in London amid mounting pressure after the EU referendum / Getty In London, Jeremy Corbyn made clear he would fight any attempt to unseat him by MPs blaming him for a "lacklustre" referendum campaign. Asked whether he would stand in any leadership contest resulting from the no confidence motion tabled by Labour backbenchers, he replied: "Yes, I am here." In a speech setting out Labour's response to the Brexit vote, Mr Corbyn focused on the need to maintain social and employment protections after EU withdrawal and to take account of the sense of "powerlessness" felt by Labour voters who opted for Leave on Thursday. An emergency cabinet meeting of the Scottish Government in Edinburgh formally agreed to press ahead with legislation to pave the way for a potential second independence referendum, which First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said was "very much on the table". What will Brexit mean for the economy? Ms Sturgeon said her administration was also entering "immediate discussions" with EU institutions and other member states to "explore possible options to protect Scotland's place in the EU". Defence Secretary Michael Fallon denied Mr Cameron's decision to defer his exit until the autumn left the Government a rudderless ship. Speaking during a pre-scheduled visit to Cleethorpes with the PM, Mr Fallon said: "The Prime Minister goes on, the Government goes on until the autumn, until there's a new leader and a new government. "We'll remain at our posts and we have a big agenda. We were elected only a year ago and we've set out fresh legislation which were taking through Parliament at the moment." Sturgeon on Scotland Mr Fallon said he had spoken to Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg and other key allies to assure them that Britain will not play a "lesser" role on the international scene after Brexit. But French President Francois Hollande said the UK's decision had implications for international relations that reach far beyond the shores of the UK. Meeting United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon in Paris, Mr Hollande said: "It is true that for the whole world there is a question mark as to what will happen. "I very much regret the vote of the UK but I respect it. It is a matter of democracy." Mr Hollande indicated that he and Mr Ban did not feel withdrawal from the EU would throw Britain's permanent seat on the Security Council into question, saying the outcome of the vote "has no impact regarding where the UK stands within the United Nations system". The comments came as a prominent Leave advocate, Tory MEP Daniel Hannan, came under fire for saying a post-Brexit Britain could still join the single market with its free movement of labour rules. Mr Hannan claimed this was not a backtrack on campaign promises as the Leave side had promised to "control" immigration, not end it. However, Tory former chancellor Ken Clarke warned against a lurch to right-wing nationalism in the party as he attacked Ukip immigration policies. As the shockwaves from the 52%-48% Brexit win continued to reverberate, Tory Remain backers were getting behind Home Secretary Theresa May as the best-placed candidate for a leadership battle with Brexit standard-bearer Boris Johnson. Loading.... Former minister Sir Alan Duncan cast doubt on assumptions that the former London mayor was the inevitable choice as Mr Cameron's successor, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Do not necessarily assume that he is the darling of the Conservative Party activists. "A lot of them have loved the notoriety and the excitement. But actually, once you scratch the surface a little bit and ask the second question, a lot of them don't want a permanent ride on the big dipper." Britain's new status in the departure lounge of the EU was underlined by the exclusion of Mr Cameron from a meeting of the other 27 leaders next Wednesday to discuss the implications of Brexit. Under the Lisbon Treaty, London has the right to decide when it triggers Article 50, which begins the two-year exit negotiation period. Vote Leave campaign director Dominic Cummings said it was "unthinkable" to invoke Article 50 before a new PM is in place. Writing on Twitter, Mr Cummings said: "David Cameron was quite right. New PM will need to analyse options and have informal talks." WASHINGTON A short-handed, deadlocked Supreme Court dealt a serious blow to President Barack Obamas immigration plans Thursday. Many Republicans hailed the outcome as a welcome pushback against executive overreach, while immigrant advocates said it only highlights the need for a comprehensive overhaul of the countrys immigration system. Rep. Brad Ashford, D-Neb., issued a statement calling on his colleagues to pass bipartisan legislation to address both border security and the status of those in the country illegally. It is past time to find a compromise on the pathway to earned citizenship for law-abiding immigrants who wish to become American citizens, he said. The hotly debated direction of Americas national immigration policy as well as the balance of power on the high court now will be determined in large part by the presidential and congressional elections. Immigration and the court vacancy created by Justice Antonin Scalias death in February already were featuring prominently in the campaigns. If Scalia were alive, his vote probably would have meant an outright ruling against Obamas immigration expansion rather than the 4-4 tie, which would have been a much more significant defeat for the president and immigrant advocates. The tie probably wont lead to an increase in deportations because the president retains ample discretion to decide whom to deport. But the ruling stymies his effort to bring people out from the shadows by giving them the right to work legally in the United States. One of the programs would have protected the parents of children in the country legally. The other was an expansion of a program that benefits people who were brought to the United States illegally as children. Obama decided to move forward on his own after Republicans won control of the Senate in 2014 and the chances for an immigration overhaul, already remote, were further damaged. His unilateral action brought condemnation from Republicans, and a number of states sued to block his order. A district judge halted the implementation of the plan and an appellate court panel agreed, sending the case to the Supreme Court. Now, with the tie, the case moves back to the lower court to decide the constitutionality of Obamas proposal. Sens. Deb Fischer and Ben Sasse, both Nebraska Republicans, had signed onto an amicus brief in support of the lawsuit. President Obamas amnesty plan would have granted legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants living in this country, Fischer said Thursday in a written statement. We are a nation of laws, and Im pleased to see this affirmed by todays decision. Through our constitutional system of checks and balances, the judicial system has put a stop to the presidents flagrant abuse of power. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, had not signed the brief but said Thursday that she opposes the presidents actions and that the court result moves us a step closer toward working to put an end to his overreach. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, had signed the brief and described the Supreme Court result as a win for the American people and especially American workers that also underscores the rule of law. I agree that our immigration system must be revamped, but circumventing Congress and attempting to rewrite the immigration laws simply because you dont get your way is unlawful and contrary to the checks and balances so carefully crafted in the Constitution. Democrats were quick to use the tie vote as evidence that the Senate needs to quickly confirm Obamas nominee for the Supreme Court and give it a full complement of justices. But a Grassley spokeswoman said that even if a judge had been appointed on the Democrats timeline, that person would not have been in place to hear arguments in the immigration case. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican, said the result affirms that Obamas plan is unconstitutional, illegal and fundamentally unfair and that president cant unilaterally change the rules. As governor, I will continue to advocate for an immigration system that welcomes freedom-loving people who follow the law and enter our country through our legal immigration system. Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson said the decision was important because it protects the constitutional balance of power. He also said it means that the case will proceed based on its legal merits in federal district court. Erica Johnson, director of advocacy for the ACLU of Iowa, pointed out that the Supreme Court did not decide the constitutionality of Obamas order. But she said Thursdays ruling will have serious consequences for millions of families whose lives now remain in legal limbo. She said the ACLU of Iowa, as part of a coalition of immigrants and allies, felt profound sadness about that result. The courts deadlock represents a big step backward for the safety and unity of thousands of Nebraska families, as well as the states economy, said Darcy Tromanhauser, director of Nebraska Appleseeds immigrants and communities program. This delay in the 2014 programs keeps thousands of Nebraska families in danger of separation and threatens communities across the state that have been enriched by the contributions of immigrant Nebraskans, she said. She called for changes that would provide immigrant families a clear, inclusive means to obtain legal status and eventually citizenship. She noted that the decision does not affect Obamas original executive order on immigration, which offered temporary legal status to immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children. Nebraska lawmakers overrode the governors vetoes to pass laws allowing those young immigrants to get drivers licenses and professional licenses in the state. A statement issued by Appleseed included comments from Alondra, whose full name was not given. Alondra lives in Omaha and qualified for the program that would have offered legal status to illegal immigrant parents with U.S.-born children. This is a very sad day for my family and thousands of other Nebraska families like us, Alondra said. This state is our home, and we will continue to do everything we can to be a valuable part of it. This report contains material from the Associated Press. * * * Q&A: What happened, and whats next? Q. What programs are affected by the Supreme Courts action on Thursday? A. In 2014, President Barack Obama announced the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program, which would allow illegal immigrants to work in the United States and avoid deportation if their children were lawfully in the country, as long as the parents met certain conditions. Obama also wanted to expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. A lawsuit joined by 26 states, including Nebraska, led to a court order blocking the new program and the DACA expansion before they took effect. Q. What did the court do? A. The Supreme Court did not rule on the legality of the immigration programs because it deadlocked, 4-4. That left in place the lower courts order in Texas that blocked the immigration programs. The lower court now can hear testimony and arguments about the programs constitutionality. Q. Is there any impact on the original DACA program? A. No. DACA started with a 2012 executive order by Obama that allowed undocumented immigrants brought to the country illegally as children to live and work in the United States for two years without fear of deportation. Candidates must meet a host of requirements before they are accepted by the Department of Homeland Security, and they can apply for two-year renewals. The ruling also has no effect two Nebraska laws, one passed in 2015 and one this year, that allow youths who qualify for the DACA program to get drivers licenses and professional licenses here. This is your opportunity to meet Justin Cawiezel without getting pulled over for speeding past the Scott Bluff National Monument headquarters, walking your dog without a leash or getting bitten by a rattlesnake. Cawiezel is a federal park ranger whose specialty is law enforcement. I met him while he was working with cleanup volunteers last spring. Before that, I didnt know the monument had a park cop. Thats in part because the monument is a pretty peaceful place. Cawiezel has been here for three years, after traveling the country busting marijuana growers, leading rescue operations and keeping protesters under control on various tracts of federal property. His most harrowing incident here to date involved subduing a potentially suicidal visitor and taking him into custody. There havent been any big fires or even a serious snakebite. But with 3,000 acres to watch, theres still a lot to do. Cawiezel grew up on a farm near Morrill, where his father Fred raised hay and his mother Shirley was a schoolteacher. He graduated from Morrill High School in 1994. But before he graduated he was already interested in park service. At 14, he was a volunteer at Fort Laramie National Historic Site. I loved military history, that was my beginning, he said. He paid particular attention to the parks law enforcement rangers. I loved the history, the outdoors. Its multi-faceted. Its fire. Its emergency medical services. Its law enforcement. Within the first week I was like, Wow! I love this. But park jobs arent easy to come by. Longtime employees generally move often and have to be patient while awaiting opportunities. After high school, he had studied history and geology at Eastern Wyoming College and Lamar University in Texas, where he earned his degree. He volunteered and took seasonal work before landing his first job in Philadelphia at Independence Hall, guarding the Liberty Bell among other assets. His shift began at midnight. In many ways, he was an inner-city cop. It taught me a lot about how to handle complex situations, he said. After his stint in Philadelphia he undertook more training. After a few years of that he landed back at Fort Laramie for a while. Later, he became a trainer himself at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. He worked in New River Gorge Park in West Virginia, where he spent five years, but often got called away to work other beats. By then his daughters, Erin, now 7, and Allison, 5, were approaching school age. He worried about the local schools. Thats when the Monument job opened up. This was a good place for me to grow up, he said. I quickly realized there is a lot of work to do here. He handled 143 cases last year. He patrols about two miles of Old Oregon Trail Road that passes through park property, discourages visitors from going off-trail and eroding the parks fragile formations and works with adjacent landowners to get them to help keep an eye on the parks resources. He stops thieves from making off with plants, wildlife, artifacts and fossils, a duty thats important to the historical integrity of the land. If you destroy that, future generations cant come out and see whats here, he said. The features that are out there are here for everybody. He gets a lot of help from other agencies and praises the cooperative efforts of local police, deputies and emergency responders. Were close to the urban environment, and they get here fast, he said. Although he works to enforce park rules, hes also a ranger. He issues special-use permits, collects fees, works the entrance station, sells books, stays busy with a variety of federal paperwork and tends to minor medical emergencies. He meets with park visitors and answering questions. There are a lot of people from other countries who are here to experience the West, he said. One of his most memorable encounters involved visitors from the Netherlands who carried the diary of an ancestor who had been a pioneer on the Oregon Trail. He encourages area residents to follow the rules regarding park entry, which require admission even if youre just riding a bike on the trails. To be in the area, you have to have a pass, he said. If youre local, get the pass. Its $15 a year. When you get company, you can bring them out here and show it off. An annual pass will give you more opportunities to explore some of the unappreciated portions of the property, such as the rarely trod South Bluff, the highest point in the park. He encourages explorers to check in first, in case they encounter a snake or get injured. There are places to explore within this 3,000 acres that people never take the time to experience, he said. Take time to see what we have here and what it means to the history of our nation. 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Rice exports in January - June by Vietnam, the world's third-biggest exporter of the grain after India and Thailand, is seen down 8.4 percent annually at 2.73 million tonnes, the website quoted the Vietnam Food Association (VFA) as saying. The annual estimate is lower than the association's earlier forecast of 6.5 million tonnes as Vietnam suffers from its worst drought in 90 years that dragged the country's economic growth last quarter to the lowest in two years. A farm ministry official urged farmers to boost production to make up for supply losses in the previous crop, while future demand from key markets like China, Philippines and Indonesia is seen solid, the report said. Vietnam exported 2.3 tonnes of rice in the first six months of 2016, almost the same as the corresponding period a year ago, government data showed. Alterra International, the firm with a renovation plan for the block-wide Jefferson Arms in St. Louis, also is eyeing an even bigger downtown building for redevelopment. Mike Sarimsakci, president of Alterra, said his company is considering artist lofts and office space for the Butler Brothers warehouse, which covers an entire block at Olive and 18th streets and contains 718,660 square feet of space. In comparison, the Jefferson Arms at 415 North Tucker Boulevard has about 550,000 square feet of space. Alterra, a development company based in Dallas, has the Jefferson Arms under contract and hopes to begin by early next year its renovation as apartments and a hotel. The Butler Brothers building was the first structure Alterra examined months ago when the company began looking around St. Louis for redevelopment opportunities. In early March, Sarimsakci said Alterra chose to redo the Jefferson Arms after deciding that the Butler Brothers building was "a little too far off the beaten path. He said this week he is rethinking that assessment. Possible is a joint venture redevelopment with the Butler Brothers owner, Sarimsakci said. Sovereign Partners, a privately held real estate investment company in New York, bought the building in 2007 for nearly $13.4 million. Sarimsakci said under discussion is a project that would redo the Butler Brothers structure as lofts and 50,000 to 60,000 square feet of "creative" office space. In early 2014, a real estate company floated the idea of redoing the eight-story as 342 apartments, garage parking and retail space. The idea got no takers. Sovereign Partners also owns the building at 1701 Locust Street, across the street from the Butler Brothers structure. A proposal the company made last August to redo 1701 Locust as 86 apartments has not begun. Opened in 1906, the Butler Brothers building is among 55 commercial structures in the National Register of Historic Places' Washington Avenue Historic District. Alterra has a history with Butler Brothers buildings. It is nearing completion of its $90 million renovation of the Dallas Butler Brothers building as apartments. As the combination of the worlds two biggest beermakers moves closer to completion, craft brewers remain worried about the implications of competing against an even larger rival. The merger of Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller, announced last fall, has already gained antitrust approval from the European Union, Australia and other countries. Regulatory approval in the United States is drawing near, according to Reuters. If the sale is finalized, Belgium-based A-B InBev would control about 29 percent of beer sold worldwide. In the U.S., A-B InBev contends the merger wont have an impact. A-B InBev plans to sell Miller brands in the U.S. that are partly owned by SABMiller to its joint venture partner, Molson Coors, to address antitrust concerns. With this sale, Bud Light would have separate ownership in the U.S. and still compete with Miller Lite domestically. Buying SABMiller, according to A-B InBev, is a means to boost sales in emerging markets including Africa. In his testimony before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing in December, A-B InBevs CEO Carlos Brito said SABMillers stake in MillerCoors would mean A-Bs U.S. market share would not change as a result of the combination. Divesting SABMillers stake in MillerCoors will make Molson Coors a stronger competitor domestically, Brito told senators. But craft brewers continue to eye the combination of the two largest brewers warily and worry the sale will curb the explosive growth craft beer has enjoyed in recent years. With more than two craft breweries opening daily, there were a record 4,144 breweries in the U.S. at the end of 2015, compared with just a thousand U.S. breweries two decades ago, according to the Brewers Association, a Colorado-based trade group that represents U.S. small and independent craft brewers. More than 12 percent of beer produced in the U.S. last year was made by craft brewers, up from 5.7 percent market share by volume in 2011. While the craft beer industry continues to grow its market share, a larger A-B InBev is viewed as a potential threat. Brewers Association President and CEO Bob Pease, who also testified before the Senate committee last year, has argued that the Justice Department should require A-B InBev to sell or reduce its stake in its distribution network and that regulators should move to preserve competition. Pease said he believes a larger A-B InBev will have even more influence over the brands distributors carry, making it more difficult for smaller brewers. The U.S. is the most profitable beer market in the world, Pease told the Post-Dispatch. When the No. 1 brewer wants to buy the No. 2 brewer, I cant accept at face value that it wont have any impact in the U.S. We have serious concerns about maintaining even and unencumbered access to market for small and independent brewers. A-B InBev, whose U.S. unit is based in St. Louis, said in an emailed statement that with the record number of brewers operating in the U.S., competition and consumer choice in the beer industry are stronger than ever. Nothing about the proposed combination of A-B InBev and SABMiller would change that, A-B InBevs statement said. A-B InBev has committed to selling all of SABMillers U.S. business and would therefore acquire no brands, or any other assets, in America as a result of this merger. The proposed combination with SABMiller would have zero impact on the U.S. beer market and any claims to the contrary are simply false. Shelf space battle Despite those assurances, as more breweries open, smaller breweries remain worried a larger A-B InBev will have more influence on what beers retailers stock on their shelves and hamper access to supplies such as hops. U.S. antitrust officials are investigating incentives A-B InBev offers to distributors to sell more of its own beer brands, according to Reuters. And in Missouri, a bill backed by A-B InBev that would allow breweries to lease coolers to retail stores was passed by state legislators this year and is awaiting Gov. Jay Nixons signature. Craft brewers opposed the bill, arguing only large brewers such as A-B InBev can afford to buy the coolers, which will likely be filled by retailers with A-B brands. Florian Kuplent, co-founder of St. Louis craft brewery Urban Chestnut Brewing Co., was one of several hundred craft brewers from around the country who were in the nations capital in early June to talk with members of Congress staff about the negative impact they believe the A-B InBev/SABMiller merger will have on the U.S. beer industry, among other topics. With Anheuser-Busch buying multiple craft breweries around the country in recent years, including Chicagos Goose Island, its becoming more difficult for consumers to discern what beers are independently owned, said Kuplent, a former brewmaster at St. Louis-based A-B. Obviously theres only so much space on store shelves, and at some point, brewers wont be able to get their beers on the shelf because of the physical limitations of shelf space, Kuplent said. For newer players that get into the market, it may be harder for them to find a distributor to take on a new brand or brewery. Stephen Hale, ambassador brewer at the St. Louis Brewery, which makes Schlafly beer, was among the group of brewers who spoke with congressional staff members this month. Founded in 1991, Schlafly is St. Louis largest craft brewery, producing about 60,000 barrels annually, with sales in 15 states and D.C. I dont know how it could not have an impact on small brewers ability to get access for distribution, Hale said of the merger. Anyone who is smaller than Anheuser-Busch InBev/SAB Miller should be concerned. Another worry is access to ingredients, such as certain kinds of hops that are difficult to obtain because of their limited supply, Kuplent said: A-B InBevs power is going to be even more significant than it is already and access to ingredients wont get easier. BOSTON A Harvard professor who caused a huge splash when she unveiled a small fragment of papyrus that she said referred to Jesus being married now says its likely a forgery. Harvard Divinity School professor Karen King presented the piece of papyrus in Rome in 2012. The fragment, written in Coptic, includes the phrase, Jesus said to them, My wife. Right from the beginning, it sparked controversy and debate among scholars. Doubts about its authenticity were raised almost immediately. King said it is more likely than not that the fragment is a modern forgery. She cited an investigative article published last week on the website of The Atlantic magazine that raised questions about the owner of papyrus, Florida businessman Walter Fritz. The Atlantic also was the first to report her concession that the papyrus is likely a fake. If you ask me today which direction am I leaning more toward ancient text or a modern forgery based on this new evidence, Im leaning toward modern forgery, King told The Associated Press. The Atlantic found inconsistencies in Fritzs story about how he came to acquire the papyrus and in a document he gave to King purporting to authenticate it. This evidence does make a difference in judging whether it was a forgery or not, and it pushes the evidence toward it being a forgery, King said. A valid telephone number could not be found for Fritz. In an email sent to the AP on Monday, Fritz included a letter he sent to The Atlantic in which he denied forging, altering or manipulating the papyrus or its inscription. Mark Goodacre, a professor of religious studies at Duke University, said doubts about the fragment were raised within hours of King showing the text at a conference in Rome. When you show something like that to people who spend their entire lives starting at these things, a lot of them could straightaway tell there was something fishy about it, Goodacre said. He said he credits King with having a lot of guts to acknowledge that she was likely duped. King said she has always maintained that the fragment wasnt evidence about whether Jesus was married. Its at most a part of the early Christian story about should Christians marry, and so on and so forth, she said. She said she is not happy about being lied to, but felt oddly relieved after reading the Atlantic article. I think having the truth is always kind of centering, she said. LINCOLN COUNTY The recovered digital device of a missing woman recorded sounds of an assault, but no trace of her was found after a full days search, a spokesman said Saturday. Lt. Andy Binder of the Lincoln County sheriffs office said investigators found Sussette Benhardts cellphone and the recording device in a washing machine in the family home. Binder said analysis of the recording leads us to conclude that she is a victim of assault by her husband. The body of her husband, William Benhardt, was found Thursday afternoon in his truck near Bellflower, 20 miles west of the couples business and land near Troy, Mo. He was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and near him was a .357-caliber revolver that investigators said had been fired twice. Binder said investigators had no information on Sussette Benhardts whereabouts or condition. Teams of officers and firefighters, including divers and K-9 units, spent Saturday searching the couples 128-acre property, including their Snow Hill Nursery, where Sussette Benhardt was last seen arguing with her husband Wednesday morning. William and Sussette Benhardt, both 50, were going through a divorce. They have three grown children. Binder said officers suspended the search about 7 p.m. Saturday and will proceed with a more focused approach to include multiple properties the couple own. Assisting the sheriffs office Saturday were members of Lincoln County Fire Protection District No. 1 and Missouri Region C Technical Rescue Team. Binder said officers with the St. Charles County internet crimes unit assisted in analyzing the cellphone and recording device. Binder said a murder-suicide is a possibility, but deputies have no way to know whether Sussette Benhardt is alive or dead. Binder said the property they searched Saturday includes dense forests with several ponds. Divers checked three ponds Saturday, and firefighters used drones to scan the land, he said. Anyone with information on Sussette Benhardts whereabouts is asked to call the sheriffs department at 636-528-6100. VnExpress asked policymakers and experts to examine the consequences that Brexit might have on Vietnams economy for the foreseeable future. Vietnam is increasingly emerging as the one of the most active trade partners with the European Union (E.U.). The E.U. has become Vietnams second largest export market after the U.S. This growth, coupled with the free trade pact between Vietnam and the E.U., known as the EVFTA, is expected to fuel trade relations in the years to come. Vietnam accounted for 19.1 percent of the 201.4 billion euros (nearly $230 billion) in total trade between the EU and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) last year. That figure is up from 15.8 percent in 2014, global news provider Bloomberg cited data from the E.U. delegation in Singapore as saying. Now as the United Kingdom has voted to leave the E.U., the spillovers from this unprecedented decision are likely to beset Vietnams exports, say policymakers and economists. Experts said that Vietnams exports may be harmed due to Brexits direct hit on currency moves, battering the British pound and making Vietnamese exports less competitive. Vietnams exports to the U.K. alone are currently estimated at roughly 2.9 percent of the Southeast Asian countrys total export value, reaching $4.6 billion last year. Experts forecast that a 10 percent decline in Vietnams exports to the U.K. could translate into a $460 million loss. A weaker British pound will have negative impacts on the U.K.s gross domestic product growth, and Vietnams exports will face more hurdles due to price hikes, said economist Nguyen Tri Hieu. Hieu feared a domino effect as a plunging pound would affect the yuan. Vietnam relies quite heavily on neighboring China. If the yuan is going to devaluate, the Vietnamese dong will hardly hold up. If things come to that, market regulators will have to calculate the depreciation of the dong as a move to keep Vietnamese exports competitive [in the international market], said Hieu. The securities arm of top partly private commercial bank Vietcombank said in a report about Brexit's impact on Vietnams economy that the central bank might not have many resources left to keep the dong from succumbing to the pressure. A trader from BGC, a global brokerage company in London's Canary Wharf financial centre, reacts during trading on June 24 after Britain voted to leave the European Union. Photo by REUTERS/Russell Boyce Investors around the world appear to have been caught off-guard by the outcome of the British referendum. The market should keep calm, said Truong Van Phuoc, vice chairman of the governments National Financial Supervisory Commission. In response to huge economic and political blows like this one, we have learnt from experience that we must collect ourselves and stay calm for the upcoming developments. From my personal point of view, the British pound will recover, and other currencies, including the euro, will follow the suit, added Phuoc. The United Kingdoms decision to leave the E.U. has not had a direct hit on the country as trade links between Vietnam and E.U. still remain relatively weak in comparison with the U.S., Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Singapore is been the biggest partner with the E.U. among the 10 ASEAN countries. For the foreseeable future, Brexit will not have any considerable impacts on our economy. We still have to wait and see, said Do Thi Ngoc, deputy head of the Price Statistics Department under the General Statistics Office. The fact that the Britain voted to leave the E.U. sent shockwaves around the world on Friday, rocking the global stock markets and battering the British pound and emerging market currencies. Vietnams benchmark VN Index dropped 11.5 points or 1.85 percent to 620.77, mainly dragged by bank stocks. The decline on Friday was the largest since the beginning of this year. Alongside volatilities on the stock market was a rush to safe haven investments such as gold. Gold prices hit a 10-month high at VND35.2 million ($1,570) VND35.9 million ($1,601) per tael. One tael is equivalent to 37.5 grams. Economist Nguyen Tri Hieu seemed vigilant about potential financial volatilities. He said the upcoming spillovers from the Brexit vote are likely to matter far more to the country than any immediate hit on the benchmark VN Index on Friday as they threaten to prompt foreign investors to leave the Vietnamese stock markets. When the global stock markets become volatile, foreign investors, including E.U. venture capital funds, will shift their money from emerging markets like Vietnam back to traditional markets in an attempt to seek a safe haven, said Hieu. He suggested policymakers should take action to prevent such a thing from happening. Now that the British people have notified the E.U. they want out of the bloc, the UK will have two years to officially negotiate its departure, according to Article 50 of the E.U.'s Lisbon Treaty. Prime Minister Cameron will not step down until October, which he said he might do to provide an orderly transition. UPDATED at 12 p.m. Sunday with identities and mugshots of suspects. ST. LOUIS Police arrested two men Friday night after they were reported throwing eggs and shouting racial slurs at a woman waiting at a bus stop. The suspects were identified as Jesse Reed, of the 4500 block of Meadow Drive, and David Ragain, of 1000 block of Lon Vera Drive. Both addresses are in the Murphy area of Jefferson County between High Ridge and Fenton. Both men are 30 years old. "These weren't two white teenagers on a joy ride," said St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson. Reed and Ragain face charges of "assault motivated by discrimination," a third-degree felony. Bond has been set at $20,000. According to police, the two men shouted slurs and threw eggs at an African-American woman waiting at a bus stop on South Grand Boulevard near Chippewa Street around 11 p.m. Friday. Charges say other African-Americans waiting at bus stops along the same route also reported being struck by eggs within minutes of the woman being hit. Authorities found the men by using video surveillance and license plate scanners to trace a white minivan police said was involved. Ragain and Reed were in the minivan. Police believe Reed and Ragain may have committed similar crimes in the past, and urge people to come forward if they have been the victim of similar crimes. An woman was found dead at an apartment pool in Clayton, possibly from heat-related causes, police said Friday. Officers were called to an apartment building in the 200 block of South Brentwood Boulevard round 2 p.m. Friday, police said. They found a deceased woman near the building's outdoor pool and believe she may have died from heat-related causes. Authorities did not release the woman's name. "Our fire department is recommending that the very young and elderly should use more caution with this weather, the way that it is," said Clayton police Sgt. Frank Chaitman. "They're more susceptible to the heat than others." The temperature reached at least 92 degrees on Friday. The World Bank has offered Vietnam a $90 million loan to help the Southeast Asian country cope with climate change. The World Bank will help Vietnam strengthen its climate change and green growth agenda by funding the country to make policy reforms aligned with the World Bank Groups Climate Change Action Plan. Fostering climate change adaptation and mitigation and enhancing resilience is important to Vietnam and the sustainability of its development, says Achim Fock, acting country director for the World Bank in Vietnam. Supporting this agenda in Vietnam is part of our global effort to respond to climate change, a priority at the World Bank, he added. This is the first tranch in a series of three loans that aim to help Vietnam to take climate change and green growth policy actions. The loan is intended to fund the implementation of policies to improve integrated coastal zone planning and management, public investments related to climate change and green growth, protection of water resources and greater water use efficiency and coastal forest development. It will also support transportation and industrial production policies to improve air quality, and energy efficiency and renewables that will mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. These actions are aimed at helping Vietnam prepare to implement the commitments it made ahead of the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference organized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Related news: > World Bank backs Vietnam's climate change fight with $310 million loan > World Bank grants Vietnam $119 million loan to support water supply projects > World Bank provides $500 mln funding for transport and flood control in Vietnam Two remarkable weeks have passed since the mass shooting deaths of 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. Something is happening here, but as the song says, what it is aint exactly clear. Will the outrage over the Orlando shooting persist, or will it fade away like earlier anger? Will high-profile congressional protests make a difference? Will the engagement of the politically savvy gay-rights community move the debate? The hammerlock that the gun industry holds on the Republican-controlled Congress is being challenged as it hasnt been in 20 years. Ten days ago Senate Democrats staged a 15-hour filibuster demanding a vote on two modest gun-control proposals: halting sales to those on terrorist watch lists and requiring universal background checks. They forced a vote, but the measures failed. Last week House Democrats followed suit. House rules dont permit filibusters, so Democrats took a page from the civil rights playbook and held a sit-in, demanding votes on the same kind of modest legislation. Led by 76-year-old Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., the moral anchor of Congress, Democrats took over the well of the House on Wednesday and held it for 25 hours. They were a social media sensation. But they didnt get the vote they wanted. Republicans took control long enough to pass an $82.5 billion spending bill for military housing and training and a belated and inadequate $1.1 billion to fight the spread of the Zika virus. Then they doused the lights and adjourned until July 5. Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., dismissed the sit-in as a publicity stunt. Yes, but thats not necessarily a bad thing if it moves the political conversation. Ryan helped earlier in the evening by holding a vote to veto new Labor Department rules imposing conflict-of-interest rules on financial advisers. The bill failed and all Ryan got was bad optics, kowtowing to Wall Street while ignoring pleas for gun safety. Given the stasis that grips Congress under Republican rule, parliamentary maneuvers and publicity stunts are all thats left to the Democratic minority. The institution is broken the Senate wont even bring a Supreme Court nominee to a vote. Powerful lobbies and campaign donors drive the agenda. Congress has been captured. The changes Democrats are asking for in gun laws are not radical. Suspected terrorists should not be able to freely buy guns. Thats not hard. Tougher background checks are supported by between 70 percent and 92 percent of voters. But the gun lobby is absolutist. Its financiers are wealthy and passionate, and until those who want sensible gun laws match that wealth and passion, nothing is going to happen. Which is why those who want sensible gun laws cant be content with filibusters and sit-ins. The issue must become a relentless campaign, not just a special event on C-Span. Two Vietnamese fishermen have been arrested for allegedly stabbing the captain and chief engineer of a South Korean fishing boat to death. The arrests were made when the ship Kwang Hyun 803 docked at Victoria Harbour in the Seychelles on June 23, four days after the murders, according to Korea Times. Seven South Korean Coast Guard personnel and local police stormed the ship, gained control and sailed it back to the dock. The Vietnamese men did not resist arrest. Four Korean patrol staff have put the suspects on airplane to fly back to South Korea. They are expected to arrive at Incheon International Airport this afternoon and will be taken to the Coast Guard base in Busan City for investigation. "We decided it's better to take them to South Korea as soon as possible for investigation instead of holding them in custody and doing the interogration here," said a coastguard official. The force also checked the health of the remaining crew members and questioned them about the incident. The ship's operator said they will bring the victims bodies back to their homeland. A South Korean crewman named Lee testified that the two Vietnamese fishermen stabbed the captain and chief engineer after they drinking a bottle of liqor that the captain had given everyone as a gift. They were subdued by the other fishermen on board. According to Lee, the Vietnam fishermen were diligent and very obedient workers. Their acts might have been due to the influence of alcohol, he said. Lee was taken to a local hospital for treatment to minor injuries he sustained while trying to control the two suspects. A total of 18 fishermen, including three South Koreans, seven Vietnamese and eight Indonesian were aboard the Kwang Hyun 803. After the incident, Lee took control and navigated the ship back to Victoria Harbour. Related news: > Vietnamese crewmen held over killing of S.Korea ship captain, engineer > Malaysia detains 20 Vietnamese fishermen for intrusion > Vietnamese fishermen in custody after being caught fishing in Thai waters European Council President Donald Tusk attends a news conference after the meeting with Cyprus' President Nicos Anastasiades at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, Cyprus March 15, 2016. REUTERS/Petros Karadjias/Pool BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders are determined to keep the unity of the EU after Britain voted to leave the 28-nation bloc, the chairman of the leaders Donald Tusk said on Friday, noting the EU had been prepared for such an outcome. "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger," Tusk told reporters in a statement. "I want to reassure everyone that we are prepared also for this negative scenario," he said. Tusk said there was no way to predict all the political consequences of the vote, especially for Britain, but that it is not a moment for "hysterical reactions." "Today, on behalf of the 27 leaders I can say that we are determined to keep our unity as 27," Tusk said. EU leaders, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, are scheduled to meet on Tuesday in Brussels. Tusk said the 27 leaders of countries remaining in the EU would meet informally to discuss how to handle Britain's decision to leave. "I have offered the leaders an informal meeting of the 27 in the margins of the European Council summit," Tusk said. "And I will also propose to the leaders that we start a wider reflection on the future of our Union." Under EU law, a country that wants to leave the bloc has two years for negotiations on the terms of the divorce, starting from the moment it formally notifies the EU of its intention. Some British officials who campaigned to leave the EU have suggested that London could delay such notification, to make time for informal talks on the best possible exit deal. Tusk appeared to take a firm line. "All the procedures for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU are clear and set out in the treaties," Tusk said. Cameron said on Friday Britain would probably make such a notification only in October. (Reporting By Jan Strupczewski; editing by Philip Blenkinsop) Dr. Peter Smith delivers keynote address CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Kaplan University online students came together today to celebrate their academic achievements at the Universitys 2016 Commencement held at the Rosemont Theater outside of Chicago. More than 12,600 online graduates were recognized for earning Certificate, Associate, Bachelor, Master or Doctoral Degrees from the Schools of Business and Information Technology, Education, Health Sciences, Nursing, Open College, Concord Law School and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Peter Smith, former Vermont Lieutenant Governor, United States Representative and Founding President of three higher education institutions including the Community College of Vermont, California State University and the Open College at Kaplan University ([email protected]), addressed the graduates. More than 1,000 graduates attended the ceremonies in person with their friends and families with thousands more watching and celebrating from around the world via a live webcast. The ceremonies can be viewed at www.graduation.kaplan.edu. A complete list of graduates and photos are available upon request. About Kaplan University Kaplan University offers a different school of thought for higher education. It strives to help adult students unlock their talent by providing a practical, student-centered education that prepares them for careers in some of the fastest-growing industries. The University, which has its main campus in Davenport, Iowa, and its headquarters in Chicago, is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. Kaplan University serves approximately 37,000 online and campus-based students. The University has 14 campuses in Iowa, Indiana, Nebraska, Maryland, Maine, Missouri and Wisconsin, and a Kaplan University Learning Center in Maryland. Kaplan University is part of Kaplan Higher Education LLC and Kaplan, Inc., which serves over 1.2 million students globally each year through its array of higher education, test preparation, professional education, English-language training, university preparation, and K-12 offerings to individuals, institutions, and businesses. Kaplan has operations in over 30 countries, employs more than 19,000 full- and part-time professionals, and maintains relationships and partnerships with more than 1,000 school districts, colleges, and universities, and over 2,600 corporations and businesses. Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC) and its largest division. For more information, please visit www.Kaplan.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160625005005/en/ Kaplan University Amy Hawkinson 773-301-6437 [email protected] Source: Kaplan University Czech Republic's Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka speaks during a ceremony to sign bilateral agreements with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (not seen) in Jerusalem May 22, 2016. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun PRAGUE (Reuters) - The European Union must change quickly not just because Britain has voted to leave the bloc but to strengthen support for its citizens, Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said on Friday. Sobotka said the British vote did not mean the end of the EU and the bloc should agree Britain's leaving "quickly and rationally". "The European Union must change quickly," he said on his Facebook page. "Not because Britain has left, but because the European project needs much stronger support of its citizens. Europe must be more ready to act, be flexible, less bureaucratic and much more sensible to the diversity that the 27 member states represent." (Reporting by Jason Hovet; Editing by Alison Williams) By David Henry NEW YORK (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM) is grappling with how much of its business can stay in Britain and a lot will depend on how well European Union and U.K. politicians appear to be getting along. It is still unclear whether JPMorgan, the largest U.S. bank, would need to hive off slivers or chunks of its UK operations after Britain voted Thursday to leave the EU, Daniel Pinto, who heads the bank's global and investment banking operations, said in an interview. Pinto and other decision makers will be listening closely to the tone of comments by EU and UK leaders over the next few weeks to see whether they are inclined to "achieve a deal that disrupts business the least" in the exit, he said. "The outcomes could range from a very small change to a substantial one, where you would have to duplicate some of the infrastructure you now have in the UK," Pinto said of the changes JPMorgan might have to make. "It is too early to say what products you are going to be able to provide from where." All big banks with UK operations are trying to work out what to do in the aftermath of Brexit. It is a delicate topic for them to discuss because of the risk that their words could harm the coming negotiations, as well as upset employees. Changes will almost certainly have to be made to continue lending, trading and dealmaking across the newly fragmented bloc of countries. There are a range of cities vying to compete against London as a financial hub, but none of them are quite there yet. JPMorgan's European headquarters is in London and the bank has offices in the English coastal city of Bournemouth as well as Scotland. Those locations helped JPMorgan produce $14.2 billion worth of revenue last year from operations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). It has 16,000 employees across the U.K., though Pinto said it is "very, very premature" to estimate how many of them will need to relocate. JPMorgan is the world's biggest dealer in fixed income, currencies and commodities, according to research firm Coalition, and in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote on Thursday evening, it handled record foreign exchange trading volumes. At times the bank was processing 1,000 trading tickets per second, according to a memo Chief Executive Jamie Dimon sent on Friday. "Considering the circumstances," Pinto said, "it is going relatively smoothly." (Editing by Lauren Tara LaCapra and Andrew Hay) CAIRO (Reuters) - Residents of a village in central Yemen said Iran-allied Houthi fighters shot dead seven farmers on Thursday while searching for the leader of a pro-government militia. Peace talks in Kuwait between Yemen's government and the Houthis to end a civil war have dragged on for two months with few concrete results. A truce that began on April 10 has dampened fighting, but skirmishes continue almost daily. Residents of the village of Nadara in Ibb province said the Houthis could not find the militia commander but blew up his house and killed seven men working in the fields. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies intervened in Yemen's war in March 2015 on behalf of the internationally backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. The conflict has killed at least 6,400 people and caused a humanitarian crisis. The Houthis said the attack was a raid on a "terrorist cell" and that eight al-Qaeda fighters had been killed in the operation, according to the Houthi-run state news agency Saba. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has exploited the war to seize a vast swath of the country, winning new recruits and enriching themselves from oil smuggling. There have been reports of al Qaeda militants joining pro-government and tribal fighters in battles against the Houthis in central Yemen. However, the Houthis also routinely characterize the militia forces opposed to them as al Qaeda militants and accuse the Saudi-led coalition of abetting AQAP's expansion, something the alliance denies. The alliance members fear the Houthi movement is a proxy for their arch-rivals in Tehran - something the Houthis deny - and have launched thousands of air strikes in a bid to defeat them. United Nations Yemen envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed on Tuesday told the U.N. Security Council he would present a roadmap in the coming days to advance the stalled process. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Tom Finn; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) Kali Kopae in LA Casa Azul, inspired by the works of Frida Kahlo, at Circa. For some Wellingtonians, their knowledge of Frida Kahlo might only go as far as the women on the walls of Mexican restaurants who looks on as they sip their frozen margarita. She has become the inspiration behind many a Day of the Dead costume with the blooming headdresses, vibrant clothing, and yes, that monobrow. Others will know of her as Frida Kahlo, the passionate and politically active, self-portrait artist plagued with illness, who became a feminist icon and a Mexican national treasure. Supplied/Frida Kahlo Museum Frida Kahlo in 1932. Regardless of what you already know about Kahlo, a new production at Circa theatre is ready to tell her story in a way never seen on our shores before, in La Casa Azul: Inspired by the Writings of Frida Kahlo. READ MORE * Home and Away's Alf Stewart would vote for Trump * Kiwi Nick Afoa's journey form the rugby field to the West End * Mister Maker, the kids' superstar * Two years after debut, Mana Wahine still an unforgettable performance Caitlin Salter La Casa Azul director Lyndee-Jane Rutherford. La Casa Azul (The Blue House, Kahlo's birthplace in Mexico City) is inspired by Kahlo's Intimate Diary, and directed by Wellingtonian Directed by Lyndee-Jane Rutherford. Originally directed by Robert Lepage, it follows Kahlo's story, from her tumultuous marriage to fellow artist Diego Rivera, a bus accident that affected her health forever, how she channelled pain into art, and her unique and colourful way of seeing the world. Rutherford joins Ian Harman, Set Designer and Costume Designer of the Year at the 2015 Wellington Theatre Awards, to tell the story by overlaying historical events with paintings, her most personal diary entries, mask, puppetry, AV, and vivid imagery. Rob Mildon Hilda Trujillo Soto, Director of the Casa Azul, Frida Kahlo Museum in Mexico City, who met La Casa Azul director Lyndee-Jane Rutherford. Taking on the role of Kahlo is Kali Kopae, 2015's Actress of the Year, while Bronwyn Turei (TV2's Go Girls) makes her Wellington stage debut, and Gavin Rutherford plays Diego Rivera. When a fellow member of the Circa council mentioned to Rutherford that they had seen La Casa Azul on the West End, Rutherford only knew an "average" amount about Kahlo. Reading the play, and noticing Wellington's current affinity with everything Mexican, Rutherford felt inspired. DIEGO RIVERA/REUTERS Frida Kahlo with Mexican muralist and husband Diego Rivera. But the stars really aligned for the production in March when Rutherford and Harman were invited to the opening of the Frida Kahlo photographic exhibition at Te Manawa in Palmerston North. There, they met Hilda Trujillo, who was visiting from Mexico, and is the director of La Casa Azul now a museum dedicated to Kahlo. "I kind of grabbed her," rutherford says, "Because I thought, I really need to meet this woman, and how incredible was it that she was in New Zealand and I was doing a play about La Casa Azul?" Through her translator, Trujillo invited Rutherford to breakfast in Wellington. "She was the most incredibly gorgeous person and we went to the Museum Hotel, I took my cultural advisor and I was on an absolute high afterwards, she told me secrets about Frida Kahlo that no one else would know, and I've included some things, subtly." But what was also great about meeting Trujillo was receiving a sort of "seal of approval", from the woman who perhaps knows more about Frida Kahlo than anyone else in the world. "She saw some of our images and she basically gave us her blessing, it really felt like she understood that we were artists, just like Frida Kahlo. "I got a real sense that she felt we were creating a story and that Frida Kahlo would love what we are doing, and I really appreciated that." It was important to Rutherford that the show have a cultural advisor to make sure Mexican culture was respected throughout.. She initially endeavoured to cast Mexican actors, but after auditions, felt that Kopae, a Kiwi, really was the best fit for the role. "It was one of those tingles up the spine, welling up in the eyes, kind of the moments Kali was instantly Frida Kahlo, and I thought right, this is the right person. "We also have the wholehearted support from the Mexican Embassy here, they have been absolutely wonderful and are coming in crowds to see it." Kopae says she feels privileged to play such a fearless woman like Kahlo, but with heavy scenes, including a miscarriage, it has been an interesting role to tackle. "The loss of a baby on stage, that's a big ask, I couldn't do it half-hearted. We've done it in the most tasteful way, but that's probably been the toughest challenge." One of the most remarkable things about Frida Kahlo, Rutherford says, is that she channelled her physical and emotional pain into her self portraits, many of which were done in front of a mirror from her sickbed or wheelchair. As well as a story about pain and tragedy, Rutherford says La Casa Azul is also a fearless love story, with glimmers of comedy, and an insight into the spirit of Kahlo, who once said, "I took my tears, and turned them into paintings". La Casa Azul, at Circa theatre now until July 23. An actress eating weet-bix on the Chinese TV show Ode to Joy drove fans into a buying frenzy, where they paid as much as $50 for the breakfast biscuit. A black market has emerged in China for one of New Zealand's most beloved breakfast foods - Weet-Bix. Boxes of the iconic rectangular cereal are being sold for exorbitant prices on Chinese shopping sites. On Yoycart.com, a 1.4kg value pack of Australian Weet-Bix was being sold for US$39.47 (NZ$55.33). At Australian supermarket Coles, the same pack is sold for $5. In New Zealand, a 1.2kg family pack sells for $7.60 at Countdown. Sacha Lawson Weet-Bix: How many can you do, and for what price? Demand for Weet-Bix has been fuelled by a popular Chinese television drama, Ode to Joy, which featured the product, Yahoo7 reported. READ MORE: * You are what you eat - Sanitarium Weet-bix Go Breakfast Biscuits * How does gluten-free Weet-Bix compare to the original? * Gluten-free Weet-Bix a pricey alternative Phil Doyle Chinese consumers are going crazy for the basic breakfast snack. Several listings on the shopping site contain screenshots of the scene in which actress Liu Tao can be seen enjoying the cereal. The craze has reportedly seen customers raiding the shelves at some supermarkets in Australia. #Rumourfile confirmed? Listener snapped this pic at eastern suburbs supermarket. Is Weetbix the next baby formula? pic.twitter.com/4m9loK5m1r 3AW Breakfast (@RossAndJohn) June 22, 2016 Screenshot Weet-Bix were featured in a popular Chinese drama. One image posted to Twitter shows a man with his trolley filled up with large Weet-Bix boxes, using the self-checkout machine. But Sanitarium general manager Todd Saunders told Yahoo7 stock was not running low. "We want to assure our customers that despite increased demand for Weet-Bix, Sanitarium has capacity to continue to supply our retail partners," he said. "We are excited to see more Chinese people choosing Australia's most loved and trusted cereal for their daily breakfast." A serious crash, injuring five people, has occurred on State Highway 29A in the Bay of Plenty. Traffic was being diverted from mid-morning on Saturday from the scene near the Maungatapu Bridge. St John said firefighters cut one person free from a vehicle and all five are on the way to Tauranga Hospital. Two of the five suffered serious injuries and the other three suffered minor injuries. It's not clear how many vehicles were involved. A witness has contacted SunLive to say police are turning traffic away from the Bay Park side of the bridge. He could see only one car from his position. "It's a silver car. It's been bashed in the front and in the back. It's a mess. I was about 10 metres from the crash and police have got traffic to turn around and head back the way they came." Motorists are advised to stay clear of the area. It's understood at least one person is trapped in the vehicle and possibly multiple people have been injured. The Serious Crash Unit has been called to the scene. The nine crew members of a CASA search plane that crashed during a rescue mission for a missing fighter jet have been confirmed dead, Vo Van Tuan, Senior Lieutenant General of the Vietnams People Army, said at a press conference on June 24. On June 14, the Su-30MK2 Vietnamese fighter jet crash offshore the central province of Nghe An. The jet had two pilots on board, one of whom, Major Nguyen Huu Cuong, was rescued, but the other, Lieutenant Colonel Tran Quang Khai, 43, was found dead at sea. Two days after that, the CASA-212-40 with nine people on board went missing while searching for the Su-30MK2. Senior Lieutenant General of the Vietnams People Army Vo Van Tuan at a press conference on June 24. Photo by VnExpress/Xuan Tuyen According to Cuong, the Su-30 had problems in the cockpit so the two pilots ejected. The cause of the CASA 212 crash is still being assessed. However, weather conditions coupled with the low altitude the plane was flying are thought to be the causes of the accident, said Senior Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan. Tuan added that Su-30 crashed at a site 33 nautical miles from Thanh Hoa Provinces Hon Me Island while the CASA went down 15 nautical miles to the south-east of Bach Long Vy Island in the northern province of Hai Phong. The Ministry of National Defense is searching for the black boxes from the two planes to establish the cause of the tragedy. Tuan expressed his attitude to Vietnamese fishermen as well as other countries who have helped Vietnam in the search for the two planes. Related news: > Su-30 fighter and CASA-212 rescuer: the tragedy explained > CASA 212 crew member found dead at crash site > Missing CASA search plane - What we know so far > Vietnamese missing fighter pilot found dead off central coast The number of Vietnamese people with smart phones and other personal devices to access the internet is increasing compared to other countries in Southeast Asia. 91 percent of Vietnamese having smart phones shows a drastic shift in Vietnams media content consumption that is accelerating dependence on virtual life among youngsters who spend up to 27 hours per week online. Vietnamese internet users also have the convenience of choosing when, where and how they access media content, according to the Cross-Platform Report recently issued by Nielsen. The report shows that the number of Vietnamese with a smart phone has climbed sharply from 82 percent in 2014 to 91 percent this year. Pay TV/cable TV (79 percent), laptops (78 percent) and desktop computers (75 percent) are also popular among Vietnamese users. Ownership of connected TV, smart TV and tablets also remains quite high (over 43 percent). Vietnamese are becoming more dependent on personal digital devices. Photo from fptshop.com.vn The report conducted in nine Asian markets (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Taiwan and Hong Kong) indicates Southeast Asia users spend around three full working days surfing the internet per week. Vietnamese consumers spend on average 24 hours and 7 minutes accessing the internet per week through digital platforms, equivalent to their peers in the Philippines. In Asia, consumers in Singapore are the most digitally active, averaging 25 hours and 9 minutes per week. Young people aged from 21 to 29 are online the most, spending up to 27 hours and 2 minutes per week and having the fastest growth rate of any other age group. Following is the over 40 group which spends 22 hours and 6 minutes surfing. The rapid up-take of connected devices, especially smartphones and tablets, is instrumental in media consumption shifting beyond traditional media formats such as broadcast TV, and also beyond traditional time parts, said Doan Duy Khoa, director of Consumer Insights at Nielsen Vietnam. Khoa added: For media owners, it is becoming increasingly important to understand consumers viewing habits in order to deliver the right content at the right time, working in partnership with advertisers to uncover new opportunities to connect with and engage consumers to build brand awareness, affinity and loyalty. Traditional TV continues to lead in terms of content distribution platforms, with 72 percent of consumers as regular TV watchers. However, alternative platforms have been emerging as more Vietnamese choose to watch TV content and movies via online platforms such as video on demand (78 percent). 67 percent of VOD subscribers claim to stream video content every day. YouTube (97 percent), Facebook (81 percent) and nhaccuatui.com (56 percent) are the top three sources for VOD content. The strong desire for more content options and content-on-demand is driving consumers to source online-delivered content which in the past has been the domain of traditional media sources, Khoa underlined. Consumers are exercising their choice of how, when and where they can obtain their content and are more active in their media habits than ever before. Compared to other countries in Asia, Vietnamese spend more time online each week for personal purposes than Hong Kong (24.4 hours), Malaysia (24.2), India (24.1), Taiwan (23), Indonesia (20.3), and Thailand (19.5), and are only behind Singapore (25.9) and the Philippines (24.7). The Nielsen Vietnam Cross-Platform Insights Report 2015 provides a comprehensive view of the way Vietnamese use digital media in todays cross-platform environment, helping to understand the level of cross-device content consumption. Related news: > Why Vietnamese shoppers spend billions of dollars online > Vietnam launches online international driving license > More than half online users get news from Facebook, YouTube and Twitter Brothers-in-migration: Real-life prince and an Afghan journalist who hid in a coffin to sneak across borders View(s): Sohrab Balkhi was a producer of a TV programme on social issues in Afghanistan when he ran afoul of the Taliban for his independent views, and voice of justice and liberty. Threatened with death, he decided to leave the country in 2011 and sneaked across the borders of India, Africa, Turkey, Greek and finally Austria hidden in a coffin. Now living in exile in Austria, he recalled how at times I struggled for oxygen during that horrendous journey across borders. He refuses to be branded an economic migrant and is firm in the belief that he must return to his homeland once peace returns and independent thinking is permitted. Nigerian Prince Wale Sonyiki, President of his countrys African Society, lives in Croatia but yearns for the day when he would return to serve his people. I am a real-life prince and treated like dirt here. Everyone thinks we have come here as economic migrants to get social security. A Christian, he recalled how his two elder brothers were killed by Boko Haram, an Islamic extremist group backing calls for an Islamic way of life, just because they belonged to another religion. When people are attacked the modus operandi is for the first attack to come from Boko Haram. Government forces follow and anyone not killed in the earlier attack is shot dead by the forces, he said recounting how he took a bus road on a desert route, bribed 14-year old gunmen and ended up in Croatia instead of the planned Italy. Reflecting on life in Europe as a refugee, he said most refugees are harassed by locals who openly told him go away from Croatia, we dont like Africans. Forced to live without dignity in Croatia, Prince wants to return. Nigeria is rich but the problem is security and corruption of politicians. I would urge everyone in Nigeria or Africa, dont leave if you are safe at home. I have seen many people die while fleeing and life is not a bed of roses in exile. Both political refugees shared their concerns during a panel discussion on migration which included Alexandra Foderl-Schmid, Chief Editor Der Standard, Austria and Mona Hemmer Past Vice President, Eurocadres; Secretary, Multiculti, Finland. Ms. Hemmer said her small village, when told that a group of Iraqi refugees were arriving, was worried. Some of the concerns were likely clashes with locals and other issues. However when we found they were families with women and children, our village welcomed them. We organized classes for them. Our attitude changed from hostility to hospitality. Journalist Foderl-Schmid said it was a challenge reporting on the negatives and the positives of migration. Our readers were negative about refugees. We got a lot of negative reader comments. However it was important to also show that people care (in the worst of times). She said there were many reports of rape and looting of supermarkets by migrants but many of these stories were untrue. CAFFE petitions appeal Court: Disqualifiy Central Bank Governor View(s): A petition was filed in Sri Lankas Appeal Court on Monday urging the judiciary to declare that Arjuna Mahendran is disqualified and not entitled to hold office as the Governor of the Central Bank, the court registrars office revealed. It was filed through a counsel representing Executive Director of Campaigns for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) Executive Director Keerthi Tennakoon, an official said. The petitioner in his petition stated that there are serious allegations of corruption against Mr. Mahendran, in particular in the issuance of treasury bonds on 27.02.2015 claiming that on 27.02.2015, the Central Bank announced an auction of issuing 30 year treasury bonds for Rs. 1000 million. Thereafter the Public Debt Department of the Central Bank contacted commercial banks and primary dealers over the phone canvassing bids for the above auction around the market rate of 9.35 per cent to 9.75 per cent range. At the auction Central Bank accepted bids for Rs. 1000 million at weighted average of 11.73 percent. However bids for Rs. 3000 million from the primary dealer Perpetual Treasuries Ltd, owned by the Respondents son in law was accepted at 12.50 per cent. Most of the other banks and the primary dealers bid at low rates below 11 per cent. The activities of the said primary dealer Perpetual Treasuries Ltd, who successfully bid for Rs. 3000 million at 12.50 per cent and Rs.2000 million at around 12 per cent at the auction clearly indicates prior knowledge of impending monetary policy changes. The petition also states that the Governor is a public officer coming under the ambit of the Constitution of Sri Lanka whereas Mr. Mahendran is a Singapore citizen who doesnt come under local laws. In these circumstances, the petitioner is entitled to a mandate in the nature of Writ of Quo Warranto declaring that the respondent is disqualified and/or not entitled to hold office as the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. - (Bandula) Government negotiating with Iran Air to dispose of the 3 Airbus A350-900 By Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera View(s): View(s): The government met Iran Air management and Iran government officials on Thursday to renegotiate the orders for the three A350-900 aircraft ordered by the last regime, government sources, said. One official said that Iran Air CEO and an Iranian Minister met with Deputy Minister Public Enterprise Development, Eran Wickramaratne and other ministry officials to negotiate the three aircraft, adding the meeting was positive. Iranian Air officials were also interested in a codeshare arrangement with SriLankan Airlines. The former management entered into a contract in 2013 with Airbus for the purchase of eight A350-900 aircraft to replace the existing wide-body fleet, Mr. Wickramaratne told the Business Times earlier this week. Out of these eight, four aircraft are due this year and the balance four were to come during a span of six years. We settled a wet lease for one aircraft due this year and therere three more to settle which we are in the process of negotiating. The official said that on Thursday the Iranian officials met with the Ministry officials to discuss the wet leases of these three aircraft. Mr. Wickramaratne said that the balance A350-900 aircraft due in a span of six years will be included in the Request for Proposal (RFP) for SriLankan Airlines restructure that the Ministry of Public Enterprise Development is gearing to issue soon. This will be included in the RFP and then the prospective partners will be requested to find a way to dispose these aircraft, Mr. Wickramaratne told the Business Times earlier this week. Private sector can play key role in SDGs, asserts Lankan economist at Oxford seminar View(s): The private sector in the global south can play a key role in achieving the new global development goals, argued a Sri Lankan economist at an international seminar recently. Anushka Wijesinha, Chief Economist of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, spoke at the annual seminar on Advancing Good Governance in International Development held in Oxford, United Kingdom. Speaking in the seminars opening plenary session, Mr. Wijesinha observed that across the region, the private sector is much more interested in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda than the earlier Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agenda, recognizing that dealing with SDG issues matter for business now more then ever before. He remarked, Savvy businesses recognise that they have a key role to play not just for feel good, cosmetic, CSR reasons, but because it matters for the economy and prosperity as a whole, and that has an impact on business . He also cited the interest among the Sri Lankan corporates at UNDPs Foresight and Innovation for SDGs held in Colombo last month. According to Mr. Wijesinha, the opening session, which focussed specifically on SDG Goal 16, also included incisive discussions of governance and institutions for development. He noted that increasingly the private sector in Sri Lanka cares about institutional quality and governance, recognizing that without this, growth wont be sustainable or of good quality. Especially for countries like ours in the middle income transition, we need better quality institutions for better quality growth. Poor governance and low trust institutions are no longer fit for purpose. Thats why many of our business and businesses leaders are interested in this. But often we find that businesses are unsure of how to tackle this alone, but are keen to work with others and be part of credible coalitions. The seminar, held at the prestigious Rhodes House, is organized annually by Linklaters LLP law firm, Camfed International, Oxford University Said Business School, and the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, and brings together thought leaders and practitioners from the academic, donor, microfinance, NGO, social entrepreneurial, government and private sector communities. Public debt and bonds out of Central Bank control Mahendran ends term on June 30 View(s): View(s): Key functions of the Central Bank (CB) are to removed from the banking regulator under a proposal of the Ministry of Policy Development and Economic Affairs. The Department of Exchange Control, the Employees Provident Fund, the Staff Training College (based at Rajagiriya) and the Public Debt Department will come under independent agencies operating under the purview of the Prime Ministers office, under a proposal presented to the Cabinet, about two weeks back. At the same time, the Prime Ministers Ministry had also recommended the re-appointment of Mr. Mahendran for a new 6-year term which starts on 1st July 2016, the Business Times reliably understands. However other events have now overtaken the PMs decision with growing demands over the past few days against Mr. Mahendrans re-appointment gathering momentum and culminating with a rumbustious protest campaign by the joint opposition on Friday. On Friday, Mr. Mahendran informed the CBs Monetary Board that he wont be seeking re-appointment until a Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) probe into the tainted bond issues is completed. The United National Party section of the government is hoping that the COPE report will be presented to Parliament before June 30, and also that Mr. Mahendran would be cleared of any wrongdoing. However COPE Chairman Sunil Handunetthi told the Business Times that there is no relevance between the COPE review which deals with 20 state organisations including the CB and Mr. Mahendrans re-appointment. We are examining the bond issues and whether there were any irregularities, he said adding that in any event, it is unlikely that the COPE report would be ready before June 30 (the day Mr. Mahendrans term ends) since the Auditor General (AG)s report is yet to be received. At the last COPE sitting on June 8, the Governor and Deputy Governor P. Samarasiri came under fire over their refusal to allow the AG access to information pertaining to Treasury bond sales. However they agreed to submit the information by June 15. The Governor has denied any wrongdoing in a February 2015 bond deal which drew allegations that his son-in-laws family firm, Perpetual Treasuries had unduly benefited from inside information. Informed sources said that the move to remove public debt from the control of the CB was in support of Mr. Mahendrans re-appointment, a decision that now lies in the hands of President Maithripala Sirisena, the appointing authority, who is under pressure from his own Sri Lanka Freedom Party members in the cabinet who are opposing Mr. Mahendran. Bonds come under the public debt department and such a move would have cleared Mr. Mahendran of any future issues pertaining to bonds, one source said, explaining the rationale in removing public debt from the CB. The move is similar to the CB being brought under the supervision of the PM last year instead of the usual Finance Ministry, to remove any conflicts of interest since Minister Ravi Karunanayake had some court cases pertaining to exchange control. Central Bank events likely to follow When the Monetary Board met on Friday morning, Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran announced that he was not seeking re-appointment until he was cleared by a Parliamentary committee looking into tainted Treasury bond issues. According to informed sources, he had then suggested that Deputy Governor P. Samarasiri should be appointed as acting Governor until a new Governor is appointed. However Deputy Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, who is more senior than Mr. Samarasiri, pointed out that the Monetary Law doesnt have provision for an acting appointment once the Governors term is over, an issue that was earlier reported by the Business Times. The paper has said that provision for an acting appointment is permissible only when the governor goes on leave or is overseas, not when the CB doesnt have a governor. Section 24 of the Monetary Law states that: In the event of the temporary absence from duty of the Governor or of the temporary inability of the Governor to perform his functions and duties, the Deputy Governor designated as senior by the board shall act as the chief executive officer of the Central Bank and shall have authority to execute the powers and perform the functions and duties of the Governor under this Act. This also means the President will be compelled to appoint a new Governor before June 30 (since the Governors assent and signature may be required for important daily business) and dashes any hopes of Mr. Mahendran being appointed at a later date. The only way Mr. Mahendran can return is if a nominal appointment is made (from July 1 onwards) and that individual (by prior agreement) resigns if Mr. Mahendran is cleared of wrongdoing and the latter is (to be) re-appointed, one source said, adding however that the problem, in this instance, would be if the new appointee refuses to step down. Ranatungas yahapalana recruitment drive By Sunimalee Dias View(s): View(s): Recruitments to the public sector to any post, even a driver or a peon, goes through a process but for some ministers, yahapalana means abusing the process. Either the ministers are unaware of the rules or due to sheer arrogance of their powers believe that handing out jobs is a prerogative they have earned. This came to light at a media briefing this week at the Ports Ministry where Minister Arjuna Ranatunga exposed the manner in which applications could be submitted to join the security division of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA). Asked by a journalist whether the authorities have published an advertisement for the recruitment of individuals to the security division, the minister said there was no need for this. No, there is no need to do that in these institutions. We have given ministers to also send in their nominees to submit applications and now have received about 25000 applications and we will select from that, Minister Ranatunga said. The ministers comments in Sinhala, according to a taped recording, was as follows: Ne ehema avashyathavayak Ne ehema. Me ayathanawala ehema karanna kiyala avashyathavayak nehe. Api methi amethiwaruntath kihipadenekta deela thiyenawa apita evanna kiyala application, evagema me ayathanayata evala thiyenawa 25000 application ewwa hoyala balala hari pudgalayo api danawa. The minister called the media to brief them on the recent events that had occurred at the Colombo port by the trade unions like sit-ins and allegedly blocking the Jaya Container Terminal, manufacturing furniture allegedly for personal use among other matters. But trade unionism at the Colombo port has taken interesting twists and turns as the ones today who are accusing the minister were at the start of the new regime hailed even the appointment of the ministers brother Dhammika Ranatunga as SLPA Chairman. Reddy Yoga lifts the spirits of a creaking body briefly By Alvin Sallay View(s): View(s): YOGA-BY-THE-LAKE As we lay contorted on the yoga mat with ageing limbs barely able to lift themselves off the floor, the thought flits through my mind that it would be good if the Sri Lankan government was to take up the advice of Dr. Radha Reddy, an advocate of the ancient art who believes it should be taught in schools. I shouldnt be thinking of such thoughts if I was doing the one-hour yoga session right, but then my mind is not attuned like some of the others who have turned up on International Yoga Day June 21 for the demonstration by yogi Reddy at the Thotupola Lakeside Resort by the side of the becalming Bolgoda Lake in Piliyandala. Like India, Sri Lanka should also introduce yoga as a subject in schools, says Dr. Reddy. Children are the future and if we can inculcate this habit in them it will be a huge benefit to society. My quivering body agrees with this concept wholeheartedly. For if we had learned yoga in primary instead of being champions of gudu and marbles, perhaps our society today would be healthier and more content. People dont realise the value of health until they fall sick. Governments all over the world only think about the curative process spending so much on hospitals and medicine rather than on preventive methods. Our bodies are naturally endowed with healing powers and if you invest 15 minutes every day on yoga, there would be no need to have hospitals, adds Dr. Reddy. That might be a simplistic view says the cynic in me, but Dr. Reddy is speaking from experience. In her previous life she worked for the Karnataka Health Department where she ran the Indian states preventive and social medicine programme in the urban slums. She became disillusioned when she realised that it wasnt really preventive and that she was fighting a losing battle being a doctor. The only way towards health is to promote yoga. You know that the only country in the world which has truly invested in this preventive measure is Bhutan where yoga is taught widely, says Dr. Reddy. There are signs that more countries will follow in Bhutan. Last year Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his UN address suggested that June 21 be known as International Yoga Day. Sri Lanka has taken that to heart as proven by the large turnout at Vihara Maha Devi Park last Tuesday. It is only a handful who makes the trek to Bolgoda at the invitation of Viraga Pvt Ltd, a company which Dr. Reddy has interests in with local partners as she hopes to start spreading the gospel first touted by Indian sage Patanjali more than 4,000 years ago. My ears prick up when she mentions the word sutra. The only sutra I have heard is of the Kama variety. Perish that thought for Patanjalis gift to the world was 196 sutras a set of words and rules including physical and meditative practices which if followed correctly, enables one to attain a state of consciousness free of external intrusions. Im very conscious of the difficulty as I try to lift both my legs and upper torso off the ground while lying in a prone position. The best I can do is a few millimeters off the ground. Dr Reddy explains the eight limbs of yoga the four external practices: Yamas (social conduct), Niyamas (personal conduct), Asanas (physical posture) and Pranayama (breathing techinques) plus the four meditative practices: Pratyahara (withdrawing ones thoughts from the world), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (contemplation and reflection) and finally Samadhi (when everything ceases to exist and you achieve oneness, or a state of bliss). There is no bliss as I embarrassingly fail to touch my toes with outstretched hands while seated with legs in front of me. My body is stiff and lacks all elasticity. Dr. Reddy assures me with practice, even my quivering body will be able to adapt. I want to introduce all eight limbs of yoga not just the Asanas (postures). Both physical practices and meditative practices must be done and what connects both mind and body is your breathing. Breathing is the most important aspect of yoga otherwise you will just be doing a physical exercise. I inhale and exhale deeply. It feels good and it is calming. But soon the hour is up and the class is over. My mobile chirps and Im back to reality. Sri Lankas leading hotel group partners with Louis T Collection View(s): A powerful new hotel initiative that promises to stir up a new round of international enthusiasm for Sri Lanka is taking shape on one of Asias fastest-growing island destinations. This month, the Galle Face Hotel Group and the Louis T Collection will come together in a strategic partnership that will link two complementary organizations the Galle Face Hotel Group (GFHG), a Sri Lanka-based company led by a prominent voice in Sri Lankan tourism, Sanjeev Gardiner, and the Louis T Collection, a hospitality management and building solutions company. Nows the time, said GFHG Chairman Sanjeev Gardiner in a media release issued by the hotel group. The island is flourishing and tourism is booming. Mr. Gardiner was recognized as Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year at the recent Sri Lanka Tourism awards. The young leader, who is carrying on in his late fathers footsteps, took over the chairmans position when he was just 25 years old and has played an integral role in fostering the islands domestic and international tourism scene. Galle Face is an independent grand hotel, he said, and the beauty of our collaboration [with Louis T] is it allows us to leverage all of their technology benefits as well as international hospitality experience and reach, while still remaining a grand independent. Louis T plans to further boost the operational performance of the Galle Face Hotel, and strengthen GFHGs retail and asset management capabilities. A hotel is more than just a comfortable place to stay, said CEO and co-founder of Louis T Grant Healy. It can and should be a gateway to the surrounding environment, just like the Galle Face Hotel, one of the most celebrated properties in Asia for over 150 years. The Galle Face recently concluded a 30-month restoration project on the iconic 152-year-old hotel. The extensive renovations completely remade the North Wings 72 rooms and suites, its restaurants and bars, lobby, and ballrooms. The hotel also added an expansive executive lounge with sweeping views of the Indian Ocean from a private terrace; restored the carriage porch, bringing the facade back to its early design. The grand porch also serves as a 60-square-meter private balcony for the Empress Suite, one of the hotels eight one-of-a-kind luxury suites. On June 22, Galle Face Hotel re-opened Sea Spray, an upscale seafood restaurant which boasts the largest oceanfront dining perch in the capital. Decadent generation sending parents to elders homes View(s): Many people try to pursue happiness and improve their lives with courage, determination and tact. But there are others who try to make their lives miserable on their own. They do not realise that they are not living properly. The number of such people may continue to increase. Development needs to be for the happiness of all. Since an increasing number of people seem to be turning development into something negative, it may be a sign of the end of the world. I received a letter from an 80-year-old man from Thalawathugoda in Jayawardenapura. In brief he says, Rev. Sir: With great pain I raised a family and took care of them. On a decision taken by the family I will soon be confined to an Elders home. This is not a decision taken by legal authorities, but by my family. Most of these homes are like prisons. I do not know why they are trying to put me there. Could you kindly help me? This is a true story of an elderly father who is suffering. Cannot the children see the plight of their father? Do they not know that they too would grow old? When our Lord Buddha wanted to attain Buddhahood, the deities had to show him the past to get an idea of reality. When his father King Suddhodana used all means not to show his son any evil in life, the sight of an elderly man, a sick person, a dead body and a monk changed his life. Prince Siddhartha was not given any opportunity to see or hear anything to discourage him. Because of this the Devas had to intervene. After bringing up children and reaching old age and when one is about to reach the end of life, if the children and former dependents try to create sorrow and fear in a person it is indeed a great sin. There appears to be little unity or human qualities even among people who are living in one home. Why talk about the neighbours and others outside? Today there are more elderly people coming to the temples on Poya days. Children who give a proper meal and take care of their parents are going down in number. There are more elders coming to the temples so that they can find a satisfying full meal at least once a month. It is the same at many Dansal. There are some countries wherein people die of hunger. We have not come to that stage yet. We see some sort of development in the country with people managing their lives, and living in comfortable homes, with vehicles, clothing and other means of living. Though we say that happiness is wealth, some who earn a living continue to live in want and fear. There are increasing number of rogues, evildoers and people gone astray. We know how the law operates and how it is dispensed. It is common talk that judges, lawyers, doctors and security officers, who are kind and act with integrity, are decreasing in numbers. We see that Sri Lanka is becoming a country with religious and ethnic conflicts and political disputes. All religions that preach kindness, equanimity must abhor jealousy, anger and revengefulness. They have to open their eyes to reality. These days there is a great public outcry in the Okinawa islands in Japan over the rape and murder of a Japanese woman by an employee of a US Marine base. In our country learned people appear to have no backbone to raise a cry against evil and injustice. At least cannot the members of a family raise their voice against any injustice happening at home? If we can start a campaign against injustices at home and spread it outside to minimise the evil, we can preserve the peace and happiness that we received from Arahath Mahinda. We need to lead by example instead of mere talk and criticism. If we are able to spread peace and kindness, we can minimise sickness and sorrow. Spreading it in our homes will make our homes happy like on a festive occasion. If we can develop our homes with cleanliness, good health, happiness and peace, we can avoid disputes. We do not require courts. Wealth will be preserved. We can save time. We can have happiness and wealth. Not only for the laity, there is a move to construct elders homes even for the clergy. Let all those benefactors who are trying to do this withhold their efforts and contributions. The more you build such homes the more the children would be tempted to send their elderly parents there. At Kimbulawala in Madiwala some 15 years ago, we wanted to construct 40 luxury rooms as a home for the disabled. But when applications were called for, we found that children were trying to send their parents there. When we realised this we stopped the project. Today there are only a few homes for destitute children. There are no destitute children now. It is not that there are fewer destitute children now but it appears not as relatives are making use of them to earn an income. They are using children for child labour in houses. If all those living together at home use their heads we do not need outside labour. Laziness has resulted in our destitution. If we can see the meaning of being destitute we can minimise our problems and do our duty intelligently. Road contracts: Minister Gamages company change View(s): Primary Industries Minister Daya Gamage admitted that a firm connected with his Daya Group of companies had won contracts for two road rehabilitation projects costing the taxpayer Rs. 3.6 billion but said it was wholly under his son. However, a search conducted by the Sunday Times at the Registrar of Companies on Friday revealed that he had changed the name of Daya Construction (Pvt.) Ltd. into Olympus Construction (Pvt.) Ltd on January 6 2014. He named his son Chamindra Killittwa Gamage as the new chairman. Earlier, Minister Gamage, who was well known for bankrolling the United National Party (UNP) and had his Pelawatte Sugar Mills in Moneragala taken over by the previous Government under a notorious underperforming assets law, had been the Chairman of Daya Construction (Pvt) Ltd. Among the directors was his wife Anoma Gamage, who is now Deputy Minister of Petroleum Resources Development. Olympus Construction (Pvt.) Ltd., the Sunday Times found, had shareholding in the parent Daya Group of Companies where Mr. Gamage held ownership. Minister Gamage told the Sunday Times, Several projects came up for approval at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers. I was not aware that the particular projects were of my sons company. He was commenting on our report last week headlined ARE YAHAPALANA ETHICS BEING OBSERVED? MINISTERS COMPANY GETS CONTRACTS FOR RS. 3.6 B He said the ministers had approved 18 projects by 18 different contractors. It is a formality that these projects come for approval of the ministers. I came to know that one of my sons projects came up for approval. When I learnt of it, I left the meeting, Minister Gamage said. No sooner the contents of the Sunday Times report circulated, one Cabinet Minister telephoned the News Desk last Tuesday. He said the report should have been published with the name of the minister concerned. People are accusing me, he complained. The issue was raised in Parliament on Friday by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Highways Minister Lakshman Kiriella replied that there was no minister involved in the deal. The Sunday Times account last week stated that though the company had been under the ministers name, since it began bidding for projects under the Government, the name has been changed and overall management placed with a member of his family. Lankan-owned British telecom giants offshore account comes under spotlight Lycamobile operated by Sri Lankan Dinesh Alirajah uses a complex web of offshore and UK companies so opaque that its own auditors cannot account for 134m of assets, according to a recent report in Britains Guardian newspaper. Here are excerpts: The financial affairs of the international telephone calls firm were described as deeply worrying by experts who also raised questions about the effect of the firms arcane structure on its UK tax bill. Revelations about the firm, which has given more than 1.5m to the Tories since 2011, come as the prime minister is under pressure to crack down on tax havens The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, said: If this is true, then its time the Tories finally took this issue seriously and refused to take further donations from any company that has funnelled money via tax havens. The Tories cant keep getting embroiled in tax avoidance scandals and not raise a finger. Otherwise the public will think that when the cameras are on the Tories talk tough on tax avoidance, but when they think no ones watching they take the money from tax havens. Accounts filed by Lycamobile at Companies House reveal that auditors KPMG warned that its staff have not obtained all the information and explanations that we consider necessary for the purposes of the audit. KPMG highlighted 134m owed to Lycamobile by related companies, for which the audit evidence available to us was limited because of the complex nature of the related party structure the company operates within. The big four accounting firm, which has signed off Lycamobiles accounts since its rival EY resigned in 2014, added that it was unable to determine whether adequate accounting records have been kept. Tax experts said the lack of clarity around Lycamobiles accounts, filed six months later than they were originally due, showed the risks presented by complex multinational corporate infrastructure. Alex Cobham, director of research at the Tax Justice Network, said KPMGs warning was deeply worrying and pointed to an absence of internal record keeping that beggars belief. Richard Murphy, director of tax research and a professor of practice in international political economy at City University, said the accounts showed the danger of offshore secrecy. He said: Lycamobile is so good at shifting substantial sums of money around its group that even the auditors, with full access to the books, cannot work out where that money has gone and if it can still be repaid. And he warned that the lack of clarity over the 134m made it hard to assess whether Lycamobile can pay its debts, which include 3.6m due to HMRC, 7.5m in advances from customers and nearly 18m owed to other businesses. Lets not pretend offshore secrecy and complexity has no consequence here in the UK. These accounts prove that there is real resulting risk in the UK from the complexity Lycamobile has created in tax havens and elsewhere at potential cost to us all. It also emerged that Lycamobiles UK operation bought 81m worth of mobile phone airtime last year from Lycatelcom LDA, a company based in the low tax jurisdiction of Madeira. The latest available data for this Portuguese division show it had just four employees, despite reporting 433m of turnover. Further probe on Lankas Pentagon, consultancy firms contract suspended The Cabinet of Ministers on Tuesday decided to further probe the multibillion rupee Defence Complex which is described as Sri Lankas Pentagon. This was after a consultancy firm that dealt with the Akuregoda project was suspended for having charged Rs. 600 million which official Government Spokesperson Rajitha Senaratne said was far in excess. He told a media briefing that the move to suspend the firms contract followed the recommendations of a four-member committee of officials. At Tuesdays ministerial meeting, President Maithripala Sirisena, in a cabinet memorandum recommended that the same four-member committee be called upon to further probe two different aspects of the project. One is whether the consultancy firm in question has been appointed as lead consultant of the project by the Cabinet of Ministers on January 25, 2011 without following competitive bidding process. The second aspect is the total consultancy cost. This cost, it has been pointed out by the four member Committee in its report, are limited to 5.5 percent. Of this percentage, 1.5 percent or Rs 606.03 million has been allocated to the consultancy firm and four percent or Rs 1,556.90 million to the Central Engineering Consultancy Board (CECB). President Sirisena told ministers that the computation of total cost estimate should be re-done based on accepted norms and by competent persons. Consultancy fees should be determined accordingly and if any overpayments or under payments had been made, such payment should be appropriately adjusted. Furthermore, consultancy fees should be as per the Cabinet decision i.e. payment based on work-done instead on a man month basis. The four member-committee is chaired by G.S. Withanage, Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Employment and includes H.M. Ajith Chandra, Director, Office of National Unity and Reconciliation, S.D.H. de Silva, Director of the Ministry of Housing and Construction and P.B.S.C. Nonis, Director of the Department of Public Finance. Rajapaksa body-checked at Tokyo airport Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa returned to Sri Lanka last Tuesday after a ten-day visit to Japan. At Terminal Two of the Narita International Airport in Tokyo, a security guard is seen using a hand held metal defector over his jacket. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs turned down a request from the former President for protocol assistance and other courtesies during this private visit. He was given the same facilities accorded to an MP. While a former President was being bodily frisked, even foreign officials are welcomed at the Colombo Airport with garlands and dancers. Even then Prime Minister, Ratnasiri Wickremenayake was stopped at an entry point in Japan when he went there to attend a religious ceremony. Eco-crime: Paradise lost for birds Villagers living in an idyllic southern island, bound by the sea and a river, are puzzled by the nightly practice a powerful searchlight being focused on trees where hordes of birds of different species rest. The result is cries by the frightened birds and even crows as they take wing in clusters to different areas. Those behind the exercise began to be exposed only after a visitor from Colombo saw what was going on. A prominent businessman and his new close buddy, a high flyer, are behind this anti-environmental operation. The reason the duo want to put up a luxury tourist hotel in the area. Shooing the birds away, they believe, will deprive the environmentalists a slogan that it was a birds paradise. Now, the Police in the area have been told to keep a close eye and report the goings on. United Kingdom, a kingdom not united View(s): It was a Hamletian moment but on a much larger canvass. If Hamlet was an individual confronted with doubts, the United Kingdom was a nation faced with a historic and life changing decision. To go or not to go, that was the question. It was the question that faced the British voters as they headed for the polling centres on Thursday to make that vital decision at a referendum, the second referendum connected with European membership since the one held 41 years ago. By a decisive 51.9 per cent of the vote of a high turn-out of 72 per cent, the British people voted to leave the European Union. The decision has not only shocked the British political establishment and the ruling elite but also sent shock waves round the 28-member organization that is bracing itself against the rise of populist nationalism in Europe, calling for a reform of the bureaucrat-ridden EU. As the results began to come and the leave campaign gradually gained momentum as Thursday night turned to Friday morning, the UK suffered its first fatality of this essentially democratic move. Prime Minister David Cameron fell on his sword. Almost immediately the result became clear David Cameron announced that he will be stepping down from the premiership by October when the Conservative Party will be holding its annual conference and giving time for those aspiring to succeed him to throw their hats into the ring for the leadership contest. It was a gesture in the best traditions of parliamentary democracy, a lesson that Sri Lankan politicians could learn but would rather prefer to maintain their tone-deaf arrogance. In Sri Lanka, which only some days ago sent emissaries to London to lobby persons of Sri Lankan origin to try and save Camerons bacon by voting to remain in the EU such political niceties are as far away from the conduct of our politicians as Socrates from a swine herd. It would take some physical power to drag our reluctant politicians from their seats of power and influence that often clear the way for corruption and abuse. But it seems that it is not only Cameron who would be on his way out. By late Friday morning a motion of no-confidence against Labour Party and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn was on the cards. If Cameron decided to commit hara kiri, Corbyn like Julius Caesar is being prepared for knife-wielding members of his own party to perform the last rites on his short-lived leadership, all done in the democratic tradition of course. So this referendum has turned British politics on its head. It is surely the first time in living memory that both the prime minister and the opposition leader are in for the chop in response to the voice of public opinion. This referendum is historic not merely because the UK has voted to exit the EU but also because it has kicked the British ruling class and reminded it to listen attentively to the voice and the needs of its people. It is indeed a pity that our law makers were not around to listen to the measured, sober, and calming statements that were made by David Cameron and later by Conservative Party front runners of the leave campaign such as Justice Minister Michael Gove and former London Mayor and MP Boris Johnson who expressed sadness at Camerons decision to resign. They were among 84 Conservative MPs who had written to Cameron urging him to remain as Prime Minister in the event the people voted to leave. On Friday morning Johnson and Gove paid tribute to Cameron for providing leadership and for the steps taken to restore confidence in the British economy. The civilized manner in which leaders of the Conservative Party but on either side of the referendum divide acted in the post-referendum hours would surely be a valuable learning curve for those in the frontline of Sri Lankan politics or aspiring to get there, if only they were willing to learn. These divisions that became ferocious during the campaign were not settled by fisticuffs in the Well of the Parliamentary chamber or its environs but in the best traditions of democratic practice and civilized conduct. That the vote brought to the fore the divisions in British society and the chasm that exists between the political establishment and the ruling elite on the one hand and public opinion on the other cannot be papered over easily. It is a hard fact that the country is badly divided. It was London, Scotland and Northern Ireland that voted overwhelmingly for the country to continue in the EU. The rest of the country, irrespective of party affiliations voted indisputably for the UK to leave the Brussels-governed EU which was turning increasingly opaque, was largely unaccountable and clearly undemocratic. The UKs relations with the EU and whether the country should continue to remain in this expanding union is a question that has haunted Britain for several years. The UKs vote to leave comes at a time when there are clear noises being made by other European leaders and political groups on whether unelected bureaucrats in Brussels should be allowed to impose laws and rules which are not in the interests of member states. The questions asked is whether they should not wrest decision-making away from highly-paid bureaucrats and take control of their own affairs. A reason for this is not just the rise of rightist nationalism in Europe but the fact that the reforms that Brussels bureaucrats have promised have rarely happened increasing the Euro-skeptic mood in Europe. Cameron need not have called this second referendum on Europe as he did two years or so ago. But with rumblings within his own party over Europe and skepticism over Europe gathering momentum Cameron promised a referendum in an attempt to settle inner-party differences. Whatever might be said in mitigation by some analysts trying to cover up the divisions in the country exposed by this vote, the truth is that the United Kingdom is divided by nations, by class, by education and by region. Let there be no mistake. This was not just about whether to leave or stay in the EU. This was a referendum used by voters to express their anger at the lowering of living standards, of depressed wages blamed on virtually uncontrollable immigration from the EU which allows free movement of people and the feeling that state institutions and facilities are failing to serve them. This was a clear and loud public signal that they have had enough of the ruling class messing up their lives, a message that cut across party lines. People voted on the basis of their individual social circumstances and the EU referendum provided an opportunity to convey their message to the ruling elites. It was a point this column made when Sri Lankan leaders decided to fly in their own politicians to virtually tell the Sri Lanka community to vote to remain. You cannot simply send people who do not live here and do not know the problems of daily existence for them and their families to tell them how to vote. In the end these Sri Lankan politicians running around lecturing and hectoring turned out to be quite a joke. It smacked of sheer arrogance to even imagine that the views of these leaders and their admonitions will change how people living here and driven by their own concerns think. And now that the British people have spoken those who tried to influence the Sri Lankan community to follow them blindly, will need to rethink their own position having urged the community to help the UK continue its partnership in the EU. The Brussels bureaucrats are not without concerns either. Given the changing mood in Europe they must wonder whether the UKs decision will prove contagious and will spread to other member states demanding of their leaders an opportunity like the UK to express their views on the EU. It must be admitted that the political establishment has not covered itself with glory during the referendum campaign. British politics has not seen such fractious moments as the main parties were divided within themselves. Now a healing process has to begin to cement those cracks that have appeared between parties and their supporters and the public. Of course given the constitutional and legal issues involved in UK pulling out, the disintegration is not going to happen overnight. It will take time depending on how the two sides approach this political divorce. While those issues are being sorted out and negotiated, there is another question that hovers in the air. Will Scotland now think of going for a second referendum seeking independence so that it could join the EU? At the last referendum on independence Scotland voted to remain with England. But if it goes for another referendum now that the UK has decided to quit the EU would Scottish public opinion change and Scotland opt for independence writing finis to the United Kingdom? Thursday was Britains revolution. There was no blood-letting. But this country will not be same again. Using Sri Lankas RTI as an extraordinary exception View(s): This Friday as Sri Lankas Parliament unanimously approved the 2016 RTI Bill amidst the mumbling discontents of its gloomy detractors in the House, sceptics raised a rare and hearty cheer. Born out of a tortuous process ranging back over two decades and frustrated by political hostility on several occasions, it was difficult to believe that this country had at last passed an information law which, though not perfect as such laws rarely are, eminently sufficed for the purpose. A powerful tool to demand answers The primary importance of Sri Lankas RTI law, once in force, will be its raw power in the hands of ordinary citizens to demand answers from politicians and public servants. Fashioning RTI into a powerful tool can transform Sri Lanka, far more than goose-stepping commissions, committee or task forces can ever hope to achieve. It can also have immediate direct impact on peoples rights as opposed to convoluted constitutional provisions which depend on enlightened and liberal judicial interpretation, a quality that Sri Lanka has sorely been lacking in recent decades. The core of RTI lies in the embracing of the law as their own by Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim citizens whether in demanding information regarding to moneys spent in building a culvert by a local authority or in demanding information in regard to the disappeared. The use of RTI against black money rackets This is how it has been worked in India which is perhaps the most eloquent example in the region. The RTI impact on black money rackets driven by politicians and profiting businessmen has been startling. Just a few months ago, massive evasion of tax and money-laundering was exposed through an RTI application filed before the Department of Income Tax by a retired Indian inland revenue service official where income from undisclosed sources was shown as agricultural income despite the level of production remaining the same. This irrational boost during 2010-2011 in agricultural income as declared by some assesses coincided with the period during which government-initiated enquiries regarding black money in foreign accounts. The RTI disclosures have led to the Government pledging to hold an inquiry. Further RTI requests have led to refusal by the Department on the basis that the applicant has not disclosed sufficient public interest compelling such disclosures between the Department and tax-paying citizens held in a fiduciary relationship. In response to this denial, a public interest petition has been filed in the High Court with the High Court calling for a reply from the Government. This is RTI activism in full swing. Judicial interventions into financial scandals In any event, the Indian courts have been successfully utilised to raise public awareness on gross financial scandals. Spurred by disclosures in the media, a wealth of information on money laundering rackets of Indians with massive unaccounted black money accounts in foreign banks has come into the public domain. In 2011, the Indian Supreme Court issued an order on a public interest petition filed by senior lawyer and politician Ram Jethmalani directing the disclosure of names of Indian account holders in a Liechtenstein bank. The judges reprimanded the Government for its lack of interest in probing money laundering schemes and ordered the setting up of a multi-disciplinary team to investigate the alleged crimes. The Governments appeal that a double taxation avoidance treaty between India and Germany prohibited revealing names of the account holders was dismissed. At the centre of this scandal is a stud farm owner and scrap dealer Hasan Ali Khan who was estimated to have stashed away millions in foreign banks. Despite the Courts 2011 authoritative order, the information on foreign bank account holders has been slow in coming. The Court warned consequently that this lack of action could amount to contempt of court. The investigation team headed by a retired justice began inquiring into the case. But there are undertones familiar to Sri Lanka as continuing lack of official vigor in pursuing the matter led to harsh criticism. Writing to the Sunday Guardian on 23rd September 2015, Jethmalani subjected the Government to a scathing attack, pointing to the fact that instead of implementing the order, it is focusing on how to get it reviewed, recalled or diluted. This year, Jethmalani engaged in another tactic familiar to Sri Lankans; he apologised to the Indian public for once supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Indian authorities have admitted that Khan owes the Income Tax Department the largest recovery amount in Indian tax history amidst fears that this may not be recoverable. Year by year, the amount owing by Khan to the Department has been whittled down with Khan spending only a brief stint in jail. Correcting outrageous political betrayals These are lessons that we should learn from India and elsewhere. Indeed, Sri Lanka gingerly steps into an RTI-era long after it actually should have claimed such a law as its own. The 2004 Cabinet approved RTI Bill was defeated by the political pusillanimity of the Kumaratunga Presidency which dissolved Parliament while the Bill was about to be presented and by the chicanery of the Rajapaksa Presidency which outrageously declared that it was the source of all information. Save for these unforgivable political betrayals, the RTI law would have been in Sri Lankas statute books during the past decade at least. Even now and exuberance over the passing of the Bill nonetheless, the real difficulties lie ahead. RTI must be evidenced through vigorous activism in Sri Lankan villages and far flung outposts of the country, not limited to information seminars and talk shops in Colombo like many other such exercises. It must not be allowed to languish like information laws in Nepal and the Maldives. Using the RTI differently Our past experiences have not been encouraging in that regard. We have a plethora of laws which are excellent in theory but lamentably deficient in practice. The 1994 Convention Against Torture (CAT) Act is a prime example of this failure. In some respects, its legal thrust is even better than the United Nations Convention against Torture itself. Yet its implementation is dismal, due to deliberate obstruction and lack of political will by state actors including the Department of the Attorney General. The challenge before us is to prove the RTI as the extraordinary exception to this disheartening rule. Give more powers to Auditor General View(s): The first recorded evidence in Sri Lankas history of an Auditor General dates back to 1779 when Cecil Smith was appointed just three years after British occupation of the Maritime Provinces. The modern incarnation of the Auditor Generals Department was shaped by the constitutions of 1931, 1947 and 1972. For more than 200 years, therefore, Government spending has been formally scrutinised by the office of the Auditor General. Thousands of reports have been churned out, although their timing was not always ideal. The annual accounts of corporations were often tabled in Parliament many years lateso late that J.R. Jayewardene once called it a waste of time and a waste of tongue to discuss them since the boards and ministers had changed. As shareholders, the people were short-changed. Performance has improved. Where many other Government institutions have floundered in the conduct of their assigned duties, the Auditor Generals Department has done remarkably well. Its reports reveal a mind-blowing litany of financial abuses, waste, fraud and other misappropriations of funds, the like of which would have caused many a private sector company to go under immediately. Yet, the Government plunges on regardless. The Auditor Generals reports are examined by the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which are two parliamentary bodies. But, for the most part, there is little impact. Their findings are released, chewed on brieflyusually by media chasing the days headlinesand promptly set aside to gather the proverbial dust. Such flavor du jour treatment is wholly untenable. Revelations in the reports of the Auditor General, COPE or PAC are so critical that they require, not only deep study, but immediate action and accountability. Failure can have, and has had, disastrous consequences. For instance, long before the infamous Value Added Tax (VAT) tax scam climaxed into a racket of enormous proportions, the Auditor Generals Department had sounded a shrill warning. Its officials had repeatedly alerted the authorities to irregularities in the relevant accounts of the Department of Inland Revenue, to no avail. What had started out as relatively small culminated in a 3.57 billion rupee scandal, one of the costliest frauds in South Asia. Scores of other abuses have been documented by the Department using international principles of public auditing. Unlike some of the more recent teams set up to investigate financial crimes, the Auditor General has delivered results efficiently, scientifically and, within reason, on time. Had the Departments word been taken seriously, the States accounts would today be in much better condition. The recklessness with which our monies are administered should give the public raging nightmares. One report of the Auditor General revealed, for instance, that accounting deficiencies and management inefficiencies at the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) had resulted in failure to credit millions of rupees into members accounts. Another said that poor investment choices resulted in the EFP losing more than Rs. 11 billion by the end of 2013. This is a fraction of what successive inquiries by the Auditor General have found. It should no longer shock us that our life savings are in fickle hands. Alarmingly, there is seldom any action taken on the findings of the Auditor Generals Department. This is chiefly because it lacks the teeth, the legal backing, to enforce its recommendations. Depending on the goodwill of successive Governments to follow the Auditor Generals advice has patently not worked. And, so, a new National Audit Bill was envisaged to fix the loopholes. The law has been in drafting since the early 2000s. Maithripala Sirisena made it one of his main election pledges, vowing to have it passed in Parliament by March 19, 2015. That promise was broken. A National Audit Commission was appointed in October but has no power till the legislation is enacted. Right now, we are just paying to maintain an office. In recent weeks, the National Audit Bill has come up for discussion again and is due to come up before Cabinet again, possibly next week. In April, the draft (which the public are yet to see) was handed over to a Cabinet subcommittee with a view to watering it down. This includes key clauses allowing the Auditor General to impose a surcharge on the Chief Accounting Officer of errant Government institutions; in other words, to recover monies lost through bad accounting practices, etc. At present, he is empowered to issue such directives on State universities, higher education institutions, provincial councils and local Government bodies. But even these are mostly ignored. The Auditor General has openly urged the Government to preserve the clauses on surcharges. The Departments unions piled onto the streets in protest against attempts to dilute the law. The Cabinet subcommittee has done the opposite. It has taken out the entire section because it does not recognise the rules of natural justice. Nothing is further from the truth. The Bill provided for an accused to show cause before a tri-member committee of two Commissioners of the Audit Commission and a third party. The accused could choose to take the matter before the Court of Appeal, and thereon to the Supreme Court, in the event he was dissatisfied with the process. Combined with the loosening of several other clauses, the National Audit Bill is now in danger of being passed with a great deal of grandstanding but little impactful content. Ironically, the country would have Ministry Secretaries to thank for it. As Chief Accounting Officers, they have opposed moves to hold them accountable for financial abuses in their respective institutions, particularly as they are also servant to powerful politicians who force them to misuse funds for selfish, personal objectives. This should not be the publics concern. For too long has their tax money been frittered away with little regard to financial norms and regulations. To now have a toothless law foisted upon them would add insult to injury. This Government is being led into the unacceptable habit of thinning down well-intentioned legislation for shortsighted gains. The same happened with the 19th Amendment which was diluted on the floor of Parliament under pressure by the pro-Rajapaksa group. Take, also, the Right to Information Bill which was passed in Parliament this week and is awaiting the Speakers signature to become law. Here, the Joint Opposition prevailed to insert some helpful stipulations into the RTI bill. For instance, the RTI Commission now has listed powers to take action against information officers who are duty-bound to provide permissible information under RTI. But this does not detract from the fact that the RTI Commission no longer has significant reach envisaged in the original draft. This practice has to stop. A fully-armed Auditor Generals Department is vital to the financial well being of our public institutions. Many parts of the world are moving forward in the right direction. Sri Lanka must follow suit. The Government must not take one step forward only to leap several steps back. Beatles documentary to be screened in September View(s): The Beatles are widely regarded as the best band that surfaced on this planet. The award winning film director Ron Howards documentary The Beatles: Eight Days A Week The Touring Years is set for a world premiere on September 15, in Leicester Square, London. The film is based on the first part of the bands career from 1962 to 1966. Reports say Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison co-corporated with Howard on the film. The Beatles are widely regarded as the best band that surfaced on this planet. The award winning film director Ron Howards documentary The Beatles: Eight Days A Week The Touring Years is set for a world premiere on September 15, in Leicester Square, London. The film is based on the first part of the bands career from 1962 to 1966. Reports say Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison co-corporated with Howard on the film. PM Dawn founder Attrell Cordes has died at the age of 46 from kidney disease on June 17 at a New Jersey hospital. The band had a huge global hit back in 1991 called Set Adrift On Memory Bliss. The song sampled the Spandau Ballet hit True. Two of PM Dawns other hit songs were Looking Through Patient Eyes and Id Die Without You. This Girl by Kungs vs CookinOn 3 Burners had the No: 1 on the UK singles chart in sight except of the last moment when Drake edged forward once again with One Dance featuring WizKid and Kyla. The lead in the end to retain the No: 1 for a ninth week is 1770 copies. This is the occasion One Dance has fallen behind and re-emerges to retain control of the top chart position. As for This Girl, the song has moved up to the No: 2 position. The US group Cheat Codes and the Dutch DJ collective Kriss Kross Amsterdam made their way on the UK singles top 10 chart with Sex from 11 to No: 9. The song samples the chorus from the 1991 Salt N Pepa hit Lets Talk A Sex. Tinie Tempah is to release his third album Youth on 15th September. The album will be preceded by the single Mamacita featuring WizKid. The album also contains three recent singles Not Letting Go featuring Jess Glynne, Turn The Music Louder and Girl Like featuring Zara Larsson. Youth is expected to capture various genres from hip- hop, grime to R&B. Tempahs last album Demonstration came out in 2013. Meatloaf has thanked his fans and well wishes for the support expressed when he collapsed on stage in Edmonton, Canada on 16th June due to dehydration. The 68 year old was singing his hit Id Do Anything For Love (But I Wont Do That) at the time he collapsed to the floor. Meanwhile another rocker Rick Parfitt the guitarist of the band Status Quo had a heart attack in Antalya, Turkey where the band was playing for the Expo 2016. The 67 year old had earlier had a bypass and also had an earlier heart attack in 2007. Status Quo will be doing a farewell tour of Europe in October after which the band will retire from playing electric tours. Rap star Eminem is writing new songs for a television series based on crime thriller Narc. He is also reported to be in talks to act as musical supervisor for the TV series. UK TOP 10 TW LW 1 1 One Dance Drake ft: Wizkid & Kyla 2 4 This Girl Kungs vs Cookin On 3 Burners 3 2 Cant Stop The Feeling Justin Timberlake 4 3 This Is What You Came For Calvin Harris ft: Rihanna 5 6 Too Good Rihanna ft: Drake 6 5 Tears Clean Bandit ft: Louisa Johnson 7 8 I Hate U I Love U Gnash ft: Olivia OBrien 8 7 Cheap Thrills Sia 9 11 Sex Cheat Codes/ Kriss Kross Amsterdam 10 9 No Money Galantis Flamingo House: Fusion less global cuisine By Sanath Weerasuriya View(s): View(s): Flamingo House is the latest addition to the Colombos posh restaurant chain. It is as suggested by the name itself, is quite distinctive and stands out from the rest of the places. Probably because of its unconventional and distinct style, the restaurant has become much popular within a short period of time. The food is conflicting and different but appealing. It is not definitely not fusion but of its own style. Flamingo House, located at Horton Place, Colombo 7, just adjoining the famous Gerard Mendis Chocolatier. This is arguably one of the craziest, most striving restaurants in Colombo for all out of box thinkers. Natalie Jayasuriya, who is one of the co-founders of Flamingo House, stated its a modernized inspirational work of art and it is up to the person looking at it to derive what they want from it. An artistically chaotic and pleasantly eccentric, expressive space that narrates an enthralling fable of profound love; the simplest definition for the imaginative space dubbed the Flamingo House she added. Ingeniously designed to entice and satisfy all senses, the venue is an eclectically driven dining and drinking space created with the intent of transforming the local dining spectrum. The Flamingo House spans three floors; the Flamingo House Restaurant, the Love Bar, and Private Lounge area, each level opposing conventional ideals and brimming with imaginative splendour. Decorated with chic interior of deep velvets, and bold colours accompanied by curious pieces of art, extravagant accents and antiquities the venue is entirely a work of art that celebrates the beauty in harmoniously entwining seemingly incompatible diverse elements; much like the forbidden love of Sir Alfred Clark and Satyavati, the tale that is the heart of Flamingo House. The restaurant has been open for just under a month now, but the service we experienced was nothing short of excellent, ranging from the waiters understanding of the menu to the quick service times. From the moment a guest enters the Flamingo House, the atmosphere sets in his mind to feel like he walked into a land of Pink Flamingos and so many other lands all settled in one location. The restaurant is designed according to the love story of Sir Alfred Clark and Sri Lankan village lass Satyavati written by Andre Estafan. The theme of the story can find everywhere in the restaurant. On the ceilings, the walls, the table mats and even in the cuisine that on order. Then there is the Ruby Room which portrays large pictures of a Satyavati and her father Murghan, which is perfect for private gatherings. Love Bar is at the top level. This place is full of stuff that is antique, made to look antique and truly funky to admire. Pink is yet again the theme up here. The place all in all can accommodate around 60 pax downstairs and around 100 (standing) upstairs. Another floor is coming up which will be a private lounge and corporate functions. We have already got many private functions and are getting lot of inquires for private giga and parties said Natalie. The dishes come from Indian, Chinese, Singaporean, basically all neighbouring Asian cuisine with a dash or mix up of European. But they are not fusion cooking. I call it blending the East and West. From Starters, Mains, Desserts to even Canapes there is a great choice and difference. Our menu is quite vast and we have a good variation from our general stakes. We talk to our guests a lot and we try to find out what they like and what they are looking for she added. Starters there is Lankini which is basically Kiri Bath but smaller and more cutlet shaped. This original dish from Chef Nero is actually a crispy milk rice cutlet stuffed with fish ambul thiyal on a bed of creamy coconut lentil curry and a homemade lunu sambol. Traditional Fondue which is a bubbly Swiss cheese flavoured with white wine and kirsch served with cubed bread. They also have chocolate fondue with fresh fruit a treat not to be missed out on. Some of the other starters are Galle Face Green Isso Wade, The Flamingo Salad and Laksa. The Signature Dishe is Irish Whiskey Burger stuffed in Blue Cheese with a Guinness Cheese sauce burger for all who love that extra bit of cheese on their meat and potato wedges on the side. Kottu lovers will love their version of kottu The Gourmet Seafood Kottu is filled with scallops, calamari, crab, prawn and mussels. This is different from the normal kottu and is Rs. /-. Something else to try out is the Nai Miris Lamb Chops, Pork Spare Ribs, Village Spiced Crab (Flaked crab meat curried and cushioned in a bread bowl served with traditional pol sambol), Flamingo Rice and more. The Flamingo House has a huge vegetarian line up as they found out in the past year there are so many people who turned to the green side for many reasons. Brexit fallout: Lanka moving fast to strike deals with Britain By Sandun Jayawardana View(s): View(s): Sri Lanka, facing the fallout of Britains vote to leave the European Union, is set to negotiate a new trade agreement with Britain. Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva, who played a prominent role in the Governments ultimately failed campaign to persuade Sri Lankans in Britain to vote to remain in the EU, told the Sunday Times Sri Lanka would now look to finalise a new trade agreement with Britain soon. Accordingly, a committee of experts would meet in the coming days to study the implications of Britains decision and what Sri Lanka could do to minimise the impact, he revealed. The main problem for Sri Lanka was that about 40% of the countrys exports to the EU went to Britain. The deputy minister said the Government was finalising the application for resumption of the GSP+ facility for about 100 Sri Lankan export items to the EU. Now, however, this facility would apply only to the rest of Europe and not Britain. The loss will be significant, Dr. de Silva said. Sri Lanka would move quickly to get this facility from Britain also, he said. Britain will want to reach agreements with many other countries as well, so well have to really focus on this now. Public Enterprise Development Minister Kabir Hashim, meanwhile, claimed that the Government had sent ministers, deputies and others to Britain to campaign for the Remain camp on a request by the British Government. Mr. Hashim said Sri Lanka respected the decision of British voters, but move quickly to renegotiate its trade deals with the non-EU partners Joint Opposition Leader Dinesh Gunawardena, however, said Government acted in haste in getting involved in the UK referendum because of the United National Parties links with Britains Conservative Party rather than any concern over trade links with Britain. He said such issues should be closely studied. Rushing into the situation will not help Sri Lanka as this country itself is in economic crisis. We need to be careful and come to a consensus after properly studying these issues, he added. Minister Harin Fernando who also went to Britain said they spoke to Sri Lankans there on the need to vote to remain in the EU but he stressed that he went to Britain to take part in a Telecommunication conference while Deputy Foreign Minister se Silva went their mainly for a GSP + related issue. Defence Sec., predecessor scoff at use of cluster bombs claim View(s): Defence Secretary Karunasena Kodituwakku dismissed claims that Sri Lankas Air Force (SLAF) had used cluster bombs during the penultimate stages of the separatist war with the Tiger guerrillas. This type of unfounded allegations surface every time the UN Human Rights Council is in session, he told the Sunday Times. Intelligence sources said guerilla groups in Europe were behind the mischievous campaign to mislead member countries of the Human Rights Council. They have been repeating this canard every year, an intelligence source said. Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa also expressed a similar view. During my period in office we did not purchase cluster bombs. I am sure during my period we did not use cluster bombs, he told the Sunday Times. Also releasing a few photographs cannot be considered as evidence. There should be other evidence to support the claim. The allegation is probably being raised before the UN Human Rights Council meeting, he said. Joint Indo-Lanka venture to develop Trinco oil tanks View(s): Sri Lanka and India will together initially develop 30 of the World War II vintage fuel storage tanks in Trincomalee, the Cabinet of Ministers decided. Eight tanks, in terms of a Government decision, have been handed over to a joint venture formed by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and the Lanka-Indian Oil Plc. Ministers have empowered Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to decide on a suitable mechanism for the development of the first 30 tanks. This is in consultation with Minister of Petroleum Resources Chandima Weerakkody, and Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickema. Jumbo transit location hit by shortage of vets By Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi View(s): View(s): The lack of veterinary surgeons is hampering the operations at the Ath Athuru Sevana, elephant transit location, in Uda Walawe, a key trade union representing veterinary surgeons said. Dr Suhada Jayawardena, Secretary of the Sri Lanka Veterinary Surgeons Association said that currently there were 59 baby elephants including 14 who had been transferred there following court orders, but there was only one veterinary surgeon. There are only nine veterinary surgeons for the Wildlife Department. We do not take care only of the elephants as other animals too need to be cared for, he said. His comments came after a baby elephant which workers in the Hambantota port rescued with great difficulty, died on Wednesday. The rescue operation of the elephant drew international attention after it showed the effort the workers made. Wildlife department sources said that the baby elephant who was being treated for its wounds had fallen ill on June 17, but there was no veterinary surgeon to treat the animal. The veterinary surgeon on duty had been summoned for another duty on the instructions of the Wildlife Ministry. . Lanka to offer Dubai-style offshore banking in Port City By Anthony David View(s): View(s): Sri Lanka will offer offshore banking facilities in the proposed Financial and Business District within the Colombo Port City, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday. Legislation will be introduced soon in Parliament to create a new jurisdiction within the 575 acre area to be reclaimed, he told the Sunday Times. A legal expert is heading a team that is studying the Dubai model and will formulate draft legislation, he said. The move, if successful, will make the proposed F&B District in Sri Lanka a tax haven. In Dubai, a Financial Service Authority serves as a regulatory agency of a special economic zone. Offshore banking in Dubai is described as the fastest growing in the world. It has its own laws and courts. Premier Wickremesinghe said that ahead of these laws, to facilitate the exercise, a new Exchange Control Bill would also be introduced. The idea was to relax controls and ensure provisions considered obstacles to foreign investment were removed. He said the F&B District would offer a variety of services including management, investment, corporate banking and arbitration. Though highly critical of the Colombo Port City Project, both during presidential and parliamentary elections, the Government gave the goahead in January this year. This came after several studies including environmental impact assessments. The US$ 1.4 billion project envisages the reclamation of 575 acres (or 233 hectares) of the seas overlooking the Presidential Secretariat building in Colombo Fort. ELKO Pastor Kay Landwehr wants prostitutes to know God loves them. She traveled to Elko this week with Chaplain Barry Mainardi to share information about human trafficking awareness and prevention. Landwehr and Mainardi are both from Las Vegas. A group of churches helped bring them to Elko to explain how human trafficking happens and ways to prevent it. Their main message to those who attended the workshop on human trafficking was to remember that the people who are working as prostitutes are victims. Landwehr said she works with women in legal brothels and said many of them began by being trafficked. Ive been going in the brothels all over the state of Nevada for approximately 10 years, including Elkos, said Landwehr. Her nonprofit charity is House of the Rising Sun. She wrote a book, Jesus Love Prostitutes, which talks about her experience and why she ministers to women who work in legal brothels in the state. I dont do street work yet, Landwehr said. Up until 16 years ago, all the legal brothels in this state required girls to have pimps, she said as to why she talks about legal brothels in connection to sex trafficking. She said she has met prostitutes in legal brothels who were trafficked into the country. She estimated that 50 percent of the prostitutes in legal brothels still have pimps. Theyre branded, theyre bruised, theyve got black-eyes and theyve got pimps, Landwehr said. Her work in Elko helped to bring the human trafficking awareness workshop to the area, Patricia Wood said. Wood is a member of Calvary Baptist Church and said over the years, Landwehr slowly put together a team in the Elko area. Theres some women that go into the brothels. Theres some of us who pray, Wood said. Kay was here in March and said hey, I know someone that does seminars on human trafficking. Lets bring that to Elko and raise awareness up here in Elko on this issue. Wood said when she moved to Nevada from the South more than a decade ago, it was startling to find prostitution was legal in the state. She became involved in her church group and later became connected with Landwehr. The more you hear about (brothels), the more you think, it may be legal but it just sounds like theres so much shady sides of it, Wood said. Many of the prostitutes in brothels do not speak English. Landwehr said she has tapes in Mandarin Chinese that she gives to the women. The recorded message is powered by a solar battery and it fits inside the pocket of a stuffed toy. We give these to the girls, she said. We never charge for anything, ever. Landwehr said the message tells each woman how much Jesus loves her. She doesnt know that, Landwehr said. What she knows is that church people dont like her. Im here to tell you we do. We love her, and we tell her that. We dont care how shes dressed. We dont care how little she has on. I dont even see that anymore. We dont care what color she is; we dont care what language she speaks or doesnt speak. Shes just one of my girls. Landwehr said her goal isnt to take the women out of the brothels, because that is something between them and God. She said her purpose is to help the prostitutes understand that there are Christians who love them and more importantly He loves them. She doesnt know that, Landwehr said about the prostitutes in brothels. When she gets a hold of that, then shes going to come out, but even then its going to be a process for her to come out. Landwehr said many of the women are single moms and have to find a way to pay the bills without staying in the brothel. She also said many of the women have to get away from their pimps. Im working with two of them right now in a legal brothel who want to leave their pimps, she said. They have to get into a psychological and emotional state where they can do that, because theyre so locked into their pimps. She said theyre locked in financially, physically, psychologically and emotionally. You want to really, really make me angry and swear, tell me she has a choice, Landwehr said. Just tell me that and Ill have to bite my tongue and undo my fist, because what Ill want to do is smack you, because I know better. Edie Keeney of Elko attended the workshop with her husband, Bill. Weve been interested in human trafficking for years, she said. Back in the 80s we were foster parents here in Elko. We were able to work with one of the local girls from one of the houses and we took care of her son. Eventually Jenny got out of prostitution and ever since then, weve been very interested in it. Keeney said the seminar was an opportunity to learn more about what is going on in the state concerning human trafficking. She said they want to make their children and grandchildren more aware. Keeney said as far as she knows, the prostitute she and her husband helped is still out of the business. She said the entire community needs to become more aware of the issue. I believe probably most parents in Elko arent aware of what human trafficking really is, so education starting with yourself and your child, she said. Monica Carter of Spring Creek said she attended the seminar to educate herself. I feel like we all need to be a little bit more informed on whats going on, she said. We think of this stuff as happening in other countries or the big cities, but it can happen in these little towns too. For those who didnt get to attend Fridays workshop on human trafficking awareness, Mainardi will be speaking at 10 a.m. Sunday at Christ Community Church, 322 Fairgrove Drive in Spring Creek. What she knows is that church people dont like her. Im here to tell you we do. We love her, and we tell her that. Pastor Kay Landwehr Pakistani nabbed with 5 kg heroin at BIA View(s): A Pakistani national was arrested with 5 kg of heroin at the Bandaranaike International Airport yesterday morning, on arrival from Doha, Qatar, police said. The heroin had been packed in two bags and placed in specially made fake bottoms. He had claimed the bags contained fancy items. The suspect, Roided Khan, was produced before the Negombo Magistrate and placed under arrest on a Detention Order, for a week. A senior police officer said he was identified as a drug smuggler based in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and operating between Pakistan, Qatar and Sri Lanka. Investigations revealed he was the supplier to two Maldivian nationals arrested with 1.5 kg in Colombo in April this year. Police this week detected a total of 2,050 gm of heroin in two separate instances in Wellampitiya and Havelock Town. Singapore turns back Alles View(s): Singapore last week refused entry to businessman Tiran Alles and its Immigration officials ensured he returned to Sri Lanka. Visas are stamped upon arrival and reasons for the refusal are not known. Mr Alles has been a regular visitor to Singapore. Mr Alles flew on SriLankan Airlines flight UL 308 on June 20 (Tuesday). He was forced to return to Colombo on UL 307 on June 21 (Wednesday), the State Intelligence Service (SIS) reported to Government leaders. According to its report, he had been forced to remain at the Changi International Airport one night. Mr. Alles travelled to Singapore with Court permission for medical reasons. He was given two weeks. Tax net widens: 300 Revenue Officers to go after tax dodgers By Damith Wickremesekera View(s): View(s): The Government is to position Revenue Officers countrywide in a bid to widen the tax net and collect more revenue. Some three hundred of them will be tasked to identify those eligible to pay taxes, Treasury Secretary R.H.S. Samaratunga told the Sunday Times. He said their main task would be to ensure that proper assessments were carried out, persons evading taxes identified and directives to increase the revenue yield carried out. The Treasury has set a target of Rs. 512 billion this year. The Revenue Officers will supplement the role played by the existing branch offices of the Department of Inland Revenue. The proposal is the brainchild of Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake who is of the view that there are larger numbers of people evading taxes. This was while some sections were under-paying taxes thus depriving the State of revenue. The Treasury Chief said that at present there were only 48,000 tax files. This is from a population of more than 20 million. However, the proposal to post Revenue Officers to different districts has come under strong criticism from trade unions in the Department of Inland Revenue. They argue that a Revenue Management Information System (RMIS) to increase tax revenue, with assistance from the Asian Development Bank, is already in place. In addition, the unions are also not in favour of the Ministry of Finance carrying out the recruitment. The Joint Committee of Trade Unions which comprises Commissioners, Staff Officers, Executive Officers and employees has written to Finance Minister Karunanayake raising strong objections. Mr Karunanayake is now in China attending the inaugural meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. He said these officers would supplement the existing branch offices of the Department of Inland Revenue. UPFA MP Rohitha Abeygunawardena out of ICU View(s): UPFA Member Rohitha Abeygunawardena who was injured during a protest campaign on Friday, is recovering at a private hospital in Colombo yesterday. He was transferred from the Incentive Care Unit (ICU) to a private room in the hospital. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was among his visitors at the hospital A security official present during the protest said Mr Abeygu-nawardena fell on the barriers when the protestors and the police were pushing them. Another barrier had fallen on the MP. Meanwhile, another MP of the UPFA Sriyani Wijeywikrema too received injuries at the same protest and was admitted to hospital. She was discharged from hospital yesterday. A cry from the wilds of Mannar By Kumudini Hettiarachchi Save this areas unique eco-systems and the animals that inhabit them from short-sighted development plans, pleads environmental activist Dr. Sampath Seneviratne View(s): View(s): Unique Mannar Island! Tread very carefully when leaving a development footprint on this island, for it could do more irreparable and irrevocable harm than good, urge environmentalists. While in some parts of Mannar Island which covers about 195sqkm any development or human intrusion could crush hundreds of bird-eggs scattered on the ground, in other parts it could be a danger to the mammals, such as spotted deer, feral horses and donkeys which roam the area. The stark image on the need to free Mannar Island from human encroachment is a beautiful spotted deer, taking a leap from one side of what used to be its home to the other side. Now, its wilderness is under threat, divided by a five-foot high barbed-wire fence. What awaits the deer on the other side is not freedom but more danger in the shape of nasty nooses and cruel traps put in place by man. The onslaughts on Mannar Island are coming in different forms such as deforestation, illegal encroachments, land-grabs and constructions with allegations that massive projects such as the installation of wind turbines would also toll the death knell for this biodiversity-rich beauty-spot, environmentalists lament. It is a very emotional environmental activist, Dr. Sampath Seneviratne, Research Scientist on Molecular Ecology & Evolution and Senior Lecturer in Zoology, Colombo University, who has trudged every inch of the island and knows it like the back of his hand, who pleads for intervention both by the authorities and the public. Their (the deer and all creatures on Mannar Island) land has been robbed from them. They desperately need help. help from all nature lovers. The last of this sensitive and unique habitat (the sand dunes of Mannar Island) is fenced ready to be destroyed forever. Is there a way to safeguard the remaining few patches of it and all its beauty, he asks, blaming humanitys greed, insensitivity and injustice towards these creatures. The effects of such unplanned activities will be extremely harmful for the long-term survival of Mannar Island, reiterates Dr. Seneviratne. Numerous appeals to the District Secretariat officials seem to have fallen on deaf ears, even though the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) has been quick to respond to urgent pleas whenever specific instances of destruction have been pointed out to them, it is learnt. Dr. Seneviratne highlights each and every aspect of what is unique about Mannar Island. According to him it has four exclusive eco-systems, not found anywhere else in the country. Vankalai mudflats In ultra-low tide, they take on a desert-look, metamorphosing into a lagoon at ultra-high tide. Around 100 species of birds with different beak types access different layers of the water and silt-like mud which is replete with invertebrates such as molluscs and annelids while the forest under the mud harbours tasty morsels such as crabs and lobsters for other birds. This unique system supports millions of birds, both migratory and resident, which feed and breed in this undisturbed habitat. Adams Bridge sand dunes and sandy islands This habitat across 13km with no trees except for a few shrubs provides the ideal environment for animals which hop or fly. The hopping creatures cross when the sand-bars show up during ultra-low tide. This area also serves as a mixing and transferring bowl for Sri Lankan and Indian genes among fauna and flora. With land predators such as dogs, cats, mongooses or snakes unable to cross the waters to the 3rd and 4th islands forming Adamss Bridge, 11 endangered species of birds lay their eggs, sans nests or any kind of protection, on the bare earth here. n Sand dunes on the main Mannar Island These are some of the most well preserved natural sand dunes in the whole of Sri Lanka, where the spotted deer roam, the jungle and fishing cats slink about, wild pigs snort around, the Dry Zone slender loris can be sighted, while a large number of birds can also be seen. This unique desert system bearing similarities to north Sri Lanka and southern India, is used as a staging and re-fuelling area by the smaller migrant birds flying from the Himalayan foothills. Korakulum wetland This wetland with fresh water on Mannar Island attracts not only fishing cats, feral horses and donkeys, but also numerous bird species, including the breathtaking flocks of Flamingos. Pointing out that the whole of Mannar Island has a huge significance in the global migratory pathways of a large number of birds, Dr. Seneviratne singles out Korakulum to push home the message for the need to protect and safeguard the area. He describes how Korakulum reflects the rainy and dry seasons, with the wetland water body being ringed by scrub forest. At the height of the dry season, the area becomes a grass-land. The mudflats within this wetland are an excellent feeding ground for shorebirds and other aquatic birds during the winter months. When the mudflats dry up during the summer months, they turn into breeding grounds for eight species of birds, two of which are listed as threatened species in Sri Lankas National Red List, he says. It is one of the major wetlands in the Mannar area the only freshwater lake available for both migratory and resident birds. Picturesque are the images, this bird specialist creates in the minds eye, substantiated by stunning photographs, for he himself has seen 62 species of land birds, 13 species of seabirds, 26 species of shorebirds and seven species of diurnal raptors from October to April during his walkabouts on the island. It is also an important breeding ground for resident birds such as the critically endangered Spot-billed Duck (Anas poecilorhyncha); endangered Large-crested Tern (Sterna bergii), Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii), Common Tern (Sterna hirundo and Long-tailed Strike (Lanius schach); and vulnerable species such as Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrines) and Little Tern (Sterna albifrons), the Sunday Times learns. Korakulam is also a critical feeding ground for more than 10,000 migratory birds including gulls, ducks, storks and shorebirds, says Dr. Seneviratne, adding that the globally vulnerable Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris) uses this wetland annually. Several locally important species such as the Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus), the Great Black-headed Gull (Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus), Heuglins Gull (Larus heuglini), Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) and Northern Teal (Anus crecca) are also frequently spotted here. Not only is it a paradise for birds, according to this naturalist, for the feral horse (Equus ferus) and donkey (Equus africanus) graze in this wetland, while the Jungle Cat (Felis chaus) and Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) as well as endangered butterflies such as the Large Salmon Arab (Colotis fausta), Crimson Tip (Colotis danae) and Joker (Byblia ilithyia) are also found here. It is in utter despair that he speaks of the mounting threats which include illegal encroachment with land-grabs and scrub-forest clearance being carried out with impunity. Giving specific examples, he says that the land around the lake has been partitioned into a large number of 10-perch lots as well as big lots of about an acre or more by fence posts and barbed-wire fencing. Some of these fences cut right across the wetland. The scrub forest has also been cleared, laments Dr. Seneviratne, pointing out that even the historic Baobab trees have been uprooted and burnt in adjacent areas. Aggravating the situation, two gravel roads have been constructed as access roads to some of these cleared lands. Garbage and refuse are being dumped on the northeastern boundary of the wetland near the dam, with the high winds littering the wetland with muck. Meanwhile, the illegal trapping and shooting of waterfowl in Korakulam goes unabated and from the descriptions Dr. Seneviratne has garnered from the culprits he identifies the victims as migratory species such as Pintail and Gargany Ducks, and large gulls such as Great Black-headed and Huglins Gulls and also Grey Partridge, with sadly even the endangered Spot-billed Duck may be going into the cooking pot. The need to conserve mannar island is apparent. It should be done not tomorrow or the next day but right now.ewha No issue, says District Secretary There are no major issues in the whole of the Mannar district including Mannar Island now that the clearing of forests has been prohibited nation-wide, said District Secretary M.Y.S. Deshapriya when contacted by the Sunday Times. He said that a problem specific to the Mannar Island was sand mining but that has been curbed as well. Many attempts, meanwhile, to contact the Mannar Divisional Forest Office and the Northern Province office of the Central Environmental Authority were futile. Where are the women? By Jyoti Dhar Art as a place: Looking again View(s): View(s): Five years ago, I remember seeing Anoli Pereras Dinner for Six (2008) as part of Home Spun, an exhibition held at the Devi Art Foundation in New Delhi. The work resembled a traditional dining room setting, replete with neatly placed crockery, plastic flower arrangements and black-and-white portraits. The viewer could only see the installation, however, through a suspended web of white crocheted lace. The interknitted fabric, engulfing the entire set, evoked a sense of wonderment with its patterns, nostalgia with its old-world charm and claustrophobia with its mesh-like quality. What struck me the most was the timeless and haunting nature of the piece; how it spoke to the comfort and confines of a space from which women are supposed to operate, dominate and negotiate. Learning more about Pereras oeuvre revealed that her fascination with needle-point and spiders webs is inspired by maternal traditions and the revered artist Louise Bourgeois, respectively. In her writing, she explains that by researching and understanding the social and cultural conditioning that defined [womens] ways of art making she began to reassess her own practice and those of the few women artists around her. Looking again at Dinner for Six, in the context of her artistic, written and curatorial engagement in South Asia makes one consider its wider resonances. While the work is clearly explorative of the problems and power within the familial domain, it also points to linkages between art and craft, and the larger gaps in discourse on women in art history. Perera is also the co-director of Theertha International Artists Collective; a creative space in Colombo which she fondly refers to as a male club. Along with some of the citys most senior artists, she has worked on several initiatives to counter this gender imbalance which appears to extend to much of the contemporary artists fraternity in Sri Lanka. We have always wanted to showcase more women artists, Perera explains, but we dont want it to be tokenism. Instead, these artistic mentors have tried to develop practice via successive workshops (e.g. the Women Artists Colloquium, 2005-2007) and document historically overlooked artists (e.g. Reclaiming Histories: A Retrospective Exhibition of Womens Art, 2000). The latter was staged by Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts (VAFA), which also had a wing called the Association for Women Artists (AWA) for some time. Despite these multiple efforts, Perera concedes that the question of why women are not more prominent in Sri Lankas visual arts scene remains (unanswered?). The majority of people studying Fine Arts at university level are women, she tells us, but somehow they disappear once they graduate. They become teachersand they become invisible. The lack of visibility of women in art is an issue echoed by Kumudini Samuel, a founding member of the Colombo-based Women and Media Collective (WMC). While several cultural practitioners I spoke with cited familial pressures and domestic responsibilities as reasons for their supposed disappearance, Samuel reminds us that these are easy answers and that more research is needed. This may be true, as in other parts of South Asia where similar socio-cultural issues exist women appear to contribute more publicly to the discourse on contemporary art. Many artists in Pakistan, for example, are also active teachers, but continue to showcase their artistic practice. (As a point of contrast, there are a number of women in Sri Lanka serving as the directors of art institutions, which is in keeping with this trend in other parts of the region.) Samuel cites the lack of female mentors, professional opportunities and dominance of male artist-networks as particular problems for Sri Lankas artists. She carefully adds, Maybe if we hadnt been so focused on the conflict, we could have done more [for women in art]. Having said this, the WMCs role in promoting women in art is not to be underestimated; since the early 1980s they have hosted a number of art exhibitions, photography shows and film festivals for women. The organization has also maintained strong networks with other South Asian womens movements exchanging and strengthening ways in which to engage publicly. While keeping women artists visible in the public domain is paramount, Samuel stresses that it is critical to think about how this is done. Women shouldnt just have to exhibit in women artist shows, she says. We need to think of ways to feed them into mainstream institutional and market spaces. One of the ways in which the WMC creatively addresses how women are included within the mainstream is through their publications, such as Options. On one of the recent covers of Options is a striking, monochromatic image, taken by artist Menika van der Poorten, of dancer and performance artist Venuri Perera. The latter is trained in traditional Kandyan disciplines as well as contemporary dance, and is a wonderful example of someone experimenting and pushing her art practice in Colombo. Aware of the dearth of exhibition spaces surrounding her, the performance artist helped to initiate the Colombo Dance Platform in 2010 with the Goethe Institut, and has since taken part in festivals in Paris, Dhaka and Tokyo. Last year, she performed a piece called Excuse Me, (2015) as part of the Theertha Performance Platform 2015, in which she observed and photographed bystanders responses to being publicly dressed in a white singlet and short skirt. While some of the artists work does challenge conventions to do with gender and the body, others investigate the parallels between Buddhist rituals and performance art, or experiment with merging fictional characters and real-life encounters. Her approach reminds us, as (Anoli) Perera states, that it should not be the burden of women artists to only address womens issues. Indeed, there are those who advocate that all issues should be seen as womens issues. The idea of looking beyond stereotypical womens issues also surfaced at a recent talk on Engendering Transitional Justice in Sri Lanka, held by the Law and Society Trust. Panelists trying to digest the current process of Transitional Justice talked of how justice for women could only be achieved through looking at more nuanced narratives and readings of the recent past. Despite women often being absent or underrepresented in public and political spheres, they said, this phase of mediation and moving on could not happen without their input. When we spoke later, Samuel broadened this notion, by saying that to truly understand overarching concepts such as reconciliation or memorialisation, you need women and you need the arts. Creative arts will play a central role in this process and its important to get women involved The idea of reconciliation is not possible without looking at it creatively, she says. That will help us to truly realize and implement these four pillars [of Transitional Justice]. Going by the many discussions on socio-political change being held across the city at the moment, it certainly feels like a time of renewed potential and plurality. Perhaps it is the right moment to be redressing such questions again on the invisibility, stereotyping, tokenism and participation of women and maybe one of the ways that this can be done is through art itself. Art can have the ability to address the complexities of the now in an accessible, intimate and sensitive manner; at best it connects with you in a way that surprises you or asks you to look again. In the case of Dinner of Six, one wonders if it acquires a heightened resonance at a time like this. In Sri Lankas current moment, could it be asking us to re-think the dualities of the conventional private and public space altogether? What if it is not about replacing one space with the other, as traditionally assumed, but one feeding the other instead? What could new forms of engagement for women in Sri Lanka look like in art, politics and otherwise? Its clear that many cultural practitioners in Sri Lanka have looked at such issues before, from the creation of platforms for women in art, to making sure women have been included in various peace-building processes. For many reasons, we are here anew, in a time where multiplicity is being encouraged and the possibilities for a transformative future seem possible again. The answers to some of these questions can only be worked through by more women joining in the conversation and there seems like no better time than the present. * Art as a Place derives its name from the Sarai Reader 09 exhibition (2013) in New Delhi, curated by Raqs Media Collective "I believe in an America always moving toward the future." -- Hillary Clinton, June 21 WASHINGTON -- This was not the most important line in Clinton's Ohio economic policy speech, only the most amazing. Surely there cannot be a more vacuous, meaningless piece of political rhetoric. Every terrestrial entity from nematode to the United States of America moves forward into the future quite on its own, thank you. Where else is there to go? To be fair, however, spouting emptiness is tempting when you have the impossible task of running as the de facto incumbent in a ragingly "change" year. Clinton is trapped by circumstance. She's the status quo candidate, Barack Obama's heir, running essentially on more of the same when, after two terms and glaring failures both at home and abroad, Americans are hardly clamoring for four more years. Historically speaking, they almost invariably do not. Which is why for the last 60 years, with only one exception, whenever one party has held the White House for two terms, it's been unceremoniously turfed out. (The one exception: 1988, when Ronald Reagan was rewarded with a third term to be served by George H.W. Bush.) How little does Clinton have to offer? In her recent speeches, amid paragraph upon paragraph of attacks on Donald Trump, she lists the usual "investments" in clean energy and small business, in school construction and the power grid, and of course more infrastructure. That's about as tired a cliche as taking the country into the future. Ever heard a candidate come out (BEG ITAL)against(END ITAL) infrastructure? Even Trump waxes poetic about the roads and bridges he will rebuild, plus erecting that beautiful wall. Haven't we been here before? All those shovel-ready infrastructure projects to be funded by Obama's $830 billion stimulus? Where did the money go? Yet the one area of agreement among all candidates of all parties is that our infrastructure is crumbling still. Defending the status quo today is a thankless undertaking. It nearly cost Clinton the Democratic nomination. Bernie Sanders campaigned loudly and convincingly against the baleful consequences of the Obama years -- stagnant wages, income inequality and a squeezing of the middle class. Clinton was forced to echo those charges while simultaneously defending the president and policies that brought on the miseries. Not easy to do. She is left, therefore, with a pared and pinched rationale for her candidacy. She promises no fundamental change, no relief from the new normal of slow growth, low productivity and economic stagnation. Instead, she offers government as remediator, as gap-filler. Hillaryism steps in to alleviate the consequences of what it cannot change with a patchwork of subsidies, handouts and small-ball initiatives. Hence the $30 billion she proposes to soften the blow for the coal miners she will put out of business. Hence her cure for stagnant wages. Employers are reluctant to give you a wage hike in an economy growing at 1 percent. So she will give it to you instead by decreeing from Washington a huge increase in the minimum wage. Hillaryism embodies the essence of modern liberalism. Having reached the limits of a welfare state grown increasingly sclerotic, bureaucratic and dysfunctional, the mission of modern liberalism is to patch the fraying safety net with yet more programs and entitlements. It reflexively rejects structural reform (That's the project of Paul Ryan and his Reformicons.) The triangulating Bill Clinton was open to structural change, most notably in his 1996 welfare reform. Hillaryism is not. She is offering herself as safety-net patcher. A worthy endeavor, perhaps, but, compared to the magic promised first by Sanders, now by Trump, hardly scintillating. Hence her campaign strategy: platitudes (the future), programs (a dozen for every constituency) and a heavy dose of negativity. Her speeches go through the motions on "vision," while relentlessly attacking Trump as radical, extreme and dangerous. Her line of argument is quite straightforward: I'm the devil you know -- experienced, if flawed; safe, if devious; reliable, if totally uninspired. I give you steady incrementalism. Meanwhile, the other guy is absurdly risky. His policies on trade, immigration and national security threaten trade wars, social unrest and alienation from friends and allies abroad. The only thing missing from the Clinton campaign thus far is the nuclear option. Lyndon Johnson charged that Barry Goldwater was going to blow up the world. Literally. Johnson's "Daisy" commercial counts down to a mushroom cloud. Somewhere in the bowels of Clinton headquarters, a smart young thing is working on a modern version. Look for it on a TV near you. Police continue to investigate the cause of this mornings crash on State Highway 29A, in Tauranga. Two people were transported to Tauranga hospital with serious injuries and another two people have minor injuries after a crash near the Maungatapu Bridge earlier this morning, Police Media Centre says. They may be small, but Kaisa and Bella have made big changes at Greerton Village School. Kaisa is a purebred maltese, while Bella is a shih-poo a cross between a shih tzu and toy poodle. Childrens behavioural problems have decreased by half, an eight-year-olds been encouraged to get to school every weekday and the dogs are friends to more than 400 pupils. The owner told officials he was unable to pay for the demolition himself; while councillors study new plan to find solution for 600 illegal homes Houses in Rincon de la Victoria built on non-urban land. :: E. C. Competa town hall was ordered by a court last week to pull down a house built on non-urban land. In the same week residents of up to 600 homes in Rincon de la Victoria attended a meeting where they were assured that no houses would be demolished unless by court order. In the case of the Competa house, which was built during the property boom of the early 2000s, in the pago de Benamayor area of the town, a judge ruled it was illegal in 2010. Mayor of Competa, Obdulio Perez indicated on Monday of last week that he had been given five days in which to start the demolition process on the house, with a written warning that if he didnt take the necessary action he himself would be taken to court for noncompliance. According to the mayor, the owner of the property had communicated to the town hall that they didnt have money to pay for the demolition, therefore the responsibility had fallen to the local authority. We had to bring forward the demolition work because of the court warning,said Perez. Although the mayor claimed that this is the first demolition that has actually been carried out in Competa, he added that it wasnt the first time a court ruling had been issued. There are a number of other houses in the area surrounding the house in question, although to date they have not been affected by any court ruling. The pago de Benamayor area is sparsely populated and is in the countryside surrounding the town of Competa. In the case of Rincon de la Victoria, the town hall is seeking a solution to legalise 600 houses scattered around an area north of the A-7 motorway and on a road that links the town to neighbouring Benagalbon. More than 20 owners of properties built on non-urban land in the area attended an informative meeting last week to hear the councillor for urban development, Antonio Sanchez, explain plans under Rincon de la Victorias new PGOU (Plan General de Ordinacion Urbana) which he said include seeking ways of legalising the houses. Sanchez assured owners that; in no case,would there be demolitions, adding however; except where there is a court order. He asked residents to remain calm. The town hall estimates that around 20 million euros would need to be invested in order to change the exisiting housing regulations and make the houses legal. A further 6,500 homes could be built under Rincon de la Victorias new PGOU, however the councillor was unable to give a date for approval of the final document. Ambassador, Simon Manley. SUR Simon Manley, British Ambassador to Spain, issued a statement yesterday in which he reassured British nationals living in the country that nothing will change, at least for the time being. I am very aware from the questions that we have been getting that some Britons living in Spain are uncertain about what the referendum result means for them, he said. As the prime minister has said, there is no immediate change. You still have exactly the same rights. You can still live and work here, travel back and forth in the same way, and access Spanish healthcare and other public services just as before. There is no change to your residency status, nor any need for visas for travel to other EU countries, and you dont need to change your passport. Your pension rights continue. Leaving the EU will be a gradual process. The prime minister will continue to do his job for the next three months. The UK will only begin negotiations with the European Union after we have a new prime minister in October. He or she will have to decide when to start the process of leaving the EU. The negotiations could take two years or more and until they are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union. The ambassador also posted a videoclip containing the message on the @ukinspain Twitter account and on the Facebook page of the British Embassy in Madrid. Ministers and politicians explain to the nation what the next stages are for Brexit ahead of Sunday?s general election vote Mariano Rajoy, on Friday. REUTERS Leaders in Spain were quick to speak out on Friday yesterday after the surprise Brexit vote, seeking to address Spaniards concerns on issues from possible negative economic impacts, the fate of citizens working in Britain to relationships with Gibraltar and pressures from Catalonia for a referendum of its own. Mariano Rajoy, Spains acting prime minister, called an early-morning press conference in Madrid, immediately after David Cameron, British prime minister had announced his decision to resign. He said the Spanish government noted Britains decision with sadness and that Spain is committed to and will defend greater European economic and political integration. Calling for calm and serenity, Rajoy explained that Spain was now in a much stronger position to cope with the unexpected situation. A few years ago an event like this would have led us to bankruptcy or a bailout; now thats not the case, he said, not resisting the opportunity to get across a political message ahead of Sundays national election. He stressed that ministers had been preparing for this eventuality and that companies, including those with links to the UK, had no need to worry, saying that there would be an ordered and negotiated exit strategy as foreseen in European Union treaties. Rajoy also had words of reassurance for Spanish nationals who cross daily to work in Gibraltar, saying their rights were secure for the moment. The Spanish acting foreign secretary, Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo also discussed Gibraltar on Spanish breakfast TV, reminding audiences that under Brexit the UK overseas territory would now have an external border with the EU, and claiming that, in his opinion, the leave vote brought Gibraltar closer to coming under the Spanish flag. Garcia-Margallo also discussed possible options open to the UK in its future relationship with the EU, in particular in relation to the free flow of goods and services, suggesting that the UK could opt for a close free-trade tie up with the EU similar to Norway, a slightly more flexible arrangement like Switzerland or a loser trade pact like the EUs agreement with Canada, which met the UKs concerns about immigration. Acting Spanish finance minster, Luis de Guindos, also appeared before the press later yesterday in a move to calm the markets, claiming they were overreacting to the unexpected news. General election eclipsed The imminent general election was not far from other senior politicians minds either. Leaders of all the main four political parties expressed their disappointment at the British result, saying it was bad news for the Europe. Mariano Rajoy, PP leader, Pedro Sanchez (PSOE) and Albert Rivera (Ciudadanos) all warned of the risks of putting populist proposals to referendum, mindful of their own opposition to calls from the Catalonia region for an independence vote. Pablo Iglesias, leader of Unidos Podemos, called for the UK result not to be used as a weapon in Spains internal political debate. SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Google Ad Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully Google Ad The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression Welcome, DISH customer! Please note that we cannot save your viewing history due to an arrangement with DISH. Watchlist and resume progress features have been disabled. ACCEPT STUART A longtime city guitar instructor was arrested Friday on a lewd and lascivious act with a minor charge after a monthlong investigation by police, according to a Stuart Police Department news release. In May, the Stuart Police Criminal Investigations Unit got a complaint from a 15-year-old who said her guitar instructor, Daniel Bruce Sharp, was inappropriately touching her and providing alcohol during her lessons, the news release states. Police determined Sharp, 64, of Stuart, was giving guitar lessons to the minor for the past two years in the 1600 block of South Kanner Highway. Shortly after the minor started lessons, Sharp began to show her inappropriate sexual photos, inappropriately touched the victim and provided her alcohol during the sessions, the release states. Sharp turned himself in to police on June 24 and was charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a minor, showing harmful material to a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The guitar instructor was released Friday afternoon from the Martin County Jail on a $90,000 bail, according to Deputy Nick Neswick. A heron wades in water topped with blue-green algae in the St. Lucie River at Sandsprit Park on Friday, June 26, 2016, in Martin County. (XAVIER MASCARENAS/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS) By Isadora Rangel of TCPalm Sea turtles, dolphins, fish and wading birds could be at risk from algae blooms in the St. Lucie River. Although it's too early to tell whether wildlife might be affected by the algae, there are some red flags. Ingesting toxins from blue-green algae has been known to create, or at least promote, tumors in several kinds of animals, particularly sea turtles, said Mark Perry, executive director of the Florida Oceanographic Society in Stuart. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection said Friday it found toxic algae in three points in the St. Lucie River. Algae toxins have been know to cause issues in the past. A toxin produced by blue-green algae called BMAA has been found in shrimp, crabs, bottom fish and shark fins in South Florida. An algae toxin called Cryptoperidiniopsis was blamed for thousands of dead fish and fish with lesions during Lake Okeechobee discharges in 1998. Here are other potential threats to wildlife. FOOD CHAIN ISSUES If seagrass starts dying because the algae is blocking sunlight from reaching the bottom of the waterway, animals that feed from it, such as manatees and fish, could be affected. Dolphins that eat those fish also could suffer, but it's too early to say whether that's a concern, said Adam Schaefer, an epidemiologist at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. "Anything that might impact the lower level of the food web might have the potential to impact (dolphins)," Schaefer said. BIRDS AT RISK Fish-eating birds such as the night heron are a cause of concern if they are eating fish contaminated with algae toxins or if the fish die. Some bird species such as the black skimmer are currently nesting along the St. Lucie River and if the parents can't find food they usually abandon their eggs, said Audubon Florida Executive Director Eric Draper. Wading birds pelicans, ospreys and other shorebirds hunt by sight and if they can't see what's in the water because it's covered with algae that's an issue too, Perry said. Birds that get algae on their wings may not be able to fly, Perry said. "Since they don't have hands, they depend on clean water to wash stuff off their wings," Perry said. "And where are they going to find clean water if the river is full of algae? If they can't fly, they're stuck." Staff at Treasure Coast Wildlife Hospital didn't release a night heron back into the wild out of fear it could be harmed by algae, said Executive Director Dan Martinelli. The Palm City hospital hasn't seen an increase in animals brought in for care since algae blooms started last month, but it routinely sees animals with signs of allergy staff suspects could be linked to algae but hasn't been able to confirm, he said. "We decided we couldn't release it because all the water around was bright green showing evidence of algae," Martinelli said. Staff writer Tyler Treadway contributed to this report. U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy speaks during a pre-legislative news conference on Oct. 14, 2015, in Tallahassee. (AP FILE PHOTO) SHARE By Ledyard King, USA TODAY WASHINGTON It hasn't been a good week for Rep. Patrick Murphy. First, the front-runner for the Democratic Senate nomination learned incumbent GOP Sen. Marco Rubio has reversed course and will seek re-election, pushing Murphy from favorite to underdog in the race. Then, a scathing two-part investigation by Jim Defede of the CBS affiliate in Miami documented serious allegations about the Jupiter congressman's resume and work history as a small-business man and certified public accountant. That prompted Florida First Project, a super PAC formed to support Rubio's re-election campaign, to release an online ad highlighting the discrepancies unearthed by Defede, no doubt a preview of things to come. Mike Ceraso, campaign manager for Rep. Alan Grayson, also running for the Democratic Senate nomination, piled on, calling Murphy "dishonest." It's not clear how much all of this will hurt Murphy. The 33-year-old congressman is backed by President Obama and much of the party establishment against Grayson, who's under his own ethics cloud. Democratic leaders already have invested significant political capital supporting Murphy in a race that could determine who controls the Senate next year. Murphy's campaign manager, Josh Wolf, issued a point-by-point rebuttal of Defede's report, calling it "misleading" and "deeply false." It's not the first time the two-term congressman has been accused of embellishing his background. The Miami Herald last month caught Murphy exaggerating his academic credentials on his official congressional website, where he claimed to have earned "degrees in accounting and finance" from the University of Miami. In fact, he earned one degree from the university in 2006: a bachelor's in business administration, with major areas of study in accounting and finance. A campaign spokeswoman told the Herald the error was unintentional and has been fixed. Look for rivals, Democratic and Republican, to continue questioning Murphy's background and to raise questions about his fitness, experience and, most of all, integrity. FLORIDA DEMOCRATS TAKE PART IN SIT-IN ON GUNS Gwen Graham was there. So was Patrick Murphy. And Alan Grayson. A number of Florida's Democratic House members took part in this week's dramatic, 26-hour sit-in on the House floor. Shortly before noon Wednesday, scores of House lawmakers occupied the well of the House chamber and refused to let Republicans resume regular business until GOP leaders agreed to votes on gun control. The Democrats took turns talking about gun violence for hours, ticking off mass shootings in Newtown, Conn., Charleston, S.C., San Bernardino, Calif., and Orlando, where Omar Mateen slaughtered 49 people and wounded 53 on June 12. Grayson, who represents Orlando, read off the names of those shot at Pulse nightclub there. "The time it took to read the list of the victims' names was the time it took to kill them all," he tweeted. Graham, D-Tallahassee, delivered one of the more moving speeches when she read the transcript of texts that Mina Justice traded with her son, Eddie, who was trapped in a bathroom at Pulse. "Call Police. I'm gonna die Call them mommy. Now He's coming. I'm gonna die Hurry. He's in the bathroom with us" were among the messages Eddie sent his mother during the ordeal, which Graham read on the floor. "I can't imagine the terror in Mina's heart when she received those texts," Graham said. "As a mother, I can't imagine one of my children telling me they're gonna die Whether it's a church in Charleston or a club in Orlando we need smarter laws to make our communities safer." The House recessed until July 5. House Speaker Paul Ryan called the sit-in a "stunt" after Democrats sent out fundraising appeals tied to the gun issue. Ryan said no vote is planned on the gun control measure the Democrats support. SCOTT WANTS VOTERS TO CONSIDER BERUFF Not every Republican in office is aboard the Marco Rubio re-election train. While much of the political establishment applauded the Florida senator's U-turn in deciding to seek a second term, Gov. Rick Scott noted there's still another worthy candidate in the GOP primary: businessman Carlos Beruff. Beruff, like Scott when he campaigned for governor in 2010, has never before run for office. Beruff, like Scott, is preparing to pour millions of his own fortune into a race few expect him to win. Beruff, like Scott, is not the darling of the insider class. "When I ran for office in 2010, I was a political outsider and the entire Republican establishment was against me," Scott said in a recent statement issued through his Let's Get to Work PAC. "They already had their hand-picked candidate and it wasn't me. But, the voters of Florida spoke and I was elected Governor." In his statement, Scott did not endorse Beruff at least overtly. "Carlos Beruff is a good friend of mine, a businessman and an outsider to politics," the governor said. "The voters of Florida deserve the opportunity to consider his candidacy alongside Senator Rubio and make their own decision. The opinions of the political class in Washington are not relevant to the voters of Florida. Florida Republicans will pick the nominee on their own." Beruff's campaign took the opportunity to issue a news release that "Rick Scott heaps praise on political 'outsider' Carlos Beruff." WILCOX EXIT COULD HURT RUBIO Defense contractor Todd Wilcox dropped out of the Senate race Friday and immediately endorsed Marco Rubio. But his departure might actually hurt the incumbent Republican by giving GOP primary voters a clear alternative businessman Carlos Beruff instead of a muddled field. Before Rubio announced his intention to break his pledge and run for re-election, the roster of Republican candidates included Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera and two congressmen: Ron DeSantis and David Jolly. "The choice is clear," Beruff said in an email to the media following Wilcox's exit. "The voters of Florida can re-elect Washington's candidate, who has consistently failed to do the job they hired him to do and won't commit to serving a full six-year term. Or they can make a change." What's less clear is whether Beruff can mount a credible challenge, even with his promise to drop as much as $20 million of his own fortune into the race. Two polls conducted in the past 10 days show Rubio capturing more than 50 percent among GOP voters. Wilcox said he was firmly behind Rubio. "Senator Rubio and I don't agree on everything," Wilcox wrote in his post, "but I respect his grasp of the challenges we face and I appreciate the reality that he, as the incumbent, is best positioned to defeat either Patrick Murphy or Alan Grayson in November. We cannot allow either of these liberal Democrats to carry on the disastrous policies of the Obama administration Floridians deserve better." He also took a veiled shot at Manatee County developer Beruff, a self-funding millionaire and now the only viable threat to Rubio's nomination in the Aug. 30 primary. "We must bring to an end this era of politics in Florida where deep pockets go to great lengths to buy elections dismissing voters as nothing more than ratings points in a media buy, forsaking the grass roots advocates for whom the Republican Party exists and refusing to substantively debate the most important issues facing our state and nation," Wilcox wrote. With polls showing him languishing in single digits, Wilcox wasn't exactly burning up the field. SUMTER REMAINS NATION'S OLDEST COUNTY Once again, the only county in the country where most residents are 65 or older is Sumter County in Florida. Nearly 55 percent of the people there had reached retirement age by 2015, up from 53.0 percent the previous year, according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released last week. Part of the nation's fastest-growing metro area (The Villages), Sumter County had a median age of 66.6 on July 1, 2015. In fact, among counties with a population of at least 1,000, it's one of only two reporting a median age of 60 or older. The other is Catron, N.M. (60.1 years). Charlotte County, Florida, came in third (58.4 years). It's one of 160 counties in the country with a median age of at least 50, according to census officials. At the other end of the spectrum, 66 counties had a median age of 30 or less, with Lexington, Virginia, (22.4 years) being the youngest. Florida had the highest percentage of its population age 65 or over among states in 2015 (19.4 percent), followed by Maine (18.8 percent) and West Virginia (18.2 percent). Alaska had the lowest percentage (9.9 percent), followed by Utah (10.3 percent). Contact Ledyard King at lking@gannett.com; Twitter: @ledgeking SHARE By Staff Report TALLAHASSEE Two tickets will split the jackpot in Friday night's Fantasy 5 drawing, according to the Florida Lottery. The winning tickets are worth $113,023.67 each and were sold at the Shell station at 1203 S. U.S. 1 in Fort Pierce and in Orlando. The numbers drawn Friday night were 12-16-17-20-30. Tickets that matched four of the five numbers drawn are worth $120; 3-of-5, $10.50; and 2-of-5, a free ticket. People hold candles at a vigil for the victims of the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, as they gather at Lake Eola Park in Orlando on June 19. (Craig Rubadoux/Florida Today via AP) SHARE First reports: Shots fired in an Orlando nightclub. Three hours later, a SWAT team storms the building. By morning, we learn the scope of the carnage: 49 dead, 53 wounded and 26 in critical condition. During the siege, the shooter dials 911 and claims allegiance to ISIS. Fragmentary sound bites trigger waves of suspicion and fear. "This is not the Islam I know," my Muslim friends and neighbors assure me. An editorial on TCPalm reads: "This is not who we are." Our local Islamic community responds. "It violates the teachings of Islam," says Dr. Taher Husainy, a prominent neurologist and Muslim spokesman in my community. This is not the Islam he knows. Victor Ghalib Begg, a guest columnist of this newspaper, quotes the Quran: "Whoever kills a person, it is as though he has killed all humankind." This is not the Islam he knows. In Dallastown, Pennsylvania, the Rev. Christopher Rodkey of St. Paul's United Church of Christ posts a sign: "Wishing a blessed Ramadan to our Muslim neighbors." A crank caller slams Islam. Rodkey traces the call to a Republican National Convention delegate pledged to Donald Trump, The Associated Press reports. Within days of the shooting, new details emerge. Daniel Gilroy, a former Florida police officer who knew the shooter, describes him as unstable and unhinged. According to Gilroy, the shooter abhors gays, blacks, Jews, and women his slurs often riddled with threats of violence. Sitora Yusufiy, the shooter's first wife, recalls an abusive former husband. He beat her, confiscated her paychecks and kept her confined as a virtual prisoner. She flees the marriage after four months. In 2013 and 2014, the FBI investigates the shooter for possible ties to Muslim terrorist groups. Insufficient evidence; case closed. , We learn the shooter lived a double life. He frequents a gay nightclub. Patrons recall an exchange of text messages on a gay networking site. "Why, if he is gay, would he do this?" asks the father of the shooter. Perhaps this term applies: Reaction formation. It is the public mask of a disturbed person disguising an inner torment. It explains why a closet homosexual may present himself as an angry homophobe. New details change our portrait of the gunman. But not according to Donald Trump, who wants us to be very afraid. "I said this was going to happen," he boasts with chest-thumping bravado. Muslims murder gays, and the president is a terrorist sympathizer. His cheap shots misfire. The shooter is not an immigrant but a native-born New Yorker. Pious words segue to customary pander. We hear sleazy sound bites of derogation and scorn from Twitter to television. The latest Frankenstein turns audiences into angry villagers brandishing pitchforks. On Facebook one day after the shooting, Assistant State Attorney Kenneth Lewis describes the city of Orlando as "a melting pot of 3rd world miscreants and ghetto thugs." He is immediately suspended. We hear reckless rhetoric from the pulpit. Evangelist James Dobson claims transgender people who use public restrooms should be shot. After hosting Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee and Bobby Jindal at a religious liberties conference last year, Pastor Kevin Swanson called for gays to be sentenced to death if they refuse to repent. "This is not the Christianity I know," says a pastor in my circle of friends. This is not the America I know, nor the country I want for my children, grandchildren and future generations. For a nation that prides itself as the melting pot of the world, hate speech turns us into hypocrites. We demonize and dehumanize our differences. We scapegoat and persecute the innocent along with the guilty. We fail to condemn the bully pulpits of animus and injustice among us. Where is our moral compass? It is time to restore honesty and integrity in our public life and hold everyone accountable. Enough is enough! Jeffrey Berger is a former documentary filmmaker and journalist now retired and living in Vero Beach. Microsoft at E3 2016 confirmed the existence of a second, more powerful version of the Xbox One. Project Scorpio, as it's currently being called, will co-exist alongside both the original Xbox One and the new slim model, the Xbox One S. Even before becoming official, discussion arose regarding the potential hassle of developers having to support two different spec'd consoles. Those concerns only became more vocal after Microsoft confirmed the console was indeed in the pipeline. Dave McCarthy, Xbox head of operations, recently addressed the matter in an interview with GameSpot. McCarthy said that listening to developer feedback on the Xbox One influenced their approach on the Xbox One S and has also influenced their approach to Project Scorpio overall. That said, McCarthy said they really do intent it to be a seamless experience going across the ecosystem of devices - including Windows 10 - as much as possible. The executive also suggested that Scorpio-only games may be a possibility, saying developers will always want to write to specific capabilities and devices. Giving devs some choice in what they choose to leverage as they do that, he said, is key to Microsoft's whole philosophy moving forward. Devs have responded well to it as they've shared the plans with them, he concluded. PlayStation President Andrew House addressed the same issue earlier this month with Neo, the next version of Sony's PlayStation 4. House said there won't be any exclusive titles for the Neo and that adding support for Neo will require some "small but manageable" extra work from developers. Lead image courtesy Bloomberg / Getty Images Music streaming service Pandora is working on an offline version so that users can access content from the streamer while on the go. Unlike its main rival Spotify, which has an offline listening option, Pandora customers must remain connected to the internet in order to continue streaming music from the service. CEO Tim Westergren, who exited the helm of Pandora more than 10 years ago but has recently returned to lead the company, discussed the move while appearing at the Cannes Lions advertising festival. He noted that the company is trying to ascertain what its customers' needs are and how their travels and other mobile activity affect their listening patterns. "Do they travel a lot on planes? How do we use that information?" Westergren pondered. How exactly the new offline listening option would be set up is an interesting question, given the differences between Pandora and its on-demand competitors like Spotify and Apple Music. Pandora acts as a radio streaming service rather than an on-demand one. This means that listeners cannot choose specific songs they would like to hear, but only select from a series of stations organized by genre. There are also stations focused around specific artists, but they mainly play songs by other artists related to the artist chosen, as Pandora is limited to playing only several cuts by any one artist per hour. Presumably, the offline service would download a selected station or station playlists to a user's device in order to facilitate offline play, but since Pandora has restrictions placed on fast-forwarding and skipping tracks, that may be an obstacle to its implementation. Pandora has publicly stated that it is developing an on-demand variant of its service. No details have emerged on how the on-demand system would operate, but given the current restrictions on Pandora's airplay, it is possible that the offline service could only be released as an adjunct to that aspect of Pandora's streaming options. Westergren also shared his thoughts on the recent battle between artists and labels against Google-owned YouTube. Earlier this week, more than 180 prominent artists, along with the three major music labels, signed a petition for YouTube to reform DMCA rules. "The most important topic is, how [are] the label guys going to navigate the world of their partners?" said Westergren. "With the Google take-down notices, how is a label going to set up the future?" Pandora's future itself remains uncertain. Some major shareholders of the company have been pushing for its sale, and Westergren has been battling to keep the company independent as it struggles to compete with on-demand services like Spotify and Apple Music, and ultimately, reach profitability. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Using smartphones in the dark while lying in bed at night can damage vision or cause temporary blindness. Two women suffered temporary blindness for months due to regularly using their smartphones in the dark. The condition is called "transient smartphone blindness." In a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine on June 23, doctors wrote about the incidents where two women, aged 22 and 40, complained about their conditions. These women experienced recurring episodes where they temporarily lost their visions for up to 15 minutes each. After conducting several tests including heart exams and MRI scans, the doctors failed to find what was causing the temporary loss of vision. It was only when they talked to an eye specialist that the mystery was solved. According to Dr. Gordon Plant from the Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, he asked the women what they were doing when the episodes happened. The women were reported to be looking regularly at their smartphones in the dark. While many people do this, the women checked their devices with only one eye while lying in bed on their sides with a pillow covering the other eye. "So you have one eye adapted to the light because it's looking at the phone and the other eye is adapted to the dark," said Plant. When the women stopped using their smartphones, they found that they couldn't see using the eye they used to check their devices. Plant explained that it takes "many minutes" for the phone eye to catch up with the resting eye that has already adjusted to the dark. There's a simple solution: when using smartphones in the dark, use both eyes. Plant added that temporary blindness induced by this particular smartphone use is ultimately harmless. Cases like these are also easy to avoid. One of the women felt relieved that the temporary blindness wasn't linked to a more severe health problem such as an impending stroke. However, the second woman was not too quick to believe Plant's diagnosis. For a whole month, she kept a journal and tracked her episodes of temporary vision loss. Eventually, she believed Plant's explanation. "People frequently use smartphones while lying down, when one eye can be inadvertently covered. Smartphones are now used nearly around the clock, and manufacturers are producing screens with increased brightness," wrote the researchers. They also said cases like these can become more common, adding that the two cases suggest knowledge in retinal physiology and taking detailed notes can give assurance to both patients and doctors. These can also help patients avoid anxiety and added expenses. The team included researchers from the Moorfields Eye Hospital, the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, King's College and City University. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Descendents of survivors of the Armenian Genocide approached His Holiness Pope Francis President Serzh Sargsyan and Mrs. Rita Sargsyan together with His Holiness Pope Francis and His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II visited today Tsitsernakaberd the Armenian Genocide Memorial. The President of Armenia and two Patriarchs paid tribute to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide. His Holiness Pope Francis laid a wreath at the Memorial and preyed. Later His Holiness Pope Francis with President Serzh Sargsyan and His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians laid flowers at the Eternal Fire where the clergy performed the intercessory prayer, asking for the mediation of the holy martyrs. Pope Francis visited the Memorial Park of the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial where he blessed the fur tree planted on his behalf. Later, he made an inscription in the Book of Honorary Guests of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute. Here I pray with sorrow in my heart so that a tragedy like this never again occurs, so that humanity will never forget and will know how to defeat evil with good. May God endow peace and consolation to the beloved Armenian people and to the whole world. May God protect the memory of the Armenian people. Memory should never be diluted or forgotten. Memory is the source of peace and the future. His Holiness Pope Francis wrote. At the Memorial, Pope Francis was approached by a group of the descendents of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide - children and grandchildren whose ancestors, who were orphans, by the decision of Pope Pius XI had been given a refugee at the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo. Pope Francis and Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II in Tsitsernakaberd bid farewell to the President of Armenia and Mrs. Rita Sargsyan and from here left for Gyumri where at the Saint Vartan Square the Supreme Patriarch Catholicos of All Armenians will lead a traditional Latin mass. Uber has persistently resisted requests to fingerprint its drivers for more thorough background checks, and the company's CEO now explains why. Fingerprint-based background checks have been a sore spot for companies such as Uber and Lyft. The companies refused to fingerprint their drivers and even preferred pulling out of areas where fingerprinting was mandatory. Austin, Texas, for instance, requires drivers to provide fingerprint scans for background checks, and both Uber and Lyft decided to pull out of the city rather than agree to the practice. A non-profit car-hailing company called RideAustin promptly swooped in, complying with the fingerprint requirements. Uber, for its part, continues to oppose fingerprinting its drivers, fueling what is one of the biggest controversies surrounding the company. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick now addresses the issue, explaining his company's stance toward fingerprinting. Talking with President Obama's senior adviser Valerie Jarrett at the seventh annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit, Kalanick offers several reasons why his company is keen on hiring drivers without background checks based on fingerprint scans. Not only are the checks slow and expensive, which would take a toll on the company's hiring process, but the CEO also reckons that Uber's stance against fingerprinting has much to do with the justice system. According to Kalanick, bypassing the fingerprint requirements allows Uber to hire drivers who have been unfairly caught in the cogs of the U.S. criminal justice system. The company wants to give those people a chance at employment, so it prefers using other methods for background checks. "We have systems in place where if you're arrested, you literally can't get work, even if you're found to be innocent," Kalanick explains. "And it's unjust." The CEO further bashes industries such as taxis for relying on fingerprinting as a means to protect their own interests. On the other hand, Uber's interests have also been questioned in relation to how it treats its workers. The company faced lawsuits over classifying its drivers as independent contractors rather than giving them employee status, which would offer them additional benefits. More specifically, classifying drivers as employees would grant them some legal protection and make them eligible for reimbursements for expenses. Uber also faced lawsuits over its practices related to background checks. Back in April, for instance, the company agreed to pay at least $10 million to settle a lawsuit in California. That lawsuit accused Uber of misinforming its customers regarding the background checks it conducts on its drivers, misleading clients to think that drivers went through thorough criminal screening before getting the job. The lawsuit also centered on the company's refusal to fingerprint potential drivers. Despite legal hurdles and great controversy, however, Kalanick's statements now confirm once again that Uber is still firmly opposed to fingerprint-based background checks and that's unlikely to change anytime soon. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Popular video streaming service Netflix is reportedly working on a download feature to enable offline viewing for its subscribers. As many of you already know, Netflix streaming relies on an internet connection, which means that you can only watch programs on Netflix online. Should your connection drop, buh-bye Netflix binging. An offline viewing option has been rumored for quite some time now, although Netflix never confirmed it. Nevertheless, Penthera's chief operating officer and industry insider Dan Taitz says the feature should become available by the end of the year. Taitz says that industry sources confirmed the upcoming feature, but he doesn't mention any precise timeline for the release just a deadline. "My expectation is that by the end of the year Netflix will be launching download-to-go as an option for their customers," says Taitz, as cited by LightReading. While this is still not an official confirmation, it does boost expectations of an offline viewing feature for Netflix content. This move would make sense and could significantly boost Netflix's appeal, especially since Amazon, Comcast and others are already offering such perks. Bolstering Taitz's claims is Dan Rayburn, a principal analyst at Frost & Sullivan, who confirms that Netflix does indeed have a download solution in the works. According to the analyst, this option is somewhat of an open secret within the video streaming community everyone knows about it, but it's not official just yet. "It's a natural progression for Netflix to want to have some of their content available for consumers to watch offline, and we've been hearing for months now that they are in fact going to roll something out soon," Rayburn adds. The company is still keeping mum about such plans, but it did not deny that it was considering it either. In April, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said he was open to the idea about downloadable Netflix programs, albeit he offered no product road map or details. Simply put, the executive neither confirmed nor denied plans of an offline viewing feature in the cards, which only boosted hopes of an imminent launch. The company is still not ready to make any announcement in this regard, simply noting that it's constantly working on improving the experience. If Netflix does indeed plan to launch a download option for offline viewing by the end of this year, more information should come to light in the near future. We'll keep you posted as soon as we get more details, but take everything with a grain of salt until an official announcement is given. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. China-based smartphone maker Meizu, which has the $92 M3 smartphone to its credit, is in hot water as chipmaker Qualcomm Inc. has dragged it to court over alleged patent infringement. On Thursday, June 23, San Diego-based Qualcomm filed the complaint against Meizu at the Beijing Intellectual Property Court. Qualcomm was compelled to take legal action against Meizu after the former was unable to come to a licensing agreement with the latter. The chipmaker has apparently attempted to negotiate extensively with Meizu and get it to sign the patent license agreement, which is in keeping with the conditions of the rectification plan Qualcomm has submitted, as well as approved by China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The complaint states that the court upholds that the chipmaker's terms for the patent license agreement with Meizu is in compliance with the anti-monopoly laws in China. "Qualcomm's technologies are at the heart of all mobile devices. Meizu is choosing to use these technologies without a license, which is not only unlawful, but is unfair to other licensees that are acting in good faith and respectful of patent rights, and ultimately damaging to the mobile ecosystem and consumers," stated Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel of Qualcomm Incorporated. Rosenberg also revealed to Reuters that the company's IP had been used and it had not been paid properly for the same. He also added that Qualcomm's focus was not on the damages, but on setting parity for all companies in China. Qualcomm claims that the MediaTek chip-powered smartphones from Meizu are infringing the company's connectivity patents for 3G and 4G. Meizu has avoided the use of Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipsets, likely owing to pricing concerns. Instead, it uses Samsung's Exynos and MediaTek chipsets for its top-end and mid-range smartphones, respectively. The current legal tussle between Meizu and Qualcomm could potentially be a major hurdle for the smartphone maker, which has been embroiled in legal battles even in the past. When the company launched its Meizu M8, Apple cried foul and claimed that the smartphone was a ripped-off version of its original iPhone. Meizu also faced the wrath of ZTE when the latter dragged it to court over a patent issue. ZTE claimed that Meizu was using its halo-style home button on its smartphones. Meizu lost the lawsuit and had to contend with phones that sported a physical home button instead. Whether Qualcomm will emerge victorious and manage to needle some money out of Meizu, which benefited from a $590 million investment from Alibaba in 2015, remains to be seen. Photo: Karlis Dambrans | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Everyone in the world turned their eyes to Britain as the country voted on whether it would stay or remain in the European Union (EU). Now, the votes are in and the "leave" option won out over "stay" by the most narrow of margins. Some fear that the decision will send the UK back to the dark ages, while others believe it was necessary for the UK to regain its independence. With the country nearly split in the final vote, it will remain a topic of contention for some time. So what does that mean for those who live and work in the country? The actors and writers from Doctor Who turned to Twitter to express their outrage, disgust and sadness at the UK's final decision. Pearl Mackie is the newest actor to join Doctor Who, becoming a companion in the Twelfth Doctor's TARDIS for the next season of the series. Her comments reflect many of those of Britain's younger generation: Devastated. This will go down in history as one of the worst decisions we have ever made. #EUreferendum #whathavewedone Pearl Mackie (@Pearlie_mack) June 24, 2016 Noel Clarke, who portrayed Mickey opposite the Ninth and Tenth Doctor on the new series, used social media to sadly joke about the sorry state of the Great British Pound now that the Brexit decision is in. I just bought some new jeans for $10 Monopoly pounds. Would have cost me 8000 sterling. #pounddrop #EUref Noel Clarke (@NoelClarke) June 24, 2016 Former companion Arthur Darvill's response to the vote was much shorter, but grim. The sky is falling Arthur Darvill (@RattyBurvil) June 23, 2016 James Corden, who was once a recurring guest star during the Eleventh Doctor's time in the TARDIS apologized to the younger generation for the decision. I can't get my head around what's happening in Britain.I'm so sorry to the youth of Britain. I fear you've been let down today x James Corden (@JKCorden) June 24, 2016 Doctor Who writer and actor Mark Gatiss wasn't as kind and referred to Britain's exit from the EU as a huge step backward for the country. A win for Farage. Johnson. Murdoch. Beggars belief. A vote to plummet backwards into the dark. Staggering. Mark Gatiss (@Markgatiss) June 24, 2016 Writer James Moran was far less subtle about what he believes will become Britain's downfall. Yay independence! Freedom to die penniless in a ditch! https://t.co/3j593DgHOD James Moran (@jamesmoran) June 24, 2016 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In a bid to combat drunk driving in the United States, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday, June 23 that states can now make it a crime for suspected drunk drivers to refuse a breathalyzer or a machine breath test. But the high court also placed limits on law enforcers, ruling that the police must first obtain a legitimate search warrant before performing a blood alcohol test on motorists. As the judiciary tries to balance personal privacy and public safety, both rulings add to the complexity of how the Supreme Court instruct states to draft laws against drunk motorists. Justice Samuel Alito delivered the 5-to-3 decision in Thursday's case, saying that breath tests do not implicate "significant" concerns in privacy. He said that unlike blood tests, a breath test does not pierce the skin or leave biological samples in the possession of the government. The license of drivers in all 50 states who refuse breathing into a breathalyzer will be revoked. States that enact the law are Minnesota, North Dakota, Florida, Indiana, Alaska, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Louisiana, Virginia, Tennessee and Vermont. Severity Of Drunk Driving The impact of drunk driving on the country's roads is "grisly," killing thousands of people, injuring more, inflicting billions of dollars in property damage annually, Alito said. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report in August 2015 revealed that about 4.2 million people in the United States drive under the influence of alcohol at least once in a month. This translated to 121 million instances of drunk-driving in the country. In the state of North Dakota, the situation is much worse. Records show that from 2005 to 2014, there had been about 112,998 people were killed because of drunk driving in the state. "North Dakota has suffered more than its share of this carnage," state attorneys said. The law in the state was passed after a drunk driver named Wyatt Klein, who had taken three shots of tequila and seven or eight bottles of beer, struck the car of Allison and Aaron Deutscher, instantly killing them and their daughter. Police said Klein has had a history of drunk driving violations. Meanwhile, advocates praised the Supreme Court's decision to charge motorists who refuse a breathalyzer test with misdemeanor, emphasizing that breath tests are a "critical tool" to eliminate drunk driving. "The Court recognized that breath tests are minimally invasive and confirmed that driving is a privilege, not a right," said Adam Vanek, the general counsel for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). However, one defense attorney questioned the extent to which the safety of the public should negate civil liberties. Criminal defense lawyer Doug Hazelton from Minnesota, who is a specialist in alcohol-related traffic offenses, acknowledges that drunk driving is a "bad thing," but he also adds: "Is the club so big you need to bend the Constitution, and ignore how big other [traffic] crimes are?" Hazelton mentions other offenses such as texting while driving and overspeeding. Photo: Marvin Kuo | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. After having voted to leave EU in Brexit vote, Britishers now ask Google What is the EU You cannot expect Britishers to be so dumb. Just hours after deciding to leave EU in a historic vote which has pushed the British Pound to the netherworld, caused a mega-collapse in stock markets around the world and pushed gold and silver prices to a new highs, the Britishers seem to have woken from the euphoria surrounding the vote. According to Google Trends, just hours after the EU vote, United Kingdom citizens are searching what exactly is EU on Google. Surprising as it may seem, it was after the polls closed when British voters started to think seriously about the implications of their choice. "What is the EU?" is the second top UK question on the EU since the #EURefResults were officially announced pic.twitter.com/1q4VAX3qcm GoogleTrends (@GoogleTrends) June 24, 2016 According to data from Google Trends, the searches for what is the eu and what is brexit started climbing across Britain late into the night. The polls closed at 10 p.m. local time. It also seems that Britishers voted in the remain/leave referendum sans any researcher or decision because another top query on Google search was What happens if we leave the EU? The search spike seems to suggest that UK voters werent exactly sure what they were getting into. Northern Ireland and Scotland voters fare equally to their English counterparts on the dumb quotient. Google Trends, on Twitter, has highlighted a few local spikes, too, with what is Brexit a top search related to the referendum in both Northern Ireland and Scotland. Both of them voted in favor of remaining in the EU. "What will happen if we leave the EU?" Top questions on the #EUref in Northern Ireland since first results announced pic.twitter.com/VKmbRrZoPZ GoogleTrends (@GoogleTrends) June 24, 2016 "What happens if we leave the EU?" Top questions on #EUref in Scotland since polls closed pic.twitter.com/ngOsEOPDXZ GoogleTrends (@GoogleTrends) June 24, 2016 While some from London who were against the leave are now searching future residency options by googling for move to Gibraltar. (Gibraltar is a British territory in southern Europe.) +680% spike in searches for "Move to Gibraltar" in London since polls closed #EUref https://t.co/aMkqjxXH2i pic.twitter.com/wXa1Rk7zjE GoogleTrends (@GoogleTrends) June 24, 2016 There is only one lesson that can be drawn from the Google Trends for Brexit, do some research BEFORE you vote in such historic referendums, not AFTER. Under the leadership of the current Brazilian president, "in the Amazon alone, deforestation has nearly doubled since 2018," the British journal recalled. | Read More D. Sanasaryan: Police officers in Gyumri abducted Shahen Police officers in Gyumri abducted Shahen and kept in the car of Police Chief, Davit Sanasaryan, member of Barev Yerevan faction, writes on Facebook. Shahen Harutyunyan is the son of Shant Harutyunyan. Shahen was going to present to Pope Francis that there are about twenty political prisoners in the first Christian country, Armenia Special services had eavesdropped Shahen, there is no other way to know. It is an impudent behavior, gross violation of human rights, the person was taken to the police car while walking in the street Freedom to Shahen, freedom to all political prisoners, writes D. Sanasaryan. Levon Barseghyan, member of Gyumri Council of Elders, writes on Facebook, I have spoken to Shahen on phone, he said that Gegham Khachatryans group had abducted him from the territory near Gyumri square, he was pushed into a white car and was being taken in an unknown direction. His phone was with him. Two persons in the car are in civilian clothes, I asked to pass the phone to one of them, but they didnt want to speak. BANGKOK, 24 June 2016: Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya rank among the top 10 destinations for Chinese tourists this year in Asia Pacific, according to MasterCard Asia Pacific Destinations Index 2016. According to the index, released earlier this week, China will continue to contribute the largest share of tourists to Asia Pacific in 2016. It estimates that 50.4 million tourists from China will visit destinations across Asia Pacific this year, making up 15.7% of all international overnight arrivals in the region, it said. This year, Chinese travellers are also expected to spend USD45.3 billion in Asia Pacific destinations, up 18.2%. China was the sixth biggest contributor of tourists to Asia Pacific in 2009 (5.8% share of the total Asia Pacific international overnight arrivals). It has been the top supplier since 2012, when it had a 9.8% market share. It has retained that position since with a 15.7% share driven by 25.9% compounded average annual growth rate from 2009 to 2016. MasterCards Global Products & Solutions, Asia Pacific executive vice president, Matthew Driver, said the mix of tourists in key Asia Pacific destination has changed significantly reflecting the economic rise of China and other emerging Asian economies. The impact of the economic transformation of China and specifically the rise in disposable incomes is the biggest driver of tourism growth globally. This growth is very positive for the Asia Pacific tourism industry and there remains a huge opportunity for industry players to tap into it and benefit from it, he added. This year, Bangkok will Political forecasters are smart about everything except the future. At 7.30 a.m. on the not-so-bright Brexit morning, the polling site Populus had 55 percent of Britons planning to cast their ballots for continued union with Europe --10 percent more than those predicted to be quitters. YouGov predicted a European margin of 4 percent. The betting markets had been a binge for Remain. Now please estimate how many Remain voters, seeing their side so far ahead and weather nasty in places, decided to take a rain check. Then consider the effect of the same Thursday morning polls on Leavers who felt impelled to get out their umbrellas and vote down the Europeans and the faceless bureaucrats and refugee hordes of Daily Mail phantasmorgia. The Leavers may have found the polls that morning credible, but they chose not to believe the experts forecasts of disaster that a Remain vote would engender. After all, even the former education minister, Brexiteer Michael Gove, had inveighed against giving credence to experts -- people who knew a thing of two about currencies and trade. He stands indicted by the plethora of misery in the tumbling pound. James Moore, former U.S. assistant secretary of commerce for international affairs, assures me this financial turmoil will last for months. One wishes the Leavers long and happy lives -- but theyll mostly escape the relatively stagnant future they chose. Roughly 75 percent of over-65s voted exit while a similar number of under-25s voted to remain to stay in Europe. If younger Brits bear the burden of the future, the older carry the burden of what they remember as a better past. Britain is a culturally richer, more interesting and innovative country than it was in 1993. But it is noticeably a different Britain. The foreign-born population of 3.8 million has increased to 8.3 million, not evenly distributed. Immigrants get blamed for delays in the National Health Service and for pressure on schools, hospitals and housing. One daft Remain argument was that a Leave win would lead to a fall in housing prices. Yes, bad news for the well-housed, but a very good incentive for the ill-housed to vote Leave. And further proof that the elite hadnt a clue about how the other half lived. The Remain campaign had by far the better intellectual case in the analyses by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, the International Monetary Fund and the Bank of England. But it was light on emotion. Remain lost Blue Labour workers by not realizing how deeply the older people in the north resented seeing their home communities change beyond recognition without so much as a by-your-leave from London. Britain has always been conflicted in its patriotic nationalism and its desire, bred of an extinct empire, to be a world leader. I lived through a series of European torments. When I was editor of The Times in 1981, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher invited me at a small Downing Street dinner to honor French President Francois Mitterrand. The idea of building a tunnel under the English Channel (or, as the French would say, under La Manche, the sleeve) was first mooted by a French engineer in 1802. By 1981 it was a subliminal item on our menu. The entente was cordial at Thatchers top table. I was sandwiched between Europhiles, Bank of England Governor Gordon Richardson, and the British Rail Chairman Sir Peter Parker, who was nodding agreement with the French minister of transport. We would have had a deal before the noisettes of lamb, but for the noises off. At coffee, Thatchers husband Denis, and his gossip mate, the amiable Bill Deedes, editor of the Daily Telegraph, vented about how awful it would be to have smelly French trucks driving through the hop fields of Kent. Aux Barricades! Listening glumly was the normally ebullient Christopher Soames, Conservative leader of the House of Lords. As ambassador to France from 1968-67, hed helped Britain join the European Economic Community, the trading bloc that led to the European Union now so spectacularly disavowed by the English mainland. It took six years from that dinner for Thatcher to wear down internal opposition to the Chunnel. Too often in the past, she said when the tunnel treaty finally was ratified in 1987, pioneering spirits, men of vision and imagination, have been foiled by bureaucracy, narrow minds or plain fear of the unknown. Thatcher became a passionate supporter of Britains first referendum, in 1975, over joining the single market of the European Economic Community (EEC). So was Richardson, the Bank of England governor. My dinner companion was prescient about what will enter history as the great Cameron screw-up, the decision to buy off pressure from the far-right whiners in his own party, the tabloids and the Tory Telegraph, by promising a referendum. I must confess that I sometimes have to rub my eyes to be sure that I am not dreaming, said Richardson of the1975 vote. That we really are deliberately engaged on a constitutional innovation as unsuitable and destabilizing as the referendum we now await. That referendum went well. Two-thirds of the country backed British membership of the European Economic Community. Thatcher was torn over Europe throughout her premiership. She could see the economic benefits of cooperation and she was determined that Europe should be able to defend itself. At the same time, she was provoked into her Iron Lady posture when Jean Jacques Delors, president of the European Commission, told the European Parliament that within 10 years he expected 80 percent of European legislation to be made without British involvement. Let me say bluntly on behalf of Britain, she said. "We have not successfully rolled back the frontiers of the state in Britain, only to see them re-imposed at a European level, with a European super-state exercising a new dominance from Brussels." Britains new cabinet is likely to feel similar ambivalence when it takes over this fall. Populist insurgencies have gained ground in a Europe struggling with low growth, debt and the refugee crisis. The Leave vote, bad as it certainly is for Britain, is worse for Europe. Other dominoes may fall. The Tory Party is not overflowing with strategic vision. Former London Mayor Boris Johnson, the crowd-pleasing leader of the Leaves, clearly expects his betrayal of Prime Minister David Cameron to be rewarded with Johnsons own succession to 10 Downing Street. Johnson, however, is distrusted by many Britons, especially after he propagated almost as many misstatements as the world champion, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the United States. Johnson peddled the same Trumpian tropes about taking the country back. In place of Trumps Mexicans, the excitable former mayor famously likened the European Union to the Third Reich, with Adolf Hitler arriving soon at the white cliffs of Dover. Johnson has his history upside down. A united Europe would have seen off Hitler in 1936. Had the French marched into the Rhineland, we would have had to withdraw with our tail between our legs, Hitler sneered after admitting that he took a gamble by sending three ill-equipped battalions into the demilitarized zone between Germany and France. Ian Kershaws To Hell and Back: Europe, 1914-1949 documents the terrible price the continent paid for the isolationism of the 1930s, the xenophobia, the mass media nationalist incitements and the pathological delusions that doomed a generation -- and are again rampant. Harold Evans is Reuters editor-at-large and was the editor of the Sunday Times and The Times from 1967-82. The opinions expressed are his own. A Chinese national was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat Airport on Jun. 23 after allegedly being caught rifling through the luggage of fellow fliers. Zhang Guang Jin, 47, boarded Vietnam Airlines' flight VN595 from Hong Kong to HCMC that day. Zhang was spotted by another passenger, Sarina Xuan Than Phan, when he was allegedly going through her luggage in the overhead bin during the flight. When she questioned his act, Zhang pretended that it was a mistake and turned to the luggage of yet another fellow flier, Chen Chii Hwang. After the plane landed in Tan Son Nhat, Phan informed Hwang about Zheng's suspicious act. Hwang checked her luggage and said she had lost US$620 (VND13.8 million). The incident was reported to the flight crew and Zheng was held by the airport authorities, who searched his property by did not find the money. They suspected Zheng may have passed the stolen money to an accomplice who boarded the same flight. Local authorities and residents search for four students missing in the river. Photo: Vu Minh Four girls aged between 14 and 15 drowned when they were bathing in Ky Cung River in Lang Son Province Wednesday afternoon, local authorities said. The tragedy happened at around 1 p.m. when a group of six teenage girls from Van Quan Dist. went swimming in the river, the authorities said. They suddenly got caught in a strong current. One of the girls managed to swim to shore and call for help. Residents near the river could only save one more girl while the other four went missing. The bodies of two of them were found more than 50 meters downstream three hours later. Search continues for the other two. Drowning kills 6,500-7,000 people in Vietnam every year, more than half of them children, according to the Child Care and Protection Department of Vietnam's ministry of social affairs. Statistics from the department show an average of nine children drown every day in Vietnam while swimming is not effectively taught in schools. A police officer who reportedly suffered from depression shot himself to death in his home early this week, p olice of Dong Thap Province said The police said they are working to find out what caused Major Nguyen Van Thanh, 55, to commit suicide on Jun. 22, just a few months before his retirement. According his family members, the officer returned home that evening smelling of alcohol. After a quarrel with them, he took out a revolver and shot himself in the head. The family members said Thanh acted so quickly that they couldn't stop him. The police said they are also finding out how the officer obtained the gun, which was not registered in their data. According to the family, Maj. Thanh suffered from depression which got worse every time he drank alcohol. Vietnam's flag carrier has asked passengers to take extra caution as some foreign criminals might prey on them to steal valuable belongings from either their pockets or carry-on luggage. In-flight theft is on the rise, Pham Chi Cuong, head of Safety, Quality and Security Section at Vietnam Airlines, said at a recent meeting on aviation safety. This is an emerging crime that really affects aviation companies, he said. Cuong said there had been a group of criminals from Hong Kong targeting air passengers. These people often follow passengers, especially those in business class, from the moment they check in at the airports to learn their seat numbers. On the flight, they will try to steal from overhead lockers or from the passengers' pockets. According to Cuong, a Japanese passenger had recently had US$49,500 stolen on a flight. Chinese national Zhang Giang caught stealing from another passenger on a Vietnam Airlines flight from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City on January 19, 2014. Photo: Trung Hieu. On that same flight, we arrested several people for theft and sent them to Hong Kong police after landing, he said. Vietnam Airlines reported a higher number of in-flight thefts, with 12 cases in 2013 and 20 in 2014. At the meeting, Dang Quoc Bao of Airport Corporation of Vietnam said security forces have also reported more cases of passengers carrying weapons, making bomb threats and smoking during flights. Quy Nhon and Mui Ne, two popular beaches in central Vietnam, now have one more thing in common: trash. After low tides exposed a large amount of mud and trash on the beach of Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh Province authorities have announced an investigation to figure out who polluted the tourist attraction. According to local residents, a construction project nearby is to blame. The beach was beautiful before construction work was started to expand Xuan Dieu Street and develop a tourism project, Dinh Anh Tuan, a local official, said. Sand and stones from the project polluted the beach, he said. Mui Ne, another famous beach destination, is also facing a similar problem. Diep Tuong Nguyen, a local man, said he has led a team to clean the beach the past days. Trash is everywhere. I have urged others, including foreigners, to help collect trash from the beach, he said. Tran Van Binh, deputy chairman of Binh Thuan Province Tourism Association, said many resorts have often had their staff clean up the beach. I am ashamed whenever tourists, especially international tourists, complain about trash on the beach, he said. His agency has sent trucks to the beach in a massive cleanup campaign, but there has been little success. Cleaning Mui Ne needs the help of many people, he said. A map of China is seen through a magnifying glass on a computer screen showing binary digits in Singapore in this January 2, 2014 photo illustration. China's internet regulator said on Saturday that search engines should tighten management of paid-for ads in search results, making clear which results are paid-for and limiting their numbers. The Chinese government already exercises widespread controls over the internet and has sought to codify that policy in law. Chinese regulators last month imposed limits on the number of lucrative healthcare adverts carried by Baidu Inc following the death of a student who underwent an experimental cancer treatment which he found using China's biggest internet search engine. Wei Zexi, 21, died in April of a rare form of cancer, and the case sparked widespread public anger. The Cyberspace Administration of China said search engines should investigate the "aptitude" of clients offering paid-for ads, set a clear upper limit on such ads and clearly distinguish which are paid-for ads and which come from "natural searches". "Internet search providers should earnestly accept corporate responsibility toward society, and strengthen their own management in accordance with the law and rules, to provide objective, fair and authoritative search results to users," it said. Users have been particularly concerned with medical ads, which are a threat to people's health, the regulator added. Baidu did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Baidu's CEO in May called on employees to put values before profit in response to the scandal around the death of Wei. Search engines also have other problems, the regulator said. "Some search results contain rumors, obscenities, pornography, violence, murder, terrorism and other illegal information," it said. "Some search results lack objectivity and fairness, go against corporate morals and standards, misleading and influencing people's judgment." Officials say internet restrictions, including the blocking of popular foreign sites like Google and Facebook, are needed to ensure security in the face of rising threats, such as terrorism. Foreign governments and business groups have pointed to restrictions on the internet as a broader trade issue. Chinese search engine giant Baidu -- often described as the country's equivalent of Google -- has launched anti-corruption investigations into its own employees Chinese search engine giant Baidu -- often described as the country's equivalent of Google -- said Monday it has launched anti-corruption investigations into its own employees after reports three department heads were being probed. Baidu did not reveal any details of its inquiries, nor confirm how many were being investigated or their names. "Internal anti-corruption action creates a just and transparent working environment, and a sound environment for workers' development," the company said in a statement to AFP. "We call on all employees to respect company ethics and national laws, to create a healthy and just working environment." Chinese Internet portal Sina reported Monday that Baidu was investigating three departmental directors. President Xi Jinping launched a much-publicised drive against corruption after he came to power two years ago, vowing to target both high-level "tigers" and low-ranking "flies". But rather than the Communist party's feared internal watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline and Investigation, Baidus anti-corruption investigations were conducted by its own "ethics and morality construction" department, reports said. Baidu fired five executives last November for bribery and illicit appropriation and dismissed four of its employees for bribery in August 2012, according to media reports. Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, Belgium's Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders and Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders (L-R) attend a press conference after a foreign minister meeting of the EU founding members in Berlin, Germany, June 25, 2016. German Chancellor Angela Merkel sought on Saturday to temper pressure from Paris, Brussels and her own government to force Britain into negotiating a quick divorce from the EU, despite warnings that hesitation will let populism take hold. Euroskeptics in other member states applauded Britons' decision to leave the European Union in a referendum that sent shockwaves around the world, with far-right demands for a similar vote in Slovakia underlining the risk of a domino effect. With the referendum decision finally made on Thursday and Prime Minister David Cameron having announced his resignation, European politicians and institutions felt free to shower demands on Britain over its future outside the world's largest trading bloc. The European Central Bank said Britain's financial industry, which employs 2.2 million people, would lose the right to serve clients in the EU unless the country signed up to its single market - anathema to "leave" campaigners who are set to lead the next government in London. Almost alone in continental Europe, Merkel tried to slow the rush to get Britain out of the EU door. Europe's most powerful leader made clear she would not press Cameron after he indicated Britain would not seek formal exit negotiations until October at least. "Quite honestly, it should not take ages, that is true, but I would not fight now for a short time frame," Merkel told a news conference. "The negotiations must take place in a businesslike, good climate," she said. "Britain will remain a close partner, with which we are linked economically." Britain's decision to leave the EU is the biggest blow since World War Two to the European project of forging greater unity. But Merkel appeared more conciliatory than others within her coalition government and elsewhere in Europe. The chief executive of Britain's "Vote Leave" campaign called for informal talks before London notifies the EU it wants to leave under the Lisbon Treaty, which provides for two years of divorce proceedings. But German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a member of Merkel's Social Democrat coalition partners, showed a greater sense of urgency on getting talks going. "This process should get underway as soon as possible so that we are not left in limbo but rather can concentrate on the future of Europe," he said after hosting a meeting of his colleagues from the six founding members of the EU - Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault warned of the dangers of delay. "We have to give a new sense to Europe, otherwise populism will fill the gap," he said. They followed European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who said on Friday it didn't make any sense to wait until October to negotiate the terms of a "Brexit". Britain's representative on the EU executive, Financial Services Commissioner Jonathan Hill, resigned on Saturday after campaigning against a British exit. European 'Titanic' In Britain itself, divisions widened after the relatively close referendum. In contrast to Cameron, Scotland's pro-EU first minister said she wanted to open negotiations directly with Brussels. The option of a second referendum on independence from the United Kingdom - after Scots rejected the idea two years ago - should be "on the table", she said. South of the border in England, euroskeptic newspapers rejoiced but others pondered an uncertain future. "So what the hell happens now?" asked the Daily Mirror. Cameron announced on Friday he would resign after Britons voted 52-48 percent to exit the EU, a result that sent global stock markets plunging, and inflicted the biggest one day drop on sterling in history. He promised to stay on as a caretaker until October while the Conservative Party chooses a new leader. Even before the British vote, anti-establishment parties were on the rise across the EU, not least in France where far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen is expected to perform strongly in a presidential election next year. Raising mainstream fears that other member states might be tempted to follow the British example, Slovakia's far right People's Party on Saturday launched a petition for a referendum on the country's future in the EU. "Citizens of Great Britain have decided to refuse the diktat from Brussels. It is high time for Slovakia to leave the sinking European 'Titanic' as well," the party said. No passport? The British pound fell as much as 10 percent against the U.S. dollar on Friday to levels last seen in 1985 on fears the decision could hit investment, threaten London's role as a global financial capital, and cause months of political uncertainty. Ratings agency Moody's downgraded its outlook for Britain, saying its creditworthiness was now at greater risk. The uncertainty risks damaging economies far beyond Britain's shores, and European Central Bank policymaker Francois Villeroy de Galhau joined the clamor for haste. Villeroy delivered a warning over the City of London financial center which handles trillions of euros of business even though it lies outside the ECB's jurisdiction. That was at risk, including the "passport" arrangement under Europe's single market rules which allow London banks to do business with clients in the euro zone, even though Britain never joined the common currency. "If tomorrow Britain is not part of the single market, the City cannot keep this European passport, and clearing houses cannot be located in London either," he told France Inter radio. The only way around this was for Britain to follow Norway, which lies outside the EU but has joined the single market. This means signing up to the rules, including the free movement of workers - likely to be opposed in Britain where the "leave" camp promised to control immigration from the EU. "Birth of new Britain" Cameron's replacement could be his Conservative rival Boris Johnson, the former London mayor who became the most recognizable face of the Leave camp. There was euphoria over the vote in much of the British press. "Birth of a new Britain," the Daily Telegraph said, while the Daily Star tabloid borrowed from Donald Trump's campaigning message with its headline "Now Let's Make Britain Great Again". But those among the more than 16 million who voted to stay in the EU also raised their voices. The United Kingdom itself could also now break apart. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said her devolved government was preparing to present legislation allowing a second independence referendum while continuing discussions on its place within the EU. Scots rejected independence in 2014. But they voted to stay in the EU on Thursday, raising the possibility that they would be forced out against their will. In 2014, Nationalists said Scotland would prosper on revenues from North Sea oil, but since then prices have collapsed, raising questions over the economic viability of an independent Scotland. Elsewhere, more than 1.5 Britons have signed a petition on parliament's website calling for a second EU referendum because the vote was not decisive enough. The petition will have to be discussed by lawmakers but has no legal force. Tens of thousands are set to pack into Trafalgar Square in the British capital on Tuesday to show "London stands with Europe", the Evening Standard newspaper reported. Pope Francis signs a visitors' book during a commemoration ceremony for Armenians killed by Ottoman Turks, at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex in Yerevan, Armenia, June 25, 2016. A somber Pope Francis, "with pain in my heart," paid tribute on Saturday to the 1.5 million Armenians massacred in 1915, an event which he has labeled a genocide, risking Turkey's ire. Francis, on the second day of his trip to Armenia, made an early morning stop at the Tzitzernakaberd, the "Genocide Memorial and Museum," a towering granite needle flanked by an eternal flame on a hillside overlooking the Armenian capital. There, visibly moved, he took part in a prayer service along with President Serzh Sarksyan and leaders of the Armenian Apostolic Church. "Here I pray, with pain in my heart, so that never again will there be tragedies like this, so that humanity does not forget and knows how to overcome evil with good," he wrote in the guest book in Italian. On Friday night in a speech to the president, the government and diplomats, Francis departed from his prepared text to use the word "genocide," a description that infuriated Turkey when he said it a year ago. As of Saturday morning there was no official reaction from Turkey, which last year recalled its ambassador to the Vatican after the pope used the 'genocide' term. The envoy was kept away for 10 months. Pope Francis attends a commemoration ceremony for Armenians killed by Ottoman Turks at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex in Yerevan, Armenia, June 25, 2016. Turkey accepts many Christian Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces during World War One, but contests the figures and denies the killings were systematically orchestrated and constitute a genocide. It also says many Muslim Turks perished at that time. "There is no reason not to use this word in this case," Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told reporters on Friday night. "The reality is clear and we never denied what the reality is." At the Saturday morning ceremony, Francis chatted with descendants of Armenian orphans who were sheltered at the papal summer residence south of Rome at the start of the 20th century. "May God grant the beloved Armenian people and the entire world peace and consolation. May God protect the memory of the Armenian people. Memory should not be diluted or forgotten. Memory is a source of peace and the future," he wrote in the guest book. After the memorial service the pope flew to say a Mass in the provincial city of Gyumri, near the border with Turkey and within sight of Mount Ararat, where the Bible says Noah's Ark landed after the Great Flood. People will repeat their dreams in their mind during ecumenical prayer (video) Preparatory activities are underway in Republic Square for meeting Pope Francis. The most impatient citizens, who want to be in the first lines, are hurrying to enter Republic Square. Though there is still an hour until the launch of the event, the whole Armenian political elite both from the authorities and the opposition have already gathered near the stage. By the way, the entry of civilians to Republic Square is allowed from the side of fountains, and the political figures and journalists entered the square from the side of Myasnikyan Statue. A1+ spoke to Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan. What did he feel when meeting Pope and according to him, what will Popes visit give? Taron Margaryan noted that he felt very proud when shaking hands with Pope and he thinks that he will only bring peace with him. Head of Armenian National Congress (HAK) faction Levon Zurabyan says that he wants the messages of Pope to be infectious both for our authorities and our neighboring countries. As for our fellow citizens, each of them has come to the square with concrete goals and dreams to repeat them in their minds during the ecumenical prayer so that they come true. There is strict control by law enforcement officers at Republic Square. People are waving the flags of Armenia and Vatican. It's hardly been a decorous discourse thus far, after all. The subject of prejudice never is. Who can forget this plebiscite's instigator Tony Abbott's confession he finds homosexuality "intimidating" and challenges the "right order of things". Or Senator Cory Benardi's suggestion homosexuality leads to bestiality or George Christensen's likening of the Safe Schools LGBTI acceptance program to paedophile grooming? Because what this proposed plebiscite is asking is for the public to cast a vote on whether one group of citizens should be allowed the fundamental human right of equality. How could the lead-up to such a preposterous endeavour be anything but ugly when its very premise is outrageous? So, there are fears that should the Liberal government be re-elected, its proposed plebiscite on same sex marriage may incite ugly debate. Well, no shit Sherlock! Of course there will be hateful discussion. There was never a chance it wouldn't be repellent when what is at play is amoral at its core. Nope, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is kidding himself and us that debate in a plebiscite lead-up will be "respectful". It simply can't be when it involves the big no-nos of all conversation politics and religion. There ain't a hope in Hades civility will reign when church versus state and conservatives clash with progressives. And nor should it. Because this debate will affect lives. Thousands if not millions in this country. It is important. It could save lives. It involves children who feel ashamed, scared and abnormal when they shouldn't. It concerns parents who see and feel their suffering. It influences the ostracism inflicted on those who don't fit in with outdated ideals of normalcy. It judges the worthiness of loving parents who happen to share the same set of chromosomes. It cuts to the quick the estimated 16 per cent of LGBTI young Australians who attempt suicide and the third who self harm as a result of homophobic abuse. It involves the abhorrent and immoral idea arbitration can determine what form of love is worthy of marriage. Then there's the other side, the moral watchdog who believe religious doctrine outweighs all argument. The far right Christians dominating the Liberal party who are adopting an over my dead body defence and who, it is still uncertain, will actually ratify the plebiscite should it succeed in change. The straight traditionalists in society who believe that if it ain't broken, don't fix it. And, it can't be denied, a pervasive undercurrent of dyed in the wool insidious homophobia. And herein lies the big taboo. Those opposed to same sex marriage don't like being accused of the H word. Yes, it's an ugly one. But it is a hard one to get around in this debate. And this week it was being bandied yet again. On Monday night, the PM appeared on the ABC's Q&A program, where an audience member questioned "homophobia" within the Coalition. Turnbull answered that "mutual respect is absolutely critical" and he would "condemn" remarks which disparage Australians, whoever makes them, on the basis of their sexuality or on the basis of their religion or their gender or their ethnic background. When host Tony Jones asked whether this is something he expressed to Senator Bernardi, he replied: "Yes, I've had firm discussions with a number of colleagues, yes." Of all the promises Malcolm Turnbull has made during the past 49 days, the one that will be "first item of business" if the Coalition is returned concerns a state issue the incoming prime minister will have very limited power to influence, let alone decide. Those who assumed the company tax cuts at the heart of his economic plan for "jobs and growth" would be Turnbull's top priority should think again. Image: Jim Pavlidis No, No. 1 on the Turnbull to-do list is drafting and introducing legislation to protect volunteer firefighters in Victoria from being "taken over" by the militant United Firefighters Union. Turnbull delivered the promise when he addressed a CFA breakfast on Thursday at Highton in Corangamite, one of the seats Labor aims to win if it is to secure an improbable victory next Saturday. I listened to the entire live coverage of the Brexit count on talkback Radio London. The majority of relatively affluent were just keeping their heads above water but despaired for their children's futures. They spoke of the incremental dismantling of their Medicare system. They were "sick of being misled and deceived by lying politicians and parasitic multinational corporations". Their children would never be able to afford their own homes, the homeless abound yet the River Thames was lined with unoccupied luxury speculative investment properties. The repugnant dodgy trade deals had led to an underclass of exploited working poor. Sound familiar? Ronald Elliott, Sandringham Remain supporters at a referendum results party in a London pub. Credit:ANDREW TESTA A victory for empowerment Brexit is a result of people feeling left behind and disenfranchised. Increasing wealth inequality and the expanding power of global corporations is resulting in an ever reducing pool of winners and not much for the rest. This result should come as no surprise. It's now up to political, economic and business leaders to stem the looming knock-on effects. This will only occur with a focus fairness and empowerment of the general population. Andy Stewart, Coburg Please tell me I'm dreaming Boris as the prime minister of Britain? Trump as the president of the US? Please someone, wake me up and tell me this is just some terrible nightmare! Sue Bracy, Mount Eliza A vote for the willing How many of the 28 per cent, who didn't bother to vote in the UK referendum, woke up the next day and said to themselves "Oh shit"? Denis Croke, Glen Iris THE FORUM Point of view a bit rich Chris Berg doesn't fool anyone with his supposed concern for low-wage earners and the unemployed. The reason it's become essential to increase the minimum wage is because big companies and rich individuals squirrel away their profits to tax havens rather than pay tax, thus depriving the government from the means of providing affordable services to people on low-income wages. They also direct their money to the coffers of the major parties to make sure that if they are found out (by diligent reporters, mind you, not any regulatory body) they get a slap on the wrist and resume work as normal. You can't have it both ways, Mr Berg, if you want lower or no taxes and smaller government, you need to pay workers enough money to allow them to fend for themselves. Diana Saad, Thornbury Slave theory Chris Berg's argument for abolishing the minimum wage (19/6) finds perfect expression in the employment practice of 19th century plantation owners in the US South: slavery. Under this system low or no pay ensured that jobs were available for many thousands of people. Can Mr Berg explain why countries with humanely set minimum wage rates, such as in Scandinavia, are also prosperous, with nowhere near the level of disparity between rich and poor that exists increasingly in Australia? Mike Puleston, Brunswick Minimum protection So would Chris Berg like the minimum wage scrapped because he thinks it is hurting the vulnerable? Would not working for $10 an hour or under in Berg's free market paradise hurt a lot more people? It would also hurt those who now receive a few dollars more than the basic wage, who would also have their pay dragged down with the removal of this very important safety net. Very few extra jobs would be created but a lot of extra profit would be generated for businesses by not having to pay a wage that would go anywhere near paying the rent or a mortgage, utilities and putting food on the table. The only achievement would be to push those already doing it hard into further poverty. Grant Collins, Cheltenham Backward step Michael Short, ('Stop the votes', 19/6 ), rightly points out the socially corrosive potential of the Coalition's proposed plebiscite on same-sex marriage. Such a vote would provide a potent vehicle for homophobic sentiments. With the LBGTI community worldwide facing increasingly state-sanctioned attacks, as seen in Putin's Russia and African nations such as Nigeria and Uganda, a taxpayer-funded plebiscite could not come at a worse time. It is time for Malcolm Turnbull to reassert his personal beliefs and support the democratic rights of gay couples. Jon McMillan, Mount Eliza Scare campaign It's all very well for Mr Turnbull to provide soothing assurances about how the better nature of Australians will triumph in the course of the Coalition's proposed plebiscite for same-sex marriage. Has he checked out his own advertising campaign in the run-up to the federal election? It's all fearmongering and scare tactics. That's what happens when Australians are asked to vote. Both sides dust off their best scare campaigns. Even after a plebiscite, the Parliament has to vote on legislation to amend the Marriage Act. So, the community will be subjected to months of negativity and fearmongering, and we'll still end up with MPs making the final decision. Donna Cohen, St Kilda No comparison I have been dismayed and disadvantaged by the unfair practices of Australian bedding manufacturers. ('Profit springs eternal', 19/6). Their "marketing" means it is impossible to shop wisely. For many years we had been very happy with a mattress made by one major manufacturer. Imagine our dismay when we tried to replace it. First that model name was no longer known, then we were faced with a mass of models in our price range and no way to compare. I don't mind paying for something that is good but manufacturers purposely confusing the market by disabling "comparison shopping" infuriates me. Australian manufacturers do themselves no favours. I've identified a fabulous mattress made overseas and next time I buy I shall buy an imported one. Nicholas Brown, Montmorency Badly sprung Great report on the mattress game, by Liam Mannix. I spent two months going from shop to shop, all over Melbourne, trying to choose mattresses, and getting more and more confused. Finally gave up, and ordered them made and shipped from overseas. For years there has been a regular cycle of ads offering Sealy mattresses 45-50 per cent off. This alone should have triggered an ACCC investigation on pricing. Forbes Sprawson, Hampton Money clouds vision It's what elections boil down to basically, ('Labor's local cash spree', 19/6,): who can throw the greatest amount of money to the electorate and hope they forget the fact that the major parties have eschewed any visionary policies on the vital issues of affordable housing, education and aged care. I think we all deserve more. Helen Scheller, Benalla Electric bliss In response to Guy Ward (Letters, 19/6) with regards to electric cars, I have a plug-in hybrid car which uses electricity as follows: Over 15,000 kilometres it uses $300 of electricity (based on 0.15 kilowatt hours per kilometre and $0.13 per kWh [off peak international green certified rate]). We do about 10,000 kilometres a year, which is about $3.75 a week. A lot less than his calculation. Patrick Sawyer, Ferntree Gully Number crunching Guy Ward (19/6) calculated an off-peak electricity cost of $700 to $1000 for an electric car travelling 15,000 kilometres a year. He assumed 12 hours charging every third night instead of calculating the electricity required. According to the US Department of Energy, electric cars are three to five times more efficient than petrol cars. An efficient petrol car uses about 900 litres to travel 15,000 kilometres, so, taking an average of four times lower consumption, an electric car requires the equivalent of 225 litres of petrol. Petrol burned in a car equals about nine kilowatt hours per litre so 2025 kWh of electricity are needed. Off-peak prices are about $0.20 per kWh, giving the electricity cost as $400, compared with Mr Ward's figure of $700 to $1000. While the electricity costs are lower than calculated, they do not alter his conclusion that electric cars are not an economic proposition. David Sadedin, Briar Hill No park, just ride Labor's promise to commit $120 million to Victoria's Park and Ride access fund (19/6) is flawed as even significant increases of car parking will still only provide for a small proportion of Melbourne's 750,000 daily rail patrons while adding to road congestion in and around station precincts. Meanwhile, bus services to railway stations are inadequate and the Victorian government has no published plan to improve them. According to PTV's most recent survey (2014) Box Hill station, where bus services are of reasonable standard, 26 per cent of weekday rail users connected by bus while only 14 per cent came by car (46 per cent walked). At South Morang, where bus services are poor, only 17 per cent of rail patrons used connecting bus services and 62 per cent came by car. For the promised $120 million, the Victorian government could instead invest in about 300 buses and upgrade connecting route bus services. Goldblum became well-known for fast-talking roles in The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai Across the Eighth Dimension, Into The Night, The Fly and Earth Girls Are Easy both with former wife Geena Davis before three of the biggest movies of the 1990s: Jurassic Park, Independence Day and the sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Jeff Goldblum in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Credit:David James He hasn't been in movies as big as that since then, though he worked on Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Grand Budapest Hotel and his untitled next one as part of a pack of dogs also voiced by Bill Murray, Bryan Cranston, Bob Balaban and Edward Norton. On TV, he has been in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Glee and Portlandia. But as Independence Day has come back, just like new instalments of Jurassic Park, Star Wars and so many other old movies, Goldblum is back in a blockbuster. Jeff Goldblum in Independence Day. In Independence Day: Resurgence, which has aliens threatening the earth again 20 years on, he returns as computer expert David Levinson, delivering some of the movie's cheesiest lines with snappy charm. Roland Emmerich has directed the sequel again but in the absence of Will Smith, his character's son, Dylan Hiller (Jessie Usher), and new pilot Jake Morrison (Liam Hemsworth) take over the flyboy heroics. Jeff Goldblum in The Fly. Emmerich jokes that one of the reasons he wanted to revive Independence Day was to work with Goldblum again. He describes him as an actor who brings "a lot of personality" to a movie, which Emmerich wanted to use when he and Dean Devlin wrote the first instalment. "There's nobody like Jeff Goldblum in the world," he says. "He's so unique. When we did the first one, Dean and I, we were such huge fans. We even wrote dialogue in Jeff Goldblum style ... He was the only actor we actually had in our head. Jeff Goldblum with wife Emilie last year. "He's very intense and he always has a way with words. He's like 'tell me, tell me'." Hemsworth says Goldblum is truly as quirky off screen as on. "You never know what Jeff's going to say or what he's going to do but he's such a kind guy," he says. "The easiest person to work with. He's just very collaborative, loves to hear what your thoughts are on everything. And he's just a ball of energy. He's always happy and bouncy." Goldblum one of four children with a father who was a doctor and mother who ran a company selling kitchen equipment knew early that he wanted to be an actor. By late high school, he was obsessed. "My dad said you've got to figure out a career," he says. "He was a doctor but he wisely said if you find something you love doing, that's the lighthouse or your compass." Goldblum's compass might be a little skewed by now given Australia was just the first leg of an Independence Day publicity tour that was taking him to Dubai, Berlin, London, Mexico City, New York, Los Angeles and Japan "pretty much up to July 4." That's a significant date for another reason than just the movie. On Independence Day last year, Goldberg's wife, Sydney Olympics rhythmic gymnast and dancer Emilie Livingston, 33, gave birth to his first child, son Charlie. "We were shooting the movie in the summer and they let me off for a week in the projected window," Goldblum says. "And then sure enough on the 4th of July, she had the baby. So I'm thinking about passing my whatever I have onto him and the fleetingness of life and the fragility of this planet." Goldblum loves being a dad and, unlike many a celebrity, happily shows off photos of a genuinely handsome child on his phone. "I'm crazy about him," he says. "My wife is very good and sweet with him. There they are going on the plane she's Canadian so they're travelling to Toronto while I was going here because our kitchen is being remodelled. Look at that. I mean, come on." Becoming a father in his sixties has not made him wish he had kids earlier. "I think everything happens right on time," he says. "I probably wasn't ready before this. I hope it's not too late but I'm enjoying it now." So does he consider himself as off-beat as his screen characters? "I don't know," Goldblum says, dragging it out comically like a reluctant school boy. "I just am who I am. "I had a good teacher, Sanford Meisner. He said 'don't copy anybody. If you find your voice so to speak it will be your own.' "So I guess I've pursued that advice. And I feel lucky to be still getting good chances to do it." Goldblum says the first Independence Day was a unique experience because of working with Emmerich. "To work with somebody with whom it's so fun to work and from whom I can learn and I learned from him more on this [new movie]. Now he's even more masterful. "I'm always trying to get better myself. I specifically made some breakthroughs working with him in this movie." What kind of things? "Well, I'm kind of a craft geek," Goldblum says. "I've been teaching it when I'm not working for the last two or three decades to figure out how to make myself more reliably better as I go along and do what Sandy Meisner said, which is keep improving. "It's really just pretending. And just pretending good, in an interesting way. "I play piano and, like that, it's kind of getting to trust yourself more. Something about Roland, maybe it's his self-trustfulness and his talent, got through to me in a way this summer. I'm anxious to do more anxious to do more with him if I ever could to exercise my self-trustfulness." When people see him in the street or at an airport, Goldblum says he is sometimes surprised by the movies they recognise him for. "I've done a lot of things," he says. "The most widely seen ones were the first Independence Day and the Jurassic Park movies and The Fly. They seem to make an impression on people, they tell me. "The Big Chill people mention. Buckaroo Bonzai had some devoted followers. And Wes Anderson has his fans." Whenever he's at home in Los Angeles, Goldblum plays jazz piano as part of a quintet at a club. In Sydney, he hunted down a piano in the lobby of another hotel so he could practise. "I've played my set every day," he says. In September, Goldblum will be back in Australia to shoot Thor: Ragnarok with Hemsworth's brother Chris. It is being shot in Queensland with Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople) directing. Senate voting reforms have been tipped to make it harder than ever for minor parties to score a seat in the upper house. But it hasn't deterred a bunch of 20 candidates from putting their hands up to contest the two ACT seats always won by one Labor and one Liberal. Katy Gallagher and Zed Seselja at Parliament House when Ms Gallagher was sworn in as a new Senator for the ACT. Credit:Andrew Meares At the 2013 election, incumbent Liberal senator Zed Seselja and Labor senator Kate Lundy went up against Greens' lead candidate Simon Sheikh, 10 lead candidates from the minor parties and one independent. This time around nine minor parties have fielded candidates but no independents have fronted up. Appearing with Treasurer Scott Morrison a week out from the federal election which polls forecast will be tight Mr Turnbull said the global economic recovery remained "somewhat fragile". Mr Turnbull vowed to forge ahead with the government's program of cutting new trade deals but effectively hosed down expectations that Brexit offers a swift opportunity to secure a separate deal with a newly independent Britain. The "fragile" global economic recovery has taken a major hit from the shock Brexit result, Malcolm Turnbull has said, even as he sought to reassure Australians that a re-elected Coalition can weather gathering waves of instability. "So the British decision to leave the European Union is not helpful in terms of the global economic recovery," he said. "It is quite clear. It is a big economic shock. While it was clearly on the cards, I think markets generally expected the vote to go the other way So, yes, it does pose a risk to investor confidence. It will increase risk." Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Treasurer Scott Morrison during the election campaign. Credit:Andrew Meares Seeking to tread a fine line between reassurance while also stressing that ditching the Coalition government would add to uncertainty, Mr Morrison acknowledged there would be a "period of uncertainty over several years" as Britain withdraws from the EU but called for Australians to remain calm. He said he had spoken to the chief executives of the major banks, the Reserve Bank, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority and Treasury on Saturday morning and was convinced the fundamentals of Australia's financial system are sound. "Australia is well placed and well prepared for the situation that we now face and that is not by accident," he said. "But it would be wise from a precautionary perspective to head off the problem of corruption and misconduct at the federal level, particularly given the growth in international financial contributions to the Australian political scene." The calls for change come after a string of scandals and sagas around political donations including backdoor developer payments to the NSW Liberals through a federal Liberal fundraising body, foreign bribery payments and kickbacks, allegations of Border Force corruption, and insider trading at the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr Hewson agreed a national ICAC would need to be careful to protect the rights of those people it investigated and questioned. "What you want is that those who are guilty are genuinely accountable and subject to the full force of the law. To the extent that the process compromises that, I think you've got to be pretty careful." Integrity experts including Queensland anti-corruption stalwart Tony Fitzgerald have previously supported an anti-corruption commission last year telling the ABC's Leigh Sales that there was no reason to believe that the federal sphere was any cleaner than state politics. "I think it's self-evident," he said at the time. "The people who go into State Parliaments and the major political parties are the same people who go into Federal Parliament," said Mr Fitzgerald. "I cannot understand why they'd be corrupt at one level, or be corruptible at one level, and not at the other." "When slavery wasn't enough so you put a chain on the African baby," read one meme posted on Instagram with a Versace shot of an African-American girl in a stroller with a chain across her lap. Some critics also said the images of Kloss and Hadid, who are both in their early 20s, toting young children around the city suggest the models gave birth as teenagers. Versace posted a short video called "Chicago is my Beat" online this week as part of its fall/winter 2016 campaign that intermixes shots of posing models with performances by African-American dancers. Photographer Bruce Weber told The New York Times he "wanted these pictures to mean something to the city," but some of the images have been blasted on social media. Luxury fashion brand Versace is under fire for ads featuring models Karlie Kloss and Gigi Hadid in Chicago that some say promote teenage motherhood and slavery symbolism. A Versace spokeswoman did not comment to the Tribune about the controversy but said the campaign was the fashion brand's first in Chicago. Weber told the Times he was inspired by a February story in The New Yorker about Reverand Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Catholic Church on the South Side. "I had read a story in The New Yorker about a pastor called Father Mike, who is pretty controversial, and it caught my imagination. I went to hear him speak before we started shooting, and he was talking about politics and the need to restore old neighborhoods, and it made me think I wanted these pictures to mean something to the city," Weber told the Times. A Weber representative did not return a Tribune request for comment. Pfleger told the Tribune that Weber attended a church service in the spring and plans to return next month to explore the church's efforts to quell violence. Pfleger said Wednesday morning he had not seen the Versace campaign and added with a chuckle, "Versace has not called me to do anything." A Versace representative says its campaign features Joffrey Ballet dancer Fabrice Calmels and performers from Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Chicago Multicultural Dance Center and The Future Kingz. Weber told the Times he met a group of hip-hop dancers on the street with their manager and asked them if they wanted to be part of the campaign. At the end of the shoot, company executive Donatella Versace gave them suits and shoes, Weber said. Whether it's your backyard or someone elses, The City of Sydney is encouraging photographers to enter their homegrown photographs into the annual Australian Life competition. Known by Sydneysiders as the exhibition of giant photographs hung in Hyde Park, Australian Life is looking to showcase images of Australia in all its forms, by established and amateur photographers. Scenes from 2016 Throttle Rollin Marrickville. Credit:Steven Siewert Twenty finalists will be selected by a panel of judges and the winner of the $10,000 prize announced at the opening of the exhibition on Thursday, September 15. Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the competition provides an insight into the lives of people from across the nation. It's the question being asked by the community childcare peak body: is a NSW child worth less? Despite boasting a huge surplus in Tuesday's budget, in a state where preschool and childcare fees are the nation's highest the NSW government is still spending the least per child on early childhood education of any state. In Wodonga on the Victorian side of the border, the childcare centre run by not-for-profit Goodstart Early Learning gets $3000 per child from the Victorian government each year. But across the bridge in Albury, their four centres receive $300 per child from the NSW government. It's a border quirk that reflects the big differences in how state governments prioritise early childhood education. The Baird government will spend $12.6 million spruiking the Sydney Metro to the public, signing contracts with five consultancy firms to manage community relations ahead of a wave of compulsory property acquisitions and demolitions. The attempt to win public support for the disruption set to engulf the city and south western suburbs as it builds Australia's biggest rail project ranges from "classroom-ready" lessons for schools to traditional "spin". Protests against the Baird government's big infrastructure projects, as construction sites sweep across Sydney, have grown. On Sunday Lucy Turnbull's Greater Sydney Commission will separately launch an "Our Sydney/Your Home" campaign, in a belated attempt to win back community support for change. A cruise ship from which passengers were hurt in a fatal bus crash in Vanuatu has returned to Brisbane. P&O's Pacific Dawn made port just before dawn, bringing to an end an eventful cruise for the wrong reasons for some voyagers. Passengers on the Pacific Dawn were injured in a bus crash after a tour in Vanuatu. Credit:P&O Ten Australians were injured when a tour bus was involved in a head-on collision with a commuter bus on Monday. Three locals died. The last of the injured Australian passengers - an 11-year-old boy with serious head injuries and his mother and brother - returned to the Gold Coast on Friday. South-east Queenslanders woke to strong winds and cold temperatures Saturday morning, with Energex crews working through the night to restore power to tens of thousands of customers. By 10am, about 3500 customers were without power, but overnight a combined total of 38,000 people had lost their connection. Wild weather lashed south-east Queensland overnight, with "mean winds" causing 38,000 people to lose power. "It was a big night for crews," Energex Spokesperson Danny Donald said. SES Queensland received 45 calls for help since Friday, mostly regarding fallen trees and structural damage. Two brothers stand accused of a violent armed robbery of a Melbourne bottle shop in 2011 where a bystander was shot. Wayne Vitale, 25, of Hampton Park, and Craig Vitale, 27, of Dingley Village, were arrested by armed crime squad detectives on Friday. They were each charged with one count each of attempted murder, armed robbery, theft, conduct endangering life, intentionally causing serious injury, and recklessly causing serious injury. A CCTV image released by police of a hold-up of a Kingsville bottle shop in 2011. The brothers did not apply for bail in a short hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Saturday morning. They were remanded to a filing hearing on Tuesday. A man charged with culpable driving after a cyclist was killed in a hit and run in West Footscray was allegedly on bail at the time. Matthew Terrance O'Connor, 27, was arrested on Friday morning at a home in Heidelberg, a day after he is accused of killing cyclist Peter McGuffie in a hit and run on Barkly Street. Police investigate the death of cyclist Peter McGuffie in West Footscray on Thursday. Credit:Penny Stephens Mr O'Connor was charged with culpable driving, dangerous driving causing death, failing to remain at an accident and failing to render assistance. He has also been charged with breaching bail. Mr McGuffie, 54, was riding along Barkly Street at 3.15pm Thursday when he was hit by a car from behind and killed. A Bentley man has been charged after allegedly using a hatchet to steal jewellery from a Victoria Park store. Kensington Detectives charged the man after an investigation into the armed robbery, which happened on Monday, June 20. The accused man allegedly used a hatchet to rob a Victoria park store. Credit:Tony Walters Police say that the man entered the store on Albany Highway about 2.40pm and approached a display cabinet that contained jewellery. It will be alleged he smashed the cabinet with a hatchets and removed a piece of jewellery. Mandurah detectives flew to Brisbane on Friday to extradite a man back to WA over a serious assault in Ravenswood, east of Mandurah, on June 11. The 41-year-old, who had been arrested by the Australian Federal Police on behalf of the WA Police, appeared before a court on Saturday morning when the extradition request was granted. Police are bringing a fugitive back to WA to face assault charges. It's expected he'll be returned to Perth on Sunday and appear in court again on Monday. Police have charged two people over separate burglaries. A 47-year-old man was charged after police responded to an alarm at a commercial premises in Northbridge on Friday night. Two people have been arrested for separate burglaries in Cooloongup and Northbridge. About 10:15pm police were on foot patrol along William Street when they heard an alarm coming from a nearby building. They checked the building's perimeter and discovered that the rear of the building was damaged where someone had forced entry. Directly addressing the millions of voters who backed Remain, Mr Johnson insisted that the vote did not represent a retreat into isolationism, and that Britain would remain a "great European power". No longer the 'court jester': Boris Johnson. Credit:Joe Armao He said: "I want to speak to the millions of people who did not vote for this outcome, especially young people who may feel that this decision in some way involves pulling up the drawbridge or any kind of isolationism. I think the very opposite is true. "To those who may be anxious at home or abroad, this does not mean that the UK will be in any way less united. Nor indeed does it mean that it will be any less European." Boris Johnson appealed for unity in his speech after the vote. Credit:Mary Turner/Bloomberg Despite many Tories believing it is now a "near-certainty" that Mr Johnson will become prime minister, it emerged yesterday that moderate Conservative MPs are "flocking" to Theresa May in an attempt to block his leadership. Conservative MPs must win two nominations from their colleagues in order to enter the leadership race. David Cameron resigned after the Brexit vote. Credit:Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg If more than two candidates are nominated, voting takes place to whittle them down before party members across the country are given the opportunity to vote. It quickly became clear that Mr Johnson is already the runaway favourite to succeed Mr Cameron as Tory leader. Boris Johnson speaks to the media as he leaves his home following the European Union referendum. Credit:Harry Page/Bloomberg The Daily Telegraph understands that Mr Johnson could install Mr Gove as his Chancellor, and potentially move George Osborne to the Foreign Office. Mrs May, the Home Secretary, is being championed by Conservative MPs as the "stop Boris candidate" ahead of a leadership race that is expected to conclude in October. Boris Johnson plays tennis during his time as mayor of London. Credit:Clive Brunskill/Getty Images One MP intent on backing Mrs May told The Daily Telegraph: "Theresa will be seen as the unity candidate, she is our best hope of blocking Boris from becoming prime minister." The comments came as George Osborne announced that he will stay on as Chancellor of the Exchequer despite calls from Brexit-backing Conservatives for him to leave the Government. Mr Osborne, the previous frontrunner to succeed Mr Cameron, has seen his stock fall following a number of interventions during the run-up to the referendum that were branded as "scaremongering" by MPs. In a posting on social media, he said: "It was a hard-fought campaign. It is not the outcome that I wanted, but I respect the decision of British people and will do all I can to make it work." Andrea Leadsom and Priti Patel, both anti-EU ministers, Nicky Morgan, the Education Secretary, and Stephen Crabb, the Work and Pensions Secretary who replaced Iain Duncan Smith, have also been tipped, despite the latter pair being pro-EU. Mrs Morgan, who was one of the first Tory MPs to declare her ambitions, said yesterday: "It would be great in the 21st century to have a woman in the final two." Another possible leadership candidate is Mr Gove, the Justice Secretary, despite his frequent denials that he wants the job. Amber Rudd, the Energy Secretary, and Ruth Davidson the Scottish Conservative leader, both pro-Remain, are also seen to have boosted their credentials by stepping up to defend the Prime Minister during the referendum campaign. A Conservative minister said: "It is important that we see a female candidate on the ballot paper this time around. "There's really one person in a position to do that and it is Theresa. "Boris has a bit of a reputation for not being around in the Chamber much. He doesn't have a very good reputation in the House, and he has upset people during the campaign." Mr Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader and ex-work and pensions secretary, said he regretted Mr Cameron's decision to quit, although he urged his party's MPs to focus on helping to stabilise the country. He said he wanted the exit renegotiation with Brussels to start now: "They want to get sorted, they want to do a deal and I agree with them - that's why we shouldn't waste time. "We should get on with it now and we can come up with a very good deal with them and it'll stabilise everything. "We'll have a relationship with them - we're not running away - it will just be a better relationship." Addressing Mr Cameron's future, Mr Duncan Smith said: "I'm sorry that he has stepped down. I think he's been a good Prime Minister and I regret his decision, but I understand why he's done it. "Our job now is to make sure that we get the process that the public voted for under way and settled. London: As the bands played on at the Glastonbury music festival in Somerset, England, Lewis Phillips and his friends drowned their sorrows in song and alcohol. "We're the ones who've got to live with it for a long time, but a group of pensioners have managed to make a decision for us," Phillips, 27, said of Britain's decision to withdraw from the European Union. He said he was now "terrified" about the country's economic prospects. Louise Driscoll, a 21-year-old barista in London, spent most of the day crying. "I had a bad feeling in my gut," she said of Britain's referendum on Europe. "What do we do now? I'm very scared." Her parents both voted to leave the bloc, she said, and "will probably be gloating". Instead, today, Farage stands in excelsis. His sacrifice of a career in the city of London, and all its attendant riches, has been vindicated -- he has, after innumerable campaigns and a near-fatal plane crash (which left him with debilitating back and shoulder pain), fulfilled what he sees as Margaret Thatcher's dream of separating Britain from Europe. United Kingdom Independence Party's Nigel Farage basks in his Brexit victory. Credit:AP He started election night with a gloomy appearance at a party hosted by his supporters -- only to see his gloom turn to euphoria as the results came in. With Johnson catching up on sleep, it was Farage who became the face of Brexit triumph, launching into three separate victory speeches. During the last, delivered outside Parliament amid a throng of flag-waving activists, he called for June 23rd to become a national holiday -- a more palatable comment than his observation in the early hours that Britain had won its independence "without a bullet being fired", given the fatal shooting of pro-Remain MP Jo Cox last week. Nigel Farage warned Members of the European Parliament of the consequences if they did not offer "a sensible trade deal". Credit:Getty Images The truth is that, for all his flaws, this referendum would never have happened without Farage. It was he who capitalised on the public's anxieties about the surge in immigration that started under Labour and continued under the Conservatives. When Cameron broke his "cast-iron guarantee" to offer a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, on the grounds that the treaty had already been passed into law, it was the UKIP that gave disillusioned activists and voters a home. And it was this siphoning of support, combined with pressure from the Tory back benches that forced Cameron's hand. Similarly, for all his flaws, the referendum could never have been won without Farage. Yes, he was toxic to the undecided voters in the centre -- those whom Vote Leave targeted with its (false) promises of 350 million ($640 million) a week that would no longer go to Brussels and its reassurances that the risks of Brexit had been overplayed. Nigel Farage prepares to vote in the referendum. Credit:Getty Images But it was Farage who could turn out the hardcore eurosceptic supporters - who could speak most directly to those who wanted their country's sovereignty restored and the immigrants kicked out. Perhaps the most fascinating question is what comes next -- what Farage does now, having achieved his heart's desire, beyond quitting his job as a member of the European Parliament with a song in his heart, and embarking on an extensive victory tour of Britain's breweries. Already, there has been a concerted effort from leading Tories to push UKIP back to the margins. A succession of smooth, sensible men and women have been popping up on the news broadcasts to say that the important thing now is to get the right deal, to minimise dislocation, to wait to invoke Article 50 (the formal mechanism by which a country leaves the EU) until after the French elections next spring or the German elections next autumn. Gove and Johnson have also stated explicitly that they do not share Farage's vision of a low-immigration country: They would like a gate, not a wall. The line from UKIP has long been that they are the keepers of the true Tory flame, and that once Britain was out of Europe -- and the duplicitous, smooth-talking Cameron had been ditched -- there could be some kind of reconciliation with the Conservative Party. The veteran political journalist Michael Crick reported this month that Farage had duly been offered a peerage, and a place in a hypothetical Johnson administration. Farage called today for a "Brexit government" -- with himself presumably included. But is such a rapprochement really likely? It is far easier to imagine a future for the UKIP as a kind of ginger group, holding the government's feet to the fire, and in the process continuing to claim the mantle of the true voice of British nativism -- as opposed to the treacherous, cavilling Westminster elitists who will try to make Out look as much like In as possible. There is also a bigger prize to be won. One of the surprises of the 2015 general election was the way in which UKIP -- traditionally seen as a home for disaffected Tories -- hoovered up the votes of Labour supporters in the former industrial heartlands of the North. UKIP's collapse into infighting appeared to stall its progress toward becoming the natural party of opposition in such areas -- but the referendum results have revealed, yet again, the gap between Labour's metropolitan, progressive, pro-European activists and MPs and the old-fashioned working-class voters upon whom it has traditionally relied. Farage has always maintained that leaving the European Union is his one great goal in politics -- the sole purpose of the party he joined as a founding member in 1993, and which he has led, on and off, since 2006. But it is hard to see him tearing up his UKIP membership card and returning to the Tories -- or, indeed, the Tories accepting him. Mogadishu: At least 11 people were killed and several others wounded Saturday in an attack carried out by al-Qaida-affiliated militants on a well-known hotel in the Somali capital, officials said. The assault on the Nasa Hablood hotel, near a busy intersection in southern Mogadishu, occurred in late afternoon. The hotel is frequented by politicians, lawmakers and Somali businessmen. A Somali soldier takes position during an attack on a hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, Saturday, June 25. Credit:Farah Abdi Warsameh According to witnesses and security officials, attackers detonated a car loaded with explosives at the main entrance of the hotel before a number of gunmen stormed the building. Attacks on Mogadishu hotels have been common in recent months, as al-Shabab, a Somali Islamist extremist group, has targeted the places where high-profile government officials live and work. Some of those hotels have grown increasingly fortified, but many remain vulnerable in a city where security forces are still fighting to establish full control. NAPA, Calif., June 24, 2016 -- AUL Corp., America's largest national provider of used vehicle service contracts, has been awarded Gold in the Service Contract Provider category for the 2016 Dealers' Choice Awards by Auto Dealer Monthly magazine. This is its third year in a row to receive this award. "We are so appreciative and honored to receive this award! We strive to be the absolute best partner for our dealers, and our AUL family is grateful for the recognition of this success in our endeavors," said CEO Luis Nieves. AUL offers a variety of products for both independent and franchise dealers, all while maintaining the most dynamic and unique culture in the industry. AUL product offerings vary from the Any Year-Any Mileage Vehicle Service Contract to the Absolute suite of products featuring Absolute Profits, a dealer profit sharing program among the most aggressive in the industry developed to maximize ROI for a dealership. AUL, to date, has administered 1.5 million contracts and paid $550 million in claims. "Being rewarded by our dealers in this way is a terrific feeling, and all of our AUL team thanks our dealers for this award. To have achieved it three years in a row is a testament to the hard work and team effort of AUL's employees and agents," said COO Jimmy Atkinson. About AUL Corp. AUL Corp. founded the national used car service contract industry in 1990, with its still famous "Any Year-Any Mileage" vehicle service contract. AUL continues leading its industry and is the only provider of its type authorized to conduct business in all 50 states, as well as some Caribbean locations. AUL enjoys a long relationship with its underwriters, who hold an A.M. Best rating of "A" Excellent. AUL Corp. also enjoys the longest-term relationships in the industry with its agents and dealer clients, as verified by independent third party research. AUL's mission is to be the premier service contract administrator in America by any quantifiable measurement of business activity. To find out more, please visit http://www.aulcorp.com. 2016 AUDI A6 2.0T Quattro Sedan Review By Steve Purdy 2016 AUDI A6 2.0T QUATTRO Review By Steve Purdy The Auto Channel Michigan Bureau The freshened 2016 Audi A6 just came to spend a week with us. While we review just about all cars and small trucks, from the most basic to the high-end, we get particularly excited when any of the luxury German brands come to visit. This weeks Audi did not disappoint. The mid-size A6 competes directly with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5-Series; all are pricey, full of technology and reflect the best of German engineering. They all place a high priority on tight, agile and gratifying driving dynamics as well. The Lexus GS is another competitor and it, too, fits well into this genre. So, what sets the Audi apart from the others? First, the disclaimer: Ive not recently reviewed the current generation of the M-B or BMW entries in this class but have limited seat time in both. I have reviewed the GS and it is one of my favorites. So you may take these comments with a grain of salt and I promise to update them as I review the others. Style and design, Ill acknowledge, are subjective. I like all the German sedans but Audis grace and simplicity appeal to me most. The others have become a bit garish in some design details, but Audi continues to revise and update styling, both inside and out, while maintaining a certain simple and sophistication aesthetic. The A6 just got a styling update without a departure from the easily recognizable Audi look. A big, gaping grille, black lower cheek vents, squinty headlight bezels and new design for the LED DRLs provide a bold, stylish, but not over-done, front view. Side view shows a mostly simple, but carefully sculpted, profile of a balanced 4-door sedan. The rear, as well, is nicely sculpted but conservative with more LEDs, chrome exhaust outlets, and a high-end look. Our tester came to us in a very dark blue metallic not the best color for this car, in my not-so-authoritative opinion. Sliding into the A6 cabin we find an environment of fine materials, simple and functional elements and way too much technology, for me at least. Readers younger and/or more tech-savvy than I will love all the connectivity, infotainment and other functions as well as the sophisticated controls. For those of my generation let me assure you that the Audi approach to things is much more manageable than in the early days as this brand led the way into the world of ever-higher tech features in our cars. This new user interface, an update of Audis MMI modular infotainment platform is worlds more intuitive than the Audi system I first used, and was confused by, in the early 2000s. While I did not explore deeply into the all these systems I fooled around with it enough to be confident giving it good marks. Back to the aesthetic and tactile quality of the interior; we give it more high grades. The fine leather seats are well designed with plenty of adjustment and lateral support. The classy leather and aluminum shifter is surrounded by a few knobs, a lot of buttons that control most of the cars functions, partly through the multi-function screen at the top of the dash where it is easy to see and read. The MMI control system rates well in ease of management and it can even become a WiFi hot spot if you like. Real wood accents and high-end metal and plastics surround us confirming the luxury character of the A6. We have no analog clock, however, which I think of as a luxury car necessity. The rear seat will accommodate three regular sized people though bigger folks will have to get cozy. The rear seat backs fold 60/40 to add functionality to the modest 14.1 cubic-foot trunk. Total interior volume matches or exceeds most of its competition. At speed on any kind of surface the cabin remains dead quiet. The quick 2.0-liter turbo in our test car is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission and Audis trusty quattro all-wheel drive a charming combination to be sure. The small engine is good for 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque powering this fairly heavy sedan and it feels like even more. At full throttle to red line is virtually sings with sophistication. The Audi folks say it will do zero to 60 mph in a mighty quick 5.8 seconds, and we have no reason to doubt that number. The EPA says we can expect around 32 mpg on the highway, 22 in the city and 26 combined using the required premium (91 octane) fuel. The sticker shows a starting price of $48,400 for this A6, 2.0T, quattro (full-time all-wheel drive) Tiptronic automatic transmission with manual mode, 18-inch wheels, power sunroof, leather seats, walnut trim and all the other power and luxury stuff you would expect. We have a $3,700 premium package that includes driver assistance features, navigation upgrades, special audio and convenience stuff. Along with the 19-inch wheel option and a couple other extras our bottom line shows $55,775. The A6 model range includes higher trim levels and four other powertrains including a 4.0-liter turbo in the high-performance S6. The low-end (still mighty nice) 2.0T without quattro starts at $46,200 and the S6 starts at $70,900. This A6 with the smallest engine and all-wheel drive makes for a gratifying driving experience whether one drives sedately or with enthusiasm, on the freeway or a mountain road. The 2-liter turbo has plenty of power and the well-calibrated Tiptronic transmission adjusts itself to our needs. This review took place in nice spring weather but past experience with the quatto all-wheel drive system in snow, ice a slush left me impressed and confident on any surface. Suspension and handling, as we expect from the Germans, are European style, meaning firm, crisp and agile. We can drive it as aggressively as we like with full confidence. While a bit pricey the A6 is still a lot of car for the money. Between the advanced design, extensive technology, sophisticated styling, and all around performance we would recommend you put it on your shopping list if youre in this lofty part of the market. Steve Purdy, Shunpiker Productions, All Rights Reserved The Most Audi Research Information Anywhere! Aziz Ansari is not messing around. The comedian, whose Muslim parents emigrated from India to South Carolina before he was born, has written a strongly-worded op-ed for The New York Times, directed at the one presidential candidate who has suggested a ban on Muslims entering the United States. Here is how he described his primary message to Donald Trump when he shared the piece on Twitter Friday afternoon: The op-ed begins with a conversation between Ansari and his mother, who will familiar to anyone who watched the comedians parents play themselves on his recent Netflix series Master of None. Ansari laments the fact that, after the mass shooting in Orlando, committed by a young Muslim-American man who said he was acting on behalf of ISIS, he felt the need to tell his mother to avoid visiting her local mosque. Today, with the presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and others like him spewing hate speech, prejudice is reaching new levels, Ansari writes. Its visceral, and scary, and it affects how people live, work and pray. It makes me afraid for my family. It also makes no sense. He goes on to explain that if the FBI is investigating around 1,000 homegrown violent extremists out of approximately 3.3 million Muslims living in the U.S., then the percentage of potential Muslim-Americans terrorists is essentially zero. Recalling a time before he was famous when someone shouted terrorist! at him as he was crossing the street in New York City, Ansari adds, The vitriolic and hate-filled rhetoric coming from Mr. Trump isnt so far off from cursing at strangers from a car window. Instead of banning Muslims, Ansari suggests an alternative approach: Keep military-grade weaponry out of the hands of mentally unstable people, those with a history of violence, and those on F.B.I. watch lists, action that filibusters and sit-ins in Congress this week failed to bring about. Finally, Ansari, while cataloguing some of Trumps other xenophobic rhetoric from over the past year, arrived at the candidates baseless claim that thousands of Muslims were celebrating on rooftops in New Jersey on 9/11. Given the fact that Trump reacted to the Orlando attack by tweeting that he appreciated the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, Ansari wondered if it wouldnt be more accurate to say that he was the one celebrating after an attack. The op-ed from Ansari, a comedian known more for jokes about online dating than presidential politics, comes just a few months after another prominent stand-up, Louis CK, wrote a long letter to fans that equated Trump with Adolf Hitler. Yet, through his Twitter account and public appearances, as well as his Netflix show, Ansari has emerged as a powerful advocate for both Asian-Americans and Muslim-Americans. He received widespread praise for one episode of Master of None titled Indians on TV that examined his characters attempt to break free of the stereotypical portrayal of Indian-American men that has dominated pop culture for decades. The series as a whole went a long way in challenging the conventional wisdom about how people of Ansaris background can and should be shown on television. Before that, when Rupert Murdoch tweeted that all Muslims should be held responsible for their growing jihadist cancer, Ansari went on a Twitter rant against him that asked if Murdoch should in turn be held responsible for all the evil shit Christians do. In an appearance on David Lettermans Late Show later that month, Ansari explained his motivations for challenging what he views as anti-Muslim hate speech. If you say something racist about black people or something, you immediately have to go set up this meeting with Al Sharpton, he said. The problem is, brown people dont have a guy. Im throwing my hat in the ring, Im the brown Al Sharpton. He may have been joking at the time, but if Ansari keeps producing pieces like the one published by The New York Times on Friday, he just might get his wish. Though if hes waiting for an apology from Trump, he shouldnt hold his breath. Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator and star of the Broadway hit Hamilton, has vowed to get into as much political advocacy as he can once he steps down from his acclaimed hip-hop musical next monthwhen he is not busy shooting the Mary Poppins sequel, at least. Im going to be trying to get out the Latino vote as hard as possible, Mirandaa New York native of Puerto Rican descenttold reporters last week, discussing his post-Hamilton plans. I think its very clear that Latinos living in the United Statestheir interests are bound up in voting this year, and Ill leave it at that, but making sure people turn out is going to be a priority for me, he continued. Our issues are on the table, from Puerto Rico to a wall to keep half of us out being a [Republican] Party platform. Its important we get out and vote. This year, with GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump being particularly loathed by Hispanic voters, Miranda (who has achieved a new level of fame and visibility with the success of his Alexander Hamilton production) has suddenly become a much sought-after political commodity for the Democrats and Latino activists. On Tuesday, Politico reported that Miranda was at the very top of the Hillary Clinton campaign and DNCs wishlist for desired performing artists for the Democratic National Convention next month in Philadelphia. Team Hillarys hopes are likely to be dashed due to Mirandas Mary Poppins commitments. However, Miranda has also met privately with representatives of several Latino political advocacy organizations to discuss voter outreach and potential collaborations leading up to the November election, The Daily Beast has learned. In late January, Mirandas father Luis Miranda Jr. (a political consultant and major player in Democratic politics in New York) treated some friends and political allies to a performance of Hamilton, currently playing at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in Manhattan. The elder Mirandas guests included Brent Wilkes, the national executive director for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and Hector Sanchez, executive director of the Labor Council For Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) and chair of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA). As much as the two activists enjoyed the rap musicals set design and the expected showstoppers, what they were really anticipating was when Act II would end, and they would be ushered backstage for a private conversation with Hamiltons leading man. During their meeting, the small gathering talked about voter outreach, the importance of the 2016 election, and the prospect of Miranda lending his star power. Weve been talking about the need to push back against Donald Trump with his dad for a long time, Wilkes told The Daily Beast. And we talked to [Miranda] about using his fame and celebrity status to have an impact on elections, voter turnout for Latinos, and talked about how it is a really important year in terms of Latino issues. The meeting lasted roughly 15 minutesand Miranda was on board. We didnt have to do a lot of convincing, Wilkes said. He seemed committed to do it. Wilkes said he didnt bring up Trumps name during their backstage chat because he didnt want to kill the moodbut the message couldnt have been clearer: The Republican Partyespecially its nomineeis presenting a clear and present danger to Latino communities this year, and these groups wanted Miranda to help them send a big message on election day. Weve been under horrible attack as a community, Sanchez told The Daily Beast. Voices like Lin-Manuels are so critical to amplify the importance of Latino civic participation. Hes been such a powerful voice for Latino issues, [and] social justice issues. Miranda has been asked about Trump in virtually every printed interview hes done in the past few months, and hasnt had much more than negative things to say. During a commencement address at the University of Pennsylvania last month, Miranda slammed Trump (though not by name), telling the students and audience that immigrants get the job done. In past election years, Miranda was even less charitable to The Donald, calling him Americas First National Fuckface. In the time since the January meeting, Miranda has also had preliminary discussions with the Latino Victory Project, a group that focuses on building Latino political power nationwide co-founded by actress and Democratic player Eva Longoria, who calls Miranda her genius friend. It is something we are looking into, Pili Tobar, the LVPs spokeswoman said. [Our president] Cristobal Alex talked to him after a show recently. Miranda has also started a raffle for tickets to his final Hamilton show with proceeds benefiting the Hispanic Federation (where his father served as founding president), and cut a voter-registration PSA for the nonprofit. This kind of political advocacy isnt out of character for Miranda, who has donated to Democratic candidates such as Richard Carmona and Barack Obama. In his twenties, he got paid to compose music for English- and Spanish-language ads for Democratic politicians. In 2012, he starred in a get-out-the-vote video for Movimiento Hispano, which was coordinated by the Hispanic Federation, LULAC, and LCLAA. Miranda hosted the Obama 2012 fundraiser at the Apollo Theater in Harlem where the president sang part of Al Greens Lets Stay Together. Four years later, he would freestyle with Obama at the White House: LULAC hopes that Hamilton cast members will cut more ads for them soon, including a Hamilton-themed GOTV message, spearheaded and produced by Miranda, featuring multiple actors. He has definitely committed to that, Wilkes said. This isnt a Hollywood family. [Mirandas] is a political familyits something he grew up with. Mirandas publicist, as well as Mirandas father, did not respond to requests for comment on this story. In Australia last year, a young woman named Olivia Meville faced an onslaught of Tinder shaming by strange men for simply posting a Drake lyric in her bioThe type of girl that will suck you dry and then eat some lunch with you. The first wave of harassment came from 31-year-old bartender Chris Hall, who screenshotted her bio and posted it to Facebook with the comment, Stay classy ladies. Im surprised shed still be hungry for lunch. (Yeah, ladies, how dare you remind men you consume food.) Halls original post soon went viral on social media, with detractors piling on and Melvilles friends attempting to defend her. Some of the worst comments came from a man named Zane Alchin, a 25-year-old pal of Halls. Within a two-hour period, Alchin posted 55 comments to Meville and her friends. As The Guardian reported: Among the comments Alchin made were: You know the best thing about a feminist they dont get any action so when you rape them it feels 100 times tighter; Youll be eating my cock till you puke; and Id rape you if you were better looking. When one of the women targeted by Alchin threatened to report him to police, he scoffed, What law am I breaking? Im not the one out of the fucking kitchen. When police did indeed arrest him for making the rape threats, he claimed he was drunk at the time and just trolling. The authorities didnt buy it, and earlier this week, Alchin pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend. He will be sentenced in late July, and faces up to three years jail time. Alchin is hardly the first man online to post such abuse, and even with his guilty plea, the bigger question remains: Why do men keep doing this? Why are so many peoplenot just harassers themselves by bystanders, tooaccepting of the idea that we can be this hostile and threatening online? That its OK to view womens requests to not be targeted, shamed, or harassed by strange men as somehow imposing on mens freedom? The ability to harm others online is often dressed in moral garb: free speech, just a joke, defending some cause. After all, almost no one believes themselves to be the villain in their life stories. Alchin claimed, for example, that he was defending himself and his friends from feminists. We saw this with another man who cried free speech when he lost his job after calling a woman a slut. Free speech is a noble-sounding endeavorbut here its being used as an excuse to harass women. Harassers believe theyre on a mission for good, and that their targets are harmful to something that must be defended, usually the status quo. This is why women in general and marginalized groups in particular are so often targets of online vitriol. The Guardian, in its exhaustive analysis of abuse aimed at its writers, found the data confirmed this: The 10 regular writers who got the most abuse were eight women (four white and four non-white) and two black men. Two of the women and one of the men were gay. And of the eight women in the top 10, one was Muslim and one Jewish. And the 10 regular writers who got the least abuse? All men. This is not surprising to many of us. Indeed, anyone whos displayed themselves as being anything other than a straight white cis man has probably encountered online abuse targeting their identity. This awfulness exists when it should not. Abuse happens too frequently. We find a million ways to rub this toxicity onto the walls of the internet and to assert its just a part of online spaces. That needs to change and men need to examine the various ideas they perpetuate that allow it to happen. Abuse and excuse is what we should start calling the system that lets men get away with this damaging mindset, the harassment narrative. Alchin can send threats and excuse it because its trolling or hes defending his friends or its free speech or hes drunk. (Funny that so many people get drunk but have never issued rape threats at strangers!) For too long, targets have paid the price for such harassment, not the ones doing the harassing. Reflecting on the Guardians findings that she is its most targeted writer, Jessica Valenti notes her concern is, mostly, about the future of digital spaces. "I speak at colleges frequently, and at every one I visit at least one young woman comes to me with the same concern: she wants to be a writer but says she doesnt have the stomach for the online abuse. This is especially true for women of color and trans women: we are losing out on talented writers who are part of marginalized communities because they dont want to pursue a career where harassment is considered an expected part of the gig." The big issue is twofold: that people should not have to endure this and its continuation perpetuates spaces devoid of diverse voices. We need to change those spaces, if we want others to enter and not merely be targets. If we continue eroding this toxicity into background noise with the excuse that its just the internet, instead of recognizing it as toxic sludge, well never make any effort to clean up online spaces. The internet was meant to be, in an ideal sense, the great equalizer. Instead, its so often a blown-up version of the kinds of encounters so many face everyday. (Targets of internet abuse are those more likely to receive abuse offline, too.) The excuse that the internet creates such encounters by virtue of design is a complicated statement. This is usually seen in something like Alchin only said that because he feels safe behind a keyboard, hed never say it to womens faces. In a way, this is true. But its really like saying, the telephone allows for creepy phonecalls. People who want to be threatening are merely using the tools at their disposal. Harassers now can more easily react and directly contact their targets, with a few taps of a button. This is not the case with letters and other older forms of communication (these are all horrible, regardless of platform). Still, as study after study shows, so-called trolls are as awful offline as they are online. The internet didnt make them horrible, only facilitated a new medium to express it. The point is: We should be careful of distinguishing explanation and excuse. Yes, Alchin and similar harassers use the internet to be awful but its not because of the internet that theyre threatening women. Wishing rape on feminists didnt emerge from nowhere. Alchin and similar men dont just magically convey hateful ideas because their hands touched a keyboard. Theres an overarching, larger narrativeboth online and offlinewhich tells men: This is acceptable. We see it when judges and wealthy families claim rapists are the ones deserving of sympathy. When a famous comedians fans target a woman for criticizing the comedians humor. When women are blamed for their own rapes by virtue of their wardrobe or inebriation, rather than blame being laid on the grown man or men who chose to harm them. When stories of abusive, creepy, stalker behavior are framed as romantic. We live in a culture where men are told even their bad behavior is, in fact, good, and the only ones who have a problem with it are just causing an unnecessary fuss: theyre mistaken, irritating, humorless, thin-skinned, politically correct. It cant possibly be that you, as a man, are wrong, when the whole world the justice system, your parents, your friends, Hollywood!gives you immunity and permission. Is it any wonder then that even young men, whom wed expect to be more familiar with the impact and longevity of the digital world, are behaving this badly online? We cant have the internet we want until we create the conversation we need. And men need to be speaking to other men about being better. Just as we can create the web we want, we can also create better men. We dont have to accept that were stuck with sexist harassers and haters of women. As weve seen in the Alchin case, such people are increasingly facing the repercussions of their speech and their behavior. But thats the end result. We should also focus on the beginning and how so many men think they can get away with it in the first place. Its not because theyre drunk or defenders of freedom or whatever. Its because theyre being awful assholes. For many drinkers, the history of LGBT bars in New York begins and ends with Greenwich Villages famous the Stonewall Inn, site of the eponymous 1969 Riots. While the watering holerecently transformed into a memorial site for the terrible massacre at Orlando LGBT nightclub Pulseis, of course, historically significant, it is certainly not alone. Just a few blocks away from Stonewall is Julius, which this past April was added to the National Park Services National Register of Historic Places. It has the distinction of being the oldest gay bar in New York and, according to the National Park Service, one of the citys oldest continued operated bars. It was also there, three years before the influential Stonewall riot, that the Mattachine Society held its legendary sip-in, which publicized the fact that any establishment serving openly gay men or lesbian women would get their licensed suspended by the State Liquor Authority. Thanks in great part to the protest and the publicity that it generated, this outrageous policy was changed, which paved the way for a new generation of bars that welcomed gay men and lesbian women. But this wasnt the first time that New York bars helped shape gay identity. Theres a way longer history, says Ken Lustbader, who is one of the directors of the New York City LGBT Historic Sites Project. In the 1870s, there were establishments that were known for their bohemian atmosphere, like the subterranean Charles Pfaffs Beer Cellar that was staffed by effeminate men. It was popular with gay men as well as with straight men and drew a crowd of writers and artists. (Several years earlier Walt Whitman even featured the spot in an unfinished poem: The vault at Pfaffs where the drinkers and laughers meet to eat and drink and carouse) By the 1890s, there were also what Lustbader says were called pansy bars that were commercialized places of vice. However, you wouldnt call them gay bars, warns George Chauncey, author of Gay New York and co-director of The Yale Research Initiative on the History of Sexualities. These establishments, which were clustered near the Bowery, offered drinkers a lively atmosphere where some of the waiters wore makeup and, according to Chauncey, some of them would sing in a falsetto voice. You could also expect campy repartee with the customers. The Slide, which was slang for hook up in 1890s parlance, was perhaps the most famous and infamous of these watering holes thanks to a series of attacks in local newspapers. Amazingly enough, more than a century later, the building that The Slide was located in, 157 Bleecker Street, still stands. The facade changed but the building is still there, says Lustbader. (For 36 years, it also housed famed music club Kenneys Castaways, that showcased a range of artists, including Bruce Springsteen, Yoko Ono, Patti Smith and even the Fugees.) In 1890, The Slide, according to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, was called by the New York Press the wickedest place in New York. It however, was one site in the middle of a whole neighborhood of places where fairies gathered, says Chauncey. While Chauncey says that these joints were pretty out there sexually there were, in fact, other saloons in the area that went further and had back rooms where men could have sex. So, what were people drinking in these watering holes? According to cocktail historian David Wondrich, author of Imbibe! and Punch, regular bars served beer and whiskey, while in the better bars you could find Manhattans, Gin Rickeys and Martinis. Absinthe, he says, was also often used to tip off gay men that they were welcome at an establishment. But this period was short lived. The Slide also tells the story of oppression and harassment, says Lustbader. The struggles by police and reformers to shut it down helped to define the construction of what homosexuality would be. At the turn of the century, the New York State Legislation went on a campaign to rout out corruption. These bars, according to Chauncey, were able to exist because of bribes and they became targets, he says. But it wasnt long before another legislative initiative, Prohibition, provided the environment for a new wave of bars to open up. The Roaring Twenties saw a huge number of speakeasies open in Harlem and Greenwich Village that catered to gay men and lesbian women. The 1890s and the 1920s were incredibly open periods in New York history, says Chauncey. Once drinking became legal again, that openness unfortunately began to dissipate. After World War II, according to Lustbader, thanks to McCarthyism, the rise of psychoanalysis and the increased religiosity of the country there were places to go but they werent as visual. The atmosphere forced gay men and lesbian women to drink in private clubs and establishments with mob ties. This era, of course, ended with the sip-in and the Stonewall Riots. So, its only fitting that Sundays Gay Pride Parade, which makes its way down Fifth Ave to the intersection of Greenwich and Christopher Streets, ends just steps from The Stonewall Inn and not too far from The Slide. Ninety years ago, on June 23, 1926, 8040 American high school students simultaneously pondered which of six words were most closely related and which numbers come next in a certain sequence. This first SAT was scored on a 200-to-800-point scale with 500 reflecting the median score. Aimed to test innate ability not knowledge acquired, the Scholastic Aptitude Test culminated two decades of experiments assessing intelligence that also produced the IQ test. Dr. Carl Brigham is the psychologist who invented the SAT. Unfortunately, this man most responsible for saddling two million American teens annually with No. 2 pencils and first-degree testing jitters was a Pilgrim-pedigreed, eugenics-blinded bigot. Brigham eventually repented. More important, these standardized tests became scientifically-validated admissions tickets into Americas meritocracy for the very immigrants and minorities Brigham hoped his tests would exclude. Born in 1890 in Marlboro, Massachusetts, to a family descended from the Mayflower and enriched by a California Gold Rush-profiting grandfather, Carl Campbell Brigham was destined to go to Harvard. But, as one of his admirers would writewith no ironySomething of the same spirit of adventure which sent his grandfather to California in 1849 must early have been active in determining Carls reactions to his environment. Violating family tradition, he transferred to Princeton University. Following this great rebellion, he mostly lived within the Princeton bubble until he died in 1943. In New York, you can be a new man, croons the chorus during the opening of the contemporary Broadway smash Hamilton. It is an insight as true today as it was during the colonial period. From the Bavarian immigrant Freidrich Drumpf, who turned himself into Frederick Trump (grandfather toThe Donald), to the most recent arrival at Port Authority or JFK, Manhattan has always been the place where people come from all over the world to reinvent themselves. Given the frequency of such transformations and the secrecy with which newcomers discarded their old identities for shiny new ones, we may never know who was the most accomplished of Manhattans legions of shapeshifters. But one of the leading contenders for the title would have be the figure known at the turn of the last century as Guillermo Enrique Eliseo. With an apartment on Central Park West and an office on Wall Street, Eliseo was, to all appearances, a fabulously rich Mexican bankerwithout doubt the wealthiest resident of the City of Mexico as one newspaper reported in 1897. In reality, however, Eliseo had begun life in slavery, an African American born on a cotton plantation in the small, dusty South Texas town of Victoria. To escape the Jim Crow South, the young William Henry Ellis relocated to Manhattan in the 1890s. Fluent in Spanish from his childhood along the Mexico border, he soon persuaded his new acquaintances that he was from a well-to-do Mexican familyan enticing pose to Wall Street investors at a time when almost every item in the U.S.s burgeoning consumer economy owed its origins in one way or another to Mexican resources, from the Mexican copper used to electrify American cities to the Mexican rubber that went into making tires for the newly invented automobile. Elliss remarkable talent for reinvention made him arguably the first African American on Wall Street (his only known rival for the crown being Jeremiah G. Hamilton, a black man who made his fortune in the 1840s, when Wall Street was still in its formative stages). Yet as his experience in New York demonstrates, even an accomplished trickster like Ellis, who managed to evade the defining phenomenon of his agethe color linecould himself be tricked, especially when sex and scandal were added to the maelstrom of shifting identities that was Gilded Age New York. Among Elliss earliest acquaintances in the city was an actress named Fayne Strahan. Strahan was another newcomer to Manhattan, having grown up in Atlanta with her widowed mother. Ellis quickly became enamored of the young white woman, whom contemporaries labeled a ruinous beauty, and wooed her with a sealskin coat and other expensive gifts. Little did he know, however, that Strahan was sizing him up for a con known as the badger game. After gaining the marks trust, the female member of the con team would lure her target into a compromising situation. At this point, a male accomplice would burst in and, claiming to be the womans husbandor in some variations, her brother or fatherdemand money to hush up the apparent outrage. In an age in which adultery carried considerable stigma, this badgering was an effective ploy, securing money from the mark while discouraging him from going to the police, where he would have to confess to an awkward intimacy with the female member of the team. (One can see a variation of this venerable ploy in Hamilton, where it triggers much of the action in the second act.) Yet after months of toying with Ellis, Strahan and her partner (and secret husband), William A.E. Moore, elected to spring their trap on Martin Mahon, the well-to-do proprietor of the New Amsterdam Hotel, instead. Accomplished con artists, Strahan and Moore had caught wind of Elliss masquerades long before he picked up on theirs. Mahon, however, was that rare mark who pursued prosecution, perhaps because Moore had gratuitously clubbed him on the head with a revolver upon surprising him with Strahan. The subsequent trial dragged a reluctant Ellis into the public spotlight, threatening to undo his carefully crafted persona. Called into court as a witness, Ellis identified himself as a a broker in Wall street and dazzled audiences with his refined appearance: a long brown overcoat of costly texture, [a] thick white silk handkerchief around his neck fingers sparkl[ing] with many valuable diamonds. Although trial testimony raised doubts as to Elliss background, it soon became clear that he was not the only figure in the courtroom with an interest in seeing his identity as an upper-class Latin American maintained. Strahan, anxious to preserve an image of herself as a proper white woman, remained adamant throughout the trial that Ellis was not her negro friend but in fact a high toned Cuban gentleman. So, too, did Strahans mother in her interviews with a New York press corps consumed with the scandal. With the Strahans unexpectedly vouching for his Latin background, Ellis managed to weather the trial and return to Wall Street unscathed. There were abundant reasons why the Gilded Age proved a golden era for shapeshifting. At the close of the 19th century, the city ballooned in size to more than three and a half million souls, yet official record-keeping lagged far behind. With birth certificates, drivers licenses, and passports all but non-existent, residents could rarely rely on documents to determine the identity of those they encountered. Instead, they were forced to resort to appearance, accent, and other clues to discern a new acquaintances social standing. Since such traits were not fixed, however, the risk remained that ones companion was not who he or she claimed to be. The resulting confusion over whether outward presentation matched inward self was one of the features that rendered the burgeoning metropolis of Manhattan such a disorienting place for many of its newest arrivalsand such a perfect spot for those seeking to reinvent themselves. Even after the spectacular failure of his courtship of Strahan, Ellis continued to entertain thoughts of matrimony, eventually marrying a young white woman named Maude Sherwood in 1903. In the press release that Ellis issued announcing the nuptials, he stated that he and his bride had met in Great Britain on the estate of the Hotchkiss family and that Sherwood descended from English nobility: BrideOnly daughter of Thomas Clark Sherwood of Mayport, England grandniece of Lord George Armstrong (deceased) Grandniece of Sir William Hy. Watson (deceased) at one time Baron of Exchequer. Related to Sherwoods of Nottingham, Clarks, Lightfoots and Watsons. Census data, however, reveal that Sherwood was not born across the ocean in Great Britain but across the Hudson River in Jersey City. It was true that her father was from England, having emigrated in 1870. But he was no aristocrat, working instead on the docks as a clerk and shipping agent for a steamship line. By 1900, around the time Maude first met Ellis, she and her widowed father were living in a boarding house in Lower Manhattan, and Maudes profession was listed as stenographer. Given her profession, age (13 years younger than Ellis), and working-class, New York background, Sherwood and Ellis, rather than meeting at a soiree on the Hotchkiss estate, could only have encountered each other in his office or some other work setting. Sherwood, it turns out, was not averse to embellishing her autobiography, just as her new husband had burnished his. Together, they guarded each others secrets and assisted in the others reinvention: Mauds whiteness gave added credence to Elliss claims to elite Mexican status, while Elliss wealth furthered Mauds pose as a British aristocrat. New York did not have laws barring marriage between blacks and whites in the early 1900s, making it one of the few states not to draw the matrimonial color line. But as The North American Review explained, Even in commonwealths where mixed marriages are lawful they are extremely rare, and are visited with the severest social reprobation. Campaigns against Manhattans vice districts invariably focused their horror on the citys Black and Tan clubs where black men and white women mingled with one anothera phenomenon, in the words of Police Commissioner William McAdoo, that ran counter to violent racial prejudices and traditions an unmitigated and disgusting evil. Elliss Latin identity thus proved valuable for romance as well as business. At the wedding, held at Grace Episcopal Church (even though, as a proper Mexican, Ellis publicly identified as Catholic), Ellis insisted on being referred to as Guillermo Enrique Eliseo. Recalled the tongue-tied minister, I had great trouble pronouncing Mr. Eliseos name, and we had a laugh over it. As the historian Alyson Hobbs points out in her recent prize-winning study of passing, A Chosen Exile, there could be great loss, alienation, and isolation in reinventing oneself, as individuals severed connections to family, culture, and community to pursue their masquerades. But passing also offered liberationand even the occasional chance to ridicule prevailing conventions, as an incident that occurred to Ellis and Sherwood shortly after their wedding reveals. A prominent merchant and probable former slave owner from Elliss hometown of Victoria, Texas, in Manhattan on business, found himself relaxing at a racetrack outside the city one summer weekend. Not long after he took his seat, a waiter showed up with a bottle of wine, compliments of W.H. Ellis. Not remembering the name, the merchant asked for clarification. The waiter pointed out Ellis, sitting nearby with his new wife; Ellis responded to the shocked stare of the visitor from Victoria with a wink and a wave. The distance Ellis had traveled from Victoria to Manhattan could be measured in many ways, but perhaps none more profound than this simple exchange. The author of The Strange Career of William Ellis: The Texas Slave Who Became a Mexican Millionaire, Karl Jacoby is a professor of history at Columbia University. The author of two previous books, he has won the Albert J. Beveridge Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship, among other honors. He lives in New York. A little over a year ago Josh McClain was sitting behind bars facing a 24-year prison sentence. He knew he needed help with a drug addiction that had sent him down a dangerous path of nonviolent crime and unruly behavior; but McClain had already accepted that he had gone too far. The damage was already done. That was until Teen Challenge of Western Kentucky came along and offered McClain the second chance he thought he'd never have. 'I went to a court date, and my lawyer said if I signed a plea deal I would start the program at 8 a.m. the next day,' McClain recalled. 'If I hadn't done that, I would be sitting in jail right now.' Today, McClain, 27, is the store manager at the Teen Challenge Car Care in downtown Henderson. The store in Henderson is one of several business operations based out of Teen Challenge of Western Kentucky, which is located in Dixon. Teen Challenge of Western Kentucky is an affiliate of Teen Challenge USA, a 12 to 14 month discipleship program that offers faith-based, residential treatment to men 18 and older and facing 'life controlling issues' such as substance abuse. Currently, there are around 30 men enrolled in the program. McClain, originally from Ballard County, knew nothing about Teen Challenge before agreeing to participate. But the program has changed his life. 'I knew when I got out of jail to come here, I was going to stay here, and I was going to do this right,' McClain said. 'They picked me up and helped dust me off after I fell really hard.' Students must pay tuition and fees to stay in the program. Those fees are often supplemented by family members as well as the support from local churches and businesses. And while students do not earn any of the money made through the business operations such as the one in Henderson the work experience program is designed to teach students work ethic and responsibility. The money earned at the businesses such as Henderson's Teen Challenge Car Care go to support the program including housing, classes and treatment. 'The money being made from these operations is going directly to their sobriety,' events coordinator Dawn Gallagher said. 'They're essentially going home with empty pockets. But they know this money is going toward the program and their own individual futures.' As Gallagher watched five different men from the program, including McClain, work in Henderson last week, she came to a realization. 'It just hit me that these guys are basically volunteering their hours because they're not making any money here. That says a lot about how motivated they are to get themselves back on track and get their lives back together,' Gallagher said. Students in the program maintain a daily schedule of devotionals, followed by work or classes. The curriculum used in the program is derived from Biblical teachings and covers a wide variety of issues and is often tailored to individual students depending on what their needs are. Teen Challenge of Western Kentucky also has a car detailing business operation in Madisonville as well as a landscaping business that offers services in Henderson, Madisonville and other areas of the Western Kentucky area. 'I know firsthand what this program can do for an individual,' said Scott Lipinsky, executive director of Teen Challenge of Western Kentucky, a former graduate of the program in Florida. Lipinsky moved to Dixon from Pensacola, Florida, to take over the program almost a year ago. 'It was just something that I know God was calling me to do,' he said. Gallagher is also a graduate of a New York-based Teen Challenge program for women. There's also a program for women in Evansville. 'I was battling a 15-year opiate addiction,' she said. 'I had been through so many drug programs, and I felt like I was out of options and out of time, you know? And then I found Teen Challenge.' McClain said the faith-based curriculum is what makes the program succeed for those who want to rectify their situations. The program can be court ordered or self-referred. And participants must be accepted. 'This isn't exactly easy,' McClain said. 'You need to want to change and want to have Christ in your heart.' Gallagher and Lipinsky said having a supportive environment and a supportive curriculum was critical. 'Many of us come into this program not knowing the Lord and what else is out there, and we're too focused on the drugs, the alcohol, whatever it is that is tying us down,' Gallagher said. 'Then they discover that there is something bigger and better they can depend on and rely on.' As the men worked on cars, greeted customers and bantered back and forth with each other in the detailing shop in Henderson Gallagher noted that while they might have a past it doesn't mean they can't turn their lives around. 'It's never too late if you want to change,' Gallagher said. 'Some people some might see these guys and label them as thieves, liars and criminals. At one point they were. But then you get to see them in environments like this, and they are getting their lives back on track.' She also said the program is successful at preparing students for 'real life' after finishing the program. 'They're getting up, going to work, going to class, doing chores; they're doing activities that they'll need to know how to do to function back in the real world,' Gallagher said. That doesn't mean there aren't difficult days for the students in the program. 'There are days when I know it's really hard for them,' Gallagher said. 'Sometimes they want to go back to the drugs, the alcohol, whatever it might be. Just a couple of weeks ago, Josh (McClain) was having a hard time. But our job is to help them realize they can push through whatever that might be.' While McClain is celebrating nearly a year in the program, he is planning on completing a re-entry program, which is a little less structured. But he will still be held accountable. 'I need that accountability for right now,' McClain said. 'In the re-entry program I'll be expected to pay rent, pay a phone bill, work, all of that, but they'll keep me safe. They'll keep me accountable and on a safe path.' As he continues through the program, McClain said he continues to be grateful for the plea deal that brought him here. 'This program showed me that a second chance, even a third or a fourth chance, does exist for some of us,' McClain said. SHARE A Henderson County grand jury indicted 61 people this week, dismissed two cases, remanded several back to district court and referred multiple charges and cases to the next session of the grand jury. Dismissed The people whose cases were dismissed, their ages and addresses (where available) are as follows: Kimberly Wallace, 33, address unavailable, receiving stolen property (firearm). Jaime Torres, 26, Evansville, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Indicted Those who were indicted, their ages and addresses (where available) and charges are as follows: Donaven Hatton, 16, address unavailable, first-degree wanton endangerment and possession of a handgun by a minor. Nathan Cowling, 31, address unavailable, four counts of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance. Charles M. Minton, 29, 200 block of Turner, theft under $10,000. Melissa J. Holmes, 28, 2300 block of Green River Road, complicity to theft under $10,000. Jarrett L. Smith, 39, 1900 block of Brenda Drive, second-degree burglary. Manali Prajapati, 19, address unavailable, tampering with physical evidence. Martino D. Arnett, 29, 900 block of Pebble Creek Drive, trafficking in marijuana less than 8 ounces, complicity to tampering with physical evidence and receiving stolen property (firearm). Devin J. Moore, 18, Evansville, first-degree unlawful transaction with a minor (under 16). Melody S. Corke, 36, address unavailable, welfare fraud. Cade Kirk, 24, address unavailable, first-degree burglary, theft under $10,000, being a felon in possession of a firearm and being a first-degree persistent felony offender. Brett L. Young, 20, 1400 block of Powell Street, first-degree possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, third-degree burglary and/or complicity and first-degree burglary and/or complicity. Neal Hunter, 24, 500 block of Powell Street, receiving stolen property under $10,000, first-degree wanton endangerment, first-degree fleeing/evading police, second-degree criminal mischief, no operator's license, failure to maintain insurance, leaving the scene of an accident and no/expired registration plates. Kristina Newman Rausch, 37, 3100 block of Church Street, six counts of theft of identity without consent, one count of fraudulent use of a credit card under $500 within a six-month period and being a first-degree persistent felony offender. Justin D. Tillman, 29, 2000 block of Peggy Drive, receiving stolen property (firearm), being a felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed deadly weapon and being a first-degree persistent felony offender. Jacob Willingham, 19, Robards, first-degree burglary and/or complicity. Ronald C. Simmonds, 52, 100 block of Center Circle, being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia and being a first-degree persistent felony offender. Carla A. Simmonds, 51, 100 block of Center Circle, being a felon in possession of a firearm. Marcus E. Ivy, 42, 10000 section of Kentucky 136-East, first-degree possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana. Bryan J. Butts, 28, 700 block of Letcher Street, prohibited use of electronic communication system to procure a minor to participate in sexual offenses and being a first-degree persistent felony offender. William B. Adams Jr., 8800 section of Kentucky 1078-North, third-degree burglary, second-degree burglary and theft under $10,000. Charles Abbott, 25, address unavailable, first-degree possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana. Jeffrey S. Yates, 49, 2300 block of Adams Lane, first-degree possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Dennis T. McCuiston, 27, 800 block of Clay Street, first-degree possession of a controlled substance. Charity Hope, 44, a resident of Clay Street, resisting arrest, giving a police officer a false name or address, first-degree fleeing/evading police, theft under $10,000 and being a first-degree persistent felony offender. Darrell L. Hayes, 27, 100 block of Thompson Street, driving under the influence, first-degree possession of a controlled substance, license to be in possession, failure to produce an insurance card, possession of drug paraphernalia and second-degree fleeing/evading police. Angie Lucko, 34, 500 block of Fair Street, first-degree possession of a controlled substance, second-degree unlawful imprisonment and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Michael J. Titzer, 50, Evansville, first-degree possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of license when privileges are revoked. Broderick Woods, 22, address unavailable, second-degree burglary. Krista D. Phillips, 38, Evansville, first-degree possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. A charge of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance was dismissed. Rego Cruse, 49, Corydon, driving under the influence, driving on a suspended license (third offense), first-degree unlawful imprisonment, fourth-degree assault, possession of marijuana, first-degree possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, carrying a concealed deadly weapon, tampering with physical evidence and being a first-degree persistent felony offender. Deshawn R. Chambers, 20, 2600 block of Zion Road, speeding, driving under the influence, trafficking in marijuana between 8 ounces and 5 pounds, possession of drug paraphernalia and failure to notify of address change. Joseph McGovern, 47, Reed, trafficking in a controlled substance, first-degree possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Kenneth Meredith, 36, 400 block of North Elm Street, driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia, third-degree criminal mischief and first-degree possession of a controlled substance. Patrick Hall, 34, Owensboro, trafficking in a controlled substance, first-degree possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, failure of owner to maintain insurance, failure to produce an insurance card and careless driving. Penny S. Lambert, 48, 1700 block of Washington Street, driving under the influence and first-degree possession of a controlled substance. Brittney N. King, 31, 700 block of Village Brooke Drive, theft of identity without consent, second-degree fleeing/evading police, first-degree possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. April Rice, 27, address unavailable, first-degree possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and carrying a concealed deadly weapon. A charge of public intoxication was dismissed. David A. Hardiman, 56, Princeton, Indiana, theft by deception under $10,000 and being a first-degree persistent felony offender. Emily M. Wilkerson, 32, Owensboro, third-degree assault, driving under the influence (second offense), operating on a suspended/revoked license and failure to produce an insurance card. Gina R. Crooks, 45, 100 block of South Julia Street, theft under $500, possession of drug paraphernalia and first-degree possession of a controlled substance. Chase W. Franklin, 20, 300 block of Racetrack Road, possession of drug paraphernalia, trafficking in marijuana less than 8 ounces and first-degree possession of a controlled substance. Angela K. Blandford, 41, 500 block of Gabe Street, first-degree promoting contraband and first-degree possession of a controlled substance. Austin D. Berry, 18, 8100 block of Wathen Lane, trafficking in marijuana between 8 ounces and 5 pounds and possession of drug paraphernalia. Lance E. Pruitt, 26, 600 block of Short Seventh Street, first-degree promoting contraband and possession of marijuana. Christopher F. Smith, 44, 2000 section of Old Corydon Road, third-degree assault and being a first-degree persistent felony offender. Chris Best, 51, 2700 block of Wilderness Drive, theft under $10,000 and being a second-degree persistent felony offender. Antonyae J. Jones, 19, Madisonville, fraudulent use of a credit card under $10,000 and/or complicity. Carrie D. Brock, 42, Madisonville, fraudulent use of a credit card under $10,000 and/or complicity. Joshua M. Bridwell, 35, 1700 block of Clay Street, second-degree forgery, theft under $500 and being a first-degree persistent felony offender. Keiave M. Tapp, 20, Lawndale Apartments, theft under $10,000, operating on a suspended license, violation of a Kentucky EPO/DVO, driving under the influence and second-degree escape. Justin Spires, 30, address unavailable, first-degree promoting contraband, first-degree criminal mischief, leaving the scene of an accident, driving under the influence, possession of marijuana, failure to maintain insurance and possession of an open alcohol beverage container in a motor vehicle. Anthony J. Butler, 44, Radcliff, Kentucky, first-degree fleeing/evading police, first-degree wanton endangerment and failing to notify Department of Transportation of address change. Phillip D. Phelps, 52, Madisonville, theft under $10,000 and being a first-degree persistent felony offender. Blair Brown, 28, address unavailable, complicity to theft under $10,000 and giving police a false name. Michael C. Boldry, 44, Corydon, careless driving, driving under the influence, driving on a suspended license, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance, tampering with physical evidence, possession of drug paraphernalia and being a first-degree persistent felony offender. Richard A. Stewart Jr., 34, 2800 block of Sunset Lane, theft under $10,000 and being a second-degree persistent felony offender. Richard A. Schonscheck, 30, Dawson Springs, Kentucky, first-degree possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana. A charge of tampering with physical evidence was dismissed. Rasheen R. Middleton, 28, Evansville, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance, tampering with physical evidence and being a first-degree persistent felony offender. Luther E. Easley, 24, address unavailable, possession for sale/transfer of simulated controlled substance, tampering with physical evidence, two counts of giving a police officer a false name/address, third-degree criminal trespassing and being a persistent felony offender. Jeremy R. Nelson, 36, 1200 block of Clay Street, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and being a first-degree persistent felony offender. Steven W. McGregor, 35, Clay, fraudulent use of a credit card under $10,000. A charge of theft under $500 was dismissed. Remanded Those whose cases were remanded back to district court, their names and addresses (where available) and charges are as follows: Elanzo L. Hallmark, 39, 100 block of Mill Street, driving under the influence (second offense), resisting arrest, second-degree disorderly conduct and harassment. A charge of first-degree promoting contraband was dismissed. Dustin N. Ross, 27, 900 block of Fifth Street, driving under the influence, second-degree criminal mischief, failure of non owner/operator to maintain required insurance, second-degree disorderly conduct, carrying a concealed deadly weapon, possession of alcohol beverage container in a motor vehicle, first-degree wanton endangerment, first-degree indecent exposure (second offense within three years) and driving on a suspended license. A charge of tampering with physical evidence was dismissed. James M. Funk, 27, 1200 block of O'Byrne Street, second-degree wanton endangerment, amended from first-degree. Referred Those whose cases were referred to the next session of the grand jury, their ages and addresses (where available) and charges are as follows: Elizabeth M. John, 28, 1700 block of South Green Street, two counts of theft of an identity without consent. Joshua L. Denton, 27, 1300 block of Washington Street, being a felon in possession of a handgun. Kristin L. Langston, 31, Clay, four counts of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance. Mark A. Fambrough Jr., 37, 3900 section of U.S. 41-Alternate, first-degree possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Jefraye Warfield, 31, Franklin, Kentucky, first-degree promoting contraband, second-degree promoting contraband, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Edward K. Adamic, 44, Lanesville, Indiana, first-degree possession of a controlled substance, controlled substance prescription not in original container, driving under the influence and possession of open alcohol container in a vehicle. Robin Y. Almestica, 20, 600 block of Eighth Street, theft under $10,000, trafficking in marijuana less than 8 ounces and possession of drug paraphernalia. Norman D. Coomes-Utley, 31, 700 block of Lieber Street, second-degree assault and being a second-degree persistent felony offender. Jamie L. Page, 33, Morganfield, second-degree escape. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. (Photo: Pat McDonogh, CJ) SHARE By Joseph Gerth, The Courier-Journal / USA TODAY Network At a Goodwill Industries of Kentucky roundtable meeting on Friday, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul would not say whether presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's comments about a Latino judge's ethnicity help efforts to expand the GOP. "I think it's important that we not vilify people based on their ethnicity," Paul said. Asked if Trump has done that, Paul said, "All I can do is give you my opinion on it and what I'm for." In early June, Trump said U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel's heritage would make him biased against Trump in a case involving Trump University. Curiel is a Mexican-American judge from Indiana. Trump later released a statement saying, "I do not feel that one's heritage makes them incapable of being impartial." Paul on Friday defended immigrants who come to the United States legally. "My philosophy is we should look at immigrants as people who come here seeking freedom and prosperity," he said. Asked about Trumps's treatment of the judge, Paul said, "My premise for getting into this race was a different premise. That there wasn't enough sort of rural white voters for the Republican Party to get bigger. I thought we had to get more diverse." This story will be updated. Security concerns emerge after Columbus Junction school vandalism A student alleged to have vandalized Columbus' secondary school reportedly was inside the building for two hours, raising security concerns. Well, we all knew this was coming. As unnecessary as it might be, given the fact what made Tiger King NORWALK - An Admiral Way resident's complaint Friday evening about an aggressive door-to-door solicitor resulted in police questioning a group of solicitors in the city's Cranbury District for the second time in two days. The complainant told officers she was cleaning out a car in her garage when a man appeared there offering to sell her magazines. When she told him she wasn't interested, he reportedly said he also takes donations, and handed her a form with different dollar amounts printed on it. He reportedly told her to pick from the left column, which showed higher amounts. She said he also asked her where her husband was, and commented that she had a nice collection of cars. Afraid for her safety, she handed him $25 cash and he left. She called police and described the man. After a complaint Thursday about an aggressive solicitor in the same neighborhood, police in the evening located a white van in the Cranbury Shopping Center on Chestnut Hill Road picking up individuals who had been soliciting. Police questioned the driver and learned the group was from Vernon, Connecticut. Following the Admiral Way complaint, an officer reported being behind that van and followed it until it stopped on Bumblebee Lane. A man matching the description provided by the woman walked up to the van and was stopped for questioning. Police said he provided officers with a permit, but it had someone else's name on it. When advised of the woman's complaint, the man reportedly told officers he was shocked to learn of it and gave them the $25 she had given him. The man was permitted to enter the van and it left. An officer returned the money to the woman. On Thursday, The Hour confirmed with Town Clerk Rick McQuaid that a city ordinance requires solicitors to obtain a permit, but also that the city does not issue such permits. McQuaid said he was on the Common Council when he proposed the ordinance and it was approved. NORWALK -- City Hall will no longer be home to a controversial mural depicting African-American slaves working along the Mississippi River in the 19th century. "The issue is it being in City Hall. All throughout this process we've been trying to figure out where it could go," said Mayor Harry W. Rilling. "We haven't identified a place yet but, having said that, we don't need to wait until we can find a place for it to go before we can take it down." Rilling said the decision to remove the mural was made by himself, Norwalk Historical Commission Chairman David G. Westmoreland and Norwalk Human Relations Director Adam J. Bovilsky. More than 60 residents, including members of Norwalk's African-American Community, attended a public hearing on the mural before the Human Relations Commission at City Hall last Thursday evening. Most speakers labeled the mural inappropriate for City Hall. "When I come into City Hall I would like to look at positive pictures of our history and not negative," South Norwalk resident Martha Dumas told the commission. "This picture belongs in an art museum and not in City Hall." Rilling said he felt uncomfortable when he first saw the mural and that his discomfort has only grown as a result of the recent debate. "When I first saw the mural -- before this issue even arose -- I felt a little uncomfortable looking at the way the African-American young people were depicted," Rilling said. "When this (debate) all came out, it made me more sensitive to the feelings of the people who were offended by it." The mural, created by local artist Justin C. Gruelle in 1937 as part of the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression, shows young African-Americans carrying the luggage of white riverboat passengers. Gruelle based his mural on Mark Twain's book "Life on the Mississippi," which was published in 1883 and depicted Southern trade in the late 1850s. Rilling said the mural will be placed into temporary storage as a new home for it is found. "We have to get a price on taking it down, because it has to be lowered down through the atrium. It won't fit into the elevator," Rilling said. The mural measures roughly 3 by 12 feet. Dennis and Ilene King will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary on June 26. Their family requests you join them for an open house from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 25, in Miller Hall at Trinity United Methodist Church, 511 N. Elm St. They request no gifts, your presence is their gift. The Saint Louis Art Museum will present Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum, an exhibition charting the development of folk art in America while pondering the motivations for artists who were at times considered to work outside of canonical art history. The ticketed exhibition will be on view now through Sept. 11. The exhibition explores the continuum of American folk art and the concept of a self-taught genius through more than 100 works of art from the Revolutionary War to contemporary times. When Self-Taught Genius premiered at the American Folk Art Museum in 2014, The New York Times called it enthralling and an intellectually provocative effort to rethink the nature of artistic creativity. Organized by the American Folk Art Museum, the exhibition and its national tour are made possible by generous funding from the Henry Luce Foundation, as part of its 75th anniversary initiative. Because folk art has not been a major collecting area for the Saint Louis Art Museum, we sought an exhibition that presents our visitors with works of exceptional quality that tell the story of a uniquely American artistic tradition, said Brent R. Benjamin, Barbara B. Taylor Director of the Saint Louis Art Museum. Paintings, works on paper, textiles, decorative arts and sculpture are presented within context of seven perspectives from which artists are compelled to createachievers, encoders, messengers, improvement, reformers, ingenuity, and guides. Achievers: Working outside the realm of fine arts, achievers often created works of art that were a testament to their own passionate vision or grandiose thought. For example, Marino Auruti intended his 11-foot Encyclopedic Palace to serve as a model for a 136-floor museum that would celebrate every achievement of humankind. Encoders: Winthrop Chandler, whose Scenic Overmantel oil painting on panel is included in the exhibition, can be viewed as an example of an encoder, who might blur the meanings of a creation to keep outsiders away or to maintain complete control over the art. Messengers: Artists like Martin Ramirez, whose Reina is featured in the exhibition, might create works that invite the viewer into their personal world by incorporating symbols that announce their visions or beliefs. Improvement: Represented in the exhibition by self-taught artists depicting their own refinements or achievements, or those attained by their subject, improvement is exemplified in Girl in Red Dress with Cat and Dog, a portrait by Ammi Phillips that emphasizes the genteelness of the young, 19th-century sitter. Reformers: Some self-taught artists driven to change the people and world around them. Works of art by reformersincluding Ralph Fasanellas 1950 painting Subway Riderswere intended to be transformative. Ingenuity: By elaborating on a practice through mechanical or visual inventiveness, some self-taught artists reveal an exceptional ingenuity in their work. An unknown artist combined creativity and resourcefulness to make Knife Grinder, a 19th-century whirligig figure that captures this spirit of ingenuity. Guides: Self-taught artists who mark a rite of passage or a profound event by creating of a work of art might be considered guides. For example, Carl Klewicke spent approximately 20 years working on his Original Design Quilt a wedding gift for his daughter. Marino Auriti (1891-1980); Encyclopedic Palace (U.S. patent no. 179,277), Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, c.1950s; wood, plastic, glass, metal, hair combs, and model kit parts; 11 x 7 x 7ft; Collection American Folk Art Museum, New York; Gift of Colette Auriti Firmani in memory of Marino Auriti, 2002.35.1 Marino Auriti (1891-1980); Encyclopedic Palace (U.S. patent no. 179,277), Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, c.1950s; wood, plastic, glass, metal, hair combs, and model kit parts; 11 x 7 x 7ft; Collection American Folk Art Museum, New York; Gift of Colette Auriti Firmani in memory of Marino Auriti, 2002.35.1 The museum will offer an array of exhibition-related programming, including lectures, gallery talks and family programs that expand on the themes of Self-Taught Genius. Melissa Wolfe, curator of American art, will discuss Self-Taught Genius in an opening lecture in the museums Farrell Auditorium on Saturday, June 18 at 2 pm. The free lecture coincides with the exhibition preview for museum members. On Friday, June 24, the museums popular SLAM Underground party will focus on Self-Taught Genius, with activities, cocktails, and art making inspired by the exhibition and a free performance by the chamber-folk group Mt. Thelonious. Alvia J. Wardlaw, professor of art history at Texas Southern University and curator of the University Museum, will deliver the free lecture African American Expressions in Folk Art in the museums Farrell Auditorium on Saturday, June 25 at 10:30 am. Wardlaw curated the groundbreaking exhibition The Quilts of Gees Bend and Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial. Family Sundays in August complement the themes of Self-Taught Genius by celebrating a different artist each week whose work changed the art world. Families are invited to see work by groundbreaking artists in the Museums collection before unleashing their own creative genius with hands-on art activities that change each Sunday from 1 pm to 4 pm. A fully-illustrated catalogue with essays by the organizing curators Stacy C. Hollander and Valerie Rousseau, both with the American Folk Art Museum, is available in the Museum Shops. Self-Taught Genius is organized by the American Folk Art Museum. The Museums presentation is overseen by Melissa Wolfe, curator of American art, with financial assistance provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency. Admission is free for Members. For the general public, tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, $6 for children ages 6 to 12, and free for children age 5 and under. Tickets are available in person or through MetroTix. Tickets purchased through MetroTix incur a service charge. The Veterans Walk will once again kick off the citys Fourth of July celebration. Prior to the start of the festivities at American Legion Post 199 at 5 p.m. on July 2, veterans and their families are welcome to gather at the Ryan Garbs Gold Star Monument in City Park. They will then walk to the Legion, where they will have VIP seating for the celebration. This is the third year of the walk, which Edwardsville Mayor Hal Patton said is a great way to honor the men and women who have fought for the country. The whole idea is to bring families together in support of veterans and not just do it on Veterans Day. We should think of them during all of our holidays, because without the veterans we wouldnt be fortunate enough to have the holidays, Patton said. This is to recognize everyone, those that have fought and come home and those that we have lost and not come home. If you are a veteran, your presence just makes us feel that much stronger about the event and the Fourth of July. Participants are asked to begin gathering at the Ryan Garbs Gold Star Monument between 4 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. The 30-minute walk to Legion will begin shortly after, and there will be a seat saved in the VIP section for those that participate. Parking is available at the library, and those needing assistance to walk the hill at the Legion can get a ride. There will be a shuttle available to bring walkers back to their cars. Patton is hoping to see more walkers this year. Weve had a couple of great walks in the past, but it has always varied by participation. We are hoping to have more people out participating this year, and I think by having it on Saturday, a day that isnt the Fourth of July, will be helpful, Patton said. To make the walk even more enjoyable and meaningful for the veterans, Patton is asking for help from the residents. We are looking for residents to help us by singing some patriotic songs or playing music as we are walking. The route is not designed to close streets. It will be more of a sidewalk walk, and it is not appropriate for us to bring the city band, Patton said. That would help put the right mood on the walk. The city band will be at Legion to welcome the walkers when they arrive at 5 p.m. Following the arrival, there will be the raising of the American flag and an opening address from the Post Commander and Patton. At 5:30 p.m., the Edwardsville Municipal Band will perform, and there will be a flag retirement ceremony. Skylark Brothers featuring Jack Twesten will hit the stage for the first of two performances at 6:30 p.m. The 30-minute fireworks show will light the sky, starting between 9 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. The Skylark Brothers featuring Jack Twesten will return to the stage at 9:30 p.m. There will also be food, drinks and carnival games throughout the night. The Veterans Walk has partnered up with Got Your Six Support Dogs this year. The group provides specialized service dogs to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and/or sexual trauma while serving in the military. We have a great cause. We have hooked up with Got Your Six Support Dogs, Patton said. This is the perfect mix. All of us care about our veterans and think about what we can do to help them. Heres a group that is providing them with the support of an animal, a dog in particular, that changes their lives. Theres no better way to help out our veterans than with a group like this. We are very excited about this partnership. The Legion will be accepting donations for the organization the day of and the week leading up to July 2. Its in need of toys, bowls and CANIDAE dog food for every size and breed. A check donation would also be accepted. Another large crowd is expected for the celebration at Legion. A shuttle will be available with parking at Eden Church making it convenient. We believe in working with the Legion and networking with them on this great event. Theyve had some excellent ideas in the last couple of years and the crowds have gotten bigger as a result of that, Patton said. They realize that this is a signature event, and the residents of Edwardsville are happy to participate in this event that is fun for everyone. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Qraved (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 25, 2016 For a long time now, Kemang in South Jakarta has been a center of hectic nightlife fun with its bars and cafes. But if you think you have seen everything in the area, think again. Now, it also hosts unique places that offer more than just nightlife with bottles of liquor and DJs. Cat Cabin A photo posted by The Cat Cabin Jakarta (@thecatcabinjakarta) on Jun 16, 2016 at 6:10pm PDT How better to relieve your stress than with a fur ball of happiness? If you like cats, or would like to entertain someone who loves cats, Cat Cabin is the perfect place for you, as it is a sanctuary for various types of cats that you can caress with love to calm your mind. The Folks A photo posted by Folks Co-Gaming Space (@thefolksid) on Jan 30, 2016 at 1:03am PST Ramadhan is a good opportunity to do positive things, and this includes fixing your social skills toward other people. One of the best ways to better connect with your friends or family is by playing board games that are fun as well as easy to do. At The Folks, you can expect to cozily ngabuburit (wait for the breaking of the fast) with your loved ones until iftar. Reading Room A photo posted by Fitria Yuliana (@yulianaftr) on Feb 13, 2016 at 4:01pm PST Placing itself between the cheering crowds and high-standard cafes in Kemang, Reading Room has become an oasis for nerds. It is basically a public library with upgraded features, which includes great food and drinks. The mission of the owner, Richard Oh, is to make the world of literature come alive and even more enjoyable. (Read also: Cool coffee shops in Jakarta you might not know existed) Animo Bread Culture A photo posted by KEVIN WIYARNANDA (@kevinwiyarnanda) on Feb 6, 2016 at 2:05am PST Baking is an art and eating what youve put an effort into feels really good. Animo is a great place to find various types of pastries, and that's not even the best part about this place. You can actually learn how to bake them yourself. But if you just enjoy watching the creation, this option is also available since Animo features an open kitchen concept. Pastificio K Craving Italian cuisine? Pastificio K was created to be the greatest pasta expert in South Jakarta. Besides an education in pasta, this place serves unique creations including spaghetti with super delicious rendang sauce. Baconerie A photo posted by Nomadic Gourmand (@nomadicgourmand) on Jun 12, 2016 at 2:10am PDT In addition to its reputation as a hidden haven for bacon, Baconerie has a lot of surprises lined up for you. One of the best things about this place is its amazing all-day breakfast menu. Try its signature Baconerie Burger, for instance, which is served with red onion instead of pickles. (kes) Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Associated Press) London Sat, June 25, 2016 The United Kingdom's historic vote to exit the European Union is dominating the conversation online as well as global headlines. Google Trends is reporting spiking searches in the United Kingdom for "getting an Irish passport" and "move to Gibraltar," the British territory on the south coast of Spain. (Read also: Brexit: What would this mean for the youth?) Google also reports one of the top questions asked by UK users since the Brexit referendum results were released is "what is the EU?" Search interest in the British pound is at its highest level ever. Twitter says some 6.4 million tweets were sent in the UK from the opening of polls Thursday through British Prime Minister David Cameron's resignation speech Friday. Twitter says it's rare that the name of a country trends in that country. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, June 24 2016 JAKARTA: The House of Representatives is set to approve the tax amnesty bill at the final plenary meeting of the current sitting session next week, a deputy House speaker has said. The working unit on the bill, which is made up of members of House Commission XI overseeing banking and finance, had reported progress on the bill to the consultative body, said House deputy speaker Agus Hermanto. Next, the consultative body would decide whether the House could approve the bill next week, Agus said at the House complex in Jakarta on Thursday. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Batam Fri, June 24 2016 PT Bright PLN Batam, a subsidiary of state-owned electricity company PT PLN, expressed optimism that the development of the 500 megawatt (MW) capacity gas-fueled power plant (PLTG), set to provide electricity for eight regions, would be complete by September 2016. PT Bright PLN Batam President Director Dadan Koerniadipura told The Jakarta Post that the 500 MW PLTG valued at Rp 8 trillion (US$608 million) was part of the central governments 35,000 MW electricity project. President Jokowi has taken me to a number of regions to survey the electricity conditions. An independent power producer (IPP), we consider this to be a form of trust granted to us by the government, Dadan said, on Thursday. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dylan Amirio (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, June 24 2016 Japanese business players operating in Southeast Asia have urged nations in the region to develop unified rules and standards regarding product quality and customs procedures to help ease the flow of trade within the area. The idea was raised earlier this week in a discussion between ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh and a delegation from the Federation of Japanese Chambers of Commerce and Industry in ASEAN (FJCCIA). If implemented, such a collective measure would help strengthen the ASEAN regions trade industry following the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) from late last year. During the dialogue, the FJCCIA informed those in attendance that Japans investments in the region, which have reached over US$20 billion in the past three years, were facing various managerial challenges due to ongoing economic integration between all ASEAN states. The federation recommended establishing a unifying set of rules and operational certification procedures for the trade in ASEAN goods, along with simplified customs procedures, the harmonization of product standards and the elimination of non-tariff barriers. Todays dialogue is a new chapter for us to implement the AEC vision together with the ASEAN secretariat and relevant sectoral bodies. We hope our proposal will be thought of as an important input for ASEAN and will be reflected in the sectoral action plans for the next decade, FJCCIA chairman Tomofumi Fukuda said on Monday. Hirotoshi Ito, a senior economist at the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), explained that ASEAN countries had different standards for products in their country. Electronic products produced in Malaysia, for example, cannot enter the Indonesian market if they do not meet Indonesias SNI (National Standard) standard despite meeting all the criteria of the Malaysian standard. This, he said, created difficulties for Japanese companies exporting and importing their goods regionally. This, in turn, diminishes the regions global competitiveness, he said. The standards of each country are still very individualized. The purpose of this conformity is to help unify the regions business climate so that goods can freely move from one country to the next, he said. Hirotoshi elaborated further that the harmonization of standards for the automotive sector and the construction materials sector was already underway due to the fact that both sectors held a vital part in infrastructure development. Other sectors that could be subjected to this harmonization process include medicine and cosmetics. To guarantee effective integration, working groups in ASEAN countries, called the ASEAN Consultative Committee for Standards and Quality (ACCSQ), are responsible for making such measures a reality. According to the FJCCIAs data, Japan is currently the principal investor in ASEAN, accounting for 15 percent of foreign direct investment in the region. As of 2014, Indonesia is the fourth largest recipient of Japanese FDI in ASEAN, with 11 percent. Its largest portion goes to Thailand with a 36 percent share, the Philippines with 18 percent and Malaysia with 14 percent. --------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Lailatul Fitriyah (The Jakarta Post) Rome Fri, June 24 2016 This is a disclaimer. If you are looking to find any justification to equate the calls to end Perda Ramadhan, the regional bylaw enforced to maintain solemnity during the fasting month, to an Islamophobic act, you can stop reading now. Far from associating the calls to end Perda Ramadhan as Islamophobia, I argue that the so-called Perda Ramadhan shares the same ideological platform with several Islamophobic socio-political discourses in Europe and the US. Furthermore, I also argue that such double standards and hypocrisy showed by some elements of Indonesias Muslim community regarding the Perda Ramadhan issue is rooted in a toxic victimology that justifies inflicting pain on others in order to alleviate a perceived pain being suffered. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 25 2016 Indonesia AirAsia (IAA), the local unit of Malaysia-based budget carrier AirAsia, has decided not to open any new routes this year in an effort to maintain its financial health amid the global economic slowdown. IAA Commercial director IAA Andy Adrian Febryanto said the company was choosing to focus its energies on its existing routes instead of investing in new flight routes. We think its not the right time to invest. We will instead utilize our existing routes until they are profitable, Andy told reporters recently. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dewanti A. Wardhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 25 2016 Indonesia, the worlds largest producer of palm oil, can now breathe a sigh of relief following a decision by the French legislature to scrap a plan to impose a hefty additional tax on the product. Previously, Indonesia strongly protested against Frances plan to issue a biodiversity law that would have tripled import taxes on palm oil products, one of the countrys main export commodities. The draft, citing environmental protection, stipulated that exporters would be obliged to pay as much as 300 (US$331) for each metric ton in 2017, 500 in 2018, 700 in 2019 and 900 in 2020. At present, Indonesia is required to pay an import duty of only 103 per metric ton. The head of land and spatial division of the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (GAPKI), Eddy Martono, said industry players were satisfied with the result and gave its highest appreciation to the government for its strong lobbying to call off the plan. The plan had caused an outcry among producers. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Kirsten Grieshaber (Associated Press) Berlin Sat, June 25, 2016 Top diplomats from the European Union's six founding nations met in Berlin on Saturday for hastily arranged talks following Britain's stunning vote to leave the bloc. As German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was heading into the meeting, he told reporters it was critical to see the vote as a wakeup call. "The shock of the vote is still sitting deep, but these are also days where not all the answers are ready," he said. Steinmeier was meeting with his counterparts from France, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium and Luxembourg at the government's Villa Borsig mansion on the outskirts of Berlin. The German foreign minister said now was the time to listen to each other to find out what the 27 remaining EU countries wanted for the future of the union. Steinmeier also stressed that EU politicians also need to listen to "the expectations of the people." He mentioned the refugee crisis, high unemployment among young people in southern Europe and security concerns following the terror attacks in France and Belgium as important issues where people had the right to expect better answers from EU policy makers. Despite a need for a solution of these and other pressing issues in the European Union, he cautioned against rash decisions. "It's totally clear that in times like these one should neither be hysterical nor fall into paralysis," Steinmeier said. Steinmeier's office had said earlier that the meeting is one of many conversations now taking place, and shouldn't be seen as "an exclusive format." Besides the German foreign minister, France's Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and counterparts from The Netherlands, Bert Koenders, Italy's Paolo Gentiloni, Dider Reynders from Belgium and Jean Asselborn from Luxembourg were taking part in the talks. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 25 2016 Despite claims of having abundant natural gas resources, Indonesia plans to start importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) to be able to run its ambitious 35,000 megawatt (MW) electrification program. The country will start importing LNG in 2019 as demand for natural gas is expected to skyrocket within the next decade due to a high number of gas-fueled power plants to be constructed, according to the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKKMigas). to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fadli and Hans Nicholas Jong (The Jakarta Post) Batam, Jakarta Sat, June 25 2016 Refugees seeking shelter here are already a serious problem for a populous nation like Indonesia. And even more so if they give birth to babies within the countrys territory. A case in point is the refugees giving birth in Batam, Riau Islands. The government has started to complain that these babies pose a threat to Indonesias sovereignty as they are automatically granted Indonesian citizenship. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 25 2016 The Jakarta administration plans to build an environmentally friendly grand mosque in Daan Mogot, West Jakarta. Jakarta Housing and Administration Building Agency head Ika Lestari Adji said on Friday that the mosque would be built near low-cost apartment towers in the area. The green concept is a national pilot project. The area will also be made a green zone, she said as quoted by beritajakarta.com. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 25 2016 Anwar, known as Rizal, 34, cried when the Central Jakarta District Court sentenced him to life in prison on Thursday for raping and brutally killing a 12-year-old girl in Jasinga, Bogor, West Java, in October last year. The defendant [Rizal] has been found guilty of having raped and murdered an underage girl, presiding judge Binsar Gultom said as he read out the verdict, as quoted by kompas.com. Prosecutors sought the life imprisonment sentence for Rizal as punishment for the crime of rape and murder in a case the public had dubbed the Jasinga murder. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 25 2016 A jazz musician for over three decades, Dwiki Dharmawan is set to make a breakthrough in the local music industry. The elected chairman of the Indonesian Music Awards (AMI) will employ the latest technology in the registration and judging system for the award. One of [those technologies] is to implement a digital system for applicants. Musicians can register themselves on the website and upload their cover and music to submit it, he said as quoted by kapanlagi.com on Thursday. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 25, 2016 The safety of seven Indonesian sailors taken hostage by two different Philippine radical groups in Philippine waters is of utmost importance, Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has said. "We will soon find out [the location of hostages], but what's important is that they are safe, other issues are secondary," Ryamizard said on Friday. While the investigation into the identity of the perpetrators and their locations is ongoing, the government will keep pushing to secure the release of Indonesian sailors through diplomatic channels and intense communication with their counterparts in the Philippines, Ryamizard said. Only if the situation could not be resolved through negotiation, might it involve a military operation as a last resort, Ryamizard said. However, he added that both countries preferred to avoid exchanges of fires, as they did not want casualties, whether they were perpetrators or hostages. "We don't want any of our captives to become casualties, so we will strive for the best [solution]," Ryamizard said. (dmr) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 25, 2016 The Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX) will enable four regional offices to handle initial public offerings (IPO), which will ease the administration duties of regional-based companies. Regional offices in Bandung, Medan, Semarang and Surabaya will receive the extra authority and will be supported by an updated e-filling system to communicate with the Jakarta office. With the current centralized system, regional companies have to spend time in Jakarta for the administration side of an IPO process. "The Surabaya office will start from August 10 and Makassar will begin in the second phase. There are rising demands from companies in eastern Indonesia to go public," IDX President Director Tito Sulistio told thejakartapost.com at the Financial Service Authority (OJK) building on Friday. Tito added that this program would make underwriting businesses expand to other regions. As the IPO process was currently still centralized, all underwriting services are based in Jakarta. Securities firms have branches in other cities but are limited to selling purposes. "If there are a lot of underwriting projects in the regions, underwriting businesses will follow," he closed. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Sat, June 25 2016 Words & Photos Sutanta Aditya Having weathered the storms of perilous journeys, today members of the Rohingya Muslim minority from Myanmar live in temporary shelters in Birem Bayeun, East Aceh and Medan, North Sumatra. Although Indonesia was not their preferred destination most had set sail for Thailand and or Malaysia they have made themselves at home. Today, Syaifullah, 22, and his wife, Yasin Narabegom, 18, are among the 110 remaining refugees at the Aceh center. I love Indonesia, said Syaifullah. In Medan, Rohingya refugees live in a shelter that also accommodates refugees from the Middle East. Most hope to be resettled in European nations, religious cleric Jahid Hussein said. Unlike the conditions faced by the Rohingya in neighboring countries, the communities in Aceh and North Sumatra enjoy relative freedom. They enjoyed that freedom as they observed the Muslim holy month of Ramadhan in their new homes away from home. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Corry Elyda (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 25 2016 Conflict between the Jakarta administration and a private company that manages Bantar Gebang landfill in Bekasi, West Java, has again risen its head, with local residents blocking the road to stop dump trucks from the capital from entering the area in protest at the citys decision to take over management of the site. The latest incident since a previous dispute in November last year led the administration to decide to take over the dump, which has been under private management for eight years. Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama said after meeting with representatives of the Bekasi administration that the two administrations would work together to manage the Bantar Gebang landfill. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 25, 2016 Publicly listed company PT Multistrada Arah Sarana, producer of Achilles and Corsa tires, will further expand its business in the US this year. The companys vice president director, Henryanto Komala, said on Thursday that the company had opened a representative office in Los Angeles in March. We will engage with more distributors in the US, unlike we did in previous years when we only had one distributor for the whole US, he said. By having a representative office, he said the company would be able to directly witness the potential of the market and provide firsthand information to consumers. Tire sales to the US reached US$55.5 million in 2015, a 58 percent increase from the U$35 million in 2014, he said. To improve its sales, the company plans to launch its new car tire product in the US in August, the companys deputy director, Cindyanto K. Tjong said. He said 70 percent of the companys output was exported to more than 90 countries and the remainder for the local market. Multistrada currently produces 28,500 car tires per day under the Achilles brand and 16,000 motorcycle tires under Corsa. Last year, the company recorded a US$237 million net profit, a 16 percent drop year-on-year from $282 in 2014 as a result of lower export sales, lower prices in the global market and the weakening of rupiah against US dollar. (Sha/bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 25, 2016 The Financial Services Authority (OJK) has intensified its investigation into fake government bond sales by broker EP Larasati. Posing as a reliable securities "sales manager", Larasati fooled high net worth investors to buy the FR0035 bond that turned out to be fake. OJK's capital market supervision director Nurhaida told thejakartapost.com that the supervision body had finished the examination and would continue the investigation process. "The case file is being delivered to the chairman [Muliaman Hadad]," Nurhaida told thejakartapost.com at the OJK building in Jakarta on Friday. Larasati's victims were usually high net worth individuals who lived in regions like Makassar and Surabaya. The OJK is currently looking to see if there were any corporations that were also fooled. "We are seeing if there were any corporate victims," chairman Muliaman Hadad said. The latest calculation of the loss sets the figure at around Rp 150 billion (US$11.19 million), however this number could be larger. It is estimated that there are victims who have not disclosed their numbers yet. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 25 2016 Some children chased mice and cats over the rubble of their former homes while waiting for their parents to finish tarawih, evening Ramadhan prayers, inside a tent and a half-demolished mushola (prayer room) in recently cleared Pasar Ikan in Penjaringan, North Jakarta. Having to perform prayers on the ruins and enduring a cold night wind were the last things they hoped for this years Ramadhan. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 25 2016 Fearing losing out to new and attractive hotels mushrooming in the capital city, Hotel Sahid Jaya International is looking to overhaul itself as part of the companys strategy to revive sales growth this year. One mission is to transform the once-fashionable Grand Sahid Jaya Hotel Jakarta into a modern and updated establishment. The hotel, known for its long and rich cultural heritage, will continue to undergo the gradual renovation programs that began last year. The programs include the rejuvenation of mechanical and electrical equipment and upgrading guest rooms and the hotel lobby. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nurni Sulaiman, Anggi M. Lubis, Tama Salim and Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Samarinda Sat, June 25 2016 The government has finally acknowledged the abduction of seven Indonesian sailors in the waters off the southern Philippines on Monday, after earlier reports were dismissed as a hoax. The abduction, the latest in a series of incidents in the same area, is expected to act as a wake-up call to both Indonesia and the Philippines as both countries were slow to implement planned measures with Malaysia to prevent such kidnapping incidents recurring. Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi made a statement on Friday morning about the hostage situation, revealing that the sailors had been kidnapped in two consecutive attacks on a tugboat towing a coal barge. The ministry received confirmation on Thursday that seven of the 13 crewmen aboard the tugboat Charles 001 towing the barge Robby 152 were taken hostage in the Sulu Sea. The remaining six were set free and were on their way back to Samarinda, East Kalimantan, from where they had originally sailed. The incident in Sulu waters occurred in two stages on Monday, the first at approximately 11:30 a.m. local time and the other at 12:45 p.m. local time, Retno said prior to leaving for a meeting at the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister. Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said the first group of armed men had taken three crewmen, while four more were abducted by a subsequent group. He declined to confirm whether the kidnappers were members of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group. Earlier this week, the wife of one of the sailors taken hostage said she had been contacted by her husband, who had told her that the crew members had been taken hostage by a faction of the Abu Sayyaf group. The kidnappers reportedly asked for a ransom of 20 million ringgit (US$ 4.9 million) to release the hostages, but this was declared an attempt at fraud by a number of officials. Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan was unable to confirm the kidnapping before Friday. We did receive such rumors, but we needed to verify them first, Luhut said. The abduction took place amid trilateral talks between the defense ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines in Manila, which issued a joint statement exploring measures such as coordinated maritime and air patrols in waters of common concern. Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo said Indonesia was ready to start conducting the coordinated patrols, pending the transition of power in Manila. The meeting in Manila was a follow up to the so-called 2+2 meeting of foreign ministers and military chiefs in Yogyakarta in May, convened in response to increased hijacking activities in the border areas between the three countries. This is the third kidnapping of Indonesian sailors in Sulu waters since March. The previous two incidents, carried out by the notorious Abu Sayyaf group and involving a total of 14 Indonesian hostages, ended with the release of the hostages following intensive negotiations. The government has decided to continue a moratorium on coal exports to the Philippines as a result of the latest kidnapping. More than 90 percent of coal demand in the southern Philippines depends on exports from Indonesia. The moratorium will continue until there is a security assurance from the Philippine government, Retno said. She made the statement following a coordination meeting with Luhut, Gatot, National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti and Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu. Separately, the Transportation Ministrys director general for sea transportation, Tonny Budiono, issued a shipping notice strictly prohibiting the approval of permits for Indonesian-flagged vessels planning to sail to the Philippines. These hijackings are a serious matter and can no longer be tolerated, Tonny said. He also called for increased maritime patrols under his authority. __________________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Desy Nurhayati (The Jakarta Post) Nusa Dua, Bali Sat, June 25 2016 The Bali Beyond Travel Fair (BBTF) is being held for the third time in Bali, showcasing Indonesias diverse archipelago and its potential to attract tourists from all over the world. Taking place from Thursday to Saturday, the BBTF the largest travel and tourism fair in Indonesia brought together 154 tourism operators and businesspeople. The event is expected to facilitate transactions worth a total of Rp 6.8 trillion (US$510 million). Tourist attractions from all over Indonesia during the travel expo, promoting the endless beauty of nature and culture of the vast country. The participants, consisting of tourism stakeholders from provinces nationwide, had the chance to directly promote the tourism potential of their respective areas to international buyers. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Imanuddin Razak (The Jakarta Post) Sat, June 25 2016 There was a significant event in security and defense-related affairs in late May when the countrys new Defense White Paper was released. Initially due in 2013-2014, its release was delayed because of the change in administration from the government of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to the current one of Joko Jokowi Widodo, and also due to a number of consultations for improvement and adjustment. In essence, the latest White Paper does not offer much to differentiate it from its predecessor. However, in general it offers a comprehensive view of the countrys grand vision of defense as it incorporates various issues and dynamics. One significant aspect that it highlights is that Indonesias defense power development is not intended to promote an arms race, but is instead aimed at achieving the goal of establishing the nation as a significant maritime power. The vision is more or less the same as and perhaps strengthens the previous governments objective of achieving the Minimum Essential Force (MEF) in its weaponry system. The only apparent difference is that unlike the 2008 version that focused on territorial defense, the new Defense White Paper incorporates the global maritime axis and state defense concepts to deal with potential threats over the next five years. The release of the White Paper came at the height of a series of international visits of Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu to several weapons producing countries, including South Korea in late March, Russia in late April and the US in mid-May, as well as a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Chang Wanquan on the sidelines of the 10th ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, late last month. Those visits and meetings were mostly meant to enhance bilateral defense cooperation with the respective countries, but apparently were also used by Ryamizard to inspect military weapons and equipment produced by them. In South Korea, the minister took a close look at the construction of the KFX/IFX jet fighter and diesel-powered DSME209 submarine, which had been part of the Indonesia-South Korea strategic cooperation agreement on their joint development and production. In the US, Ryamizard held meetings with key military figures and the defense secretary to discuss a number of defense/military cooperation issues. In Russia, Ryamizard met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu and Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov, to discuss a number of issues on defense/military cooperation. The most high-profile item on the agenda of his Russian visit, however, was probing the possibility of procuring Russian-made SU-35 Super-Flanker. Not to be overshadowed from the discussions was the possibility of also procuring Russian naval diesel-electric Varshavyanka Class (Improved Kilo Class) attack submarines. Meanwhile, the agenda of his meeting with Chang Wanquan in Vientiane was to sign an Indonesia-China bilateral military cooperation agreement. In short, Ryamizards overseas trips have been made in close association with the MEF policy and global maritime axis target as outlined in the Defense White Paper. One key aspect of Indonesias defense system that needs urgent action is the protection of the countrys sea and air territories from border violations by foreign military ships and aircraft. Such a concern cannot be separated from the last three incidents involving Chinese fishing vessels and Coast Guard ships and Indonesias Navy and Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry patrol boats over alleged border violations by the former. Those incidents exclude other cases of border violations by both fishing vessels and military ships of other countries, some of which apparently went unreported. Similar incidents also have happened in the air, with many violations in Indonesias vast territory also going unreported. To address the problems of border violations by foreign ships and aircraft, there is no other option than to improve the countrys defense system technologically. Part of the governments decision is correct, with the focus on improving the countrys weaponry system at sea and in the air, because these are two areas of defense that urgently need improvement. Although it does not mean that our land defense system does need improvement as well, the only major consideration is the urgency of improving the countrys naval and air defense capacity and capability. Priority should therefore be given to the improvement of our naval and air defense systems. There is one area of defense that has likely been forgotten or at least has received less attention from the government the stationary defense system, precisely its radar and missile system. While the ongoing and planned procurement of jetfighters and submarines as the standard, modern era defense/military weaponry to at least meet the countrys MEF target in 2024, and concurrently comply with the Presidents Global Maritime Fulcrum policy is of high importance, no less significant is the improvement of defense radar and missile systems with a priority put on the concern for compatibility of the systems with the weapons in use as well. It is worth noting that the nations radar system must be able to identify its own various types of jet fighters to ensure it does not consider some of them enemy aircraft just because those specific types of jet fighters are not included in the radars installed system. In relation to the countrys limited financial capacity, the choice of weapons procured must also take into account long-term strategy and the age of the weapons so that once they arrive, they do not turn out to be outdated and useless due to a lack of technological competitiveness. __________________ The writer is a staff writer at The Jakarta Post. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam Sat, June 25 2016 The Riau Islands Police water division have seized four Vietnamese fishing boats in Natuna waters as a result of increasingly strict surveillance in the countrys fishing zones. The seizure of the trawlers came after multiple Chinese boats were caught in waters that are included in Indonesias Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Following the seizure of one of the 12 Chinese trawlers caught operating illegally by the Indonesian Navy, the police deployed two large patrol boats as reinforcement, which resulted in the seizure of the Vietnamese boats. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Erza S.T. (The Jakarta Post) Sat, June 25 2016 Reporting from Shanghais international luxury travel market For a decade, the International Luxury Travel Market has showcased the best in global luxury travel to a select group of buyers and suppliers, who regularly meet at its annual global flagship event in Cannes, France, as well at its annual international events in Asia and the Americas and its specialist events in Japan and Africa. This contributor recently attended ILTM Asia 2016 in Shanghai for four days of meetings with high-end representatives from tourism boards, hotel brands, luxury cruise and excursion planners, private clinics and much more. Lucy Clifton, the managing director of Spotl1ght Communications, which manages ILTMs events, said that the Shanghai show attracted almost 500 exhibitors from 59 countries, including 19 Asian nations. The landscape of the industry has changed significantly over the last decade, Clifton said. ILTM Asia reflects this changing world in great detail for our guestsnew private islands, new hotels and new authentic experiences across the world for luxury travelers to explore. Lets take a closer look at what the industry players and speakers had to say at the ILTM, which is marking its 10th anniversary this year. Mainland focus Speakers at ILTM made it clear that Asia has played and will continue to play a big role in the luxury travel market, with mainland China remaining a favorite destination for new openings from big brand hotels. The Peninsula Hotel and Bulgari chains, for example, intend to add hotels in Beijing, while the Aman Resort and Cappella Hotels are focusing on Shanghai, with properties slated to open next year. Tokyo, followed by Osaka, remained the top draws for mainland Chinese, and for tourists from Asia in general. Meanwhile, the mainland Chinese outbound market has attracted many international operators, including the tourism board of Tirol, Austria, whose marketing chief, Holger Gassler, was in Shanghai. Gassler said that Chinese tourists overtook their American counterparts as the most numerous overseas guest for Tirol. More and more luxury tour operators are taking up hidden destinations and travel off beaten track, which is what Tirol has to offer, Gassler said. We also have more demand from Asian travelers who want to discover the local way of life and traditions. Austria, being the land of hospitality and family-owned businesses sees this as an advantage for us. He adds that demand for winter experiences by mainland Chinese is also increasing. This is great for us. Innsbruck hosted the Winter Olympics three times. We have over 100 ski resorts with more than 4,000 kilometers of slopes. So we really look for a bright future. Encountering Asia Asia is an increasingly important destination for international luxury travelers, as well. The continent is still a front-runner compared to Africa and Latin America. Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, for example, are new exotic destinations that luxury globetrotters are eager to discover. In a conversation during ILTM Shanghai, CNN Mexico bureau chief Ariel Crespo said that emerging Latin American markets have drawn strong interest from luxury travel brands, as their economies have also emerged with a strong middle-class looking to experience travel, different cultures and gastronomy. Mexicans come from a long standing historic tradition and civilization, Crespo said. They have a strong appetite for Chinese, Japanese and Southeast Asian culture. Asia brings them culture, leisure and top-notch serviceall of which they can relate to in their home country. At ILTM, other players made it clear that they would expand in Asia beyond the mainland Chinese market, specifically into Southeast Asia. Richard White, the executive vice president of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, said that Indonesia, for example, offered international luxury travel brands a strong market as well as a rich diversity of desirable destinations with world-renowned resorts and a welcoming hospitable culture. Digital focus Speakers at ILTM Asia also noticed the increasing role of digital media was playing in the world of luxury travel. White said that mobile apps and online-based application would play a greater role in the future, especially in China. ILTM Asia opening forum speaker Rachel Botsman, a writer and entrepreneur, expressed a similar sentiment, saying that media consumption has almost completely moved from physical ownership to on-demand consumption, where content is accessed but not owned. For the first time, we have a generation that trusts and takes risks in an entirely new way, Botsman said. They seek the experience of having continuing choice rather than ownership. This is a generation that sees their smartphones as a remote control to the physical world. Future focus Several players at ILTM anticipated a substantial increase in the Asian outbound market for 2017, as people look to explore remote and interesting parts of the world that not everyone else has seen in search of meaningful and unique experiences. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Intan Tanjung (The Jakarta Post) Bali Sat, June 25, 2016 Tourists from eastern Europe are slated to flock to Indonesia this year. A small number of tourists from the region reportedly visited Bali and considered the island one of their favorite destinations. Bali has already become a popular destination for people from Kazakhstan, I Gde Pitana, deputy minister for overseas promotion at the Tourism Ministry, told The Jakarta Post. There are already a number of people from Kazakhstan coming to Bali, but the number is very small." I Gde Pitana added that he was optimistic the country would see more eastern Europeans visiting Bali and other destinations beyond the island, especially since one of the regions airlines has opened a new direct route to Bali. LOT Polish Airlines recently launched direct flights from Warsaw, the capital of Poland, to Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali. The non-stop flight is slated to operate between June 23 and Oct. 28 using a Boeing 787-8, according to Routes Online. It is scheduled to leave Warsaw at 10:45 a.m. and land in Bali at 6 a.m. Meanwhile, the return flight will depart from Bali at 7:40 a.m. and arrive in Warsaw at 3:35 p.m. We realize that eastern Europe is an emerging market for tourism and there are some possibilities to increase our relationship with the region, especially since our tourism is growing and economic growth in eastern Europe is good, said I Gde Pitana. (Read also: Bali and Beyond Travel Fair aims to unlock tourism potential) Bali and Beyond Travel Fair 2016, which is held in Nusa Dua until Saturday, welcomes several tour operators from countries in eastern Europe such as Ukraine, Romania, Kazakhstan and Poland. During the event, they meet local tour operators, hotels and Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) and learn more about destinations, attractions and opportunities to send visitors to Indonesia. A company from Kazakhstan said that it planned to send graduating students to visit several cities in Indonesia. We have programs on offer for students who pass the exams and get a good score. We want to take them to learn about Indonesian culture and the country, said Ayupov Valentin, a manager from the Kazakhstan-based Miras Travel Agency. Valentin said the company had designed travel programs to take graduates to several cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta and Bali. It also plans to include the Borobudur and Prambanan temples to the itinerary in addition to taking participants to Bali during the end of trip. Valentin himself once visited Bali, but hasnt explored other cities. Before this trip to Bali for the fair, he and his group from Kazakhstan were invited by the Indonesian Embassy in Kazakshtan to visit those cities. For our people in Kazakhstan, Bali is a new destination and it is home to a unique culture and very beautiful nature. 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As you arrive with your party, make sure to grab a seat by the wall inside, its great for watching the dancers and keeps you enthralled in the scene around you. Here are a few dishes to try with your salsa group Phuket is a seafood haven, after all, and what better dish to start out with than Gambas a la Plancha shrimp flambeed in garlic, chilli and white wine sauce served with parsley! The big pieces of shrimp will wet any appetite for the main courses. The Gambas is a favourite for any meal at La Bodega, especially with a group since its small enough to keep you wanting more, but incredibly tasty to get your palate excited for whats to come! Salsa means sauce in Spanish, and what better way to pay homage than with a delectable Choriqueso pork loin in jalapeno and tomato sauce? The pork loin is stuffed with chorizo pork sausage and cheese, which oozes out as you dive your knife into the meat. The sauce has a slight kick, but its flavour is a great mix of jalapeno and tomato that perfectly goes with the pan-fried potatoes on the side. The highly-recommended Steak on a Stone was up next and it did not disappoint! Its a dish that comes with french fries and a litany of sauces. The showstopper is the 200-gramme fillet steak that is really filling. While perfect for dinner, its also great for Salsa Night if youre looking to check out the dancers, kick back, and eat. Our Steak on a Stone was ordered rare and went beautifully with the sauces, particularly the chimichurri sauce, redolent with finely-chopped parsley and minced garlic. Its the type of dish for that person in your group whose dances come few and far between, but loves to enjoy the Latin atmosphere, toasting the night away with new friends. Got a vegetarian in your group? No problem! The Greek salad is a great choice for someone looking for flavour without being weighed down. Dancers, this one is for you as its light and tasty. After the meal, its dancing time! Plenty of partners on the dance floor with options of salsa, bachata and other music to keep things interesting at La Bodega. With Salsa Night, Patong has more than a few options! Police not convinced about 'unpaid loan' as motive for Thalang motorbike arson PHUKET: Police are suspicious about the alleged motive behind an incident of motorbike arson that took place at a subsidized housing project in Thalang early on Saturday (June 25). crime By Eakkapop Thongtub Saturday 25 June 2016, 12:58PM Pol Capt Santichai Seemai of Thalang Police at 12:30am was alerted by Chamroen Putduang, 58, an attendent at the Lipon subsidized housing estate (Ban Ke-ha - Ueua Athon) in Sisunthon's Moo 1, that a motorbike had been set ablaze. Pol Capt Santichai notified his superior and along with fellow officer Suchart Rattanakesorn, reported to the scene, where a crowd of residents looked on as volunteers and officers proceeded to douse the flames, which took about 15 minutes. The motorbike was burnt to a complete crisp, though investigators were able to determine its make, a Honda Click, and trace its Phuket plates to a woman named by police only as Ms Waree. Police identified a suspect as Pitak Sanjit, 26, of Songkhla, who stayed in a unit at housing project, near the scene of the incident. Police questioned Pitak, who confessed to setting the motorbike on fire, claiming that he did so in reprisal for an outstanding, unpaid loan for an undisclosed amount of money to a friend of the owner of the bike, which was allegedly put up as collateral for the loan. Police have yet to file any charges, but are waiting to question the owner of the motorbike to verify the claim, and have not ruled out other possible motives as the investigation continues. Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today Showers and thundershowers this evening followed by a few lingering showers overnight. Low 46F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Showers and thundershowers this evening followed by a few lingering showers overnight. Low 46F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Karnataka police on Friday arrested three Malayali students in a nursing college at Gulbarga for allegedly ragging a junior student. The victim, who also hails from Kerala, is under treatment at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital and her condition is said to be critical. Aswathi is under treatment at Kozhikode MCH Police said they had arrested Lakshmi, Athira and Krishna Priya after summoning them to the station on the basis of a statement of one of the roommates of Aswathi, who was allegedly ragged and forced to drink toilet-cleaner by her seniors at Al-Qamar College on May 9. The accused were produced in a local court which remanded them in judicial custody for two weeks. Aswathi, an 18-year-old Dalit student from Edappal in Malappuram district had alleged that she was forced to drink phenyl by her seniors. However, police, after their preliminary investigation had ruled out this claim and had said that the student was only asked to sing and dance. "The victim was forced by some of her seniors to dance and sing on many occasions. But preliminary investigations show that the seniors did not force her to consume a chemical in the hostel," a police officer had earlier said. However, the arrest came after the victim's roommate claimed that she was a witness of Aswathi being force-fed the toilet-cleaner. A team of Karnataka police has reached Kozhikode to record the statement of the victim. The National human Rights Commission has sought a report on the incident from Karnataka Chief Secretary, Karnataka DGP and Kozhikode District Collector. Meanwhile, Qamarul Islam, the owner of the college and former Minority Affairs Minister of Karnataka, denied the ragging incident and said he was informed by the administration that the student was trying to commit suicide. The trailer of Ashutosh Gowariker's Mohenjo Daro starring Hrithik Roshan has been receiving a lot of flak from web users for its inaccurate portrayal of Indus Valley civilization and its people. Twitteratis had a field day dissecting the trailer for its various misrepresentations. They tripped on Hrithiks overdone bronze look, Pooja Hegdes headdress with feathers and her fair skin, her Angelina Jolie Leg slit skirt and Kabir Bedis viking head gear. And not to forget the crocodile jump shot. According to the trailer, an Indigo farmer from Amri, Sarman, is chosen to travel back in time to a period before the Budhha and Christ, around 2016 BC, the era of the Indus Valley Civilisation, to save Mohenjo-daro, from the furious villain Maham. He has to, or else no one will know the sachai and achai of Mohenjo-daro. Only trouble, he falls in love with Chaani, Mahams daughter. Uh-Oh. So while we await Ashutosh Gowarikars epic adventure-romance, here are some interesting facts about the real Mohenjo-daro. Who remembers their history lessons? 1. Mohenjo-daro was originally, Kukkutarma There is little to be happy about since no one really knows what this ancient city was actually called as no one has been able to decipher the Harappan script. Speculations show that the name may have been Kukkutarma, a Dravidian name meaning the city of cockerels, based on a seal discovered from the site. Domesticated chickens were also bred for religious purposes, for sacrifices and cock-fighting, than as a source of food. 2. This ancient city was not discovered until 1922 When a few Indus Valley sites and cities like Harappa and Lothal were excavated in 1922, the city of Mohenjo-daro was also among them, and that is when the name came to be. Mohenjo-daro literally means the mound of the dead men in Sindhi. Archeologist Rakhaldas Bandhyopadyay a.k.a R. D. Banerji was working at the Sindh province, when he noticed certain high mounds, with pottery, flint scrapers, beads, seals, stone blades scattered all around them. This was then followed by a large-scale excavation which led to the discovery of a large city built of fired and mortared bricks. 3. Mohenjo-daro was way advanced for its times Mohenjo-daro the city consisted of two parts, a higher mound called the citadel or the acropolis, and a lower mound which was a residential area with houses and streets. The city was planned meticulously with well-connected broad roads, streets laid in perfect pattern, and remarkably designed buildings. Rectilinear houses had inner courtyards and small lanes, with individual bathrooms, drains that were covered and ran across the streets all channeled into a complex underground sewer system. The city's remnants also features evidences of central marketplace, underground furnace, towers, defense fortifications, etc. It is interesting to note the absence of palaces, temples, or tombs, no trace of a government, a king or a queen. 4. The Great Bath of Mohenjo-daro was the father of all bath-houses Talk about a great 8 feet deep, 23 feet wide public bathing pool, made of bricks that were polished to be made waterproof with natural tar. Add a steam bath and hot-air heating system. And you have the 'Great Bath' of Mohenjo-daro. Staircases on each side lead down to the pool, and there were small changing rooms and bath rooms surrounding this great structure, probably to cleanse oneself before use of the pool. The Great Bath may have been used for religious purification purposes. 5. Jawaharlal Nehru wrote about Mohenjo-daro in 'The Discovery of India' "I stood on a mound of Mohenjo-daro in the Indus valley in the northwest of India, and all around me lay the houses and streets of this ancient city that is said to have existed over five thousand years ago, wrote Jawaharlal Nehru in The Discovery of India (1944) during his imprisonment in the Ahmednagar Fort. 6. The Dancing Girl statuette is one of the rarest artifacts to have been excavated One of the excavators at Mohenjo-daro, John Marshall describes this iconic artifact, a 10.8 cm long bronze statuette of the dancing girl, at least 4500 years old, as a vivid impression of a young girl, her hand on her hip in a half-impudent posture, and legs slightly forward as she beats time to the music with her legs and feet. She was also known to be a favourite of the British archeologist Mortimer Wheeler. He is recorded in a television program from 1973, to have said, There is her... pouting lips and insolent look in the eyes. She's about fifteen years old I should think, not more, but she stands there with bangles all the way up her arm and nothing else on. A girl perfectly, for the moment, perfectly confident of herself and the world. There's nothing like her, I think, in the world. 7. Mohenjo-daro was designated a UNESCO World heritage Site in 1980 Mohenjo-daro was one of the most prosperous, and planned cities of the The Indus Valley Civilization, a contemporary of (and even superior to) the Ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations. In its heyday, Mohenjo-daro had a population of over 35,000. After the city was rediscovered in 1922, more significant excavations were conducted, and in 1980, Mohenjo-daro became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which led to further excavations, but came to a halt due to scarce government funds. 8. The city of Mohenjo-daro may have had over 700 wells Another little known fact, Mohenjo-daro has been called the 'city of wells and drains' by archeologist Michael Jansen. He calculated that there were 700 or more wells at Mohenjo-daro, present in one in three houses. These brick-lined wells were dug throughout the city with a lot of planning, and were maintained for hundreds of years. Some of the wells then began to be abandoned because someone jumped into them, according to an excavator Ernest Mackay. 9. Satyajit Ray's short story talks about Mohenjo-daro and a possible unicorn siting. Bengali filmmaker Satyajit Ray begins his short story, The Unicorn Expedition thus, "I saw a herd of unicorns today. I write this in full possession of my senses." He writes, I have a book open before me on my desk which is about the ancient civilization of Mohenjo-daro. Apart from the pottery, toys, figurines and ornaments, diggings at Mohenjo-daro have revealed a large number of rectangular clay and ivory seals bearing carvings of, amongst other things, animals such as elephants, tigers, bulls and rhinoceroses. In addition to these familiar animals, there are representations of a beast unknown to us. It is shown as a bull-like creature with a single curved horn growing out of its forehead. Archaeologists have taken it to be a creature of fantasy, although I see no point in depicting an imaginary creature when all the others are real. (The Unicorn Expedition, p.156). See, unicorns are real after all! 9. The fall of Mohenjo-daro is one of the most cryptic whodunits ever How did the Mohenjo-daro go down? The answer is: we may never know. So many theories are rife on what led to the destruction of this city and its civilization. There is published evidence by British archeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler that talks about the Mohenjo-daro massacres by armed invaders, directing us to the Indo Aryan invasion. Mohenjo-daro apparently came under a huge deluge caused by a changing river course, which led to its collapse, in another theory that is left unproven. And then there are researchers like David Davenport who asserts that Mohenjo-daro was destroyed by an atomic bomb, and that aliens did it. In his words, The aliens had agreed to destroy Mohenjo-daro on behalf of the Aryans. 10. Mohenjo-daro, 'the mount of the dead', is approaching its own death Today, this 5000-year-old ruins of a once-sparkling city is crumbling, and according to expert archeologists, Mohenjo-daro will survive only another 20 years, and will disappear without any rescue plan. Even way back in 1973, the remains of Mohenjo-daro had been in a state of complete decay, and is fast corroding away. Once a highly advanced, major urban center of the Indus Valley Civilization, that flourished on the banks of the rivers Indus and Saraswati, this bronze age metropolis is on its way to being wiped off the face of the earth. Britain's decision to quit the European Union could send damaging shockwaves through the bedrock Anglo-American "special relationship," raising questions about London's willingness and ability to back U.S.-led efforts in global crises ranging from the Middle East to Ukraine. The loss of the strongest pro-U.S. voice within the 28-nation bloc, as a result of the "Brexit" referendum, threatens to weaken Washington's influence in European policymaking and embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin to further challenge the West, analysts and former diplomats say. The British referendum on Thursday, widely seen as reflecting an increasingly nationalistic and inward-looking public, also risks the splintering of the United Kingdom itself, which could further reduce its role and stature in world affairs. Britain's departurewhich is not immediate and must be negotiated with the EU -- could present the next U.S. president with a decision on whether to turn to other key European partners like Germany and France, essentially downgrading a special U.S. bond with London forged in World War Two. Ivo Daalder, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO and the president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, said Britain's ability to press its views and policy preferences with its European allies and within NATO, where it provided strong political backing to the United States, will be diminished. "You clearly have a much weaker Britain whose sway in European capitals is lessened by the vote," Daalder said. As a result, he said, the United States likely will have to work harder to maintain trans-Atlantic and European unity. Anything that divides Europe, he added, "is a win for Russia because that has been a policy of Putin and of Russia. "A U.S. intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "This is certain to encourage the Russians to continue and probably intensify their campaign of supporting far-right nationalist movements in Western and Eastern Europe as part of their effort to neuter NATO. "Phil Gordon, a former senior foreign policy adviser to Obama, expressed concern that Europe will become inwardly focused on Britain's departure and independence movements on the continent, leaving the United States to shoulder more of the international burden. "The more time it spends on doing that, the more resources it spends on coping with the consequences of that, the less time and money and political capital it is going to have to help us with global challenges," he said. The administration of President Barack Obama was rattled by the stunning turn of events, including turmoil in world financial markets and British Prime Minister David Cameron's subsequent resignation announcement.British officials sought to reassure their U.S. counterparts that Brexit would not portend a withdrawal from world affairs, a U.S. official said. Some of those officials may not survive the change of leadership or further British political upheavals that could be spurred by the vote. Rebuke to Obama While Obama insisted on Friday that Britain would remain an "indispensable partner," the outcome of the referendum delivered a clear rebuke to the U.S. president, who made an unusually strong intervention into British politics against "Brexit" during a visit to London in April. Britain's vote to leave the EU threatens not only Obama's security efforts across the globe but the U.S. economic recovery and the international trade agenda he is pursuing in his final seven months in office. A similar mix of U.S. populist anger and anti-establishment sentiment has fueled the rise of Donald Trump as presumptive Republican nominee in the November U.S. presidential election. "The drivers of Brexit are the same as the drivers of nationalist movements in western Europe and the U.S.," Clifford Young, President of Ipsos Public Affairs in the United States, told Reuters. Cameron has cooperated closely with Obama in the security sphere. Britain has been a major military player in U.S.-led campaigns against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, an active ally on the ground in Afghanistan and a strong supporter of sanctions against Russia over its role in Ukraine's separatist conflict. Heather Conley, director of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said Britain's divorce from the EU, which could take up to two years, would now be "an all-consuming process" that could distract it from such efforts. "There's just not going to be an enormous amount of attention of policy bandwidth given to the migration crisis, fighting ISIS, or focusing on continued ceasefire violations in Ukraine and maintaining sanctions against Russia," she said. "It comes down to when we need the UK and its leadership, whether in the Security Council or NATO, its attentions will be focused domestically," she said.Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, called Brexit -- which dealt the biggest blow to the European project of unity since World War Two -- "a cloud without a silver lining." "I'm not suggesting that we're about to return to a situation of conflict in Europe," he said. "But I'm wary that it will tear from the fabric of prosperity and stability." While U.S.-British intelligence sharing - one of the closest relationships of its kind in the world - is expected to withstand the political turmoil, some experts said counterterrorism cooperation with European partners could suffer at a time when Islamic State has targeted European capitals. "It will make cooperation in Europe on counter terrorism harder as most of the former British intelligence chiefs predicted before the vote," said Bruce Riedel, a former CIA official now at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington. But Michael Morell, a former acting CIA director, rejected that view, saying counterterrorism cooperation "is too important to let politics of any kind affect it. "Adding to U.S. concerns is the threat by Scottish nationalists to mount a new referendum on independence for Scotland, where nearly two-thirds of voters voted to stay in the EU. In addition, Northern Ireland's deputy leader Martin McGuinness called for a vote to unite the two sides of the Irish border. The break-up of the United Kingdom would raise questions whether it should retain its veto in the United Nations Security Council, where it has been a mostly reliable supporter of U.S. initiatives. US President Barack Obama on Friday said he might visit India next year if invited for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES). "You know, I'll try to stop by, if I'm invited," Obama said in his address to GES at Stanford University in California. GES is a personal initiative of Obama to bring entrepreneurs from across the globe on one platform. After meeting Obama at the White House early this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that India would host the next GES. The Obama Administration has thanked India for continuing Obama's legacy. "It is really fitting that we are all gathered here for this, the final gathering of the GES under President Obama. But it will continue, and as you all know, will take place next year in India," the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, had said in his address to the summit. The first GES was held in the US in 2010 thereafter it has been hosted by Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Morocco and Kenya. Over 700 entrepreneurs and more than 300 investors from 170 countries are attending the 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Summit. India has also sent a large contingent. During his visit to the US early this month, Modi had invited Obama to India. Obama is the first American president to visit India twice. A senior administration official said Obama is unlikely to visit India in the remaining seven months of his presidency, but did not rule out his travel along with that of the First Lady after they leave the White House next year. India's Finance Minister Arun Jaitley met his Chinese counterpart Lou Jiwei in Beijing on Saturday and discussed economic cooperation between the two countries. The global macroeconomic situation also figured in the meeting in which both the leaders agreed on the need to further coordinate in order to enhance economic growth. The upcoming G20 Summit in Hangzhou and the BRICS Summit in India were also discussed at the meeting, said an Indian embassy official. The two met on the sidelines of the Annual General Meeting of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The formal meet is due on Monday. Jaitley, who is on a five-day visit to China, also met officials of Alibaba ANT enterprises, an affiliate company of the Alibaba Group on Saturday. Earlier on Saturday, attending the meet of AIIB, Jaitley said: "India has undertaken reforms in FDI and initiated large investments in rural infrastructure, national highway, inland waterways, shipping, power sector and smart cities." "Notwithstanding the global headwinds, however, India continues to maintain a high growth rate at 7.6 per cent in 2015-16 compared to 7.2 per cent in the previous year," he added. Speaking on the role of AIIB, he said: "AIIB presents a much needed additional financing window dedicated to infrastructure projects and meeting the financing gap that may be beyond the capacity of the individual countries and the existing MDBs (Multilateral Development Banks). "India has a huge unmet demand for investment in infrastructure and is preparing basket of projects worth $2-3 billion for AIIB funding in the areas of urban development (including Smart Cities), energy, urban transport, railways, inland waterways and water supply." Jaitley offered India's support in establishing a regional office of AIIB in New Delhi to effectively cater to this potentially large portfolio and speed up the process of project development, monitoring and implementation. Earlier in the day, in an interview to China's English language television channel CCTV, Jaitley said: "We (India) grew by 7.6 per cent last year, we'll certainly maintain that and with a good monsoon, hopefully improve upon that. It (growth rate) is sustainable for the reason that India still has lot of distance in terms of economic growth to cover." He said that India has been the second largest partner in China-led AIIB and these parallel institutions are developing because of the need of infrastructure finance. "I think it is inevitable that irrespective of the theme of the conference, this issue (infrastructure finance) will dominate all economic discussions," he said. Jaitley on Sunday will attend the annual meeting of the board of governors' of AIIB that was scheduled for June 24-25. On June 27, he will hold a ministerial level financial dialogue with Jiwei. Jaitley arrived in Beijing on June 23 on a five-day official tour. The British people have spoken and the business community will have to buckle down. I have long argued that Britain leaving the EU would be bad news for British business, for jobs, for the economy as a whole. While I sincerely hope this is wrong, I do not believe it is. Perhaps we have regained powers that were lost to Europe. I suspect that in the hard reality of the world we will find they are precious few. For while it is possible for the UK to quit the EU, it is not possible for the UK to quit the European economy. Our trade relationships with other European countries are not a thing we can opt out of with a vote. They are part of the living, breathing fabric of our business and industry. The Brexiteers often argued as much, but from a very optimistic view. Brexit: The idea that the rest of Europe would allow us to continue to trade with them as if nothing had happened was a triumph of optimism over likelihood, says Simon Watkins A vote to quit the EU will not damage our trade, they argued. Europe will roll over and we will keep our current level of exports with our continental neighbours, they said. Not only must we hope they were right, but in fact Britain including those politicians who campaigned for us to stay in must now struggle to make their predictions come true. While the referendum battle is over, the real street-to-street fighting (or perhaps negotiation is a better word) now begins. The idea that Britain can conjure trade deals with the rest of the world that will offset the uncertainty now unleashed was always wishful thinking. But those trade deals must now be pursued. The idea that the rest of Europe would allow us to continue to trade with them as if nothing had happened was a triumph of optimism over likelihood. But we must now nonetheless endeavour to make that happen, or as close to it as we can manage. In practice, I suspect that many who voted to leave will find that what they had hoped for a fortress Britain free to carve its own path is a fantasy. The only practical way forward is to negotiate our way through this mess. Agree new standards and terms for products, working conditions, trade and worker migration that make the best of the situation we are in. We will now face a series of negotiations in which the UK makes some gains but also accepts some compromises just the kind of thing Brexiteers said we would be free of if we voted out. As investors (as we all are if we are part of any kind of pension fund) we are going to have to work out whether when a company board claims its poor performance is due to the Brexit decision that they are telling the truth or hiding their own incompetence. The Government too has just been handed a free pass on the economy. The UK recovery was always fragile and I was never convinced Osbornes mantra of deficit reduction at all costs was the right approach. The Chancellor will now be able to blame every failed target and every broken promise on the Brexit decision. The British economy will survive and we will eventually find our new economic place in the world, but I have little doubt that the economic future will now be far tougher than it needed to be. The Brexiteers always argued in a glib manner that Britain would be able to make its way as an economy outside the EU by showing some British grit. The Royal Mint said demand for its gold bars and coins had soared. One investment asset which was shining yesterday was gold. The precious metal surged 6 per cent as savers rushed to find a safe haven for their cash, and one trader declared: 'It is Golden Friday.' Gold hit a two-year high of $1,336 an ounce as markets opened. Website BullionVault said some 23.5m had been traded in gold and silver by its users before 11am. The Royal Mint said demand for its gold bars and coins had soared. Investors typically flee to so-called safe assets when the stock market is rocked by uncertainty. Such worries drove the price of gold to a record high of almost $2,000 during the financial crisis. As confidence has returned the price of the yellow metal fell too. Yesterday's rebound showed just how jittery investors were feeling. There are various ways to invest in gold, aside from owning a gold bar and storing it under the mattress. You can invest in an exchange-traded fund which tracks the price of the metal. These typically charge around 0.3 per cent a year as a fee, but the concern is that most are not physically backed because they don't actually own any gold, they just follow the price of it. Others will prefer direct exposure by investing in commodity giants such as Fresnillo and Randgold, whose shares were up by as much as 25 per cent at one point yesterday. Finally you can invest through funds such as BlackRock Gold and General, which can help reduce investment risk because they invest in lots of different commodity companies. These funds have had an appalling time over the past few years but thrive amid uncertainty. The BlackRock fund has returned 72.4 per cent over the past six months but is down 35 per cent over five years, for example. From the moment that Prime Minister David Cameron called the EU referendum back in February, the City began to brace itself for the impact that a vote to leave would have on financial markets. Most of the experts whom Michael Gove scorned during the campaign suggested that Brexit would send sterling crashing against other currencies and so it has. But the effect on the stock market has been less dramatic than feared. By the time the market closed on Friday, the FTSE 100 Index was down just 3.15 per cent, while the FTSE 250 Index was down 7.2 per cent. This is because the FTSE 100 includes more companies with business activities around the world. The FTSE 250 is more focused domestically, so its decline reflects concerns about UK economic growth. Sharp: Nathan Rothschild, who made a fortune after the Battle of Waterloo, said buy when there is blood on the streets Some investors may be tempted to cash in their shares now, fearful that we are heading into a period of depression and economic decline. For long-term investors, however, that would almost certainly be the wrong decision. First, it is still unclear what will happen. For the moment, the UK is still part of the European Union and prolonged negotiations are needed to work out how we will interact with the EU and other parts of the world. Shares may remain volatile, but it is certainly too soon to take a definitive view on winners and losers. Second, immediate market reaction is often overdone. That was clear even on Friday. Stocks fell sharply when the market opened but regained some ground that day. There may be more bounce-backs in the coming days and weeks. Third, the Brexit vote may present opportunities. Sterling weakness, as Midas said last week, can be good for export-focused firms and those paying dividends in US dollars. Hence drugs giants AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline, global consumer goods group Unilever and computer chip-maker ARM Holdings saw their shares rise on Friday. British American Tobacco and another tobacco producer Imperial Brands were up too, as was miner Randgold Resources. Banks, insurers and housebuilders were among the biggest fallers but some market-watchers believe the financial stocks such as Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Bank of Scotland, Aviva and Prudential have been oversold. Adventurous investors may want to take a closer look at these. One of the most unsavoury aspects of the four-month EU referendum campaign was the brazen abuse of statistics and data by both the Leave and Remain camps. With each side attempting to woo the electorate with facts, voters were left confused, angry and disillusioned. But money talks. As the rhetoric became increasingly heated in the run-up to the vote on Thursday to leave the EU a select number of board directors stuck their necks out and bought or sold shares. In the week leading up to the referendum, 18 brave directors including seven bosses and two finance directors bought shares in their own companies. Trades: Said Darwazah, left, spent 1.52million on shares last week, while John Hutson, right, sold stock BUYING The biggest show of confidence came from Said Darwazah, chairman and chief executive of drugs group Hikma Pharmaceuticals. Darwazah spent 1.52million on 70,000 shares in the firm that was founded by his father in Jordan in 1978. Initially established as a Middle Eastern drugs specialist, Hikma has become a 5.4billion international business and a member of the FTSE 100 index of leading companies. Last July, Hikma made its largest acquisition yet, buying US drug maker Roxane from pharmaceutical giant Boehringer Ingelheim. The deal involved the issue of 40,000 shares to Boehringer, which now holds a 16 per cent stake in Hikma. After issuing these new shares, Darwazahs holding in Hikma was diluted and he has been buying stock steadily in recent months to ensure he retains a significant stake. Following last weeks purchase, he has 5.5 per cent, worth almost 300million. Even when, this year, investors criticised the Roxane deal, Darwazah remained optimistic about its long-term prospects. Now it seems that brokers are coming round to his way of thinking. The stock dropped to 1691p in March, but has since bounced and closed at 2271p last week. Darwazah bought at 2165p, so he has already made a tidy profit, but analysts suggest the shares could rise to more than 2500p in the next year. The group is also virtually immune to any fallout from the referendum, as it makes almost all its money in the US and the Middle East. The second largest share purchase came from Vernon Hill, the ebullient chairman and founder of Metro Bank. Hill spent 594,000 on shares in the new bank on the block and now has a 5.9 per cent stake, worth just over 100 million. The bank floated in March at 2000p, rose to 2250p by the end of May, but then fell back, largely on pre-referendum jitters. Hill bought at 2000p on June 21. On Friday, the shares fell almost 9 per cent to 1915p so he will need to be patient. Greg Lock, chairman of IT services group Computacenter, is not part of the founding family, but he has been at the helm since 2008. He spent 203,000 on stock at 780p a share. Computacenters customers include takeaway chain Dominos Pizza, department store group John Lewis, Heathrow airport and several local authorities. The shares fell almost 8 per cent to 774p on Brexit fears on June 16. Lock bought on June 17 and now the shares are 755p, having fallen more than 9 per cent on Friday. Jamie Hopkins, dynamic chief executive of office rental firm Workspace Group, forked out 68,000 on shares after the group delivered strong full-year results this month. Workspace, initially recommended by Midas in November 2014 at 688p, has had a torrid time in 2016, falling 29 per cent to 713p in the first six weeks on early concerns about Brexit. Hopkins bought at 840p the day before the referendum. Today the shares are 734p. Whitbread director Chris Kennedy also put his faith in the group, shelling out 61,000 in the Premier Inns to Costa Coffee firm, after a mixed trading update last week. Kennedy may be wishing he had waited a few days. He bought on June 22 at 4098p. On Friday, they closed at 3830p. SELLING Only two directors decided to sell in the run-up to the referendum, John Hutson, chief executive of pub chain JD Wetherspoon, and Peter Lynas, finance director of defence group BAE Systems. Lynas raised 880,000 in a chunky sale, unfortunately part of a divorce settlement. Hutsons sale, while amounting to just 2,500 shares worth 18,325, is more intriguing. Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin was a vocal supporter of Brexit. Yet Hutson sold shares at 733p two days before the vote. Driving forward: Henry Dixon has invested heavily in Admiral, which has expanded beyond car cover A gyrating stock market and pound in recent days may have caused the Citys pulse to ratchet up a notch or two. But it has done little to unsettle Henry Dixon of asset manager Man GLG. Throughout the run-up to last weeks referendum, Dixon has remained phlegmatic and largely indifferent to the outcome. Accepting that market turmoil was inevitable short term, he has been concentrating on the long term ensuring the 70-strong portfolio of the Man GLG UK Income fund is fit for its purpose. He is confident the fund is set up to deliver the same kind of outperformance that he has managed to achieve since he took over the helm in November 2013. Since then, the fund has returned 21 per cent better than the average from rival UK equity funds (12 per cent) and superior to the 6 per cent return from the FTSE All-Share Index. He says: Ive tried to shut out the white noise and stay loyal to the investment process that has underpinned the fund since I joined from investment manager New Star. There are various prongs to Dixons investment approach. Key is holding shares that have fallen out of favour, but which he believes will come good again. He refers to this as the contrarian part of the fund and explains why 45 per cent is in financial groups, such as HSBC, insurer Direct Line and Standard Life. Most of these businesses are adept at generating cash, he says. He also likes shares that are cheap relative to the rest of the market, but where there is evidence of a momentum in earnings growth. Car insurer Admiral Group fits this bill. This is one of the funds top 10 holdings and Dixon says the shares should perform strongly on the back of the companys diversification into home insurance. As befits the funds income bent, Dixon is always on the hunt for firms that have the capacity to increase their dividends. I like strong balance sheets, companies that have little or no debt and have sizable cash flow, he adds. Kitchen maker Howden Joinery is one. Last year, it increased its dividends by 18 per cent. The final component of the fund is a smattering of corporate bonds, where Dixon has identified attractive yields and the prospect of a future capital uplift as their maturity approaches. Key holdings include bonds with oil explorer Tullow Oil and doorstep lender International Personal Finance. The Tullow bond is trading at just above 80p and pays interest of six per cent. It matures in 2020 at 1. Dixon says: I see equity value in Tullow but not at a current share price of 246p. But I do see value in a bond to be repaid in four years time. Its akin to an equity-like return. Dixon also runs Undervalued Assets, a fund launched to coincide with his arrival at Man GLG. It is run in similar style to UK Income, investing primarily in firms whose shares are out of favour, but without the need to generate an income in excess of the FTSE All-Share. Assisted by co-manager Jack Barat and analyst Alice Owen, Dixon has earned a solid reputation. Fund analyst Trustnet says that over the long term he has outperformed his peer group more often than not and that good stock-picking has had a material positive impact on results, which have tended to be relatively better in a rising market. Fresh cracks have appeared in the crisis-torn eurozone following Britains vote to leave the EU. As investors struggled to come to terms with Brexit, borrowing costs rose in Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece. And while the FTSE 100 index closed the day 3.15 per cent, or 199.41 points lower at 6138.69 in London, European stock markets fared even worse with Frankfurt down 6.8 per cent, Paris 8 per cent, Milan 12.5 per cent and Madrid 12.4 per cent. Fresh cracks have appeared in the crisis-torn eurozone following Britains vote to leave the EU It is feared other EU members could now push for referendums of their own creating further uncertainty. Christoph Rieger, an analyst at German lender Commerzbank, warned of a flight of money from peripheral eurozone countries to safer assets such as German and US government bonds. The yield on ten-year Greek bonds the amount it costs the government to borrow money rose back above 9 per cent having fallen below 7 per cent a month ago. Bank of England governor Mark Carney offered to pump 250bn into the UK financial system The worlds most powerful central banks sought to soothe the financial markets yesterday after Britain voted to leave the European Union. Bank of England governor Mark Carney offered to pump 250bn into the UK financial system and said we will not hesitate to take any additional measures required to keep the economy on track. Other central banks rushed to reassure investors, with the Federal Reserve promising to provide liquidity to address pressures in global funding markets which could have adverse implications for the US economy. The European Central Bank said it would protect financial stability in the eurozone while the Peoples Bank of China pledged to keep the yuan stable. In a rare move for a central bank, the Swiss National Bank intervened to weaken the Swiss franc as investors looking for somewhere safe to park their cash snapped up the currency. The SNB said it will remain active in the market to prevent the franc strengthening too much. In a statement, G7 finance leaders said: We respect the intention expressed today by the people of the United Kingdom to exit from the European Union. Feasrs are mounting that Fridays shock referendum result will hit Britains already struggling dealmaking industries. Professor Scott Moeller, a former Deutsche Bank corporate financier and now director of Cass Business Schools merger & acquisition research centre, said: Hedge funds and day traders might like volatility but mergers and acquisitions markets do not. He added: The next three months, if not two years or more, will be uncertain for the UK and thus will be a challenge for anyone doing an M&A deal. M&A: Dealmaking was already having a tough time prior to Fridays referendum outcome His comments come amid reports that the London Stock Exchanges $20billion (15billion) merger with German rival Deutsche Borse is at risk of collapse following Fridays referendum result. Dealmaking was already having a tough time prior to Fridays outcome with Britains share of merger & acquisition activity tumbling to a record low amid the uncertainty over the referendum. Before the vote the volume of deals involving UK takeover targets was down almost 70 per cent this year compared with the same period in 2015, which saw Royal Dutch Shell pay $52billion for BG Group and Anheuser-Busch InBev pay $75billion for FTSE 100-listed SABMiller. Whilst there was a perceived pent-up demand from potential buyers ahead of the referendum, it now appears unlikely that acquirers are going to rush to pull the trigger on their planned takeovers. Richard Kleiner, chief executive of accountancy firm Gerald Edelman said: The impact [of Britains withdrawal from the European Union] on UK M&A and private equity sectors is likely to result in lower volumes of transactions over the coming months. However, Moeller did point out that for long-term owners of British companies now could be a good time to make a purchase as potential deals are a lot cheaper given the pounds slump to its lowest level in 30 years. Foreign buyers American and Chinese especially will take a very close look at UK companies with their cheaper price, said Moeller. He also said that private equity firms and turn- around firms might find bargains from the fallout of Britains move to quit the European Union. There will be UK firms that look to do disposals in order to raise cash or because of the changing non-EU business model. The London Stock Exchange and its would-be merger partners the Deutsche Borse in Germany are to call a special referendum committee to examine the effect of Brexit on the controversial deal. The 20billion merger was agreed in March and last weeks shock vote will now be examined by the committee, including three directors from each stock exchange, amid growing pressure for the agreement to be changed. A spokesperson from the Deutsche Borse said: The Referendum Committee will now examine all regulatory, legal and jurisdictional consequences for the merger arising from the vote for Brexit as well as its implications for the ongoing operations of the future Deutsche Borse-LSE combination. Under spotlight: The 20billion merger was agreed in March and last weeks shock vote will now be examined by the committee The deal is already coming under pressure after top German politicians said the new group can no longer be headquartered in London as previously planned. Dr Michael Fuchs, vice chairman of Germanys ruling CDU party, said: Things have changed and the Brexit vote has consequences. The merged company cannot be based in London. Last Friday, the London and German stock exchanges put out a joint announcement, stressing they remain committed to the merger and the agreed and binding merger terms, which would include the location for the groups HQ. Privately however, people within the German exchange suggest that even though the London HQ has been described as non-negotiable, all bets are off after the vote. Hopeful: Bev and David Staples have a holiday home in Spain but still voted Leave The dream of owning a holiday home in warmer Mediterranean climes has been dashed or at least put on ice for many would-be expats. In the early hours of Friday morning, as the referendum result became clear, foreign currency specialist FC Exchange received calls from clients wanting to pull out of buying abroad and asking for their deposits on overseas properties to be returned. Many potential buyers had already changed their pounds in the expectation of putting in an offer on a home once the votes were in. But with the Brexiteers winning, overseas property specialists expect buyers and sellers to hang back. Ian Strafford-Taylor, chief executive of currency exchange firm FairFX, says: This reluctance to commit is likely to continue because of the uncertainty around the bureaucratic hoops buyers may need to jump through and poor exchange rates. Consequently, those looking for retirement properties or investment properties in Europe may now look further afield or abandon the idea altogether until the impact becomes clearer. At 1.23 to the pound, compared with 1.30 on the eve of the poll, someone planning to buy a 200,000 property would now have their property pot smashed by about 10,000. Spain is the most popular country in Europe for British property owners, but John May, director and co-founder of Sell4LessSpain, believes that the Brexit vote will have a major impact. He says: British property owners in Spain will now be worried about their investment and whether they will be able to sell in the short to medium term. We expect prices to fall across the board. OUR SPANISH VILLA DIDN'T STOP OUR LEAVE VOTE Bev and David Staples own a holiday home in Spain but they still feel it made financial sense for them to vote to leave the European Union. The couple, both aged 56, who live in a four-bedroom semi-detached home in Bridgwater, Somerset, bought a three-bedroom town house in Murcia in 2007 with a euro mortgage. Bev, who works in administration for a local financial adviser, says: We have been here before in the banking crisis of 2008 when at one stage the pound was only worth about one euro. 'Even after this latest crisis the pound is still worth more than this and I am sure the bravery this country has shown in leaving the European Union will make us better off. If we had stayed in I fear we would eventually have been forced to join the euro. Bev and her self-employed electrician husband have two sons Ben, 22, and Ryan, 21, and plan eventually to retire to Spain. Bev says: We might end up paying extra for travel insurance as it is likely the free European Health Insurance Card will be scrapped but I still feel in the long term the pound will buy us more abroad in retirement. She is also not concerned about the possible threat to the State pension triple lock being unpicked a guarantee that pension payments rise by the higher of the retail prices index measure of inflation, average earnings or 2.5 per cent as threatened by the Chancellor for voting for Brexit. Bev believes that the reward of sovereignty is worth this risk. Cooling off: Price falls are expected in some areas as British buyers decide not to take the plunge Others are more optimistic. Simon Conn, who runs a business of the same name finding mortgages for overseas properties, says: I dont see this as a long-term problem. 'Sellers need to sit tight and give it all six to nine months to settle. Existing property owners will not be kicked out of their home. Jason Porter, director of Blevins Franks, which provides financial advice to Britons who are living overseas, is also taking the long view. He says: The decision to leave the EU does not affect residency status, nor the current healthcare benefits on offer to expatriates living in Europe certainly not until an exit process has been finalised. Job fears across the economy hit the shares of recruitment firms as foreign banks looked to follow through on a threat to move jobs overseas. Shares in some recruiters lost more than half their value during morning trade yesterday, with PageGroup down 52 per cent, Hays down 29 per cent, Robert Walters down more than 10 per cent and Staffline down 29 per cent. It came as there was concern about the number of finance jobs that would be created when Britain left the EU. Shares in some recruiters lost more than half their value with PageGroup down 52 per cent, Hays down 29 per cent, Robert Walters down more than 10 per cent and Staffline down 29 per cent Morgan Stanley was understood to be looking at a plan to move 2,000 jobs from London to Madrid or Frankfurt. Other banks such as HSBC and JP Morgan had also pledged to move thousands overseas. Mariano Mamertino, economist at the global job site, Indeed, said: After months of tortuous, recruitment-sapping uncertainty in Britains labour market, the Brexit verdict will deliver more of the same. But yesterday, analysts suggested rash moves by big banks to shift jobs might be overplayed. City analyst David Buik at broker Panmure Gordon said: London will not surrender 70 years of infrastructure to Frankfurt or Paris, which are Mickey Mouse centres in comparison. London is the centre of the time zone. English is the trading language of the world and frankly we are better than any other centre at financial services. THREAT TO CITY JOBS There are 2.2m UK jobs in finance 729,600 in the City 55,800 City jobs were lost during the last financial crisis Average City banker earns 100,000 but just 70,000 in Frankfurt and Paris And despite fears for jobs in the City, others believe bankers will stay put. A survey by Emolument.com said bankers in London earn 30 per cent more than counterparts in Europe. On average it found associates in London earned 100,000 while counterparts pocketed 71,000 in Frankfurt and 70,000 in Paris. Jeremy Leach, chief executive at asset manager Managing Partners Group, said Brexit would have little long-term impact on the UK financial services industry. He said: Financial services will continue to be the UKs biggest export for the same reasons it has been for the last 100 years, which are its pragmatism, innovation and desire to trade. The National Farmers Union (NFU) has called an extraordinary meeting of its council to start drawing up its demands for subsidies from the post-Brexit Government. Britains farmers received 2.4billion last year in payments from the EU under the Common Agricultural Policy, and NFU President Meurig Raymond has already warned that many farms would fail without these handouts. A deal to replace subsidies with direct payments from the UK taxpayer is likely to top the agenda. Exports: Sheep farmer Dai Brute of Brecon, Wales, holding lambs Raymond said: We have a special extraordinary meeting next Friday to talk through timetables and start talking through priorities. Then its a case of sitting down and explaining to Government how important it is we have a policy in place sooner rather than later. Theres a lot of uncertainty and we are entering uncharted waters. I just hope that the support were getting at the moment from Europe, and the Single Market opportunities exporting into the Continent, wont change. Were trying to get clarification on that. Raymond added: The big issue will be exporting back into Europe. If there are import tariffs on our exports into Europe, it will make life fairly difficult. Our sheep sector exports 38 per cent of its sheep to Europe. We export a lot of cereals, dairy products, beef. The NFU supported the Remain campaign but it is thought a large number of UK farmers still voted to leave. Analysis by the Country Land & Business Association (CLA), which represents country landowners, farmers and rural businesses in England and Wales, found rural areas voted to leave the EU in greater numbers than the national average. A total of 55.3 per cent of voters from local authorities classified as rural by the Office of National Statistics supported the leave vote. Meanwhile, Barrie Deas, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Fishermens Organisations, said it will be complex defining an alternative to the Common Fisheries Policy, which governs where fleets can fish in the EU and sets fishing quotas. Fears that the boom in British car manufacturing would be derailed by Brexit failed to sway voters in the UKs main production centres. From Sunderland to Luton, Solihull in the Midlands and Bridgend in Wales, where thousands of automotive jobs are based, the electorate voted to leave the EU despite the warnings of union bosses, manufacturers and industry bodies. Sunderland, home to Nissan which has 8,000 staff and last year exported 80 per cent of the 475,000 vehicles it made voted to leave by 61.3 per cent. Production line: Nissan in Sunderland, which voted to leave Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn said earlier this year: Our preference as a business is, of course, that the UK stays within Europe, it makes the most sense for jobs, trade and costs. Similarly, in Vauxhalls bases of Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, and Luton, the vote to leave was 50.7 per cent and 56.5 respectively. In Solihull, where Jaguar Land Rover employs 6,000, 56.2 per cent voted to leave. Rory Harvey, Vauxhalls managing director and chairman, had earlier said: We believe not to be part of the EU would be undesirable for our business and the sector. Britain is the fourth biggest market for Vauxhalls owner General Motors, with 35,000 staff in the UK. Its Ellesmere Port plant produces more than 180,000 Astras a year, 52,000 of which are sold in the UK. Ford, which employs 14,000 in Britain, said it will take whatever action is needed to ensure that our European business remains competitive leading to fears of job cuts at Bridgend, Dagenham in London and Halewood, near Liverpool. Japanese firm Toyota, which makes cars in Derby, said it would closely monitor and analyse the impact on our business operations in the UK. In South Derbyshire 60.4 per cent voted to leave the EU. Industry body The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders found in March that 77 per cent of members said a remain vote would be best for their business, with chief executive Mike Hawes saying: The message from UK automotive is clear being in Europe is vital for the future of this industry to secure jobs, investment and growth. On Friday Hawes told The Mail on Sunday: We all recognise that people, in making their minds up on how to vote, looked at a whole range of issues. Other social and political issues such as immigration seem to be high on peoples minds, people would have taken all those issues into consideration and reached their own conclusion. Thats democracy. I think our position was very clear our poll showed 77 per cent wanted to remain, and informed their staff on the business angle but there are broader issues at stake and you dont want to dictate how individuals should vote. Last week Len McCluskey, general secretary of Britains largest trade union Unite, warned leaving the EU would be a terrible gamble with peoples jobs, putting skills and investment in jeopardy. Reacting to the vote on Friday, McCluskey said: This campaign has uncovered real despair in many of our communities. Too many feel that they have been abandoned by a political class that is not interested in their concerns and has imposed upon them an endless, grotesque austerity programme. Britains 70billion-a-year car industry has been booming with UK sales hitting a record 2.6million vehicles last year. The industry is a major contributor to Britains balance of payments, bringing in 15.5billion annually with 80 per cent of the 1.6million cars made in the UK last year destined for export. Some 588,024 cars have been built so far this year a 10.8 per cent rise on the same period last year. Rules on state aid for the steel industry could be scrapped as a result of the UK quitting the EU, the industrys trade body has said. UK Steel said the Government could now act to support British steel makers who have struggled against cheap imports, mainly from China, and against high fuel bills compared with European rivals. It is possible we will no longer be constrained by rules on state aid and we might also see some changes on energy prices, said Gareth Stace, UK Steels director. Hope: UK Steel said the Government could now act to support British steel makers The Government has already pledged to make hundreds of millions of pounds available to ease the sale of Tata UK and is prepared to take an equity stake of up to 25 per cent in the business. It is also planning pensions law changes to reduce the cost of the 13billion British Steel Pension Scheme, which is running a 485million deficit. German and French energy prices are significantly cheaper than the UKs. Germany has paid subsidies worth over 9billion (7.3billion) to its most intensive energy users since 2013. Over the same period the UK has paid just 160million. When Tata said it wanted to pull out of the UK in March putting 15,000 jobs at risk it cited high energy costs as a key concern. Energy costs are higher in the UK than elsewhere in Europe because of Chancellor George Osbornes decision to impose a carbon tax on industry emissions in addition to that already imposed by the EU. It means the price heavy industry has paid for its electricity is on average nearly double the EU average. Photo: VNA Speaking at a ceremony marking the academys 70th anniversary (June 25th, 1946) in Hanoi on June 24th, the State leader cited multiple threats to national sovereignty, interest and security in the context of unexpected developments in the region and the world at large. Against the background, the academy was requested to take a more active part in protecting the Partys ideology, guidelines and policies, and enhancing public trust in the Party, State, peoples police force as well as the reform process Vietnam is pursuing. The President asked the PSA to double its efforts to become a high-quality and prestigious training scientific research centre at home, gearing towards higher prestige in the region and the world. Along with revamping its teaching and learning methods, the school should step up international cooperation with well-known universities and national security research centres of other ASEAN members and developing countries worldwide, he said. Another important task is to increase the training of officers for Laoss Ministry of Public Security and Cambodias Ministry of Home Affairs, contributing to bolstering the traditional relationships between Vietnam and the two neighbouring countries, the leader noted. Besides, it is a need for the academy to work well in Party building and seriously effectuate policies and guidelines of the Party and State regarding education and training, President Tran Dai Quang added. Reviewing the PSAs 70-year history, the leader hailed the school for its contributions to safeguarding national security and its coordination in training tens of thousands of Lao and Cambodian security officers. For the noted achievements it has recorded over the past while, the academy was granted the first-class Military Exploit Order on this occasion./. Photo: VNA The suggestion was made by National Assembly Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu at his meetings with Polish Deputy Marshal of the Sejm (lower house) Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska, Deputy Marshal of the Senate Adam Bielan, Chairman of the Sejms Foreign Affairs Committee Grzegorz Schetyna, and Deputy Chairman of the Senates Foreign and European Union Affairs Ryszard Majer, among others. Luu affirmed that the Vietnamese State, National Assembly and people continually attach importance to maintaining and developing the multi-faceted cooperation with Poland. He and Polish parliament leaders agreed that Vietnam and Poland have seen fine development in bilateral relations over the past years, especially in trade and investment. Poland is currently Vietnams leading trade partner in Central and Eastern Europe with two-way trade reaching USD761 million last year. The Vietnamese official asked Poland, as an active member of the European Union, to maintain support for intensifying Vietnam-EU relations, including the early ratification of the EU-Vietnam free trade agreement, and encouraging the EU to soon recognise Vietnams market economy status. These proposals were accepted by Polish parliament leaders. Regarding the East Sea issue, both sides agreed that all disputes should be addressed by peaceful means, on the basis of international law. They reached a consensus that growing parliamentary cooperation has contributed importantly to fostering the two countries bilateral relations, meeting their peoples aspirations and interests. The hosts expressed their hope for continued collaboration between the two parliaments. Both hosts and guest vowed to intensify delegation exchanges and the sharing of experience in legislative affairs and supervisions over law making during the integration process. The two legislative bodies should maintain close coordination at multi-lateral forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership (ASEP) Meeting. NA Vice Chairman Luu thanked the Polish Parliament and Government for creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in the country to stabilise their lives. He added that the Vietnamese community continues to help tighten the bilateral friendship and boost bilateral trade and economic ties. Within his working visit to Poland from June 20th-25th, Luu also had meetings with Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign Ministry Joanna Wronecka and Under-Secretary of State at the Justice Ministry Lukasz Piebiak, during which they agreed to strengthen cooperation in the diplomatic and judicial areas./. Mr Nguyen Quang Thao Thao is running for a seat among the seven assigned for the Asian-Pacific region at the ILC. At the electioneering event on June 23rd, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga - head of the Vietnamese mission - said Thao is an experienced diplomat and expert on international law. That Vietnam, for the first time, has a candidate for a seat in the ILC demonstrates its commitment to ensuring international law and contributing to the UNs activities. In his speech, Thao underlined both traditional and non-traditional challenges facing countries in the world such as armed conflicts, migration, crimes against humanity, terrorism and climate change. All countries should seek a common voice in developing and systematising international law, he said. He said his country is experienced in managing challenges and difficulties thanks to efforts for peace, security, poverty relief and sustainable development. Over the past years, it has fulfilled the role of a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and a member in many other UN organisations and institutions. The ambassador promised if he is elected, he will prioritise issues suitable for Asia-Pacific and developing nations in Asia and Africa, including collecting and publicising documents relevant to international law enforcement practices in Asia-Pacific, management of natural resources and environmental protection, airspace and outer space management, anti-terrorism, cyberspace and dispute settlement by peaceful measures. Thaos electioneering kicked off in February 2016 after the Vietnamese delegation to the UN, the World Trade Organisation and other Geneva-based international organisations sent a diplomatic note introducing him to other countries delegations. The election is set to take place at a session of the UN General Assembly later this year. Ambassador Thao has been Vice Chairman of the National Border Committee, head of the negotiation teams for border agreements with Vietnams neighbouring countries, and an adviser on the 2012 Law of the Sea of Vietnam. He has spent 40 years working in diplomacy. The International Law Commission comprises 34 members elected every five years and working independently from the countries that nominate them. It specialises in drafting international conventions and studying major issues of international law. The current Asian-Pacific members of the ILC are from China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Thailand and Indonesia./. By Paul Steely White We at Transportation Alternatives are outraged that Albany lawmakers have ended the session without taking action on a number of bills related to street safety. We are profoundly dismayed by the lack of leadership and cooperation in both the Assembly and the Senate to address urgent transportation safety issues. Lawmakers failed to advance the Every School Speed Safety Act, which would have allowed New York City to deploy more cameras in school zones and operate them during after-school hours, when many serious crashes take place. Assembly members and senators also failed for the second year in a row to take an important step to combat the scourge of hit-and-runwhich is particularly galling at a moment when New York City has seen five fatal hit-and-run crashes in eight days. The bills before state lawmakers would have taken the long-overdue step of aligning the penalty for injury hit-and-run with the penalty for Driving While Intoxicated. Under current law, drivers who may have consumed alcohol and are then involved in a collision have a perverse incentive to flee, since the penalty for a DWI is now more severe than the penalty for leaving the scene. Other measures that have not moved for two years in a row would have increased penalties for violations like drugged driving and unlicensed driving. Lawmakers failed to take action on bills to establish a school transportation safety task force, require NYS DOT to establish five- and 20-year plans for the states transportation network, put safety cameras on school buses, regulate e-bikes, and require drivers to give bicyclists three feet of distance when passing. Though several bills passed one chamber or the other, none passed both chambers. Actually, there was an exception, but its demise is especially frustrating. The bills would have required the DMV to educate license applicants about driving safely in the presence of bicyclists and pedestrians. The legislation passed both chambers but died in committee after the two versions could not be reconciled because one used the word may instead of shall. In this case, it appears that inaction combined with the habit of passing bills in the final week, caused another piece of safety legislation to wither in Albany. Too many New Yorkers continue to be killed and maimed in preventable crashes. Street safety advocates will be back in Albany in the fall to call on lawmakers to step up and take action on these life-saving measures in the next session. Paul Steely White Executive Director Transportation Alternatives Times' Game of the Week Preview: Central Valley at Aliquippa Central Valley and Aliquippa are set to face off in arguably the biggest game of the year in the WPIAL. Check out the Times' Game of the Week preview. A lot of Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives staged a sit-in this past week to protest a lack of action on gun control. The images of congressmen and congresswomen sitting on the house floor like a bunch of kids at a camp-out seemed pretty extraordinary. Most of us, regardless of what we think of our elected representatives, think there is a certain degree of decorum in the august halls of legislation. History shows that's not always true. In fact, some of the antics of solons of the past make the Democrats' recent shenanigan look tame. One of the most notorious of congressional tactics is the filibuster where a representative takes the floor to address his colleagues and refuses to sit down until he gets what he wants which is usually to run out the clock to block some legislation he doesn't like. The master of the filibuster was Sen. Strom Thurmond, D-S.C., who holds the record for the longest filibuster. The problem with long filibusters is that senators have to occasionally answer the call of nature like everyone else. Thurmond got around this by stepping into the cloakroom while keeping one foot on the senate floor. An intern held a bucket for him so he could do his business while continuing to talk. Legislative bodies have to have a quorum a minimum number of members present to pass bills. In the late 1800s, lawmakers would block bills by simply not saying "present" at roll call. The Speaker of the House at the time got wise to this began counting them when they failed to answer. So the congressmen bolted for the doors before they could be counted. Anticipating this, the speaker ordered the doors locked. But Rep. Buck Kilgore broke down the House door and escaped. What else would you expect from a Texan? In 1858, New York congressman Daniel Sickles shot and killed his wife's lover (who happened to be the son of the author or the Star Spangled Banner). Sickles was tried for murder and was one of the earliest people to get off on an insanity plea. He went on to serve the North in the Civil War and lost a leg at the Battle of Gettysburg. After the war, he got re-elected to Congress, nominated himself for the Medal of Honor and got it. Then he donated to the Gettysburg battlefield the section of fence against which he had smoked his wife's lover a few years earlier. You can see it there today. Things got tense in Washington before the Civil War. In 1858, angry words between southern reps and northern ones degenerated into an outright brawl with more than 50 congressmen throwing fists. The Speaker gave the sergeant-at-arms his gavel and ordered him to begin smacking people. Serious brain injuries might have been incurred had it not been for one congressmen grabbing another by the hair. The whole head of hair a wig came off in his hand. The whole room dissolved into laughter and fatalities were avoided. So a sit-in? Small potatoes. Mr Le Hai Binh Binh made the statement while fielding queries from reporters concerning information from Chinese media over Chinas construction on and plans related to the two archipelagos. China has continued building and operating a number of facilities on Truong Sa, including a hospital on the Chu Thap (Fiery Cross) Reef and a farm on Xubi (Subi) Reef, while its state-run shipping company COSCO said it plans to launch tours to Hoang Sa. The FM Spokesman said: Vietnam has repeatedly expressed its clear and consistent stance on the subject. Vietnam has indisputable sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos. Either illegal construction and use of facilities on Truong Sa or the arrangement of tours to Hoang Sa carried out by China seriously violate Vietnams sovereignty over the two archipelagoes. Vietnam strongly objects to these activities. Vietnam requests China to respect the countrys sovereignty over the two archipelagoes, to immediately put an end to these violations without similar repetition in the future, and to stringently comply with the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), practically contributing to maintaining peace and security in the East Sea, Binh stated./. Here's what to know as the annual dove hunting season approaches SHARE By Christopher Collins of the Times Record News While at least two Texas legislators are drafting proposals that would limit the construction of wind turbines near military bases, a similar effort is underway in North Carolina. The Times Record News reported on Thursday that Texas Rep. James Frank is working with a New Braunfels senator to propose legislation limiting state tax abatements awarded to wind energy projects in a 25-mile radius of military installations. North Carolina's legislative body already has begun a push to limit wind energy development in prescribed areas of the state where lawmakers believe the structures could interfere with military flight training missions, The Charlotte Observer reported. The proposal recently passed a vote in the state's Senate and is being considered in its House. The measure reportedly would prohibit wind energy development in large swaths of central and eastern North Carolina. In North Texas, two possible wind farm developments in Clay County could threaten flight training missions and radar operations at nearby Sheppard Air Force Base, according to base officials and wind energy opponents. The worst case scenario, they say, is that Sheppard's missions are moved elsewhere and Wichita Falls loses an estimated $750 million in annual economic impact. Representatives of Horn Wind LLC, the developer of the projects, and Alterra Power Corp., the Canada-based owner, have repeatedly said they want to minimize any potential impact the developments have on Sheppard missions. They also have contracted with a aeronautics consulting firm to determine whether projects in Bluegrove and Byers would unduly interfere with base operations. The study had not been completed as of Thursday. Though Rep. Frank said he a proposal to protect military installations from wind farms has been drafted, no measure can be considered until the Texas Legislature next meets in January. As it stands now, Texas wind energy developers are required only to receive approval from the Federal Aviation Administration before starting construction the FAA may or may not consider the consequences projects have on military operations. The Department of Defense's siting clearinghouse could arbitrate negotiations in Clay County's wind developments, though the agency's involvement is not required. SHARE Since the attack earlier this month that killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Americans have been debating how to best respond to so-called lone wolf attacks those carried out by one or two self-radicalized people who've had no official contact with terror networks that have become an increasing problem. (Other examples: the San Bernardino, Calif., shooting and the failed attempt to attack a draw Muhammad contest in Texas.) Is more monitoring and restriction of Muslims necessary, or is it time to crack down on guns? Or are other methods required? Joel Mathis and Ben Boychuk, the RedBlueAmerica columnists, debate the issue. JOEL MATHIS Unless we want to try to make the pre-crime determinations of Tom Cruise's "Minority Report" come true, there may not be much more authorities can do to prevent lone wolf attacks. Consider this: The Orlando gunman was on the radar of federal authorities long before he committed the attack. Officials investigated, found no definitive connection to terrorism and closed the case. Could they have done more? Maybe, but maybe not. Unfortunately, it's sometimes the case that you can't know a homicidal terrorist is a homicidal terrorist until the moment he commits his act. Which means we're likely to see these attacks now and again in the future, no matter how vigilant authorities are. When authorities investigate a case, though, they often look at two factors in assessing a suspect: Did he have the motive? Did he have the means? Did he have the opportunity? We need to do something about the "means." The Orlando attacker used a high-power semi-automatic rifle with a large, easily reloadable magazine. This allowed him to kill or injure a large number of people in a relatively short time. Most people recognize such a gun for what it plainly is: An assault weapon. Though the Supreme Court has ruled the Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms, there's reason to believe it might make an exception for assault weapons. One: The feds actually did ban assault weapons for a while during the 1990s. Two: The court this week refused to hear a challenge to a Connecticut law banning assault weapons, passed in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre. Banning assault weapons may not be a panacea. And it might be too late: Five million Americans reportedly already own the AR-15 or one of its variants. But the right to an assault weapon isn't or shouldn't be more sacrosanct than the thousands of American lives lost, unfairly and brutally, to gun violence each year. Want to reduce lone wolf attacks? Let's make it more difficult to acquire the tools of death. BEN BOYCHUK Can we please banish this assault weapons boogeyman? Fact is, the much-touted federal ban on certain weapons with certain scary looking cosmetic features had no discernible effect on gun crime, which had already started falling in the 1990s anyway. Nor did the federal ban's expiration in 2004 unleash a torrent of bloodshed. The murder rate kept falling, despite scaremongering from Democrats. And let's talk about those statistics for a moment. The press lately has bandied about the talking point that assault weapons have been used in a quarter of recent mass shootings (defined by the FBI as four or more people shot or killed in a single incident). But the more accurate figure is the overall murder rate. In 2003, the last full year the federal ban was in effect, the FBI says rifles which include those awful, no good assault weapons were used in about 3 percent of murders. In 2014, they were used in less than 2 percent of murders. Far more people were stabbed or beaten to death in 2014 than were killed by an assault weapon. This shabby gun control debate is but one symptom of the post-constitutional era we're living in now. Americans over 40 should be old enough to remember Democrats were once sticklers for due process of law. But many elected Democrats seem to think their oath to "protect and defend the Constitution" depends upon the political agenda of the hour. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., complained on MSNBC the other day that "due process is what's killing us right now." And after Senate Republicans stopped a bill that would have denied anyone appearing on a secret list their constitutional right to keep and bear arms, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said, referring to the Islamic State, "Republicans have decided to sell weapons to ISIS." No, Republicans decided to uphold the Constitution in the face of the Democrats' demagoguery. There really is a difference. Ben Boychuk (bboychuk@city-journal.org) is associate editor of the Manhattan Institute's City Journal. Joel Mathis (joelmmathis@gmail.com) is associate editor for Philadelphia Magazine. Washington An Associated Press review of the official calendar Hillary Clinton kept as secretary of state identified at least 75 meetings with longtime political donors, Clinton Foundation contributors and corporate and other outside interests that were not recorded or omitted the names of those she met. The fuller details of those meetings were included in files the State Department turned over to the AP after it sued the government in federal court. The missing entries raise new questions about how Clinton and her inner circle handled government records documenting her State Department tenure in this case, why the official chronology of her four-year term does not closely mirror the other, more detailed records of her daily meetings. At a time when Clinton's private email system is under scrutiny by an FBI criminal investigation, the calendar omissions reinforce concerns that she sought to eliminate the "risk of the personal being accessible" as she wrote in an email exchange that she failed to turn over to the government but was subsequently uncovered in a top aide's inbox. The AP found the omissions by comparing the 1,500-page calendar with separate planning schedules supplied to Clinton by aides in advance of each day's events. The names of at least 114 outsiders who met with Clinton were missing from her calendar, the records show. No known federal laws were violated and some omissions could be blamed on Clinton's highly fluid schedule, which sometimes forced late cancellations. But only seven meetings in Clinton's planning schedules were replaced by substitute events on her official calendar. More than 60 other events listed in Clinton's planners were omitted entirely in her calendar, tersely noted or described only as "private meetings" all without naming those who met with her. Clinton campaign spokesman Nick Merrill said Thursday night that the multiple discrepancies between her State Department calendar and her planning schedules "simply reflect a more detailed version in one version as compared to another, all maintained by her staff." Merrill said that Clinton "has always made an effort to be transparent since entering public life, whether it be the release of over 30 years of tax returns, years of financial disclosure forms, or asking that 55,000 pages of work emails from her time of secretary of state be turned over to the public." In one key omission, Clinton's State Department calendar dropped the identities of a dozen major Wall Street and business leaders who met with her during a private breakfast discussion at the New York Stock Exchange in September 2009. The meeting occurred minutes before Clinton appeared in public at the exchange to ring the market's ceremonial opening bell. Despite the omission, Clinton's State Department planning schedules from the same day listed the names of all Clinton's breakfast guests most of whose firms had lobbied the government and donated to her family's global charity. The event was closed to the press and merited only a brief mention in her calendar, which omitted all her guests' names among them Blackstone Group Chairman Steven Schwarzman, PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi and then-New York Bank of Mellon CEO Robert Kelly. Albany The president of the Public Employees Federation has banished one of the union's vice presidents from its day-to-day operations and told her to return to her state job. President Wayne Spence told Vice President Nikki Brate he is terminating her union leave, and starting Monday she is to be back at her information technology job at the Department of Financial Services, rather than at PEF headquarters in Latham. In a letter to Brate on Thursday, Spence said she has "not properly performed" key assignments, and he could not justify paying for her leave time. He told the Governor's Office of Employee Relations her union leave has been ended. Keeping her in full-time leave status, he said, cost PEF $162,906 for annual salary and benefits. Under state labor agreements, PEF reimburses the state for leave time the hours state workers spend on union business. That way, the employees can continue to accrue pension credits even while working full time on union matters. Spence said one reason for the move was a demand Brate made to state Sen. George Amedore's office that a bill regarding information technology be killed. PEF supported the bill, according to the letter. In an email, she defended her actions, saying, "There is nothing new about lobbying a senator. The problem with this particular instance is that many of us were unaware that management had asked Spence to put this bill in." Spence and Brate ran on the same slate a year ago when they challenged President Susan Kent in a heated election. While they spoke of bringing a new sense of unity, conflicts began in short order. In October Brate was removed from the statewide Political Action Committee chairman's job. Since then, PEF officials have compiled an inch-thick dossier on what they say is a history of email complaints by Brate about being bullied or yelled at by other union officers. The complaints go back several years, with many coming when Kent was president. The capstone in the latest conflict may have come in May when the hotel company that PEF used in its convention last October in Syracuse wrote to the union, complaining about an encounter with Brate two days before the convention when she "set up a very impromptu meeting with our Convention Services Manager ... and took it upon herself to direct numerous changes in the room types and billing arrangements to the already pre-assigned rooming list." That included moving some volunteers into "luxury suites," while putting delegates into ''standard accommodations." The email suggested that the last-minute changes created a chaotic scene with conventiongoers who arrived in Syracuse not knowing where they were supposed to go, despite earlier reservations. Regarding the convention, Brate said, "there were many people involved. ... Most of the work was done by our PEF convention coordinator. Without going into specifics, let's just say that there were many errors in hotels, to include very late notices going out. Some did not even sign up, they just showed up.'' PEF's annual conventions are well-attended with hundreds of delegates and volunteers. Union officials host receptions in the hotels not unlike the parties that go on at Democratic or Republican conventions when individual candidates put on their own gatherings in hotel suites. With members spread out across the state, it also provides a chance for union activists to meet in person. Brate, who as an elected official remains a vice president, said she would be OK going back to her state job. "I am proud to go back to work if that meant that our members careers and jobs will be salvaged,'' she said in an email. "Due process is the fabric of what a Union stands for. We hold firm with management to include providing staff and resources to members who are targeted We must demonstrate, as leaders, that the same standards that we have in force, are the same that we place upon ourselves. It is important to research and fact find, then your eyes will open up to a new world of understanding.'' PEF spokeswoman Jane Briggs wouldn't comment on the move, saying it is an internal matter. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518-454-5758 @RickKarlinTU London Britain's historic decision to leave the European Union is sure to reshape the nation's place in the world, rattle Europe and rock political establishments throughout the West. Not long after the vote tally was completed, Prime Minister David Cameron, who led the campaign to remain in the bloc, appeared in front of 10 Downing Street on Friday morning to announce that he planned to step down by October, saying the country deserved a leader committed to carrying out the will of the people. The stunning turn of events was accompanied by a plunge in the financial markets, with the value of the British pound and stock prices plummeting. The margin of victory startled even proponents of a British exit. The "leave" campaign won by 52 percent to 48 percent. More than 17.4 million people voted in the referendum Thursday to sever ties with the EU, and about 16.1 million to remain in the bloc. "I will do everything I can as prime minister to steady the ship over the coming weeks and months," Cameron said. "But I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination." Despite opinion polls before the referendum that showed either side in a position to win, the outcome stunned much of Britain, Europe and the trans-Atlantic alliance, highlighting the power of anti-elite, populist and nationalist sentiment at a time of economic and cultural dislocation. "Dare to dream that the dawn is breaking on an independent United Kingdom," Nigel Farage, the leader of the U.K. Independence Party, one of the primary forces behind the push for a referendum on leaving the EU, told cheering supporters just after 4 a.m. on Friday. Withdrawing from the European Union is a long process that Cameron will largely leave to his successor. It will mean pulling out from the world's largest trading zone, with 508 million residents, including the 65 million people of Britain, and a commitment to the free movement of labor, capital, goods and services. It has profound implications for Britain's legal system, which incorporates a large body of regulations that cover everything from product safety to digital privacy, and for Britain's economy. One reason London's financial district shuddered Friday is that it is a hub for trading in euro-denominated securities, activity that may now shift to rivals like Frankfurt and Paris. It was also not clear that the United Kingdom could survive withdrawal from the EU intact. There was immediate pressure for another referendum on independence from Britain for Scotland, which voted overwhelmingly Thursday to stay with Europe. "I think an independence referendum is now highly likely," said Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, who said it would be "democratically unacceptable" for Scotland to be pushed out of the EU when a majority of Scots want to stay in. Keith Vaz, a Labour legislator, said: "This is a crushing decision; this is a terrible day for Britain and a terrible day for Europe. In 1,000 years, I would never have believed that the British people would vote for this." European leaders acknowledged that the British vote would further limit their ability to move forward with economic and political integration, a process that had all but stalled anyway. "Today marks a turning point for Europe," Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said. "It is a turning point for the European unification process." In London, the maneuvering began almost immediately to succeed Cameron, who said he would stay on while his Conservative Party went through the process of settling on a new leader. Among the most prominent of the possible candidates is Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London who was a leader of the "leave" campaign. He praised Cameron as an "extraordinary politician" while saying he was sad to see him go. Britain will become the first country to leave the 28-member bloc, which has been increasingly weighed down by its failures to deal fully with a succession of crises, from the financial collapse of 2008 to a resurgent Russia and the huge influx of migrants last year. It was a remarkable victory for the country's anti-Europe forces, which not long ago were considered to have little chance of prevailing. Financial markets, which had been anticipating that Britain would vote to stay in, started plunging before the vote tally was complete, putting pressure on central banks and regulators to take steps to guard against a spread of the damage. Economists had predicted that a vote to leave the bloc could do substantial damage to the British economy. Mark Carney, the head of the Bank of England, sought to address those concerns Friday, saying the bank had made extensive contingency plans and had taken "all the necessary steps" to prepare. Cameron had vowed before the vote to move quickly to begin the divorce process if Britain opted to leave. But he said Friday that he would leave the start of the formal process to his successor, while seeking in the interim to calm the atmosphere before taking any action. In the meantime, nothing will change immediately on either side of the Channel, with existing trade and immigration rules remaining in place. The withdrawal process is expected to be complex and contentious, though under the bloc's governing treaty it is effectively limited to two years. Johnson, like a number of other leaders of the push to leave the European Union, said there was no need to rush to set in motion the legal procedure invoking a provision known as Article 50 that would formally sever ties between Britain and the bloc. He and other advocates of leaving the EU have been taking a go-slow posture on the mechanics of the divorce, saying Britain can get a better deal on trade if it can avoid arbitrary deadlines on the negotiations. For the European Union, the result is a disaster, raising questions about the direction, cohesion and future of a bloc built on liberal values and shared sovereignty that represents, with NATO, a vital component of Europe's postwar structure. Britain is the second-largest economy after Germany in the EU, a nuclear power with a seat on the U.N. Security Council, an advocate of free-market economics and a close ally of the United States. The loss of Britain is an enormous blow to the credibility of a bloc already under pressure from slow growth, high unemployment, the migrant crisis, Greece's debt woes and the conflict in Ukraine. "The main impact will be massive disorder in the EU system for the next two years," said Thierry de Montbrial, founder and executive chairman of the French Institute of International Relations. "There will be huge political transition costs, on how to solve the British exit, and the risk of a domino effect or bank run from other countries that think of leaving." Europe will have to "reorganize itself in a system of different degrees of association," said Karl Kaiser, a Harvard professor and former director of the German Council on Foreign Relations. "Europe does have an interest in keeping Britain in the single market, if possible, and in an ad hoc security relationship." While leaders of the "leave" campaign spoke earnestly about sovereignty and the supremacy of Parliament or in honeyed tones about "the bright sunlit uplands" of Britain's future free of Brussels, it was anxiety about immigration membership in the EU means freedom of movement and labor throughout the bloc that defined and probably swung the campaign. With net migration to Britain of 330,000 people in 2015, more than half of them from the European Union, Cameron had no effective response to how he could limit the influx. And there was no question that while the immigrants contributed more to the economy and to tax receipts than they cost, parts of Britain felt that its national identity was under assault and that the influx was putting substantial pressure on schools, health care and housing. Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam Peoples Army, Senior Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan He cited information from the surviving pilot of the military plane Nguyen Huu Cuong as reason for the initial conclusion on the cause of the accident. Meanwhile, the cause of the CASA-212 accident is still undetermined as its black box is yet to be found. Sen. Lt. Gen. Tuan told the media that immediately after the accidents, the Central Military Commission and the Defence Ministry mobilised the army, search and rescue forces of the Transport Ministry and the Fisheries Surveillance Force, and civilian fishing boats to conduct a search in the waters off Nghe An-Thanh Hoa provinces and Hai Phong city. The Defence Ministry also contacted the Chinese side asking them to facilitate the search and rescue activities in the eastern side of the Vietnam-China delimitation line in the Gulf of Tonkin. According to the officer, as of now one pilot of the SU30-MK2, Nguyen Huu Cuong, has been rescued and the body of the other pilot, Tran Quang Khai has been found. Regarding the CASA-212 and nine crew members on board, the site where the aircraft crashed has been located 2.7 nautical miles to the west of the Vietnam-China delimitation line in the Gulf of Tonkin and 15 nautical miles to the south-southeast of Bach Long Vi Island. At the location, rescue forces have retrieved major parts of the plane, including the body, the tail, engine, propeller, technical components and crew members personal belongings. The black box and items related to CASA-212 and Su30-MK2 are being search for, whereby the cause of the accidents will be examined. Senior Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan attributed the effective search and rescue to timely directions of the Party, State and government leaders, drastic instructions of the Central Military Commission and the Defence Ministry, particularly the Defence Minister, head of the General Department of Politics and Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam Peoples Army (VPA). He also hailed the synchronous deployment of vehicles and forces for the effort, including the air and naval forces, coast and border guards, Military Zones 3 and 4, army medical staff, maritime surveillance forces and fishermens fishing vessels, under the direction of the Chief of the VPAs General Staff. They also ensured communications, logistics and technical equipment, he said, adding that close liaison among the authorities of Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh and international support have also proved effective./. IDA looks to maximize site in Slingerlands As it turns out, no one has informed the Bethlehem Industrial Development Agency that a potential tenant is interested in the former BlueCross BlueShield building on New Scotland Road in Slingerlands at least not yet. What's really going on is that officials at the IDA are looking at creative new ways that the town and Picotte, the owner of the longtime vacant building, can work together to redevelop the site. In a recent IDA meeting, town officials said they are looking at a state grant program that could provide $100,000 to complete a market analysis of the property, which is adjacent to a development called the Hamlet at Slingerlands that is expanding. The grant would help decide the best use for the former BlueCross BlueShield property, which is a gateway to the town of Bethlehem from Route 85 and Albany. "We thought it would help identify the highest and best use of the property multi-unit housing, single-use commercial office space, multi-use commercial office space or retail use," said Thomas Connolly, executive director of the Bethlehem IDA. Honen receives award Albany venture capital attorney Richard Honen was honored at the Center for Economic Development's tech awards luncheon with the Jeffrey A. Lawrence Lifetime Contributor Award. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. Lawrence was a longtime leader at CEG who died last year. He was 58. A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Lawrence was a mentor and friend to many business owners in the region over the decades. Honen, head of the Albany office of Phillips Lytle, was recognized Thursday for his role also as a mentor to local startups. But when Honen took the stage, he put the focus back on Lawrence and his steady, calm and nurturing ways that helped countless businesses grow in the Capital Region. "He never told you what to do, he never told you that you were wrong," Honen said. "He made you believe that he had confidence you would find the right answer. That was Jeff mentoring." Pittsburgh About halfway through high school, Raymond Buehner and Halle Celebrezze came to terms with how expensive a college education would be and the fact that a large share of the financial responsibility would fall on their shoulders. Both began stashing away money from their part-time jobs. "I've been saving a lot since I started this job," said Buehner, 18, who recently graduated from North Hills High School in Pittsburgh. He has been working 20 to 30 hours a week at a family farm called Soergel Orchards outside the city for the past two years. He plans to attend Slippery Rock University this fall and major in finance. "I have my own savings account I control," he said. "I like to take charge of my own finances. This job has given me good experience. Working the cash register has helped me to be more accountable with money." While there is nothing new about high school students working and saving for college, researchers at the Washington, D.C.-based College Savings Foundation are seeing a spike in the number of young people going that route. In its seventh annual report on college savings trends, the College Savings Foundation found more high school students saving their own money for college this year than any previous year tracked. The survey found 60 percent of high school students are saving for college, up from 51 percent in 2015. The surge comes at a time when previous generations of college students have run up $1.3 trillion in college debt and many of them are finding their choices after graduation limited by all the bills. "High school students have a heightened awareness of the high cost of a college education and its importance," said Mary Morris, chairman of the foundation and CEO of Virginia 529 in Richmond. "Families are talking more about all these things related to financing of college, which has led to more students taking responsibility." Celebrezze, 18, who graduated this year from North Allegheny Senior High School, will be attending the University of Pittsburgh this fall where she plans to major in psychology. She started working part-time between 15 and 20 hours a week at Soergel Orchards when she was in 10th grade. Initially, she had no savings goals. That changed about a year after she started the job. "In my junior year, (the school) started talking really deep into college planning and how expensive it is, and I started putting my money into a savings account my parents started when I was born," Celebrezze said. According to the CSF survey, 78 percent of high school savers have put away at least $1,000 and 20 percent are saving primarily in 529 college savings plans due to the plans' tax advantages. The 529 program gets its name from the tax law which created it. These plans are actually college savings trusts set up under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code. The concept originated from states, rather than the federal government, with Michigan being the first to establish a state trust for college saving in the late 1980s. Today, all states offer 529 plans. As long as the money is used for qualified college expenses, a 529 is a tax-free investment. Families can put aside up to $14,000 per child each year in the plans, pay no taxes on the money while it is growing, and pay no taxes when they pull the money out to pay college bills. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. The College Savings Plans Network reported at the end of 2015, families had put aside $253.2 billion in 529 plans to cover college costs. More parents also seem to be using sound strategies to boost savings. Fifty-seven percent of students said their parents save a fixed amount per month, up from 52 percent last year, and nearly half (47 percent) said their parents started saving sometime between the student's birth and through elementary school. While the current generation of high school students who plan to attend college are working and saving, many of them also realize they likely will need to tap other funding sources. The survey showed 91 percent will or may get financial aid, and 91 percent of them know that financial aid can include student loans that have to be paid back. Of the 71 percent of high school students who plan on borrowing, three-quarters of them are worried about paying back loans, and 45 percent expect to be paying back student debt for six to 10 years. Morris said she believes 529 plans are doing a better job of getting the word out about the opportunities for tax advantaged saving, but often what families have saved for college is not enough to cover all the costs. According to the College Board, the average cost of tuition and fees at a four-year public college for in-state students is $9,139 a year; for out-of-state students at a public four-year college the average cost is $22,958; and private four-year colleges cost $31,231 a year on average. What you need to know about Colts starting quarterback Sam Ehlinger The new suite of solutions is comprised of two machines - both of which balance user interface design with intelligent tools to help physicians prevent misuse and medical errors in the operating room. Vice Health Minister Nguyen Thi Xuyen, Head of Vietnam General Association of Medicine and Pharmacy (VNGAMP) presented Certificates of Merit to outstanding individuals at the Congress. (Photo: binhdinh.gov.vn) Mr Cong Quyet Thang at the event. (Photo: Thanh Hai) Mr. Geoff Ransom, GE Healthcare Director of Sales & Marketing, Anesthesia Asia Pacific. (Photo: Thanh Hai) Perioperative care is increasingly complex with more sick patients, requiring more tasks to accomplish at the same time and with the same resources in a highly regulated environment. In a fast-paced environment such as the operating room, rotating clinical staffs need easy-to-use equipment so they can focus their time on patient treatment rather than operating machines. This is the first time we have such great integrated anesthesia solutions in Vietnam; it is good news for not only our anesthetists but also the patients. It helps control the anesthesia in the most effective way with a full range of indicators provided, said Associate Professor. Dr Cong Quyet Thang, Chairman of Vietnam Society of Anaesthesiologists. The new GE anesthesia machines intelligently package and connect monitoring devices, innovative parameters and advanced ventilation tools into a single, integrated system. With these new machines, Vietnam is now offered modern technologies that help to improve anesthesia administration and perioperative care, resulting in safer surgeries. This product helps reduce the number of medical errors in the operating room, thus improving the standards of safe anesthesiology in the country, ultimately improving safe surgery. Besides, it also addresses many market demands in Vietnam - an anesthesia machine that is simple, smart and agile but also still reliable and cost-effective./. Here's another hypothetical from Kansas City's least favorite columnist imagining that the rest of the world is eager to give up Constitutionally protected freedoms. Also, let's not forget that the gay community is remarkably diverse and. Here's the DNC talking points repackaged locally: Gay and lesbian activists take on the gun lobby FIRST ON TKC . . . READ THE DEETS OF A NEW KANSAS CITY COMMUNITY ACTIVIST CAMPAIGN TO STOP RISING WATER RATES!!! New Residential Water Rates Discriminate Against The Poor, New Watchdog Group Charges This wordy presser addresses a serious and rising concern in Kansas City . . .The reality here is not only that thebut also that the tide of water rate increases threaten to ruin the so-called "low cost of living" that makes local life so attractive to millennials, tourists and Downtown denizens.Here's the word . . .(Kansas City, MO) -- The recent increase in the water rates charged to residential customers in Kansas City, Mo., amounts to utility rate discrimination by the local government against poor and low income people, a newly formed watchdog group charges.The group,The coalition accuses city officials and KC Water Services of imposing an austerity tax on local poor, unemployed, and low income people, many of whom never recovered from the so-called Great Recession. They say the water service is no longer affordable, and that some peoples water bills have tripled due to the rate increaseAll residential water customers are being charged higher rates. However, everyone cannot afford to pay the higher rates, the coalition says. The coalition says many currently middle class people will be made poor when they cannot pay their water bills, and there will be hundreds, or thousands, of people whose water will be shut off completely.The citys water payment plan or deferred payment structure will not be enough, neither will grants or charity, according to the Right2 Water Coalition. Meanwhile, wholesale partners and industrial/commercial customers seem to have been given a pass to pay the lions share of sewage and water pipe infrastructure replacement and upkeep. This amounts to utility rate discrimination, which is forbidden by federal and state law.According to the coalition, decades of poor management of the water infrastructure by city officials has caused todays crisis, and the rise in residential water rates in Kansas City, Mo. is not the answer. It is city government mismanagement and failure to voluntarily take care of sewage and environmental controls which caused the federal government to sue the city government for releasing raw sewage into the Missouri River.City officials were asleep at the wheel, the coalition charges, and as a result, the federal government forced the city government to enter into a federal consent decree requiring the city government to abide by federal environmental regulations. The EPA fined Kansas City $600,000 and made the city spend another $1.6 million for supplemental environmental controls that would prevent further sewage leaks. Now, city officials want to punish the people of the city to pay for the officials mismanagement and mistakes by enacting massive water rate hikes, the coalition says.The coalition maintains that city officials have engaged in a deceptive public relations campaign and false accounting to justify the residential water rate increases. The coalition says KC Water Services claims and other declarations by city officials, which dictate that they must spend billions at the direction of the EPA, is a false claim. City officials created the $2.5 billion plan. Federal authorities just approved it. The coalition says that local officials have never publicly released the entire plan they submitted to the EPA to the local press or the public at-large.In addition, the coalition says, city officials have not made any progress report or any financial report giving line item accounting of what they were purchasing to complete the plan, such as what type of pipes are being used. Therefore, it is impossible for the public to be sure that there is not fraud, waste, or abuse of resources in the project.The expenditures could be fabricated, the plan filled with cost overruns, waste, and other improper expenditures., says JoNina Ervin, coalition spokesperson. What the water company spends on this project also determines the amount of revenue to be recovered. Overall, it might be substantially less than $2.5 billion to complete this job, and the plan reflects the amount that customers are to be charged.We need to hear and see estimates and competitive bidding proposals and contracts for all expenditures. We also believe that people might be willing to pay a one-cent sales tax for 25 years, rather than $100 or more extra per month on their water bills for that same 25 years, Ervin said.The coalition believes that charging customers 50 to 70 per cent increases on their water bills is not the best way, and is in fact price gouging for water services. Ervin said that the coalition will seek to overturn the latest rate increase through a complaint to the State Public Counsel, the Attorney Generals Consumer Protection unit, and/or court litigation by filing a class action lawsuit by private attorneys. The water rate hike is unjust enrichment, price fixing, and creative accounting, which cannot be trusted. Thus, the coalition says the answer is to create a citizens movement to keep the city-owned water company accountable.Ervin said, We are just getting started, but we are seeking to build a mass movement of ratepayers to KC Water Services.To educate the public on the issues, the coalition is holding the first of several community speak-outs on Saturday, July 9, at the Quilombo Community Center, 3504 Woodland Ave., Kansas City, Mo., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The speak-outs will also act as planning sessions for further building the movement and let ratepayers comment about the impact of the water rate hike on their families and households.-30- Britains decision to leave the European Union may hit Greek exports to the country and affect businesses and tourism, however the size and structure of the Greek economy will shield it from heavier losses, market executives and bankers said on Friday Britains decision to leave the European Union may hit Greek exports to the country and affect businesses and tourism, however the size and structure of the Greek economy will shield it from heavier losses, market executives and bankers said on Friday. Britains exit from the European Union is a heavy blow to European unity and economy, Bank of Piraeus chairman Michalis Sallas told German newspaper Handelsblatt. Regarding Greece, because of its small size and the structure of our economic relations, I believe the impact of the Brexit will be limited. Which is why I think the extreme, knee-jerk reaction of the Greek market is not justified. Earlier, Bank of Greece officials said the referendums impact on Greece will be small and its consequences limited, because of the capital controls. Concerning exports, the negative result of the British vote could hit all the export-oriented sectors of the Greek economy, said Christina Sakellaridis, the president of the Pan-Hellenic Exporters Association. Speaking to ANA-MPA, she said Britain is Greeces seventh largest customer and the devaluation of the sterling against the euro makes domestic products more expensive. In tourism, one risk of the Brexit could be last-minute cancellations to Greek hotels as the purchasing power of British tourists weakens, the president of the Hellenic Federation of Hoteliers (HHF), Yiannis Retsos told ANA-MPA. He said if the devaluation of the sterling continues, there is a very serious possibility that last-minute bookings from Britain could suffer, adding however that at this point we cannot have a long-term evaluation of the consequences. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report ISIS loyalists twin brothers killed their parents and stabbed a third brother in the Hamra neighbourhood of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia Twin brothers killed their parents and stabbed a third brother in the Hamra neighbourhood of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Friday. The two brothers, who were ISIS loyalists, first chased their younger brother up to the rooftop of the families house in Riyadh and stabbed him multiple times. There young man is reportedly in critical condition in intensive care unit. Police authorities were able arrest the two brothers who attempted to flee the scene of the crime. Details behind the motive of the attack is still unknown but authorities are not ruling out terrorism yet. The suspects then approached their father and stabbed him multiple times before heading to their mother who was in another room in the house. Perhaps adding to the shock of the news is that similar cases have happened before in Saudi Arabia. Last year, Saudi Interior Police were able to capture and arrest Saad Radi Ayash al-Anzi, who along with his brother, allegedly killed their cousin, who is a soldier, and three other people. Source: protothema.gr RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin and Foreign Minister of Sri-Lanka Mangala Samaraweera have signed inter-state agreements on mutual legal assistance in criminal cases, extradition of lawbreakers and transfer of sentenced persons. The press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported on Saturday, the documents were signed during the negotiations between the two ministers during Klimkin's visit to Sri-Lanka. The sides discussed the state and prospects of development of a wide range of issues at the two countries level and as part of international organizations, expansion of the bilateral legal base and development of a dialog between foreign ministries of the two states. Klimkin wrote on his Twitter page: "I met the Sri-Lankan counterpart. Different corners of the world the same goals. We have new agreement with Ski-Lanka that would help us to jointly fight corruption, crime and protect our citizens abroad." Investcorp, a global provider and manager of alternative investment products, has launched a new competition that aims to stimulate innovative thinking amongst students across Bahrain. The Investcorp-sponsored student innovation contest will encourage students to participate in the development of creative solutions for some of the critical challenges facing businesses today. Students from all Bahrain universities, who are currently enrolled in undergraduate or postgraduate programmes, cantake part in the Student Innovation Prize that covers the sectors of finance, industrial, information technology, environment, retail, media, and hospitality, among other business areas. Mohammed Al Ardhi, the executive chairman of Investcorp, said: "Innovation sits at the core of what we do at Investcorp. As a committed Bahraini firm who believes in the power of youth today, we wanted to encourage university students from across the kingdom to take part in the development of innovative business solutions." The contest will see each team, comprising up to five students, vie for the top honours. The winning team will walk away with a cash prize of $25,000. Only five teams will be shortlisted to attend the official ceremony, where they will have the chance to present their business ideas before a judging panel comprising a group of business leaders, both from Investcorp and external firms. A mentor from Investcorp will be assigned to each of the five teams to provide feedback and guidance before the official presentation day. The winning team will be announced during an official ceremony that will be held at the University of Bahrain in February next year. "This initiative will help us continue our efforts to support education and professional development amongst the youth, and prepare them to become the future leaders they want to be. We wish everyone the best of luck in their applications, and we look forward to seeing their great ideas," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Raytheon Company, a US-based technology and innovation leader, has won a $523 million contract from the US Army for the upgradation of Kuwait's Patriot Air and Missile Defence Systems. With this upgradation, Kuwait will be able to better protect its cities and key infrastructure against ballistic missiles, aircraft and other airborne threats. The contract was announced by the US Department of Defense on June 23. "Kuwait and other members of the 13-nation strong Patriot Partnership continue to invest in the system and trust Patriot to defend their citizens and militaries," remarked Ralph Acaba, Raytheon vice president of Integrated Air and Missile Defense. "Patriot is the only system in the world that is combat-proven and designed to outpace the future threat through continuous evolution," he added. The Kuwaiti upgrades, known as Configuration 3+, are an example of the evolutionary approach used to upgrade Patriot. The Kuwaiti Configuration 3+ Patriots will have enhanced capability against a variety of threats, an improved Identification Friend or Foe capability and improved radar search, it added.-TradeArabia News Service Britain's representative on the EU executive in Brussels, Financial Services Commissioner Jonathan Hill, resigned on Saturday after having campaigned against a British exit from the European Union. "I don't believe it is right that I should carry on as the British commissioner as though nothing had happened," Hill said in a statement a day after British voters backed Brexit in a referendum called by Prime Minister David Cameron. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he had accepted Hill's decision with regret after failing to convince him to stay on. From July 16, the portfolio will be handled by Valdis Dombrovskis, the Latvian commissioner who, as vice president for the euro, already oversaw Hill's brief. Hill had already faced calls in the EU parliament to give up the sensitive finance portfolio, which will be a focus of interest in exit negotiations between Brussels and London. He has had a key role in setting regulations that give Britain's huge banking sector access to euro zone markets. Hill, 54, a lobbyist and Conservative leader in the upper house of parliament who has become a popular figure among EU colleagues in 18 months in Brussels, said he was disappointed by the vote and would ensure a handover before leaving on July 15. Cameron himself announced his resignation on Friday. He may leave it to his successor as Conservative leader to nominate a new commissioner for the time remaining until Britain quits the EU. It may take until October to install a new prime minister. Hill, a close ally and friend of Cameron, said: "I came to Brussels as someone who had campaigned against Britain joining the euro and who was sceptical about Europe. I will leave it certain that, despite its frustrations, our membership was good for our place in the world and good for our economy. "But what is done cannot be undone and now we have to get on with making our new relationship with Europe work as well as possible." As Latvian prime minister from 2009 to 2014, Dombrovskis, 44, took his country into the euro, and as a Commission vice president he has pushed hard to enforce EU budgetary rules on euro zone member states, including France, which have missed Commission targets. As long as Britain remains an EU member it will continue to have a seat on the 28-strong Commission, giving Cameron, or more likely his successor, a right to nominate another commissioner. The distribution of portfolios in the Commission is the job of its president, former Luxembourg premier Juncker, in negotiation with the leader of the member state nominating their commissioner. Other member states also have a say, and new commissioners must face hearings in the European Parliament. Hill's appointment to the finance job in 2014 was seen as a peace offering from Juncker to Cameron, who had tried to block the Commission president's own appointment that year. It was viewed with some suspicion by euro zone bankers keen to challenge London's dominance as Europe's financial capital. Juncker said on Saturday: "I wanted the British commissioner to be in charge of financial services, as a sign of my confidence in the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union. To my great regret, this situation is now changing. "I have tried to convince Lord Hill to stay on as Commissioner. I consider him to be a true European and not just the British commissioner. However, I understand his decision."-Reuters Cisco, a global technology leader, has signed a MoU with the Saudi Ministry of Commerce and Investment that sets a roadmap for an accelerated pace of digital transformation in the kingdom. Saudi Arabia is the largest technology market by far in the Middle East and with a young, fast-growing demographic, its market is weighted heavily towards technologically literate early adopters. Its strategic location also offers advantages of a technology hub that caters to over 350 million Arabic-speakers in the region, said a statement from the company. The MoU was signed following a meeting between Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and senior Cisco officials including executive chairman John Chambers, chief executive Chuck Robbins and managing director (Saudi Arabia) Abdullah Al Swaha. It serves as a partnership framework and underlines Ciscos strategic commitment in support of Saudi Arabias efforts to drive digital transformation at a country-wide level. Digitization will play an important role as the Kingdom focuses on diversifying its economy and achieving its ambitious Vision 2030 agenda, launched last April, it added. This partnership reflects the Saudi governments priority focus on embracing digital transformation and capturing the many opportunities presented by country digitization, remarked Dr Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi, Minister of Commerce and Investment for Saudi Arabia. Developing a vibrant digital economy is a key pillar of our economic diversification plan and collaborating with global technology leaders is essential to bring expertise and know-how to our program of development, he added. The memorandum outlines a multipronged approach through which Cisco will help accelerate Saudi Arabias digital agenda and position the country for long-term prosperity in the digital age. Through their partnering, Saudi Arabia and Cisco will identify a number of collaborative opportunities in areas that include developing national IT infrastructure, accelerating business innovation, stimulating startups and enhancing research and education. "Saudi Arabia has a bold plan for fostering an innovation, talent and entrepreneurship ecosystem that will shift the economy towards greater private sector participation and a more market-based approach," stated Chambers. The government and leadership have shown great appreciation of the importance of digitization as a pathway to prosperity and to the achievement of their vision. This lays a strong foundation for Kingdoms success and we are honored to collaborate closely with them to realize the immense benefits that Saudi Arabias accelerated digital journey will deliver, he added. Al Swaha said: "Since we started operating in Saudi Arabia nearly 20 years ago, we have been committed to investing in long-term programs that support economic growth and greater Saudi workforce participation." "As Saudi Arabia embarks on an exciting new phase of development, our country digitization acceleration program will unlock unprecedented opportunities that harness the power of technology to deliver real, sustainable value to the Kingdom and its citizens," he noted. As part of the collaboration, Cisco will make its global expertise in smart transformation, digital government, and connected healthcare and education available to the kingdom, said the official. Cisco will also play a leading role in the development of Saudi Arabias ICT infrastructure, increasing digital skills and awareness and supporting the alignment of investment with government priorities, he added.-TradeArabia News Service There has been an overwhelming response from the chocolate and coffee manufacturers and the dealers from the Middle east region for the inaugural Chocolate & coffee exhibition and festival to be held in Bahrain from September 1 to 3, said the organiser Events Staarts. A number of the leading players in the chocolate and coffee industry have booked their places at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre and conferences for the debut event, it stated. "When the marketing campaign for the exhibition began, a lot of companies from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon were eager to take part," remarked Yasmin Jamal, its executive director. "We are working to sign participation contracts with several Gulf and Arab companies in addition to major British and Russian players," she said. According to her, more than 100 companies are expected to take part in the inaugural show. Besides the chocolate and coffee manufacturers, the list includes some of the top hospitality groups, in addition to representatives of the global chocolate companies in the region (franchisees), who aim to boost their brands' presence in the Gulf and the Arab market, and also strengthen communication with their customers. "We are working to attract the local manufacturers along with shops that offer many luxury foreign brands mainly produced in Switzerland, Belgium, the US, Britain, France, Turkey, Malaysia and others," she added.-TradeArabia News Service UAE-based retail major Lulu Group has opened its first hypermarket in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as part of its plans to further consolidate its retail presence in the Far Eastern region. The 250,000 sq ft hypermarket was inaugurated by the Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Sri Najib Tun Razak in the presence of Dato Sri Dr Ahmed Zahid Hamidi, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture and other government officials. Lulu had recently announced its plans to set up 10 hypermarkets in Malaysia over the next five years at an investment of $300 million. The new hypermarket is ideally located in the CapSqaure, Jalan Munshi area of Kuala Lumpur is expected to be one of its kind in the country and will attract large segment of population from all walks of life with its attractive product offers and range. It is spread in three levels and combines everything from grocery and supermarkets products to fashion, household and latest electronics and gadgets, said a statement from the retailer. Hot food from around the world, fresh seafood and locally grown produce are some of the key highlights in the supermarket area, it stated. Speaking at the launch, Najeeb Razak said: "We are very pleased to welcome Lulu brand to Malaysia as this will pave way for more international brands to come and invest in the country. I am also hopeful that Lulu will surely open many more hypermarkets and malls not only in Kuala Lumpur but also in other parts of Malaysia." Yusuff Ali MA, the chairman, said: "With an initial investment of $300 million in the first phase, we plan to open 10 hypermarkets by the end of 2021 and a central logistics and warehousing facility in Malaysia. These projects are likely to generate more than 5,000 job opportunities for Malaysians." We also plan to set up contract farming to ensure continuous supply of high quality products and to support the Malaysian agriculture sector, he added. Apart from the hypermarkets, Yusuffali also announced the group's plan to invest another $500 million in setting up the largest shopping mall in Malaysia. Today the whole world knows about Malaysias economic stability, investor friendly approach, liberalized policies and world-class infrastructure and we are confident about our success here and our hypermarkets encompass both supermarket and department store formats and we intend to bring a whole new world of shopping to the residents of Malaysia. He added that other hypermarkets would be opening in Kota Baru (Kelantan), Shah Alam (Selangor), Johar Baru, Bangi, Ipoh (Perak), Malacca, Penang and Kuala Terengganu. One of the largest retail chain in the Middle East, Lulu currently operates 126 stores across the GCC, Egypt, India, Indonesia and employs more than 38,000 people from different nationalities.-TradeArabia News Service Jazeera Airways, the largest airline serving the Middle East out of Kuwait, recently celebrated Gergaon on board the flight giving packs to children and families in keeping with the local tradition which marks the middle of Ramadan. The celebration was held on board all flights flying from Kuwait to different destinations in the region such as Dubai, Cairo, Beirut, Bahrain and Alexandria. Cabin crew welcomed the passengers with candy and sweets packed in beautifully designed Girgean boxes, distributed to all children and families. Moreover, Jazeera Airways staff also contributed in spreading the vibes of kindness throughout Kuwait by distributing candy and chocolates to the kids on the streets in different districts using Jazeera airways bus. Commenting on the initiative, Dr Mohammed Barakat, the VP (Marketing and Product) said: "During this month of giving and sharing, Jazeera Airways is celebrating this popular Kuwaiti tradition, and engaging with the children of the community on ground across different parts of the country and on board our aircraft." The annual Gergaon celebration comes as part of its solid corporate social responsibility strategy which aims at engaging with all segments of the society, he added.-TradeArabia News Service The Middle East region's hotels reported negative results in key performance metrics in May, while Africa reported mixed results in the three key performance metrics of occupancy, average daily rate (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR) when reported in US dollar constant currency, according to a report. The hotel occupancy rates remained flat in May at 69 per cent, while the (ADR) fell 4.7 per cent to $156.75, and RevPAR registered a drop of 4.6 per cent to $108.34 over the same period last year, stated STR Global, a leading provider of global hotel data, in its report. Meanwhile, Africa experienced a 5.8 per cent decrease in occupancy which fell to 56.1 per cent. However, the average daily rate was up 8.8 per cent to $100.16, and RevPAR increased 2.5 per cent to $56.15, it added. Egypt saw a 15.7 per cent drop in occupancy to 52.8 per cent, but a 24.8 per cent rise in ADR to E721.66 drove a 5.3 per cent increase in RevPAR to E381. According to STR analysts, a significant decrease in the countrys overall demand was due to political unrest and the EgyptAir plane crash on May 19. However, hoteliers pushed rates and managed to increase RevPAR for the second consecutive month. Performance varied at the market level. Cairo reported an occupancy increase of 10.6 per cent, while Sharm El Sheikh (-39.7 per cent) and the Red Sea Resorts (-40.7 per cent) saw significant declines in the metric, it stated. In the Gulf region, Oman reported decreases across the three key performance metrics: occupancy (-5.0 per cent to 49.4 per cent), ADR (-8.7 per cent to RO56.54) and RevPAR (-13.3 per cent to RO27.95). The absolute RevPAR level was the worst for a May in Oman since 2011, caused in part by a 9.9 per cent increase in supply. However, the Saudi city of Jeddah put up a strong show registering a 5.9 per cent jump in occupancy to hit 78.4 per cent as well as double-digit increases in ADR (+18.3 per cent to SR1,079.42) and RevPAR (+25.3 per cent to SR846.60). May was the strongest occupancy and rate month in Jeddah since September 2015, reversing a trend of negative performance since September 2015, said the report. Tunisia experienced decreases in occupancy (-11.7 per cent to 42.5 per cent) and RevPAR (-9.1 per cent to TND68.43). ADR was up 2.9 per cent to TND161.04, stated the report. Like many North African countries, Tunisia has seen consistent and significant declines in demand following the terrorist attack in Sousse last year. Figures from the Tunisia Ministry of Tourism showed a 47.6 per cent year-over-year decrease in the number of tourist receipts through April. Year to date, hotel demand in the country is down 12.8 per cent, it added. On the Jordanian market, STR Global said Amman saw an 8.5 per cent increase in occupancy which hit 66 per cent as well as double-digit growth in ADR (+11.2 per cent to JD123.14) and RevPAR (+20.7 per cent to JD81.30). Ammans supply remained flat through the first five months of 2016 while demand has risen steadily. May produced the highest absolute occupancy since August 2014 and the highest ADR since May 2014, helped by the Jordan Forex Expo & Awards 2016 (30-31 May) and SOFEX Jordan global security conference and exhibition (9-12 May), it said. Cape Town, South Africa, posted a 9.2 per cent increase in occupancy to 60 per cent as well as double-digit increases in ADR (+9.4 per cent to ZAR1,260.55) and RevPAR (+19.4 per cent to ZAR756.48). According to STR, the demand has increased year over year for 10 consecutive months in the market as the weakened South African Rand made the country a cheaper destination for international tourists. In addition, supply has decreased slightly in each of the last four months, it added.-TradeArabia News Service President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has signed a decree on the demobilization of military servicemen conscripted to the Armed Forces of Ukraine during mobilization of the fifth wave. "I signed a decree on demobilization of servicemen of the fifth wave of mobilization. I invited those who wish to continue to defend Ukraine to continue their service under the contract," Poroshenko wrote on his Facebook page on Friday. The president said he signed the decree in the presence of Ukrainian servicemen stationed in the special operation area in Vodiane, Donetsk region. "Vodiane. Two kilometers from the Donetsk airport's new terminal and 800 meters from its runway. I have inspected the strongholds on the frontline and thanked our guys for their service," he said. Later decree No. 271/16 dated June 24, 2016 appeared on the website of the Ukrainian president. According to the text of the decree, Poroshenko decided to transfer to reserve in June - July 2016 the servicemen conscripted during the second stage of the partial mobilization in accordance with the president's decree dated January 14, 2015 on the partial mobilization. The president ordered Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers to provide for funds to finance demobilization of military servicemen and take other measures. This decree comes into force from the date of its publication. On June 16, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said Poroshenko is ready to sign a decree on the discharge into reserve of servicemen who were mobilized during the fifth wave of partial mobilization. The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence & Spa Bahrain has appointed Burak Olcan, a Turkish national, as the new director of sales and marketing for the property. Burak is a dynamic hotelier with extensive experience in sales & marketing in 5-star hotel properties across the Middle East and Turkey. His recent positions were as director of sales (Saudi Arabia) and cluster director (sales & marketing) for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group properties in Saudi Arabia. On the appointment, Panos Panagis, the general manager at the Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, said: "It is great to have Burak on board during such an exciting time for us. He joined The Rezidor Hotel Group in 2013 and has a proven track record of delivering results without losing focus on clients needs and market developments." "His commitment to people development and his skills will make Burak a great asset to have in our hotel," stated Panagis. "Burak joined at the right time, as we will undergo a renovation of all our bedrooms and the construction of the hotel lobby during the summer and I am sure we will benefit from his experience to market and correctly position our upgraded property" he added. The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence & Spa Bahrain is ideally located in the heart of the citys commercial and diplomatic area and just 8 minutes drive from Bahrain International Airport. Providing the perfect place to conduct business or explore Bahrain, the hotel offers 367 rooms including business class rooms and suites.-TradeArabia News Service Ukraine and the European Union will hold high-level consultations regarding the implications of the referendum in the United Kingdom for Ukrainian-European bilateral relations, Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada First Deputy Chairperson Iryna Gerashchenko said. "The main theme for us is Brexit's implications for Ukraine," Gerashchenko said on Facebook on Friday. "This would have more serious implications for the EU itself, which now has to think about resolving hundreds of issues and problems related to Britain's possible withdrawal," Gerashchenko said. "The Euro-skeptics' positions in other European countries will be strengthening. The Kremlin will be happy to see a divided and weakened Europe," she said. "Certainly, this tsunami may touch Ukraine as well. Therefore, Ukraine and the EU will hold high-level consultations in the near future on the referendum's implications for our bilateral relations," Gerashchenko said. Ukraine expects to be granted visa-free travel with the EU this year, she said. "We expect that the European Parliament will carry out all relevant procedures, such as hearings at the committees and then at the session hall, without delay, and then the EU Council will make an appropriate decision. We also expect the EU to continue its general policy regarding sanctions against Russia until the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements. We are categorically against any speculations on the gradual lifting of the sanctions," she said. At the same time, now that the EU is plunging into its own serious problems, Ukraine would find it even harder to defend its position, she said. "But this is not a reason to give up, and the visa-free travel would be an even more remarkable win," Gerashchenko said. Issues surrounding the transfer of Ukrainian citizens Mykola Karpiuk and Stanislav Klykh to Ukraine will be addressed in keeping with the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons and the Russian Criminal Procedure Code, the Justice Ministry told Interfax on Friday. "Issues surrounding the transfer of convicts between Russia and Ukraine are settled based on the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons of 1983 and the Russian Criminal Procedure Code," the ministry said in reply to a question from Interfax on the procedure and time of Karpiuk's and Klykh's possible transfer for serving their sentences in Ukrainian territory. "The Ukrainian Justice Ministry's requests received by the Russian Justice Ministry on providing documents based on Article 6 of the Convention for making a decision on Klykh's and Karpiuk's transfer to Ukraine so that they further serve their sentences are being considered," it said. Tribune News Service Mohali, June 25 The police arrested two vehicle thieves at a naka near Forest Bhawan in Sector 68 here today. The thieves, identified as Vinod Singh (25), who hails from Faridabad, and Ramandeep Singh (25) from Ambala, were riding a stolen motorcycle when they were nabbed at the naka following a tip-off. Inspector Lakhwinder Singh, station house officer of the Phase VIII police station, said both youngsters were unemployed and were at present living at Sohana village. We have recovered two stolen motorcycles from their possession, said the Inspector. A case under Sections 379 and 411 of the IPC has been registered against the duo. Both were produced before the court that sent them to two-day police custody. Aarti Kapur Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 25 Today, VVIP privileges took precedence over passengers convenience at Chandigarh railway station where preparations were in full swing for Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhus visit tomorrow. The area in front of the main entrance of the station had been barricaded since morning, causing inconvenience to passengers. During a visit to the station, it was found that the divyang faced lot of inconvenience due to the barricading of the main entrance area. The security staff said the area had been barricaded to facilitate the construction of a stage for the event. A battery-operated cart, which has been arranged at the station specially for the divyang, was missing today. A group of six divyangs had a tough time reaching the platform on their wheel-chairs. Same was the plight of senior citizens. A long traffic jam was seen in the pick-and-drop area earmarked by the security staff. Adding to the woes of passengers near and dear ones who were there to see them off or pick them up, a parking space for only 100 cars was provided at the station as the main parking lot was closed for security reasons. There was only a single lane for entry and exit of vehicles, which led to a traffic jam, especially during the Shatabdi timings in the morning. The RPF Station Superintendent, GS Waraich, said arrangements for providing parking facility to commuters was being made at the back of the RPF Office for Sunday. Security staff will be deployed at the station to guide passengers about vehicle movement during the arrival and departure of trains. Security lapses It was found that two of the metal detectors installed at the entry and exit gates were non-operational. Security staff at the station did not bother about preventing passengers from boarding the Lucknow Express from the track rather than the platform. Security arrangements for the event Around 200 more RPF and GRP personnel will be deployed at the station on Sunday for the visit of Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu. Passengers will be allowed to enter through the escalator section from the Chandigarh side as the main entrance will be cordoned off in the morning for security reasons. Former Russian State Duma deputy Ilya Ponomaryov has been granted provisional residence permit in Ukraine. Ponomaryov posted a picture of his Ukrainian residence permit on Instagram, providing it with the commentary in Ukrainian: "Envy me, friends." Ponomaryov said earlier in an interview with the Focus publication: "I believe Ukraine is the place where I can be more useful than anywhere else. I am investing in the energy sector here." The State Duma terminated Ponomaryov's parliamentary mandate by a majority of votes on June 10. THE United Kingdom has, by a narrow margin of 1,219,501, decided to leave the European Union. This is a deeply unsettling and disruptive vote and its consequences are already being felt across the world. It will be weeks of uncertainty and confusion before the British political establishment itself would be able to figure out how to proceed on the divorce. Details of the vote revealed a nation fractured and divided down the middle. The kind of anchored equilibrium that characterised the English society, politics and economics for a century appears to have dissolved within a fortnight. Prime Minister David Cameron, who led the stay campaign, had taken a gamble in calling for the referendum and, has, now, lost it. This man was voted back to power only a year ago and handed a sturdy mandate. He now stands rejected. He has been left with no choice but to step down. Till the Conservative Party finds a new leader, Cameron would remain a wounded and crippled Prime Minister. The formal leadership of the Labour Party, too, stands diminished. The Labour Party also favoured a continuation in the European Union but it never demonstrated sufficient energy or verve in its advocacy. Its internal divisions and factionalism would get further aggravated. The two established parties should feel soundly rebuked by the voter. Thursdays out vote is deeply troubling because it represents a symbolically potent victory for politics of anger, hate and xenophobia. The out campaign was openly nasty and ugly; it was directed at the average British voters fear of the immigrant. The out success will give a decided fillip to all the right-wing political leaders and outfits in Europe and beyond. It would be noted that the British voter also spurned President Obamas advice to stay, whereas the Republican presumptive nominee, Donald Trump, had championed an out vote. The British voter had unwittingly bestowed some kind of respectability on all kinds of demagogues around the world, who would now feel emboldened enough to invoke narrow nationalism and isolationism to crank up a sectarian agenda in their respective domestic politics. The voices of openness, pluralism and tolerance have suffered a definite setback. It is a defining moment and, not just in England. Deepender Deswal Tribune News Service Hisar, June 24 The Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) has handed over the operations of three divisions in Hisar, Gurgaon and Faridabad districts to private operators even as power corporation employees have announced to go on strike on June 29 and 30. A senior official of the DHBVN told The Tribune that orders had been given for outsourcing some services in 12 subdivisions in three districts. The private operators started their services earlier this week in these areas, the official said. The DHBVN, which has headquarters in Hisar, and UHBVN with headquarters at Panchkula have decided to privatise 23 subdivisions in their respective circles. The DHBVN and UHBVN have privatised 12 and 11 subdivisions, respectively. We have not completely privatised these subdivisions. The original staff of the corporation would also remain posted at these places. We have just reduced the workload on these employees, said the official. The DHBVN official said the services had been privatised on a pilot basis, which would be reviewed after some time. Criticising the state governments decision to impose the Essential Services Maintanance Act (ESMA) in view of the strike, the Haryana Karamchari Mahasangh said the decision exposed the BJP governments anti-employees face. The employees have been exercising their democratic right, but the dictatorial attitude of the state government is leading to a face-off between the authorities and the employees, said Jai Bhagwan, district president, HKM. Dept cancels leave Panipat: The Power Department has cancelled all types of leave of employees and officers in view of the proposed two-day strike on June 29 and 30. The Haryana State Electricity Board Workers Union and All-Haryana Power Corporation Workers Union have called a two-day strike under the banner of Haryana Joint Action Committee on June 29 and 30 against privatisation of 23 subdivisions in the state. AK Raheja, Superintending Engineer, UHBVN, said: Teams of JE to XEN-level officers have been constituted and they will start working in advance from 6pm on June 28 as the strike will start after 10 pm. There are 695 regular and 165 contractual employees in Panipat. We will have nine extra officials, including five from Panipat Thermal Power Station and four XENs from the headquarters. They will remain here during the strike, he added. A letter had been written to the contractor to ensure that no contractual worker takes part in the strike, he said. TNS Parvesh Sharma Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 25 The six member joint action committee (JAC) of the protesting employees today began meetings across the state to mobilise support for their proposed June 29-30 strike. Kanwar Singh Yadav, state president of the Haryana State Electricity Workers Union, said, We are holding meetings at division level to prepare for our proposed June 29-30 strike. We have already assured that we would take all steps to ensure power supply for emergency services. The Essential Services Maintenance Act will not have any impact on the strike. Vinod Sharma, spokesman of the Haryana Karmchari Mahasangh, said, The employees are protesting in a peaceful manner. By invoking ESMA the government wants to terrorize without any reason. We have already announced support to power department employees. Meanwhile, a government spokesman said arrangements had been made to ensure continuous power supply to all consumers during the proposed strike. Thikri pehras to prevent power disruption Chandigarh: The state government is trying to seek help from panchayats and the general public to safeguard power infrastructure in villages in view of the two-day power staff strike on June 29 and 30. The district authorities have been asked to seek support of panchayats and general public for round the clock vigil on power sub stations and transformers, a senior government functionary told The Tribune. He said to ensure maintenance and restoration of power supply in the event of disruption, a decision had been to involve private sector in 23 subdivisions on Meanwhile, Sirsa DC Sharandeep Kaur Brar and SSP Satinder Kumar Gupta today directed DHBVN to videograph striking employees who indulge in mischief. Engineers may go on protest Chandigarh: The engineers of the state power utilities (SPUs) have announced to go on strike, in case the government failed to fulfill their long pending demands, including the restructuring of power distribution companies, revision of work load norms and recruitment of staff. KK Malik, senior vice president of the Haryana Power Engineers Association, said, There is heavy work load on engineers, but restructuring is not being done. Pay scale revision of assistant engineers is pending, too. The engineers opposed extension given to directors and re-employment of retirees, but nobody paid any heed. TNS Employees burn copies of ESMA Karnal: Raising their voice against the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) invoked by the state government ahead of the strike by power employees on June 29 and 30, employees of various departments under the banner of the Sarv Karamchari Sangh and Haryana Karamchari Mahasangh today protested and burnt copies of Act here. The protesters, led by Om Parkash Sinhmar and Vishawnath Sharma, assembled at the Karan Park and took out a procession in the city against invoking of the ESMA. Sinhmar said it was a draconian law and the government should hold talks with the employees instead of invoking the Act. TNS Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 24 Health Minister Anil Vij today ordered the suspension of a Food Safety Officer (FSO) for his lackadaisical attitude in taking samples of milk and directed the police to register an FIR against a complainant who retracted after compromise with the pesticide dealer against whom he had made a complaint of spurious pesticide. Listening to peoples complaints in the monthly meeting of the District Grievances and Public Relations Committee at Fatehabad, Vij ordered the suspension of Food Safety Officer Sham Lal when Yuva Jagriti Manch, an NGO, complained about sale of spurious milk and ghee by a dairy owner even after samples taken from him had failed. When samples had failed to comply with the quality parameters, why any action was not taken against the dairy owner? Vij asked. When no satisfactory answer came, Vij ordered Sham Lals suspension. Rajinder, a resident of Chinder village, had given a complaint of supply of pesticide after its date of expiry against a local pesticide trader during last meeting of the committee. In todays meeting, Deputy Director (Agriculture) Balwant Saharan informed the minister that Rajinder has taken back his complaint after compromise with the dealer. Angry at the complainants conduct, Vij ordered registration of an FIR against him and also ordered stern action against the dealer for the lapse. Jagbir Singh, a tenant, who was beaten up by 22 persons in May this year to evict him forcibly from his rented accommodation near the old bus stand, fell unconscious while narrating his complaint to the minister. Vij directed the authorities to shift him to General Hospital for treatment and ordered registration of an FIR against his persecutors. In a case of evasion of market fees by a grain market firm, Vij ordered checking of the firms records for the past three years. Interestingly, Subhash, a resident of Kajalheri village had appeared before the minister and said that the complaint in the case had been made on his name by someone else. Deputy Commission NK Solanki, SP OP Narwal and ADC JK Abhir were among others present in the meeting. Lalit Mohan Tribune News Service Dharamsala, June 25 The slum-dwellers evicted from the Charan Khad area took to the streets protesting against the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation authorities today. Coming out in their support, former zila parishad member from Baijnath Akshey Jasrotia made public a notice issued by the Joint Commissioner, MC, warning locals against giving land on rent to the slum-dwellers. Though the Mayor had assured the slum-dwellers that they would be provided land in adjoining villages, the notice revealed that the officials had hatched a conspiracy to throw them out, Jasrotia said.He said the poor people could not buy land and it was inhuman to throw them out during the rainy season. Meanwhile, the slum-dwellers today marched through the town raising slogans against the municipal corporation. Later, they sat on a dharna outside the MC office. Those leading the procession went inside to meet the officials, but nobody was sitting there. The protesters then headed to the Deputy Commissioner office and handed him a memorandum. It has been a week today and the slum-dwellers are still homeless. After the efforts to relocate them on common land in adjoining villages failed, they tried to take land on rent from residents of the adjoining villages to set up their huts. But the villagers were stopped from giving them land. Most of the slum-dwellers do not want to leave as a Tibetan NGO, Tonglen, is providing free education to their children. Kuldeep Chauhan Tribune News Service Shimla, June 24 A two-day five-star junket-cum-stay of members of the Joint Committee of Parliament on office of profit in the luxurious Wild Flower Resort in Chharabra has sparked a row. The fact that the trip will cost lakhs of rupees has not gone down well with the general public. The seven MPs three from the ruling BJP, one each from the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the AIADMK are lodging in the luxurious suites of the Wild Flower Hall. A suite in the resort costs Rs 80, 000 or so, sources disclosed. They refused to stay in the state guest house Hotel Peterhoff and chose the five-star hotel at Chharabra facing the Retreat, the summer residence of the President, they said. The committee members called meetings of officials of the state government, including Chief Secretary VC Pharka, secretary, General Administration Department, and Rural Development Department, to know which government appointments came under the ambit of office of profit, the sources revealed. The committee members will hold a series of meetings in the hotel tomorrow, officials said. When asked about the hotel booking, the officials said the members might have booked the rooms from Delhi. The members have thrown all talks of austerity measures to the wind. Ironically, all politicians, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa talk about refraining from worldly pleasures. The state government has appointed nine chief parliamentary secretaries, apart from advisers, chairmen and a vice-chairmen in the present set-up. Their appointments are under the scanner as is the case with AAP Government in Delhi which had appointed 20 parliamentary secretaries. The office of profit row has been creating a political storm over the years as Parliament and the Vidhan Sabha have been beating about the bush dithering in identifying then disqualifying the appointees under the Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959. Under the Representation of the Peoples Act, they cant hold the office of profit. The Act provides that if a member or a director of a statutory or non-statutory body or a company is not entitled to any remuneration other than the compensatory allowance, the member will not incur disqualification for receiving those allowances. The state has a similar law to disqualify the appointees enjoining the office of profit, the source disclosed. Majid Jahangir Tribune News Service Srinagar, June 25 In a brazen daytime ambush along the national highway connecting Srinagar and Jammu, two suspected Pakistani militants intercepted a convoy of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Saturday afternoon and killed eight security personnel. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook and Twitter @thetribunechd) At least 22 personnel were injured in the attack, while two militants involved in the attack were killed in the retaliatory fire. My heart goes out to the families of the CRPF men who lost their lives in Pampore. I also pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) June 25, 2016 The attack took place almost three hours after Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti was declared winner of the Anantnag byelection. Lash-kar-e-Toiba has claimed responsibility for the attack. The militants ambushed the CRPF convoy of 161 battalion at Frestbal in Pampore, 15 km from Srinagar, at 4.30 pm. They fired indiscriminately at a 52-seater bus, which was part of the convoy of nearly six vehicles and on way to Srinagar from the Lethpora Pulwama firing range. The two militants were killed in the gunfight that lasted four to five minutes. Read: Pampore encounter: Wreath laying ceremony for martyrs held CRPF Inspector General (Operations) Nalin Prabhat said: We recovered two AK rifles, 11 magazines, 174 live rounds. From the recoveries, it is clear that the two were Pakistani fidayeen. Saturdays attack was the deadliest since June 2013, when Lashkar militants ambushed an Army convoy on the national highway and killed eight soldiers Tribune News Service Srinagar, June 24 An unidentified militant was killed in a gunfight in north Kashmirs frontier district of Kupwara today, taking the toll of militants killed so far to seven in three encounters in the district since Thursday. The unidentified militant was killed in Petha Waderbala, Handwara, 95 km from Srinagar, where an anti-militancy operation was going on in the forest area since Thursday morning after a group of two-three militants was intercepted by security forces. There was a brief exchange of fire on Thursday and searches were carried out in the dense forest area for the whole day. The militants were again spotted late on Thursday night and in the gunfight that ended on Friday morning one militant was killed, a defence source said. There is a possibility that two militants managed to get away, but the search operation is still underway. The identity of the slain militant was being established, but most probably he was a Pakistani national, the source said. The gunfight site Waderbala, is close to the Line of Control and very near Hafruda forests in Kupwara. The district over the years has seen deadly firefights. On Thursday, the Army and police had killed six militants in the two different operations in Kupwara district. Three militants each were killed in Warnow Lolab and Waterkhani Drugmulla. The Army said that all six slain militants were Pakistanis and belonged to militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba. We recovered a large quantity of arms and ammunition from the six terrorists. Eatables and medicines with Pakistani marking were recovered from them, Brigadier 8 sector Rashtriya Rifles Rajiv Puri told reporters in Kupwara. Meanwhile, a major tragedy was averted in Srinagar when security forces detected an improvised explosive device (IED) in Hyderpora area. The IED weighing five kilogrammes was hidden in a rice cooker and was detected by the police near a flyover at Hyderpora on Friday morning. The IED was later destroyed by a bomb disposal squad. ----------------------------------------------------- Box 14 militants killed in nine days June 16: Four militants and a solider were killed as the Army foiled infiltration bid in the Tangdhar sector June 17: Two local militants of Hizbul Mujahideen killed in the Bomai Sopore gunfight. June 18: A Pakistani militant killed in an encounter in Ladhoo Pampore June 23: Six militants killed in two gunfights in Lolab and Drugmulla Kupwara June 24: One militant killed in Handwara Waderbal Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has expressed disappointment with the declaration to lift sanctions to resume a dialog with Russia passed by the Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the press service of Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has reported. "I am very surprised with today's Declaration of the Bureau of the PACE. Declaring commitment to democracy and dialog, today this governing body of the Assembly put them under doubt by their decision," the press service said, citing Klimkin. "The further concessions to the aggressor and occupant would be the worst signal for international society and they will mean that Russia, as any other country, from now on can freely and with impunity violate the fundamental principles of the Council of Europe," Klimkin said. Russia has not observed the clear list of conditions set by PACE for lifting the sanctions. Srinagar, June 24 Protests and clashes erupted in the downtown area of Srinagar city after the Friday prayers today. Protests and stone-throwing after the prayers were also reported from Anantnag and Kupwara and Sopore towns of the Valley. Youths threw stones and engaged the security forces in pitched battles in the old city areas with some masked youths also raising ISIS and Pakistani flags. As soon as the Friday payers were over in the grand mosque in the Nowhatta area of Srinagar, where earlier Mirwaiz Umar Farooq delivered a sermon, protesters took to the streets and started throwing stones at the security personnel who were deployed in the area. The youths also shouted pro-freedom slogans and threw stones at the police in the narrow lanes and bylanes of the area. The police responded by resorting to tear-smoke shelling to disperse the protesters. Earlier, the protesting youth also offered funeral in absentia to the seven militants killed in three different gunfights in the frontier Kupwara district of north Kashmir over the past 24 hours. One group of masked youth held a black banner reading Allow abhaya in DPS. Clashes and protests were reported from souths Kashmirs Anantnag town, where protesters took to the streets after the Friday prayers in Reshi Bazar and Sherbagh localities. The youths also pelted the Sherbagh police station with stones. The protests later also spread to the Cheeni chowk and Mattan adda areas. Protests and stone-throwing were also witnessed in Kupwara town in which several policemen got injured. Besides, scores of private vehicles were also damaged in the stone-throwing. Earlier, Tehreek-e-Hurriyat leader Peer Saifullah had addressed a Friday congregation in the town. TNS Tribune News Service Srinagar, June 25 The Army foiled an infiltration bid in north Kashmirs Uri sector today by by killing two unidentified militants. The gunfight erupted at Lachipora in Uri sector, nearly 100 km from Srinagar, when a group of militants was intercepted by the Army close to the Line of Control. As the militants were challenged, they opened fire. It was retaliated, triggering a gunfight. So far, two militants have been killed, defence sources said. The operation was underway when reports last came in. The Army dispatched additional men to the forest area to ensure that the militants could not escape. The Army had killed 18 militants this year so far while trying to infiltrate into the Valley. Sources revealed that nearly 50 militants had managed to sneak into the Valley since January. Meanwhile, the J&K Police have arrested three militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen, including the one allegedly involved in a recent grenade attack on a Police Station in Shopian. Superintendent of Police (SP), Shopian, Shailendra Kumar Mishra identified the two arrested militants as Arshad Khan and Suhail Lone, both residents of Ganaupora village in Shopian. Arshad was involved in grenade lobbying at Shopian Police Station on June 15, Mishra said. He was caught on camera while lobbying grenade, he said. The three were working for two active militants Hizb Zahid and Irfan Abdullah in Shopian district and the trio had been asked to target policemen, the SP added. Jasmine Singh Udta Punjab and the hullabaloo around it...a good number of people from Chandigarh and Punjab watched the movie precisely for this reason. Though they raved about the performances of Alia Bhatt, Diljit Dosanjh, Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan, the brilliance of the character artistes in the film, all from the region, was not lost on them. In fact, a huge of number of Punjabi film and theatre artistes are securing decent enough roles in Bollywood films. Here, we bring you the names that have stood out in their characters and will be surprising you with more Hindi film projects. This is their story before and after, and what is next for them. Talk of the town Manav Vij This doe-eyed Punjabi actor was seen playing a romantic boy in Punjabi film Mannat starring Kulraj Randhawa. After a string of Punjabi films, and a serial, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Manav from Ludhaina was noticed in the National Award winning film Punjab 1984 where he played a negative character. This time as he plays the bad cop in Udta Punjab, Manav sure has the industry talking about him. My outlook towards acting has changed, I dont see any role as a big or small one, I just want to act well, shares the actor, who is elated and humbled with the response he is getting from Bollywood. If Sudhir Mishra, Vikas Bahl and Anurag Kashyap tell me that they have liked my role, it definitely feels good. As for becoming stereotyped, Manav has the answer in the next two Hindi films that he is doing. I have a beautiful role in director Vishal Bhardwajs Rangoon and another one in Phillauri. And I am not playing a cop, he adds. The projects also validate his career changing for good. Racing on Japtej Singh Everyone noticed this young boy in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag where he played a young Milkha. Life wasnt the same for Japtej after the release of the film. One, doing a character role in a Bollywood film gets an artiste more visibility, and reach too, shares this 15-year- old, who was actually flooded with offers after his debut Bollywood stint. The roles were more or less of the same kind, one thing that this young lad has noticed. I preferred a short film directed by Navtej Sandhu whose earlier films have made it to the Cannes Film Festival, he adds. Hear it from veerji Mahabir Bhullar After completing my B.Sc, I did MA in dramatics, while the rest of my classmates took up B.Ed, today most are retired, tey hun babe (he addresses himself) di vaari hai, laughs Mahabir Bhullar who played veerji in Udta Punjab. This, however, isnt his first Bollywood film. This known theatre artiste from Amritsar has worked in Hindi films like Jeet, Dhushmani, Ghayal and Border. Now, many Hindi films are being shot in Punjab and also Amritsar, so when a production house approaches any agent, they suggest the name accordingly, he says. Mahabir is not in a hurry to grab Bollywood, he knows he will be getting roles as per his acting skills. Thankfully I havent faced the problem of getting stereotyped; whatever roles I have done in Hindi films have had their variation. This artiste definitely believes that character roles in Bollywood do give an edge to an artiste. I think, some people in Mumbai know me by now, which is good enough, he gives a hearty laugh. No longer on a Holiday Sonpreet Jawanda Sonpreet from Ludhiana vouches for the reach of Hindi cinema when it comes to a character artiste being noticed on screen. This young man made his appearance in Bollywood with Akshay Kumars film Holiday. I played Vishal in the film, and right after the film I was approached for other character roles. Sonpreet, who has worked in three Punjabi films, would still call a role in a Hindi film as something that is worth the shot. The local hero Ranjha Vikram Singh A role in Bollywood film Heropanti, which marked the debut of Tiger Shroff, also gave Chandigarh-based actor Ranjha Vikram Singh an appreciable space as a character artiste from which he has benefitted a lot. Getting screen space in a Bollywood film opens doors for further projects, shares this handsome actor who played Rajjo Fauji, a negative character and has also done roles in Imran Khan-starrer Ya Rabba and Mumbai Godfather. The characters in a Hindi film are etched out as well as the others, which is why for an artiste it is always a good break. A role in a Bollywood films surely changes the course of acting career for any regional actor for good. Our Correspondent Ludhiana, June 24 Principal Commissioner of Income Tax BB Nanavati made an appeal to those having undisclosed income to avail the benefits of Income Declaration Scheme-2016 (IDS). Declare your undisclosed income and assets, pay due tax and have peace of mind, he said while addressing a meeting of key officials of the Income Tax Department and members of various tax bar associations here today. The meeting was convened to apprise assessees and non-assessees with provisions of the IDS-2016, which would be open till September 30. Giving details of the scheme, he said all the undisclosed income and assets would attract tax, surcharge and penalty totalling 45 per cent of the concealed income. He said litigation being a major area of concern in direct taxes which further led to huge backlog of cases, the government had introduced yet another scheme The Direct Tax Dispute Resolution Scheme-2016 with effect from June 1. This scheme will cover the pending appeal cases of income tax or wealth tax as in the end of February 2016. In the interactive session that ensued, Ashok Juneja, president; BR Kaushal, secretary general; Rajpal Gupta, senior vice-president, Punjab Tax Practioners Associations; Subhash Jain, president; Rajiv Kaushal, vice-president; Rachit Bhandari, secretary, Direct Taxation Bar Association; HO Arora, senior advocate; Rishi Khanna, general secretary, District Tax Consultants Association; and members of various other bar associations deliberated on the new schemes. Syed Ali Ahmed Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 25 The Delhi Police today arrested Aam Aadmi Party MLA Dinesh Mohaniya on charges of molestation and sexual harassment while he was addressing a press conference at his residence. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook and Twitter @thetribunechd) Duty Magistrate Anjani Mahajan rejected his bail application, sending him to judicial custody till Monday. Mohaniya is the sixth AAP legislator to have been arrested since the government came to power, the others being Manoj Kumar, Jitender Singh Tomar, Somnath Bharti, Surender Singh Commando and Akhilesh Tripathi. Mohaniya has been booked under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation), Dinesh mohaniya arrested from his press conference in front of all TV cameras. What msg does Modi want to give to everyone? Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 25, 2016 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 354 (assault or criminal force on woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354-A (sexual harassment), 354-B (assault or use of criminal force on woman with intent to disrobe) and 354-C (voyeurism), the police said Modi declares emergency in Delhi. Arresting, raiding, terrorizing, filing false cases against all those whom Delhi elected Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 25, 2016 The complainants, who are residents of Sangam Vihar, alleged that they were manhandled and threatened by Mohaniya and his men when they sought help during the water crisis. The MLA reportedly slapped Rakesh Kumar when he failed to recognise him. Mohaniya said the charges had been cooked up. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, Modi declares emergency in Delhi by arresting, raiding, terrorising, filing false cases against all those whom Delhi elected. Supporting the police action, Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay said the partys anti-woman attitude had been exposed. Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 24 The Ministry of Defence on Saturday approved the first major weapon purchase for the upcoming Mountain Strike Corps of the Indian Army. The Defence Aquisition Council headed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar okayed the purchase of 145 artillery guns meant especially for deployment in the Himalayas. Once signed, it will be the first artillery gun purchase since the Bofors contract was inked in March 1986. The 155 MM, M777 ultra0light howitzer (ULH) has been approved at a cost of US $750 million. The BAE systems will assemble, integrate and test the guns at a facility it has created with Mahindra. This will be the main ground-based weapon for the Mountain Strike Corps. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook and Twitter @thetribunechd) The BAE will supply the first 25 guns in ready-to-use condition. It has been asked to start deliveries within six months of signing a contract. In May last year, the DAC headed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had okayed the purchase of the ULH, which was originally proposed back in 2008. Made of titanium, each gun weighs 4,000 kg making its transportable by CH-47 Chinook helicopters, C-17 Globemaster and the C-130 Hercules aircraft or on trucks with ease to provide increased mobility in the mountains. The DAC also reviewed the progress of the indigenous 155 mm artillery gun, the Dhanush, modelled on the transfer of technology from Bofors. The DAC also approved the case of the six next generation missile-carrying vessels that will replace the 1980s design Soviet-era warships. It will cost Rs 13,600 crore. Patna, June 25 Bihars Class 12 topper in Arts Rubi Rai, who had said political science is all about cooking, was arrested on Saturday when she appeared for a re-test at the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) office, the police said. Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Bihar police probing into the Bihar topper scam has arrested Rubi Rai when she finally appeared for a re-test at BSEB office, a police official said. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook and Twitter @thetribunechd) Rubi will be produced in the local court on Sunday, the official added. Before today, Rubi Rai failed to appear in the re-test twice on June 3 and June 17. She reportedly informed the Board that she is not well and unable to appear for the re-test. The results of Rubi and other toppers were put on hold after the scam came to light in May. A total of 14 students were called for a re-test by the BSEB after a news channel broadcast a sting in which Rubi Rai said: Prodikal (read political) science is about cooking, and Saurabh Shreshtha, a Science topper, said: Most reactive element in the periodic table is aluminium. Ruby had scored 444 out of 500 marks in the Arts stream and Saurabh Shreshtha 485 out of 500 in Science. Both studied in V.R. College in Vaishali district. According to police officials, the Patna civil court has issued a non-bailable warrant of arrest against four toppers, including Rubi Rai. The V.R. college director-cum-principal Bachcha Rai was arrested early this month and was lodged in Beur jail in Patna. The former Board Chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad and his wife, and former Janata Dal-United (JD-U) MLA Usha Sinha were also arrested in connection with the scam. The police have taken them on remand for interrogation, officials said. So far, nearly 20 persons have been arrested by the SIT. IANS Jitendra Shrivastava Tribune News Service Patna, June 25 Rubi Rai, arts topper of the Bihar intermediate examination this year, on Saturday appeared for an interview before a team of experts here. Rai is one of the accused in the toppers scandal to be probed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). Following Chief Minister Nitish Kumars intervention, a case was filed against the four intermediate toppers besides some administrative officials. The SIT led by Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj was set up to conduct an inquiry into the merit scam. The SIT has booked 16 accused, including Bihar School Examination Board chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh, his wife and former JD-U legislator Usha Sinha, and scam kingpin Amit Kumar. Rai had failed to appear for the interview on two earlier occasions and was given another chance to do so. After Rais interview, the seven-member board of experts would decide on her result. Once the board gives its nod her result would be declared. Berlin, June 25 EU leaders pressured Britain today to make a quick exit from the union, warning they could not afford to be left in limbo and that the divorce would not be amicable. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook and Twitter @thetribunechd) Foreign ministers of EUs founding member states, gathering in Berlin for crisis talks after Britains shock referendum outcome, said London must begin the process of leaving as soon as possible. Frances Jean-Marc Ayrault went as far as to call for David Cameron, who has said he would resign by October, to make way fast for a new British prime minister to manage the transition out of the union. As the EU grappled with the first defection in its six-decade history, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker warned London against foot-dragging now that it had made its fateful choice. He admitted that the EU had hoped Britain would stay but that now it was key to make the separation process as speedy and painless as possible. It is not an amicable divorce but it was also not an intimate love affair, he said. European Parliament President Martin Schulz called Camerons decision to possibly wait until October to leave scandalous, saying that he was taking the whole (European) continent hostage. It will fall to Camerons successor to lead the complex negotiations under Article 50 of the EUs Lisbon Treaty which sets out a two-year timeframe to leave. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said they agreed that London must begin the exit process immediately. He insisted London still had a responsibility toward the EU. We must now be allowed to focus on the future of Europe. AFP "We now expect the UK government to provide clarity and give effect to this decision as soon as possible." EU ministers "Quite honestly, it should not take ages, that is true, but I would not fight now for a short timeframe." Angela Merkel, German Chancellor Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has urged the Russian Federation to stop without delay provocations against OSCE monitors, ensure full, safe and unimpeded access of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to the whole occupied territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. "We urge Russia to comply with its obligations under the Minsk Agreements, stop without delay provocations against OSCE monitors, ensure full, safe and unimpeded access of the SMM to the whole occupied territory of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including to the section of the Ukrainian-Russian border, which is temporarily non-controlled by Ukraine," the ministry said in a comment on June 23. The ministry strongly condemned continual provocations, carried out by pro-Russian militants against OSCE SMM monitors on the temporarily occupied territories of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in particular mortar shelling of the SMM patrol on 22 June in Vodiane in Donetsk region. "The fire was carried out with 82mm caliber mortars, which had to be withdrawn according to the Addendum to the Complex of Measures on the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements of February 12, 2015. As a result of the shelling, a house of local residents was burnt," the ministry said. "We consider this incident as another attempt by Moscow and its proxies to intimidate OSCE monitors, bring to nought the SMMs efforts aimed at the stabilization of the situation along the contact line, and hinder impartial and objective informing of international community about continuous violations by Russia and its proxies of the ceasefire and weapon withdrawal regime," the ministry said. Vikramdeep Johal Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 25 Over a century ago, Rabindranath Tagore paid a glowing tribute to Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, the bairagi (ascetic) who became a valiant Sikh warrior after being blessed by Guru Gobind Singh. The Nobel laureates poem Bandi Bir (Captive Brave) captures the last days of the Rajouri-born Rajput who was tortured to death in Delhi by the Mughals in 1716. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook and Twitter @thetribunechd) Banda Bahadur never set foot in Bengal, but Tagores work enshrined his name in Bengali literature. Now, the great jarnail is set to make his presence felt at the place that was dearest to Gurudevs heart. We plan to install five statues of Banda Bahadur in West Bengal, including one at Santiniketan, to mark the tercentenary of his martyrdom, says Ludhiana-based KK Bawa, chairman of the Baba Banda Singh Bahadur International Foundation. A delegation visited Kolkata and other parts of the state in March to meet the Punjabis settled there and hold talks with the authorities. Jatinder Singh Chahal, a hotelier-transporter based near Santiniketan in Birbhum district, says, The Assembly polls in April-May delayed the process, but now we are hopeful of getting a statue installed at Visva-Bharati University within the next few months. Ruling Trinamool Congress MLA Chandranath Sinha has promised to provide land for the purpose. According to Bawa, Bandi Bir is being translated into Hindi, Punjabi and other languages, besides a new version in English. This will familiarise a wide range of readers with the supreme sacrifice of this Sikh icon, who was not only a fearless fighter but also a messiah of the downtrodden, he adds. Bandi Bir, the Captive Sikh Brave, in Bengali Tagore, who was deeply influenced by Sikhism, wrote an inspirational poem on Banda Singh Bahadur that appears in the compilation Katha-O-Kahini, which is taught in Bengali schools. Ironically, its English translation is yet to be part of Punjabs school books, even though the state government has raised a 100-metre-high tower at Chappar Chiri (Mohali) to commemorate the warriors triumph in the Battle of Sirhind. This is how the poem describes the martyrs final moments: And Bandas flesh they tore to shreds With tongs burnt red, Brave Banda died without a groan A heros death, All eyes were shut. Fell on the court The hush of death. Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 24 Reminding Prime Minister Narendra Modi of 2008 when the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) granted one-time unconditional waiver to India for nuclear commerce with the world, the Congress today described the Seoul outcome as a diplomatic letdown asking the PM what went wrong. The Congress, in power in 2008, further asked the PM to delineate Indias stand on the entry of Pakistan to the 48-member NSG wondering whether India had abandoned its opposition to Pakistans deplorable nuclear-proliferation record. Reacting to the Seoul NSG Plenary that ended inconclusively with at least 16 countries raising concerns over Indias application for entry, former UPA minister who handled the Nuclear Liability Law Prithviraj Chavan said, When we were in the government, this very NSG gave us unconditional one-time waiver for nuclear business with the US and the world. No preconditions were laid. Why then, despite expectations the PM raised with his last minute visits, were the results so disappointing for us? The Congress attacked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for her recent remark that India wont oppose any countrys application for the NSG entry on merit. Since India and Pakistan are the only applicants for the NSG entry, the minister was naturally referring to the latter. Are we equating India and Pakistan and their nuclear non-proliferation records? Chavan asked. The Congress also said the US did not seem to have done enough lifting for India this time as it did in 2008. What happened with us in Seoul is a reflection of the US not having done enough heavy lifting for India and of an increasingly assertive China, which is out to equate Pakistan and India having described India as a near neighbour and Pakistan as a close friend, the former minister noted ruing international embarrassment in Seoul. The party also questioned the PM on his last-minute flurry of activities to garner support for the NSG entry, including his trips to Mexico and Switzerland. Background work was clearly missing. The PM must explain what went wrong and where, Chavan said, reminiscing Congress-led UPAs efforts to end Indias nuclear apartheid beginning with the July 2005 joint statement of President George Bush and then PM Manmohan Singh. Party reminds PM of 2008 diplomatic win }When we were in the government, this very NSG gave us unconditional one-time waiver for nuclear business with the US and the world (in 2008). No preconditions were laid. Why then, despite expectations the PM raised with his last minute visits, were the results so disappointing for us? Prithviraj Chavan, former upa minister Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 25 In a two-pronged move to address the crippling shortage of 155 mm artillery guns of the Army, the Ministry of Defence today approved the first such gun purchase in 30 years and also set a timeframe for a second line of locally produced artillery guns. It was in 1986 that India had last ordered a 155 mm artillery gun when 410 pieces of the FH-77B were procured from Swedish company Bofors for Rs 1,500 crore. Today, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar okayed the purchase of 145 M777 ultra light howitzers (ULH). The DAC agreed to send the letter of acceptance (LOA) to BAE Systems for the supply of guns through the foreign military sales routes offered by the US. India had time till August 5 to agree and send an LOA. A cost negotiation committee agreed on Rs 5,100 crore for the 145 guns. BAE Systems will assemble, integrate and test the guns at a facility created with Indian company Mahindra. This will be the main ground-based weapon for the Mountain Strike Corps to be stationed all along the Himalayas. BAE will supply the first 25 guns in ready-to-use condition. It has been asked to start deliveries within six months of signing the contract. The purchase of the ULH was originally proposed in 2008. Made of titanium, each gun weighs 4,000 kg, making it transportable by CH-47 Chinook helicopters, C-17 Globemaster and the C-130 Hercules aircraft or on trucks. Tribune News Service Jaipur, June 25 Thirty-five-year-old farmer Om Prakash, arrested on the charges of having a brawl with power sector employees related to erratic electricity, has died under mysterious circumstances at Bhopalgarh police station of Jodhpur district. A judicial inquiry has been ordered, and five cops, including SHO Shivlahri posted at Bhopalgarh police station, have been suspended on Friday night, IG-Jodhpur Range Girdhari Lal Sharma told TNS. The body of Om Prakash was handed over to the family after postmortem on Friday afternoon, the IGP said. Om Prakash was arrested on Wednesday night for clash with the staff of a Grid Sub-Station (GSS) in Bhopalgarh, where he went for a complaint against erratic power supply and transformer-related issues. Villagers who held a protest on Thursday and continued till Friday morning alleged that Om Prakash was mercilessly beaten up by the cops resulting in his death on June 23. Meanwhile, in a statement, Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha Rameshwar Dudi condemned the death and alleged that it was the system failure of the BJP government and highhandedness of police against farmers. Thiruvananthapuram, June 25 Hitting back at Robert Vadra for the criticism of his tweet on waiters, BJP MP Subramanian Swamy on Saturday said Sonia Gandhis son-in-law should concentrate on staying out of jail instead of commenting on political issues. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook and Twitter @thetribunechd) I think Mr Vadra should concentrate on staying out of jail and not comment on political issues, Swamy told reporters here. Swamys reaction on Sonias son-in-law came after he criticised Swamy for undermining waiters, saying the derogatory remarks against them were deplorable and classist. So is there no dignity in being a Waiter? The attention-seeking BJP MP Swamys comment Ministers who wear a coat and tie look like waiters and must be instructed to wear Indian clothes undermines waiters who work hard for a living; making condescending and derogatory remarks about them is deplorable and classist, Vadra said on Facebook. Swamy came under fire for allegedly targeting Finance Minister Arun Jaitley saying that Indian politicians look like waiters when they wear Western clothes abroad. In a complete turn of events, he said today that his tweets on the matter had been taken out of context, adding that he thought that Jaitley looked quite good when he travelled abroad. Swamy said he had always targeted politicians in Western threads when they travelled abroad, even during the UPA regime. This is part of Bharatiyakaran. I have always been in Indian clothes and I have always practiced what I preach. It was not aimed at anyone else. Actually, Mr. Jaitley looks very good, he looks like an exception, Swamy said. On Friday, Swamy posted on Twitter saying, The BJP should direct our Ministers to wear traditional and modernised Indian clothes while abroad. In coat and tie they look like waiters. Even though he didnt name anyone, his tweet came as soon as Jaitley came on TV channels wearing a coat and tie while meeting officials in Beijing. Swamy also slammed reports saying that the BJP leadership was annoyed with him and was contemplating action. According to reports, Senior BJP leaders said Swamy had overstepped the limits of decency while weakening the foundations of the government with his public attacks, including the alleged one on Jaitley. ANI Simran Sodhi Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 24 In an embarrassment, both at the diplomatic and political level, Indias bid for membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) was rejected on Friday. At the end of the two-day plenary meeting of the NSG in Seoul, the nuclear club made it amply clear that it was in no mood to make an exception for India. The NSG declared its firm support for the full, complete and effective implementation of the NPT as the cornerstone of the international non-proliferation regime. India, in the meantime, pointed a finger at one country in particular which persistently created procedural hurdles. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook and Twitter @thetribunechd) China had made its opposition to Indias entry into the NSG quite clear publicly. In various statements, it had stressed on the importance of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). India is not a signatory but had hoped that given its clean record in proliferation, the NSG members would make an exception. Pakistan, on its part, submitted its membership application to the NSG a week after India did. That gave China another case to argue that India and Pakistans entry be considered together. But China was not alone in its opposition. Turkey, New Zealand, Austria and even Indias BRICS partner Brazil had reservations on India being let into the NSG. Switzerland also made a U-turn. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the country recently and apparently managed Swiss support for Indias bid. We understand that despite procedural hurdles by one country, a three-hour discussion took place last night on the issue of future participation in the NSG, MEA official spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. Tribune News Service Anantnag, June 25 Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti today won a decisive victory in the Anantnag byelection, securing 17,698 votes, almost 60 per cent of the total votes polled, silencing critics that her alliance with the BJP had made the PDP unpopular. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook and Twitter @thetribunechd) Her victory margin was 12,083 votes double than that of her late father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. The latter had won the Anantnag seat in 2014 with a margin of 6,028 votes. The people have reposed their faith in Mufti Sahibs vision as well as in Mehboobajis leadership, Sartaj Madni, party general secretary, told the media. Mehbooba gained a lead in the first round of counting which kept increasing with each successive round. Her closest rival, Congress candidate Hilal Ahmad Shah, could get only 5,615 votes. He staged a protest, alleging the results had been rigged. He was joined by other six defeated candidates, who demanded a re-election. Tribune News Service Jaipur, June 24 A 25-year-old married woman and her 28-year-old paramour, who fled their homes, were forcibly brought back, stripped and tied to a tree by a caste panchayat earlier this week. The police today arrested 14 persons, including the womans husband, from Kasotia village in Udaipur district under Sections 365, 384, and 354, SHO Rajendra Godara told The Tribune over the phone. The accused will be produced in court tomorrow. To defuse tension, police personnel have been deployed in the village, he said. Married to Bhanwar Lal, Shanta was in love with Laluram. The two fled on June 20. They were caught in Udaipur district and brought back. After holding a panchayat of those belonging to the Meena caste, the couple was stripped, tied up and mercilessly thrashed. The next day, Laluram was set free anf his family took him away to their native village Khori-Tekan. Shanta was brought back home by her husband. On Thursday, when her parents came to see her, they were reportedly kept hostage and beaten up. The police learnt about the matter after a video about the incident went viral on the social media on June 22. Laluram had to pay Rs 50,000 to the village panchayat for his release, the SHO, quoting villagers, said. Home Minister GC Kataria, during his visit to Udaipur, told the media that action would be taken as per the law. The Udaipur district administration has initiated action against the area patwari and junior officials for not reporting the matter to the police and their higher-ups. Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 25 Nearly a month after the Congress faced a severe drubbing in the Tamil Nadu elections, state party chief EVKS Elangovan resigned from his post on Saturday amid reports of party general secretary in-charge of the state Mukul Wasnik too being in trouble. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook and Twitter @thetribunechd) Elangovan, who was appointed state Congress president in 2014, was held responsible for Congress poor show at the hustings recently. The party managed to win only eight out of 41 seats it had negotiated in alliance with the DMK which, on the contrary, won 50 per cent of the seats it contested. The Tamil Nadu Assembly has the strength of 235 members. It is further learnt that Elangovan faced acute opposition from the camp led by former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram who had personally also raised concerns about the state chiefs style of functioning in internal party meetings. A senior Tamil Nadu Congress leader today said, Elangovan was not getting along with anyone. P Chidambaram was unhappy with him and so were past state Congress presidents. Also, he chose the losing seats for the Congress when we were negotiating the arrangement with the DMK. He got 31 out of 41 seats for his supporters and won just about one. In many seats he put up candidates who were going to be evident losers, another state Congress leader said when asked what went against Elangovan who had been TN Congress chief for just two years when the normal tenure of a president is three years. Sources added that Elangovan was asked to put in his papers to pave the way for replacement soon as Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi returned from his trip abroad. Meanwhile, Mukul Wasnik, the Congress general secretary in-charge of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, may also be in trouble with sources saying he could be likely replaced. In the last assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, the Congress had won five seats out of 63 it had contested. This year it had hoped to do much better than it did. But insiders say Elangovan should have been replaced much earlier for Congress prospects to improve in Tamil Nadu, where the party has been in decline since 1967. When there was enough evidence of the state chief not getting along with anyone and functioning unilaterally, what was the high command waiting for?asked a state leader, ruing slow decision-making in the party. Elangovan was installed as Congress chief in Tamil Nadu after previous president B.S. Gnanadesikan quit the party to join G.K. Vasans Tamil Manila Congress. Washington, June 25 A top American diplomat would visit India next week to discuss bilateral and global issues in support of the joint US-India efforts to sustain the rules-based global order, the State Department has said. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon will visit New Delhi and Kolkata from June 28 to July 1, the State Department said on Friday. In addition to meeting his Indian counterparts, he will also meet with members of civil society, including representatives of various religious communities, it said. While in New Delhi, the Under Secretary will meet with government leaders to discuss a range of bilateral and global issues in support of joint US-India efforts to sustain the rules-based global order, the State Department said. He will visit the Indian Foreign Service Institute to deliver remarks and meet with Indian diplomats. In Kolkata, Shannon will meet with government officials and members of the US Consulate General. He will also chair a roundtable discussion with journalists at the American Center and visit several local cultural sites. PTI British investigative journalists group Bellingcat has found confirmation of a convoy of a Buk surface-to-air missile on archived satellite images of Google Earth made on July 17, 2014, on the day when the Boeing 777 plane of Malaysia Airlines en route from Amsterdam to Kuala-Lumpur crashed in the eastern part of Donetsk region. "Today, Google Earth updated its historical satellite imagery to include Donetsk and Makiyivka at 11:08am (local time) on July 17, 2014, the day of the downing of Flight MH17. Bellingcat has previously purchased portions of this image, with the Digital Globe catalog ID of 105041001104D000, to show that the Russian Ministry of Defense had doctored its MH17 evidence, and to search for the Buk on the H21 highway between Donetsk and Torez. Unfortunately, we did not purchase the segment of the image that showed the Buk and the Volvo truck hauling it, as the convoy took a south-bound detour through Makiyivka before re-entering H21. With the new imagery update, we now have confirmation of the authenticity of a recent dash-cam video showing the Buk and its convoy in Makiyivka," Bellingcat said on its website on June 22. A portion of this satellite image was previously published by the U.S.-based private intelligence company Stratfor, which focused on the Buk and the Volvo truck hauling it, the group said. "The updated Google Earth imagery provides this portion of the satellite image, along with other parts that allow us to further confirm the authenticity of the Makiyivka dash-cam video. The Buk is located at 48.020433, 37.990787 on the image, just south and east of a car wash and tire shop. This location is the same place that the car turned left on in the beginning of the Makiyivka dash-cam video. Behind the convoy, we find a UAZ-469 jeep, a Volkswagen van, and a white SUV. All three of these vehicles can be seen in the satellite image, though the jeep and van are harder to spot. The white SUV, lagging a bit behind the convoy, is the easiest to identify. In the image, the UAZ-469 and VW van are either overtaking the Volvo and Buk, or blocking the left lane in traffic, in line with behavior of these two vehicles in a convoy filmed two days before the MH17 downing along the same road," the group said, posting images. "With the updated satellite imagery, there is yet more confirmation that separatist forces transported a Buk from Donetsk to Snizhne in eastern Ukraine on the day of the downing of Flight MH17," Bellingcat said. The Boeing 777 plane of Malaysia Airlines en route from Amsterdam to Kuala-Lumpur crashed on July 17, 2014 in the eastern part of Donetsk region near the village of Hrabove. The jet had 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board, all of whom died. The Dutch Safety Board on October 13, 2015 published a report on the MH17 crash. It says, in particular, that the airliner was shot down by a Buk surface-to-air missile. In February 2016 Bellingcat group presented information regarding the Russian brigade that the group believes provided, and possibly operated, the Buk-M1 missile launcher that downed Malaysian Airlines Flight 17. These are 20 soldiers from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade based in Kursk. Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 25 The narcotic cell of the police today arrested four persons for selling drugs to addicts outside the Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) Centre at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital here. Those arrested have been identified as Kashmir Singh of Verka village, Chintu of Karampura, Varinder Singh and Manpreet Singh of Mustafabad area. The police seized intoxicants, heroin, charas and several syringes from their possession. The police said the accused were addicts themselves and used to come to the hospital to take their dose of drugs. They allegedly sold the drugs outside the Swami Vivekanand Deaddiction Centre on the hospital premises. Station House Officer (SHO) Varinder Mahajan said the matter was under investigation. He said the police were trying to find out whether employees of the deaddiction centre were in league with the addicts. On June 11, the police had arrested Ajay Kumar and Dalbir Singh outside the OST centre. The centre, established in 2010, provides medicines such as Buprenorphine to drug addicts under controlled prescription to ultimately wean them off drugs. Earlier, around 20 addicts were blacklisted by the centre while purchasing medicines from such patients. Ruchika M. Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 24 Punjab has not yet received about Rs 2,000 crore as purchase tax and cess on the sale of wheat, even as the state is awaiting Rs 3,580 crore from the cash credit limit (CCL) of Rs 17,523 crore sanctioned by the RBI. This has put on hold not only the release of dearness allowance (DA) to its employees but also most of the payments from the treasury. The fiscal distress made Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa rush to Delhi earlier this week to seek the Prime Ministers intervention for getting the pending payment of procured wheat released. Sources said payments worth almost Rs 500 crore were pending for clearance with the treasury. Officials in the Finance Department told The Tribune that the jump in the states own tax collection was the saving grace. In both April and May, the VAT (value-added tax) collection rose by 10 per cent, said a senior official, adding that this ensured that the government made most of its committed payments, including salaries. Sources said around Rs70 crore were yet to be paid to the commission agents, while Rs 400-crore payments for transportation and labour charges were pending. Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 25 The Education Department has issued show-cause notices to five teachers who were booked for staging a dharna against the Punjab Government on June 22. The department has asked them to explain why their services shouldnt be terminated. The Director General School Education (DGSE) has also sought details from all District Education Officers (elementary) of other teachers who took part in the protest outside the Punjab School Education Board office in Mohali so as to initiate departmental action against them. Phase VIII (Mohali) SHO Lakhvinder Singh said five protesting teachers had been identified, while many unidentified ones had also been booked. He added that 700 to 800 teachers were present at the dharna site. Meanwhile, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) authorities have told the teachers to submit a written explanation to the DEO concerned within seven days. A letter was issued by the office of Additional State Project Director, SSA, on June 24, and on the same day, the DGSE office issued a letter to DEOs, seeking details of other protesting teachers. Members of the Education Providers Union have been on a strike in Mohali, demanding the regularisation of services of teachers and regular pay scales from November 2015. On June 22, they had blocked a road but later lifted the blockade after they were told about Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheemas arrival. Tribune News Service/PTI Jalandhar, June 24 Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today took a dig at Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh, saying he was "trying to replicate" him by launching s mass outreach campaign in the hope of becoming CM, but his dream will "never be fulfilled". Badal said Amarinder was "promising moon" to everyone knowing very well that he "could not form" the government. "He is trying to replicate me. The most inaccessible Captain is now sweating it out in scorching heat in the hope of becoming the Chief Minister of the state," he said on the sidelines of his Sangat Darshan in Nakodar Assembly segment. Badal was taking a swipe at Amarinder's recently-started six-month mass outreach campaign "Halke Vich Captain" under which the Punjab Congress chief will spend a day in each of all 117 Assembly constituencies to establish a direct contact with voters. Taking on the Congress on the SYL, he said: "Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had laid the foundation of the SYL canal to ruin the state. Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh had welcomed the move." The CM said: "The people of Punjab should be willing to make sacrifices to save state waters. It's an issue on which the state's economy and various other factors are directly or indirectly related. Punjab's prosperity is dependent on its waters." New Delhi, June 24 India is all set to adopt the global unique identification code system to counter the sale of spurious drugs and over-pricing. Drug Controller General of India GN Singh told IANS, We already have a barcode system to check the authenticity of medicines that are exported. However, we did not have a system so far to check the medicines that come to India and those that are sold here. The process has already been initiated. Within a couple of months, we will have a code system like the one in Pakistan, he added. In the neighbouring country, buyers having smartphones can verify a medicine and its price. The counterfeiters here are successful because we are neither making their task difficult nor making this business less profitable for them, UK Gupta, president of the Authentication Solutions Providers Association, told IANS. According to UKGupta, the product packaging is easily copied due to the availability of raw material in the neighbouring countries. Adopting authentication solutions is the most important preventive step. The government and brand owners should communicate to the consumers about the authentication features on their product and the means to verify the same, Gupta said. Hologram is the best tool. These days, we have interactive and 3D holograms as well, UKGupta added. A consumer can verify product details from a companys website or by digital authentication of products with features such as barcodes or unique SMS verification codes, he added. IANS Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, June 25 An undertrial allegedly assaulted a head constable at the Civil Hospital here today. Sukhvinder Singh, booked in an attempt to murder case, was brought to the hospital by the police for a check-up. He had a scuffle with Head Constable Kewal Krishan, whom he hit on the head with handcuffs before other policemen overpowered him. Sukhvinders wrist was injured in the melee. Sukhvinder alleged that he was beaten up by the police during the interrogation. Kewal Krishan claimed that the undertrials injury was self-inflicted. Gopal Singh, SHO, Model Town police, reached the spot and began an investigation. Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 25 Work on developing the ancient hermitage of Valmiki into a tourist hub has run into rough weather as a religious group of the community, Guru Gyan Nath Ashram, objected to the construction of the parikrama (circumambulation) in front of their ashram. Consequently, the work of raising a covered circumambulation around the main temple came to a halt today. However, other work for the construction of the Rs 200 crore temple, was going on. Inmates of the ashram even threatened to commit suicide in case the government goes ahead with the construction of the parikarma. Nachattar Nath of the ashram apprehended that it would overshadow the facade of their ashram, which faces main temple. The SAD-BJP coalition government had laid the foundation stone to raise the Valmiki temple in 2013. CM Parkash Singh Badal had chaired many meetings to finish the project at the earliest. The government wishes to get the temple inaugurated ahead of the Assembly elections. The temple would stand in a holy sarovar, which would be further connected to the parikarma with a wide bridge. DC Varun Roojam said the circumambulation covered with a concrete roof has been completed except near the ashram. We will hold meetings to resolve the issue. The project would be constructed as per its blueprint, he added. Sarika Sharma She was a young girl, all of nine years, and a heart patient. As she left for surgery to Chandigarh, her father kissed her goodbye at Rawanda airport. For him, it was seemingly a final goodbye; he didnt hope she would return alive. But she did and ran into his arms at that very airport where he had bid her adieu a month ago. Past Rotary International president R K Saboo narrates their story as told by the girls father to an audience in Rawanda, which had been worst hit by genocide in 1994. Smilingly, he recalls how the father had fought back his tears as he shared the story and how that young girl, also in the audience, had giggled through it. This is one of the many tales that emerged out of Rotarys Reach-Out to Africa (ROTA) initiative. Saboos tenure as Rotary International president (1991-92) was long over, but the theme from that year Look Beyond Yourself has since stayed with him and his wife, Usha. One day, she reminded him about it again. Shouldnt we involve ourselves in doing what we have been telling others to do? she had asked. That, in a way, made us think about making concrete efforts, he says as he shares the beginning of sending health missions to Africa. In the past 18 years, several teams of doctors and volunteers have embarked on ROTA and brought relief to thousands in some of the worlds poorest countries. Why Africa? We ask. Torn by civil wars and crushed under poverty, Africa seemed ideal, he says. Add to it the governments that didnt have much in their hands. Their first mission was to Uganda in August 1998 where they were to carry out polio corrective and eye surgeries. Saboo still remembers their first destination, Masaka. A bus with wooden benches took them to the place. There was no infrastructure. The level of healthcare in this big Ugandan town was even below that of our health centres at, say, the tehsil level. At the camp, children had been screened for polio corrective surgeries. They came in crawling, their limbs covered in dust. The hospital didnt have paramedical staff, and Usha and I volunteered to clean their limbs. As we prepared them for surgery, she asked me if I remembered what day it was. I said I didnt. She said it was my birthday. I told her it couldnt have been spent better, he recalls. There is another incident from Uganda that has stayed with Saboo. He was ferrying kids to the operation table and there was this seven or eight-year-old girl who had been given anaesthesia and was panicking under its influence. Suddenly, her eyes stopped at me and she raised a finger. I went to her and held it and she went to sleep. There is nothing more satisfying than the empathy you feel for a fellow human, he says. That mission to Uganda was the beginning of a long journey and slowly ROTA became a beacon of hope for people there people, who thought they were destined to live and die with abnormalities, their limbs mutilated in war, minds and hearts hurt deep inside, says Saboo. Rotary medical teams have tried to give services in diverse fields dental, ENT, urology, pathology, etc. among others and in countries spread far and wide, including Ethiopia, Nigeria, Malawi, Swaziland, Cambodia, Madagascar and Lesotho. Most locals come to these camps with the hope of some miracle. Only the rest of the world calls this miracle as medical science, non-existent in most areas where Rotary medical teams went to due to lack of education. In such a scenario, not even funds pouring in from the developed world were of any help, says Saboo. The costliest of machinery lay unused, while lives were wasted. Across the years, close to 40,000 surgeries and procedures have been conducted and more than 1,5 lakh lives have benefited. Many prominent doctors from this region such as renowned plastic surgeon Dr PS Chari, have offered their services for this kind act towards humanity. However, as these medicare missions gave the gift of normal life to these most deprived of people, there was a demand for such missions in India too. A beginning was made in 2005-2006 in Orissas Kalahandi, the most backward of tribal areas in the country. The Rotary teams went to the remotest of areas, some of these under Naxal control. These placed had hospitals but minus doctors, paramedics and infrastructure. Teams of 20-25 doctors and volunteers have since rendered their services in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Nagaland and Jammu & Kashmir. Saboo says they dont take up surgeries involving heart diseases and cancer as many of these remote places do not have the requisite backup for such major interventions. However, such patients are being brought to Chandigarh by the local Rotary Club to be treated by the best of doctors amid best of facilities here. Efforts are also being made to train local African doctors and some change is vivible. Saboo says their doctors have made the mission a worthwhile effort. He is looking forward to embarking upon many more such journeys and weaving many such tales. Pushpa Girimaji Last week I withdrew Rs 5,000 from an ATM got four notes of Rs 1,000, one of Rs 500 and five of Rs 100. After purchasing some household goods when I handed over a Rs 1000 note, the shopkeeper checked it and said it was counterfeit. I was quite shocked. I took it to a nearby bank and it confirmed that it was counterfeit. What can I do now? I am not a rich man who can easily dismiss such a loss? This is really unfortunate. As per the Reserve Bank of India directive issued to all banks, cash receipts in the denominations of Rs 100 and above should not be put into re-circulation by banks without the notes being machine processed for authenticity. Says the banking regulator, in its Master Circular of July 1, 2015 on Detection and Impounding of counterfeits: In order to obviate complaints regarding receipt of counterfeit notes through ATMs, and to curb circulation of counterfeits, it is imperative to put in place adequate safeguards/checks before loading ATMs with notes. The regulator also warns banks that Dispensation of counterfeit notes through the ATMs would be construed as an attempt to circulate the counterfeit notes by the bank concerned. Obviously not every bank takes this directive of the regulator seriously and the sufferer is the consumer. I suggest that you complain to the bank from whose ATM you got the currency, along with the ATM receipt or even the message on your mobile about this ATM withdrawal. The bank will refuse to accept that the fake note came out of their ATM, but you insist and give them a letter with a copy of the currency and get an acknowledgement from them. Your argument should be simple if the bank had complied with the RBIs mandate, there would not be any such counterfeit notes in the ATM. So the bank has to take responsibility for its action or inaction and make good your loss. Send a complaint to the Reserve Bank also and to the nodal officer of the bank. I would also suggest that you seek from the bank (under the Right to Information Act) information on the measures put in place by the bank to prevent circulation of fake notes through the ATMS, number of fake notes received by the bank during the financial year and also the number of complaints of counterfeit notes released by their ATM. The information, I am sure will help in nailing the bank. I would also suggest that you complain to the RBI and also the local police, so that (hopefully) they investigate into the matter and their investigation may also help you. I must mention here that as per the data given by the finance ministry in reply to a parliament question on May 6 this year, the number of fake notes of Rs 1,000 denomination is on the increase from 98,459 in 2012-13 to 143099 in 2015-16. This is worrying because the higher the denomination, the greater the loss to the consumer, if he or she gets such a note through the ATM or elsewhere. Have there been such cases before the consumer court? Can I seek redress from them? I remember a case decided by the Andhra Pradesh State Commission in 2008, wherein a retired school teacher, who had encashed a cheque of Rs 1 lakh from a bank branch, was given counterfeit notes to the tune of Rs 37,500. When he took the entire bundle to deposit in another branch of the same bank, the bank argued that it was the duty of the customer to check the veracity of the notes and refused to replace the counterfeit, forcing him to eventually seek the help of the consumer court. Asking the bank to make good the loss suffered by the consumer, the Commission criticised the bank for trying to make the teacher pay for its mistake of accepting counterfeit notes from two persons, as shown by police investigations later. I must mention that consumer courts have clearly held that violation of the regulators directives constitutes deficiency in the service rendered and a consumer who suffers on account of such deficient service is entitled to compensation. Meanwhile, since this problem is not likely to go away quickly, banks should equip ATMs with the ability to detect imitations. That would make life easier for consumers! I would also suggest that consumers learn how to identify a fake and as far as possible check these at the ATM and hold up the counterfeit ones to the CCTV camera to prove that it came out of it. Deputy Prime Minister, Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Economy Minister Hennadiy Zubko has said that$15 billion would require for the restoration of infrastructure damaged by hostilities. "Unfortunately, the eastern part of Donbas was hit by the war. The approximate cost of restoring infrastructure, companies and houses would be up to $15 billion," Zubko said in an interview with KyivPost publication. The minister said that the investment interest is shifting to the country's east, to Kharkiv and Kramatorsk. The most attractive for investors are western regions of Ukraine. Zubko said that Japan's Fujikura producing automotive parts in Ternopil region and Kromberg and Schubert producing wiring systems for the automotive industry in Zhytomyr are developing. "Recently 17 U.S. companies producing spare parts also showed the interest to operation in Ukraine," he said. Aman Sood in Patiala Some people love authority, some like to live it while others would like to feel the air of authority outside their professions or a life so ordinary. The spirit of adventure combines the elements of authority: you step out of your secure home, go miles, watch things extraordinary and then convert them into freeze-frames to be an authority of the moment. Wildlife affords such experiences; where no one is in charge, no one takes life for granted, and where you dont matter, animals do. Some officers in Punjab have let that happen. They are a group, the Wild Life Photographers (WLP). The love of wildlife is the sole thread that binds them. They trust their cameras, distrust their own authority and let the essence of living take over. They have stories, anecdotes and much more; some simple reasons why they are alive. One of them runs like this: they had just got out of Jim Corbetts core area, Dhikala, and headed to the nearby Ramganga river when three young elephants came charging towards their Gypsy. Mandeep Singh Sidhu, and former forest officer Karamjit Jatana decided not to trust the driver and instead jump and run to save their lives. The driver shouted to allow him to reverse as by running they could not outrun the elephants. The elephants continued to follow for around some minutes and then hurried away. Hear the officers adventure: Jaskaran Sandhu (62) Retired Irrigation Dept chief engineer In over a decade, Jaskaran has to his credit about 3,500 wildlife photographs. He has organized 20 exhibitions in different parts of the country and has been awarded by the Wildlife Photographers and Indian Photographers Association. He also served as the vice chairman of Wildlife Advisory Board, Punjab. His unforgettable episode: He was on a trip to Jim Corbett. A rookie guide accompanying him panicked when a tiger roared from the nearby bushes. While I got up to click the picture, the guide wanted to leave the spot. The next 20 minutes as we waited patiently for the tiger, the guide was already saying his prayers. Once done with the shoot, I saw the horrified, shocked face of the guide who apparently forgot he was alive! He is the key man of the group and has visited almost all major national parks in India Kanha-Kisli and Bandhavgarh (Madhya Pradesh), Ranthambore (Rajasthan) and Jim Corbett (Uttarakhand). Jaskaran had also been to some wildlife habitats of South Africa, Kenya and Mazai Mara (Kenya). He has accompanied State Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh to South Africa more than twice. Initially not many were into wildlife photography and travelled to hill stations or beaches for holidays, says Sandhu. He recalls his first trip to Kanha (MP), and there was no looking back since. Wildlife is a magnet, the adventure is unforgettable, he says. Mandeep Sidhu (47) Commandant IRB He accompanied Jaskaran and fell in love with the sheer beauty of nature. I bought a small camera and since then it is my a passion, says Sidhu. Over 1,500 pictures in over seven national parks of the country and a trip to Mazai Mara in Kenya have left Sidhu mesmerized. He recalls the sudden appearance of a tiger in Bandhavgarh. We spent the entire morning session within the forest trying to spot a tiger or leopard. We were on our way back, when we spotted a tigress with her cubs. We got a glimpse of them bathing for almost over an hour. I feel so lucky for those clicks, he says. Sukhjit Bhullar XEN Irrigation (40) Unfamiliar with the wildlife till 2007, Bhullar was in touch with his senior, Jaskaran Sandhu, who motivated him to pick up a camera and head to the forest. Initially my holidays with my wife were just about going to Shimla in the summers. My first trip to the forest changed my perception. I decided to return as often as I could, says Bhullar. Gurmeet Chauhan SSP Patiala, (47) Chauhan recalls how his reading habits actually took him close to the wildlife. Some six years back, I was a reading a book when the chapters that were set in a jungle were so inspiring that I planned a family trip to the Gir in Gujarat to spot a lion. The experience taught me a lot. The trip was an inspiration for my children as well, says Chauhan. Though not a photographer, Chauhan says he is more into spotting animals and is happy with his binoculars. Once inside the forest I try to see every leaf, pugmarks or even a slight movement in the bushes, he says. Once inside the forest, each moment is unexpected; you do not know which animal would appear first from where. Another wildlife enthusiast is JaiDeep Narula, who owns a photo studio Star Color Lab in the city. He is the one whom every photographer approaches for prints. His skills within the forest are assets that help him plan what pictures could get which print. He has about 2,500 pictures of all sizes clicked by wildlife photographers. A lingering feeling of togetherness Deepti Verma in Chandigarh Mister Jasbir Singh Nanuan, can I talk to you for a few minutes, I asked him on the phone. Its about you and your wife, how you have been able to live together happily after your children left for better job prospects or other reasons, I tell him the purpose. Well, I will ask Jagjeet if we could sit together, he replies. A few minutes later, an excited female voice greets me: Beta, zrur milowould you take our pictures, too? I am simply floored by the kindness in her voice: Ya, we can, sure. Not long ago, arthritis forced Missus Nanuan to severely restrict her movements in their Sector 15 house. Those three years were terrible. He, somehow, took it as a challenge. Hed carry me outside on his back and force me to smile for a good reason that he was around for me, she says, her eyes moist in gratitude. Their daughter is happily married in the UK. They lost their son to malaria when he was barely 19 years old. Life has been, as usual, a see-saw the sense of loss settling down in the unbundling of growing up, in letting things go, in the spontaneous bonding, in the spirit of togetherness. After our daughters marriage, we suddenly felt empty, recalls the husband. That was for the first time since our marriage, he is interjected by his wife, we got married on June 12, 1971. He smiles with all the meaning and weight of it in his nod. But we saw more of each other, something we had missed all these years, says Nanuan as he gestures his wife to get some water. I sent her out intentionally as I couldnt have brought myself to say I am indebted to her, for everything after she left her home for me. She never talked about her homesickness. So, I am here for her. For the Manns, married for 61 years, living in the same Sector 15, life has been a sum-total of two plus two equalling one. Their two sons are away. Mr Shamsher Singh Mann, 85, and Mrs Harinder Mann, 78, love them and wish for their best. My children and grandchildren keep visiting us life is beautiful, says Mrs Mann. We have travelled a lot together. We talk about our trips and the work that we have created for ourselves ever since he retired in 1989 and we chose to settle down in Chandigarh. My journey would not have been as beautiful had she not joined me as a companion, says the husband. Learning the fine art of making space Shiv Kumar Sharma in Yamunanagar Before retirement both Dr Ramesh Kumar and his wife Sucheta were teachers and retired in about eight years back. Dr Kumar was a principal of MLN College, and his wife a lecturer in a senior secondary school. Retired life is a new innings in itself. Our focus shifted from careers and children to our own interests, hobbies, health and how best we can contribute to the society, says Dr Kumar. Since 2008, we have visited Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Hyderbad, Chennai and a longer trip to Canada. We intend to continue exploring further, says Dr Kumar. The added advantage at this age is that whereas our friends over the years remain our friends, our children and grandchildren have become our new friends, companions and guides too. Visiting them and waiting for them is very rewarding, says Mrs Kumar. She being a painter has finished about 100 paintings and is planning an exhibition. She also has a hobby of reading books and has a very good collection. Dr Kumar says he has three areas of interest: creative writing, social service and academic administration. Together, we have a rich experience of life, literature and human relations and we look forward to keeping ourselves engaged in the process of society building in our own humble way, says Dr Kumar. Welcome kids, the nests are never empty Gagan K. Teja in Patiala, June 23 Mr Harjit Singh Thapar (64), who retired as a manager from Punjab and Sind Bank, and his wife Mrs Mohinder Kaur (62) have their two daughters married outside the city while their son is settled abroad. When I was in active service, I never realized the kind of hardships Mohinder has faced in bringing up the kids and keeping the family together. For me, it was like a routine. Now, since I am home, I have started appreciating her role as a homemaker, says Mr Singh. We cannot ignore the fact that our children have lives of their own. Though we are always available for them whenever they need us and often visit them, we find comfort in our homes only, says Mrs Kaur. For the Dewans, it took an ailment to know who stood where. After Pradeep Dewan (60) retired as Patiala district manager of Khadi Village and Industrial Board, his wife Komal fell ill. She was bedridden. I realized what all she had been doing all this while for me. She could have had a career for herself, but she chose us and I cannot thank her enough for it, says Pradeep. They are happy the nest they built is here to stay. Sharing & caring: A love story begins Sushil Manav in Fatehabad Mr Lajpat Rai Bhayana (69), a retired college professor of Political Science, looks much younger. He and his wife Veena (66), a retired school lecturer, make you wonder about the beginnings of their life. The couple has travelled to the US, Hong Kong, Macau, Bangkok and several locations within the country since 2007, after third of their daughter got married. Married for 40 years, the Bhayanas love for life is as good as the bonding they share. We never feel our nest is empty, says Veena, who is involved with several social organizations. Lajpat Bhayana, too, has been active in social circles. Life for the Bhayanas was moving on very smoothly when suddenly, Lajpat Bhayana fell ill and discovered that his both kidneys had stopped functioning. It was a dreadful experience. Veena provided me the strength and donated her kidney. We both went under the knife in September 2013, and continue to live healthy again, says the husband. When you dont move, but time travels in reverse Vibha Sharma in New Delhi Our elder one, Dhruv, had left home seven years back. So, this is not the first time I experienced that overwhelming sadness so difficult to explain. Janu, the younger one, was around. Due to his job constraints, my husband remains out for long periods. So all this while our little baby (her name is Jahanavi) was there, keeping me company. About a month back, she too left for further studies. The other day, when I unlocked that door to step inside an empty house, I felt terribly lonely. Is it empty nest? The answers came; one from my husband, another from a colleague and a few from within. My husband argued whether I wanted the situation to be any other way: if I would have liked to keep the children with me at the cost of their future prospects. Certainly, I want the best for them. And if some sacrifices had to be made, so be it. The senior colleagues personal experience gave an entirely new perspective. He told me how years ahead could be the best phase of our lives. I and my husband could use them to revive our relationship, and rebuild the friendship. Hours of introspection later, I realised my profession could become my biggest strength. Besides, an empty nest can also have a purpose. My young ones may have flown out, but my nest would make them slide back to the sweet memories, the warmth we cherish and the respect wed cultivate for each others decision. So, best of luck Dhruv and Jahanavi. Vijay C Roy in Chandigarh Talk about economy, talk of politics. Or both together? Or political economy? The rough end of politics can have a sharp economic truth. For instance, when the government talks about rural job guarantee scheme (assured 100 days of work each year for every rural household), it carries a price tag of Rs 34,699 crore this financial year. Theres politics. PM Narendra Modi took a swipe at the Congress in Parliament during the budget debate, saying: I will ensure MNREGA is never discontinued. It is a proof of your (Congress/UPA) failings. The Congress hit back, accusing the BJP-led NDA government of destroying the soul of the decade-old scheme. Both sides talked about employment. Jobs, many wonder, where they are, as the government has gone around advertising that it would add 2 crore jobs each year. A few days back, the government dared to wade deep into an economically liberalized territory, attracting kudos from free market-wallas, including the West, and inviting sharp criticism from domestic power players who foresee tough days for the domestic industry and a fragile economic environment. Here are a few sectors where foreigners would arrive soon. Will they bring in jobs? An on-the-spot sorting: Single brand retail trading Local sourcing norms will be relaxed for up to three years. The government also relaxed sourcing regime for another five years for firms undertaking single brand retail trading of products that have state-of-the-art and cutting edge technology. What it means: It paves the way for Apple Stores and Chinese Smartphone maker LeEco to start business. Since Punjab has the highest teledensity and is one of the lucrative markets for smartphone makers, it may attract single brand stores. Experts say Walmart, Tesco, Amazon Fresh and many more may enter soon and so may Swedish fashion retailer H&M and furniture and home accessories giant IKEA. Challenges: Though the working age in India is far in excess of the population dependent such workforce, it doesnt have skilled manpower in the retail sector. There are hardly any dedicated institutes that address the ever-widening gap between employee demand and supply. Employers demand a functional human resource on the very first day of work. Job opportunity: Sanjeev Duggal, CEO and MD, Centum Learning, a corporate training solution hub, says: I think for a country like India, a supermarket can never be an automated place where there are no shop assistants. India was, is and will thrive on manpower for every requirement, be it at home or outside. We, as a decade-old skilling company, see the increasing requirement of skilled workforce in the companies which hire our trained manpower. Food retail The new rules allow 100% FDI in food retailing produced or manufactured in India. Punjab and Haryana can be new movers and shakers as both are agriculture-driven economies. Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) can benefit immensely. If multinational chains set up their food-only retail outlets; they will source products from the Indian MSMEs which will be win-win situation for both, says Akshay Bector, managing director, Cremica Foods at Ludhiana. Pharmaceuticals The government has allowed up to 74% FDI under automatic route for the existing pharmaceutical ventures for brownfield (projects with some infrastructure) expansion. It added that the government approval route can be up to 100% in the brownfield sector. Baddi in Himachal is considered a pharma hub. The total turnover of the Baddi-based industry is around Rs 35,000 crore. Around 350 units came into existence in after government announced various incentives. On an average 50-200 people work in each pharmaceutical unit. Arun Rawat from Baddi-based Kanha Biogentic laboratories said: Since, the SME sector is struggling g for funds, they might close or be taken over, he said. This is likely to result in job losses. The FDI in this sector is likely to give a boost to the small and medium pharma industry provided they invest in latest technology and innovative products. Ajay Ramola in Rudraprayag The June 2013 tragedy caused by landslides and swollen rivers in Uttarakhand killing thousands of people (over 5,000 as no exact count is available) should have driven any government to seriously take up the ecological challenge and concretize plans on the ground to obviate such a calamity. But no prizes for guessing as to what the government has achieved: it has made the Kedarnath yatra a profitable venture and pushed the more important, daunting task of building roads and environmentally sustainable infrastructure to the back burner. Government officials these days are overanxious to tell everyone who matters that the pilgrim count this year has crossed the 10-lakh mark, and that helicopter services are the new in-thing for facilitating quick darshan at Kedarnath. This quick-fix solution has nothing to do with the people living there, nor does it address the most significant question: How to make the hill state a safer place to live in? Here are ground realities that both the state government and the Centre refuse to see: More than nine helicopter service agencies are making a killing as they charge Rs 7,000 per person per visit. The seats for the ride to the Kedarnath shrine are booked three months in advance. The fallout: A new darshan culture. Keshav Tiwari, a member of the temple priest community, says pilgrims being airdropped are given special darshan. The helicopter service agencies are in a rush to ferry batches from Ukhimath. So, they tie up with the Badri Kedar Mandir Samiti which also offers pilgrims chopper tickets and a free passage to the shrine, sidelining others who walk to the shrine and queue up for hours. The Centre under its National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) provided funds worth Rs 7.87 crore for integrated development of tourism infrastructure at Ukhimath and surrounding areas on way to Kedarnath. These included Tourist Reception and information Centre, kiosks, gender-based wayside amenities, rain shelter, solid waste management, informatory signs in Rudraprayag apart from thousands of crores that the district received for restoration work at Kedarnath. Many of these plans remain only on paper. What about landslides? Uttarakhand has to contend with landslides and a pathetic road network. But the state government has chosen to ignore sustainable solutions and ecologically sound techniques for building infrastructure. In the aftermath of the tragedy, and even much later, several bridges had caved in due to faulty techniques. Many bridges were reconstructed, but the district administration has not taken into account the design aspect. The consequences can be very serious: in case of a landslide, it would be the profitable Char Dham yatra that could be affected the most. KK Kapila, chairman, Geneva-based International Road Federation (IRF) and co-chairman FICCI Transport Infrastructure Committee, emphasizes that the fragile terrain of the young and active Himalayas in Uttarakhand need a non-destructive and least invasive techniques to build roads. Power projects on the rivers in Uttarakhand have been blamed for triggering the disaster but it seems that no lessons have been learnt. The 99 MW projects owned by LANCO and L&T at Berubagad were blamed for widespread landslides, but these have been given the go-ahead despite protests from environmentalists. Mukesh Semwal, the state convener Social Unity Centre of India, said: Some firms used dynamite to blast the rocks for constructing an 11-km tunnel from Kund to the power station at Berubagad on the Mandakini river. This resulted in landslides and cracks in the houses. The damage to ecology is of such an extent that the whole panchayat forest land has caved in. The local women headed by Sushila Bhandari carried out a movement against power projects without much success. Helicopter services to Kedarnath, too, are under the environmental scanner. Suresh Bhai, the founder of Nadi Bachao Andolan, says plying of helicopters in the national sanctuary area is a violation of environment laws. The silence of the wildlife department indicates that there is some collusion at higher level. Keshav Tiwari, a social activist from Kedarnath, says chopper rides do not contribute to the local economy. Pony owners and various tea vendors along the way to the shrine are becoming jobless, he said. AN English friend has favoured us with a clipping from Ladys Pictorial of May 27, containing a review of Mrs Norah Rowan Hamiltons book, Through Wonderful India and Beyond. We find from the excerpts given by the reviewer (who by the way is the well-known Punjabi publicist) that the book, which is said to contain a tourists pen-pictures of India, is marred by many off-hand and offensive remarks on men, manners and customs. This is what the reviewer has to say of her impressions of Baroda: She is hypercritical of the palace of the Maharaja Gaekwar of Baroda. She describes it as a veritable hotch-potch of architectural styles. She did not like the statuary, paintings and ornamentation of the audience chamber. She says that electric light fittings, telephone arrangements and even the lift, are prominently displayed, and regarded as things of joy and beauty, instead of being hidden. She goes on to say that the bedrooms are furnished in the worst taste of Toltenham Court-road, and that the Maharanis boudoir is such a gilded cage that even a Maharani has not the temerity to sulk in it. She caustically observes: Money has evidently been lavished throughout the palace: how pitiable it is that money cannot buy or command taste, and that the generality of Hindu princes seem to possess so little natural taste that they are attracted inevitably by the gaudiest objects in the English market. Tribune News Service Haridwar, June 24 A record number of people will attend the June 25 rally of BJP president Amit Shah and it will signal the countdown of Chief Minister Harish Rawat-led state government. Haridwar MP Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said this after reviewing arrangements for the rally here yesterday. Nishank expressed happiness over enthusiasm of the workers and response the party was getting from the public. He claimed that more than one lakh people would attend the rally at the Rishikul ground tomorrow. All five parliamentarians from the state and legislators from Haridwar district would be present. He alleged that the Congress was creating communal tension in the district to disrupt the BJP rally. He said state Congress president Kishore Upadhyays peace march at the violence affected Landaura was a deliberate and desperate attempt to hamper the rally. He added owing to Shahs rally, the Chief Minister was having sleepless nights as the rally would herald return of the BJP to power in the state. Meanwhile, BJP district president Suresh Rathore also claimed that the would witness a huge attendance. Guv mourns death Dehradun: Governor KK Paul has expressed grief over the untimely death of Poonam Singh Sobti, Finance Controller, at the Raj Bhavan Secretariat and an officer of the State Finance Service. He prayed for the peace of the departed soul and expressed condolences towards the bereaved family. OSD and Secretary to the Governor Arun Dhaundiyal and all officers and staff of Raj Bhavan have expressed grief at the passing away of Poonam Sobti. TNS Missing youth: Residents block traffic Dehradun, June 25 Residents of Tapovan and Raipur held a protest at the Sahashtradhara crossing here yesterday. They said the police should take tangible steps to trace a missing youth. The residents blocked traffic at the Shashtardhara crossing to pressure the police. Mohammad Amir (22), a resident of Tapovan, went missing on June 22. Amir had last called his friend Ankur and informed him that someone had stabbed him in front of Gandhi Park. However, the residents called off the agitation after SP (City) Ajay Singh assured them of tracing the youth. Punjab man held for murder The Dehradun police arrested Gurmej Singh, a resident of Moga (Punjab), on Friday for allegedly strangulating Ranu Nagalia in her house at Saraswati Vihar, Raipur, on June 11. They recovered looted gold ornaments from his possession.TNS Moscow's Basmanny District Court has ordered Kirov Region Governor Nikita Belykh's arrest on charges of accepting a major bribe, an Interfax correspondent reported from the courthouse. "The court rules to grant the investigation's motion and choose a restrictive measure in the form of taking defendant Belykh into custody for two months, that is, until August 24," Judge Artur Karpov said after hearing the investigation's motion on arresting Belykh for two months on Saturday. The court declined Belykh's and his defense team's motion on releasing the Kirov governor on bail or placing him under house arrest at a community outside Moscow. The Russian Investigative Committee's special investigations department has indicted Kirov Region Governor Nikita Belykh for major bribery (Russian Criminal Code Article 290 Part 6), Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said earlier on Saturday. Neena Sharma Tribune News Service Dehradun, June 24 The second visit of BJP national president Amit Shah to Haridwar tomorrow is aimed at consolidating the position of the party in the district ahead of the Assembly elections in 2017. With 11 Assembly seats, the district sends the largest number of MLAs to the Vidhan Sabha. In the 2012 Assembly elections, the BJP had bagged the maximum number of five seats. The Congress and the BSP too had won three seats each. Significantly, a few ago, Amit Shah had attended a rally organised by senior BJP leader Satpal Maharaj. Hence while energising party workers at the rally in Haridwar, Shah would also be aiming at increasing their number. We will be looking at winning the maximum number of seats in Hardiwar and improving our performance, said Naresh Bansal, general secretary of the Uttarakhand BJP. The BJP has already managed to bring former Luxar MLA Kunwar Pratap Champion into its fold and is hopeful that he will get re-elected while contesting the election on the party ticket. Besides discussing the strategy for the elections, the BJP is expected to take a stand on the dual responsibilites that Ajay Bhatt has been entrusted with. Bhatt is both Leader of the Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha and party president. Bhatt has been handling the charge of party president after the term of Teerath Singh Rawat ended a few months ago. The party leadership had brought in Bhatt hoping that he would bring in the much needed aggression that seemed to be missing earlier, while taking on the Harish Rawat government. Under Bhatt, the Uttarakhand BJP did manage to destabilise the Congress by mobilising senior leaders like Vijay Bahuguna and Harak Singh Rawat to mount a rebellion during the budget session that led to the imposition of the Presidents rule. However, Bhatts stumbling efforts did not yield immediate political gains, as the Harish Rawat government was restored in the state. But on more than one occasion, Bhatt had patted his own back by claiming: Whatever the results, the Congress has lost nine MLAs and the BJP will benefit from the rebellion of these leaders in the 2017 Assembly elections. Against the backdrop of the vote of confidence, Bhatts leadership was again wide off the mark, in the just-concluded election to the Rajya Sabha seat. Significantly, besides sounding the poll bugle in Haridwar, Shah will also be chairing a meeting of the state executive at Haldwani on Sunday. Here, the party leaders are saying the issue of efficacy of vesting dual responsibilities in Bhatt could also be discussed. Among other things, the issue too will be discussed. The senior leaders will take the final decision and no date has been set, added Bansal. Sandeep Rawat Tribune News Service Haridwar, June 25 BJP national president Amit Shah here today said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre had carried out mass development works, social projects, schemes and initiatives during its two-year rule. He was addressing the Shanknad rally at the Rishikul ground here. Shah compared the two-year tenure of the NDA government with previous Congress governments and said their major achievements included corruption-free governance and several projects and welfare schemes launched in a short span, which the Congress couldnt do during its long period of rule. The NDA government has shown what good and visionary governance is by launching the Jan Dhan Yojana, one rank one pension, Start-Up India, Digital India, schemes related to peasants, labourers, poor people and students and distribution of LPG connections to poor consumers. Previous Congress-led governments were involved in scams and scandals and they misused power, said Shah during his 30-minute speech. Shah talked about his morning visit to the revered shrines of Kedarnath and Badrinath. He said the Centre had allocated Rs 11,500 crore for all-weather roads for the Char Dham pilgrimage. He took a dig at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and said, Rahul baba has much to learn about politics and organisational leadership, otherwise, he will have to go on vacation to Thailand or Malaysia every year. Shah praised the working of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said the world was looking up to India, as the country was on the path of development and becoming a major global power. He criticised Chief Minister Harish Rawat saying nine dissident Congress legislators, who had joined the BJP, told him that Rawat had offered them Rs 5 crore each to stay in the Congress. Harish Rawat is still in power by bribing legislators. A sting operation has exposed his real face. People have made up their mind that only the BJP can give able governance and put the hill state on the path of development, Shah added. Former Chief Ministers Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri, Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Vijay Bhauguna, in charge of BJP affairs in Uttarakhand Shyam Jaju and state president Ajay Bhatt also addressed the gathering. Washington, June 25 Twenty-three persons were killed as heavy thunderstorms caused sudden flooding in West Virginia, officials said. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin announced 14 deaths at a news conference on Friday afternoon. By Friday night, the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management increased the toll to 23, CNN reported. The victims included a four-year-old boy who was washed away by rapid floodwaters in Jackson County. The child was playing with his sister behind their home when he fell into a stream that had instantly turned into a rushing current after the relentless storms. An eight-year old boy from Ravenswood was also killed in the violent storm. Trees and power lines fell as heavy rains sent creeks and rivers out of their banks late Thursday and early Friday, leaving many stranded residents waiting to be rescued. IANS Berlin, June 25 EU leaders pressured Britain on Saturday to make a quick exit from the union, warning they could not afford to be left in limbo and that the divorce would not be amicable. Foreign Ministers of European Unions founding member states, gathering in Berlin for crisis talks after Britains shock referendum outcome, said London must begin the process of leaving as soon as possible. Frances Jean-Marc Ayrault went as far as to call for David Cameron, who has said he would resign by October, to make way fast for a new British Prime Minister to manage the transition out of the union. As the EU grappled with the first defection in its six-decade history, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker warned London against foot-dragging now that it had made its fateful choice. He admitted that the EU had hoped Britain would stay but that now it was key to make the separation process as speedy and painless as possible. It is not an amicable divorce but it was also not an intimate love affair, he said. European Parliament President Martin Schulz called Camerons decision to possibly wait until October to leave scandalous, saying that he was taking the whole (European) continent hostage. It will fall to Camerons successor to lead the complex negotiations under Article 50 of the EUs Lisbon Treaty which sets out a two-year timeframe to leave. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, hosting his counterparts from the five other original EU states, said they agreed that London must begin the exit process immediately. We join together in saying that this process must begin as soon as possible so we dont end up in an extended limbo period but rather can focus on the future of Europe and the work toward it, he told reporters. We understand and respect the result (of the referendum) and understand that Britain is now concentrating on Britain, Steinmeier said, flanked by Ayrault, the Netherlands Bert Koenders, Italys Paolo Gentiloni, Belgiums Didier Reynders and Luxemburgs Jean Asselborn. He insisted London still had a responsibility toward the EU. We must now be allowed to focus on the future of Europe and that means that after the decision taken in Britain, the process by which we negotiate Britains exit must begin. Koenders called for good faith talks with London to begin right away: We have to move on... we need to turn the page. AFP Brussels, June 24 Britain must launch the process of leaving the EU immediately and allow the rest of the bloc to forge ahead with greater union, European Parliament leaders said on Friday. British Prime Minister David Cameron, who announced his resignation after the Thursdays referendum result, said Britain would not make any formal notification before October, once his Conservative Party has chosen his successor. Manfred Weber, head of the largest political group in the assembly, the centre-right European Peoples Party, called on Cameron to trigger Britains exit at an EU summit on Tuesday and to start leave negotiations immediately. We have the will of the British people on the table, Weber told reporters, saying it now had to be implemented and the most important thing is that we do this very quickly. Any EU country that wants to leave the bloc has two years to negotiate the terms of the divorce, starting from the moment it formally notifies the EU of its intention to exit. But some Brexit supporters have suggested London could delay that notification to make time for informal talks on the best possible exit deal. Weber said the EU could not wait for British politicians to squabble over who would be the next prime minister. We need to avoid a long period of uncertainty and the European continent cannot be occupied by an internal Tory (Conservative) battle about who will be the next leader of the Tory party and the prime minister of Great Britain, he said. Guy Verhofstadt, a prominent European federalist who leads the third biggest bloc in the European Parliament, said he had no patience for an internal cat-fight of the Tory party and said the departure of eurosceptic Britain made it easier for the rest of the EU to unite. This ends a discussion of nearly 40 years with opt-ins, opt-outs, rebates, earmarks, you name it, Verhofstadt, leader of the centrist liberals, said, referring to special conditions that Britain has secured during its EU membership. Brexit was a chance to transform the EU into what the founding fathers initially had in mind, he said, not a loose confederation blocked by a unanimity rule that always delivered too little, too late. Faced with the loss of such a large member of the bloc and fears that the vote may inspire other eurosceptics on the continent, EU leaders may push for a quick show of unity, including on defence and security cooperation. Reuters Bloc to stay unified: EU president European Union president Donald Tusk said on Friday the bloc was determined to stay unified after Britain voted to leave, and warned against "hysterical" reactions Today on behalf of the 27 leaders, I can say that we are determined to keep our unity as 27," Tusk said in Brussels. It is a historic moment but for sure not a moment for hysterical reactions. No need for hasty reactions: Merkel German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday warned European Union member states against drawing hasty conclusions about Britains decision to quit the bloc, as that risked further splitting Europe We take note of the British peoples decision with regret. There is no doubt that this is a blow to Europe and to the European unification process, she said Merkel, who will host talks with French President Francois Hollande, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and European Council president Donald Tusk in Berlin on Monday Tough test for Europe: Hollande BRITAIN is expected to submit an application to leave the European Union following Thursdays referendum, after which it would have two years to negotiate an exit. Below are possible consequences for Britain and the EU of a Brexit. Freedom from budget rules Britain would no longer be subject to EU budget rules, which limit a governments budget deficit to 3% of gross domestic product and public debt to 60% of GDP. It could, therefore, run whatever budget shortfall it wants without admonishment from the European Commission and other EU ministers. It would also be free from the Commissions monitoring and advice on future actions. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook and Twitter @thetribunechd) Finance firms will be hit Financial services firms based in Britain, from banks to clearing houses and funds, could lose their money-spinning EU passports, which allows them to sell services across the 28-nation bloc with low costs and a single set of rules. The passporting system has contributed to making London one of the worlds most important financial centres. Some American, Japanese and other non-European banks that have European headquarters in London have said they would consider moving parts of their business inside the European Union, in the event of a Brexit. Focus on goods than services The rest of the EU has a trade surplus in goods of about 100 billion euros ($110 billion) with Britain, while Britain exports some 20 billion euros in services than it imports, principally due to financial services. Brexit campaigners say if would be in the EUs interest to agree a free trade deal with Britain even if it leaves the bloc. However, there tends to be more of a focus on goods than services in free trade deals. More legal cost for firms British companies acquiring EU peers would still need approval from the UK competition watchdog and the European Commission, resulting in more legal costs and the risk that each delivers a different ruling. Britain will have a free hand to aid ailing companies or industries without fear of EU action but it will also not be able to oppose subsidies granted by EU governments to their own national champions. Energy infra costlier Leaving the EU could make UK energy infrastructure investment costlier and delay new projects at a time when the country needs to plug a looming electricity supply gap. The uncertainty after Brexit could make energy investors demand higher returns for the risk of less favourable conditions. Oil and gas majors BP and Shell are among energy companies who warned about the potential downside. Tough on climate Britain is the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in Europe and its utilities are among the largest buyers of carbon permits in the EU Emission Trading System (ETS). Although most analysts believe Britain will remain in the cap-and-trade scheme, the vote is viewed as bearish for the market as Britain would no longer be able to drive tough reforms to drive up the price. Aviation will feel the heat A Brexit could call into question EU agreements on open airspace that have granted the regions airlines unlimited access to the skies of fellow member states, benefiting both UK and EU airlines. It would also affect transatlantic routes because of the EU-US Open Skies agreement, which gives British airlines unlimited flying rights to the United States. Foreign policy will get push Along with France, Britain is the leading foreign policy power in the European Union, boasting a large military and close ties with the US. After a Brexit, Washington has made clear it will be less interested in London as an ally because of a perceived loss of influence. Britain would no longer be bound by joint EU positions, for instance on economic sanctions against Russia. Britain would remain a member of NATO. Less cooperation on policing Britain currently recognises other EU members arrest warrants, exchanges police information, including personal data, and is a member of the blocs police agency Europol. Its future involvement, including access to EU databases, could diminish, meaning less cooperation on policing and fighting crime. Reuters Setback for US-EU free trade deal Washington: Britain's looming exit from the European Union is another huge setback for negotiations on a massive US-EU free trade deal that were already stalled by deeply entrenched differences and growing anti-trade sentiment on both continents. The historic divorce launched by Thursday's vote will almost certainly further delay substantial progress in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks as the remaining 27 EU states sort out their own new relationship with Britain, trade experts said on Friday. Reuters IS calls for more attacks on Europe London: The Islamic State has expressed its delight over the economic impact on the United Kingdon and European Union following the British referendum and called for attacks in Berlin and Brussels to "paralyse" Europe, according to a media report. A jihadi Telegram - an encrypted messaging service popular with militants - praised the economic chaos that came in the wake of the European Union Referendum and urged followers to strike at the heart of mainland Europe, the Mirror reported citing SITE intelligence group. PTI Andy McSmith The United Kingdom is a divided kingdom that may split in two. Referendum results show a country divided by geography, social class, and across the generations. England and Wales are on one side of the Remain-Leave divide, Scotland and Northern Ireland on the other. London has been shown not to speak for England. Working class voters were mostly in favour of Leave, the middle class less so. The young wanted to stay in the EU. Pensioners wanted to get out. The most significant variation in terms of its likely political impact is the Scotland-England divide. Scotland voted by 62 to 38 to stay in the EU. The vote here makes clear that the people of Scotland see their future as part of the European Union, Scotlands First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said overnight. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook and Twitter @thetribunechd) David Cameron was at pains to stress during his resignation speech that Scotlands administration and those of Wales and Northern Ireland would be involved in the process of negotiating Brexit. He will be hoping that his words will have helped avert a break-up of the UK. But the prospect of another Scottish referendum is now real. A few years hence, motorists travelling along the A1 may have come upon a border checkpoint north of Berwick upon Tweed, and may need to change currencies, because they will be using euros on the north side of the Tweed. Northern Ireland also backed Remain by a proportion of 56 to 44, but is certain now to share a border with the EU, because the Republic of Ireland has no plans to follow the UK into the unknown. London was the only English region, but not the only English city or town, to back Remain. While most of the north of England was in favour of coming out, some big cities, including Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds, backed Remain. Some prosperous parts of the South East and East Anglia also bucked the national trend, an indication that people in the higher income brackets were more likely to vote Remain that those who struggle to compete with immigrant labour for jobs, housing and access to public services. Oxford voted Remain by a margin of almost three to one. Similarly, Cambridge. Generally, it was noticeable that where there are universities, the Remain prevailed, implying that university students value the opportunities for travel and finding work that go with EU membership more than they worry about the competing with EU migrants for jobs in the UK. According to YouGov, young voters those under 25 backed Remain by a margin of three to one, though the young are notoriously bad at turning out to vote. Those in the 25 to 49 age bracket also backed Remain, by a margin of 56 to 44. But those proportions were reversed by the 50 to 64 year olds, while those over 65 voted 61-39 in favour of Brexit. YouGov is having an embarrassing day after their exit poll forecast a comfortable win for Remain, but the general finding is probably true that it was the grey vote that took us out of the EU. The Independent Canberra, June 25 Aircraft wreckage suspected to be from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has been found on an island off Tanzania in East Africa, an Australian official said. Federal Transport Minister Darren Chester issued a statement on Friday about the debris--part of an aircraft wing--found by locals on Pemba island, more than 6,000 km from the current search zone, news.com.au reported. Pictures posted by Jamii Forums on Twitter showed the part is larger than anything else found to date that has been determined to almost certainly come from MH370 that vanished on March 8, 2014 on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. Chester said the Australian Transport Safety Bureau was seeking further information on the debris to ascertain whether it was part of the Malaysia Airlines aircraft. If it is confirmed as being from MH370, it will be the furtherest north debris had been found to date. Other items have been discovered on Reunion Island, Mauritius, Mozambique and South Africa. Debris found in Madagascar earlier this month is still awaiting retrieval by Malaysia for examination. Drift modelling undertaken by University of Western Australia oceanographer Charitha Pattiaratchi showed it was possible debris from MH370 could have been carried as far as Pemba island. Professor Pattiaratchi said it was more likely that debris would come up on an island than a beach because an island collects things. He said it was completely plausible that a section of wing from MH370 had now washed up on Pemba island, from the southern Indian Ocean. Chester said officials from Malaysia, Australia and China met this week to discuss a range of matters related to the search. Discussions were productive and will allow each country to brief their respective Minister ahead of a Ministerial Tripartite Meeting proposed for late July, he added. IANS Playing a rather destructive role in the South China Sea issue, the U.S. is actually the root cause of escalating tension in the region with its threats to Chinas territory and maritime rights, the Peoples Daily strongly criticized the U.S. in a commentary published on Wednesday. The article titled U.S. display of military power act of hegemony was published under the pen name Zhong Sheng, a Chinese-language homonym for the phrase voice of China that is often used to express the paper's views on foreign policy. In the article, the paper condemned the recent drills conducted by two American aircraft carriers in the waters near the Philippines, which was touted by a U.S. navy official as deterrence against China. The full text of the article reads as follows: Two U.S. aircraft carriers recently conducted military drills in waters near the Philippines, yet John Richardson, the chief of U.S. Naval Operations, claimed at a conference on Monday that the Navy does not get to do two-carrier operations very often. He said that the deployment was a signal of the U.S. commitment to regional security, adding that he hoped it would deter any attempts to destabilize the region. What the U.S. did is in truth an old trick, whereby it repeatedly attempts to scare off its opponents by displaying its military might as a kind of security vigilante. Such behavior may go over smoothly in some parts of the world, but China is obviously a wrong choice for the U.S. to target with its game of deterrence. Hidden behind this misjudgment is Washington's anxiety and arrogance, which is the true expression of its hegemonic nature. The military drills and remarks from the senior U.S. military official once again prove that the mighty eagle is far from being a security guardian in the region, and is instead a troublemaker. Regarding the South China Sea issue, the U.S. remains a rather destructive figure. The U.S. has been blaming China for militarization in the South China Sea for quite some time, with claims the country is disrupting regional peace and stability. However, it is the U.S. that sent aircraft carriers and strategic bombers to the region. U.S. missile destroyers have approached Chinas islands more than once in the name of navigational freedom. Consecutive military drills between the U.S. and its allies were also conducted. Such facts prove that it is the U.S. who is trying to turn the South China Sea into a gunpowder barrel by promoting its militarization. The U.S. is a country outside the South China Sea region, yet its military force sails all the way across the vast Pacific Ocean to demonstrate its power. By doing so, the country clearly intends to stir up tension and disrupt regional peace and stability so that it can benefit from the disturbance and protect its hegemony. This deceitful business is in open contempt of international law as well as a flagrant threat to other countries security interests. The U.S. has promised to China on many international occasions that it will not take sides when it comes to territorial disputes in the South China Sea. However, the series of military actions conducted by the U.S. says otherwise, exposing the countrys hypocrisy. It is clear that the U.S. provocation of Chinas land and maritime interests are the root causes of the tense South China Sea situation. In the South China Sea issue, Chinas will to maintain its national sovereignty and territorial integrity is as solid as a boulder. China will defend each piece of its land, and no one should question the country when it comes to its rightful and legitimate territory. China will continue to strictly monitor the air and sea, take appropriate measures when deemed necessary, and defend itself against situations that pose a threat to Chinas territorial sovereignty and security interests. The U.S. must be clear that China will not let other countries bully the region or act arbitrarily regardless of the rules when it comes to South China Sea stability. The hegemonic actions of the U.S. are truly a farce, and it must bear in mind that it will pay the price if it crosses the line. By then, what the U.S. needs to face would not be as easy as one or two military drills or some harsh words, Washington, June 25 The Pentagon is set to lift its ban on transgender troops within the coming weeks, US media reported. The move would be another major milestone for Americas vast military, which up until five years ago still banned gay troops from openly discussing their sexuality under a Dont Ask, Dont Tell policy. USA Today said the transgender announcement is expected July 1 and the plan would require each branch of the military to phase in the new policy over a 12-month period. Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook declined to confirm reports, but said a decision was due soon. Currently, Pentagon rules allow transgender troops to be discharged from the military. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter last year ordered all military rolesincluding combat positionsto be opened to women. Maryland Democratic Congressman Steny Hoyer welcomed the news. The reversal of the ban is a major step forward in the effort to secure the full rights and equality of LGBT people in our country, and it will strengthen our military by ensuring that talented, dedicated candidates are not turned away or discouraged from serving because of their gender identity, he said in a statement. AFP The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) hosted a plenary session in Seoul on Thursday. In the meeting, Choi Jong-moon, South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs praised the role played by China in ensuring the success of the meeting as well as the significance of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in NSGs efforts. Wang Qun, Director-General of the Department of Arms Control of Chinese Foreign Ministry also talked about the topic in an interview. Following is the full text of the interview: Question: It is reported that at the Seoul Plenary, China is blocking Indias membership. What is your comment? Answer: The NSG has hitherto not agreed any agenda with the item on non-NPT states participation. And this Plenary has no such item on its agenda either. So, there is no point of so called opposing or supporting Indias membership. China, for its part, attaches great importance to the issue of how to handle the issue of non-NPT states participation. Under the Argentina Chairmanship, China has worked hard to push discussions on the above issue in all aspects. And so far, three rounds of discussions had been conducted in the format of Friends of Chair meetings. Despite many differences in the course of discussion, The Chinese side nevertheless believes such discussions are useful and enhance the mutual understanding of relevant parties. We for our part wish to continue this discussion. And in the meantime, we will also participate in the discussion in a constructive manner. Question: What are the criteria required for the new members of NSG? Answer: As for the eligibility of new members of the NSG, there are five criteria covering a wide spectrum, from factors of technical to political and legal nature. NPT is a must. In other words, the applicant state shall be party to the NPT. This is a rule not set by China, but reaffirmed by the international community. NPT represents the cornerstone of the entire non-proliferation regime. If exceptions are allowed here or there on the question of NPT, the international non-proliferation then will be collapsed altogether. In the absence of NPT as political and legal basis, it will be inconceivable for the JCPOA on the Iranian nuclear issue to be reached. And moreover, it will add huge difficulty to the implementation of the JCPOA. And in the absence of NPT as the political and legal basis, how could the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula be resolved? All these merit reflection. While its easy to adopt double standards, the consequence can be enormous. Question: What is the role of China on this issue? Answer: As for how to address the issue of non-NPT states participation, this is a formidable task. Parties are far apart within the group. But Chinas approach is basically two-fold. On the one hand, the rule of the Group should be respected, as such rules are not targeted against any specific countries. On the other hand, innovative ideas are called for to forge consensus. To this end, China had pushed the Group to conduct informal discussions under the Argentina Chairmanship. And at this plenary, China once again pushed the group to discuss the issue of non-NPT states participation in an innovative format. It should be stressed that such format is not only more formal, but represents a major result achieved at this annual plenary. China commends the leadership role of ROK in its capacity of Chairmanship of the Group, and China for its part has also made its due contribution. Question: There is saying that India is seeking NSG membership on the ground of developing nuclear energy out of the need to meet the challenges in climate change. What is Chinas view? Answer: China for its part, understands Indias sentiment on developing nuclear energy to meet climate changes. This is also the common challenges confronting the developing countries. We believe that NPT as the only international non-proliferation legal instrument, is not at odds with the Paris Agreement on climate change. On the contrary, they are mutually reinforcing and supportive. There are three pillars in the NPT, one of which is to ensure the legitimate rights of country in developing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. India had bilateral cooperation with many members of the Group in the field of nuclear energy. And subject to Indias needs, China for its part also stands ready to explore cooperation in this field, so as to help India to address its nuclear energy needs. In this episode of Morning Edition, we discuss the award of 7.5 million dollars by the court Chinese President Xi Jinping (6th R front) poses for a group photo with other participants and observers of the 16th SCO Council of Heads of State meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, June 24, 2016. Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward a five-point proposal Friday for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to consolidate unity and mutual trust, and deepen comprehensive cooperation. Speaking at the 16th SCO Council of Heads of State meeting in Uzbek capital Tashkent, Xi urged all the SCO members to firstly carry forward the Shanghai Spirit, which has been regarded as the bloc's undergirding value. Secondly, the SCO should prioritize security and cement this foundation of the SCO development, said the Chinese leader. Thirdly, the SCO should expand practical cooperation and broaden the path for its progress. Fourthly, it also needs to enhance culture and people-to-people foundation as a bridge for future development. Last but not the least, the SCO should uphold openness and inclusiveness and get more parties on board for SCO cooperation, Xi said. The annual summit, hosted by Uzbek President Islam Karimov, was also attended by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon. The heads of state signed the Tashkent declaration on the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the SCO as well as several resolutions to approve an action plan of the SCO development in next five years, and the working reports of the SCO secretary-general and the organization's anti-terrorism institution. The leaders also witnessed the signing of the memorandums of obligations for India and Pakistan to join the SCO, which is a key step for the two countries to obtain membership of the organization. Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it. I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends. More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it. The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity. About me: I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS. Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line). Age: 42 Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed. I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it). No Ukrainian servicemen were killed, but two soldiers were wounded 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. No Ukrainian servicemen were killed, but two soldiers were wounded as a result of military operations over the past day, Lysenko said. He added that militants also suffered losses: three terrorists were killed and another three were wounded. ol Canadian parliamentary opposition expresses deep concern over the Liberal governments warming relations with Vladimir Putins Russia. This was stated by Official Opposition Foreign Affairs critic, Tony Clement, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "The Liberal government has no desire to stand firm against the Russian invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea. While Ukraine pleads with the world to maintain sanctions against Russia and Putin ramps up militarisation along European borders, Canada should be condemning Russian aggression, not cozying up to it," Clement said. He recalled that the ruling Liberal Party refused to support the Conservatives Magnitsky Act, which would hold Russias corrupt officials, murders and torturers to account. The mounting evidence shows a dangerous reversal of Canadas once strong and principled stand against Russias ceaseless aggression towards Ukraine, and its litany of human rights abuses. We urge the government to show some backbone and stand strong in the face of Putin`s imperial bullying and belligerence, the Official Opposition Foreign Affairs critic said. ol The declaration of the PACE Bureau calling to lift sanctions and resume dialogue with the Russian Federation "undermines credibility of the whole Assembly." This was stated by Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin, Government portal reports. "Amid present conditions, the declaration of the PACE Bureau calling to lift sanctions and resume dialogue with the Russian Federation undermines credibility of the whole Assembly," Klimkin said. Ukrainian Foreign Minister added that Russia "continues to openly ignore the calls of the international community to stop the aggression against Ukraine." "Further concessions to the aggressor and occupier will be the worst signal to the international community and will mean that Russia, like any other state, can now freely violate the fundamental principles of the Council of Europe with impunity," Klimkin said. ol The European Union assures there is no delay in cancelling visa requirements for Ukrainians, but further decisions on this matter should be expected in autumn, when a new political season will start. Representative of Ukraine in the European Union Mykola Tochytsky said this in an exclusive interview with an Ukrinform correspondent in Brussels. "Our European partners confirm that no one is going to create unnecessary delays and put forward additional conditions. Therefore, we expect that the key decisions will be made at the beginning of a new political season," Tochytsky said about the prospects for abolition of visa requirements for Ukrainians. ol U.S. space agency NASA said Thursday its 26-year-old Hubble Space Telescope will keep working in orbit until 2021. NASA said in a statement it has awarded a five-year sole source contract extension to the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy for continued Hubble science operations support at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. This action extends the period of performance from July 1 through June 30, 2021, it said, adding that the contract value will increase by about 196.3 million U.S. dollars for a total contract value of 2.03 billion dollars. According to NASA, Hubble is "better than ever" after the final space shuttle servicing mission to the telescope in 2009. "Hubble is expected to continue to provide valuable data into the 2020's, securing its place in history as an outstanding general purpose observatory in areas ranging from our solar system to the distant universe," said the statement. Hubble was launched in April 1990, and NASA has planned to replace it with the so-called James Webb Space Telescope, which will be launched into space in 2018 as the premier observatory of the next decade. GUANGZHOU, June 24 -- Britain's decision to leave the European Union will have only a limited effect on China's stock market and will perhaps boost the yuan's status as a global currency, economists told Xinhua on Friday. "The decision may actually accelerate the competition between other European cities for yuan businesses, and as a result, Britain may have to provide Chinese institutions with better terms," said Xiang Songzuo, deputy director of the International Monetary Institute at Renmin University, during an interview with Xinhua at the China International Finance Expo in Guangzhou. "The status of London as an offshore yuan trading center will more or less be affected and that could open up opportunities for yuan business in Frankfurt, Luxembourg or Zurich, for example," said Lian Ping, chief economist of state-owned Bank of Communications. "Brexit" will result in both a weaker pound and euro, which will raise yuan's exchange rate against these currencies, Xiang said. Following the UK's decision to leave the European Union, global stock markets tumbled with China's benchmark Shanghai Composite Index dropping 1.3 percent at close while the offshore yuan against the U.S. dollar also slumped . The impact of "Brexit" on the yuan and stock market is only "psychological" and the long-term value of Chinese stocks is still dependent on economic fundamentals, Xiang said. "Markets overreact all the time," said Xiang, "For China, it will be only about a week before it gets back to normal." China, Russia and Mongolia inked a development planon Thursday to build an economic corridor linking the three neighbors. The corridor aims to further boost regional collaboration by increasing transportation connectivity and economic cooperation in border regions. The plan was signedin Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, after a meeting of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian president Vladimir Putin and Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj. During their meeting,PresidentXi reviewed the achievements the three countries have madeinimplementing their mid-term roadmap for cooperation formulated in 2015, saying progress and positive results have been made in such areas astoday they are reaping the fruitstrade, economy, culture, transport, tourism and sports. Xi also urged intensified trilateral collaboration by aligning of China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt initiative, Russia's development strategies, especially its transcontinental rail plan, and Mongolia's Steppe Road program. The signing of the development plan, as the official launch of the first corridor ofmultilateral economic cooperation under the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road initiative, also marks a new chapter for China-Russia-Mongolia cooperation. Based on the development demands of the three countries, the economic corridor aims to expand their cooperation space, tap their potential, pursue common prosperity and improve their competence. In the plan, the three countries clarified the specific sectorsfor cooperation, its sourcesof capital as well as the operation mechanism of the corridor. The three countries cooperation in the corridor will give priority to infrastructure connectivity, port construction, industrial capacity, investment, trade and economy, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and environmental protection. The three countries also plan to accelerate regional cooperation by building a new growth engine for Asia. The trilateral meeting among the three heads of state, ahead of an annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), was the third of its kind. The first was held during the Dushanbe summit in 2014. Sun Zhuangzhi, Secretary-General of the Center for Shanghai Cooperation Organization Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, explained that though holding huge potential for greater cooperation, China, Russia and Mongolia still need to improve their transportation, laws and policy adaptation,as well as the complementarity of their economic structures. In order to remove obstacles to cooperation and achieve win-win results, each side must strengthen high-level policy coordination and implement long-term and top-level plans for bilateral relations and regional cooperation, Sun underlined, adding that this is another reason why their trilateral meeting is in need. U.S. President Barack Obama talks about entrepreneurship with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and other entrepreneurs at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Stanford, California on June 24. (People's Daily Online/Han Shasha) Stanford University, June 24, ----U.S. President Obama shared a stage in Silicon Valley with Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook and other entrepreneurs on Friday to talk about entrepreneurship and innovation at the 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Summit. Obama said at the summit that "In todays world, where our economies have undergone dramatic shifts, where business dont stop at borders, where technology and automation have transformed virtually every industry and changed how people organize and work, entrepreneurship remains the engine of growth. " He said, entrepreneurship is what gives people a chance to fulfill dreams and create something bigger. While Zuckerberg said that "To me, entrepreneurship is about creating change, not just creating companies. And the most effective entrepreneurs who Ive met care deeply about some mission and some change that they're trying to create. And often they don't even start because they're trying to create a company." Before they started the conversation, Obama took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, joking that although he couldn't wear a T-shirt like Zuckerberg, he would take off jacket so that he didn't look too formal. While Zuckerberg replied "Soon". Moderated a panel, Obama asked other three young entrepreneurs from Egypt, Rwanda and Lima to share their stories. Jean Bosco Nzeyimana, founder and CEO of Habona Limited, a company that uses biomass and waste to develop eco-friendly fuels that are used in rural Africa told that " when I was growing up in the rural villages in Rwanda, I used to spend countless hours in the forest collecting firewood for my parents and fetching water. And that was not just me, but dozens of other children in Africa are facing the same challenges. They are involved in laborious activities to help their parents just to have a meal, instead of going to school." He thought he could do something to help these families have access to other alternative fuels that they can use to replace charcoal that they have been using for many years. He later came up an idea that turned firewood into affordable and environmentally friendly products in form of briquettes and biogas. "It has been two years, and I have employed more than 25 people, giving them permanent jobs. And we are trying to expand to other areas of the country so that we can continue to improve sanitation, as well as providing these kind of alternative fuels, which can improve health and mitigate climate change in the country and Africa in general." However, he could still recall all the hurdles in his company's early stage. He started his business when he was 19,an age that could not be easily trusted by local people. So he had to plays roles as his own employee, marketer, technical boss and others. "I had to be everything in the company so that I can build that kind of first impression so that I can impress a few people to come to me and help me run this cause." While being young is not the only challenge for entrepreneurs. Others mentioned that funding is actually a common challenge for business starters. "It turns out that starting your own business is not easy. You have to have access to capital. You have to meet the right people. You have to have mentors who can guide you as you get your idea off the ground. And that can be especially difficult for women and young people and minorities, and others who havent always had access to the same networks and opportunities," said Obama. Samsung is setting Galaxy S8 new features into new heights which will be flaunting a dual camera setup along with UHD screen resolution and expanded and bigger battery. Dual Camera Setup The reliable Chinese sources like the tech portal Wccftech said that Samsung Motors (Semco) will be designing Galaxy S8's dual camera modules. In the past, rumors suggested that Samsung's arch rival Apple will not be featuring a dual-camera setup in their upcoming iPhone 7 Plus. Thus, Samsung is having a clear advantage over the iPhone flagship. UHD Resolution With the release of the fire hit virtual reality headsets, the Galaxy S8 is expected to arrive with a 4K or UHD resolution screen (2,160 x 3,840 pixels). Considering that the flagship devices released, could QHD screen resolution come compatible for the new new device? QHD displays been have found to put the housed battery under stress. Therefore, the battery toll would rather be expanded having a 4K display onboard. Bigger Battery This could mean that Samsung will be housing a bigger battery unit. Samsung's current-generation Galaxy S7 series are packed with a non-removable Li-Ion 3,000 mAh cell. That points to new perspective that the Samsung Galaxy S8 is alleged to be powered by Qualcomm's next-generation Snapdragon 830 chipset. This chip is reportedly to be manufactured with the proficient 10nm FinFET process. Thus, the chipset will actually provide more power in consuming less energy, Phone Arena reported. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 chipset are house in most of the flagships released this year. On the other hand, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is eyed to come with a Snapdragon 823 SoC, an enhanced version of SD820, International Business Times added. At any rate, the Samsung Galaxy S8 will not be out to stores until February or March next year allowing Apple's iPhone 7 series to commence alone by the end of 2016. Samsung has not come out to confirm any of these information since it is still too early to spoil the excitement. However, readers may now consider Galaxy S8 on their bucket list. What do you think? Check out the video below to know more. Then, share your thoughts at the comment section below. A large number of California students are hungry while thousands of them are homeless. A recent study result revealed that one out of five California State University are hungry eating only Ramen noodles and free pizza, do not know when the next meal will come and whom it will come from. One out of 10 homeless is sleeping in cars and friends' houses making a total of 50,000 students from the total of 460,000 CSU enrolees. The result was presented on Monday by Tim White, CSU Chancellor who initiated the research on food and home constraint among students in February 2015. Among those questioned during the research were the school staffs and faculties along with the students. According to the answers given, the students believe that some campus personnel did not clearly understand their situation while some of them do not even have any idea of the kind of the assistance the school may provide them. On the other hand, some of the staffs interviewed stated that they did not fully publicize their outreach and promotion to avoid the possibility of failure to meet the need due to limited resources. Another staff revealed that they had to make their programs as "best-kept secret" in order to properly disseminate the resources based on the severity of constraint. Nikki, one of the homeless students recalled how one campus residential staff refused her stay in the dorms due to financial lack telling her that of she will be allowed to stay then the dorm will have to allow everybody, Yahoo reported. To somehow resolve the problem, 11 from 23 CSU campuses set up pantries and organized programs to provide assistance to hungry students who cannot provide for their meals. One of them was called "Feed a Need," a program wherein residential students donate one meal to anyone on campus who are in need of food. Fresno State developed an app sending push notifications to students whenever there are leftover catered foods after an event. They give the exact location for the students to easily find the place. They do not just help the hungry students; they also lower a number of food wastes. California State University assured that they will continue the study to properly address the issue and assist the homeless and hungry students, The Huffington Post reported. In what could be considered as another notable win for the adoption of affirmative action in higher education, the United States Supreme Court has upheld a University of Texas policy that considers race as one of the factors for admission. Affirmative action in college admissions has pulled through yet another Supreme Court test. The Court ruled 4-3 on Thursday, June 23, giving the go-ahead to University of Texas Austin's admissions process, dubbing it as constitutional and deciding Fisher v. Texas for the second time in a span of just three years. The decision that directly impacted millions of Americans was this time, in the favor of the university. Writing for a four-justice majority that comprised of Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Anthony Kennedy adjudged that the university's inspection of the students' race was indeed constitutional, Vox reported. However, if the decision would have gone against the University of Texas, this could have actually interfered with universities' consideration of race at the time of admission of students. According to Vinay Harpalani, who serves as a professor at Savannah Law School with focus on race in higher education, the ruling is not definite and will probably require schools to take numerous actions to be able to actually consider race in admissions. Keeping Data Texas on its campus diversity played a crucial role in urging the court to support its policy, Harpalani noted. The court delved into details of everything UT Austin did; including surveys and campus studies. Harpalani lays emphasis on its importance noting that universities have now gained a sense of how to support their plan. Besides, in a majority opinion authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy, the court noted that the school will need to keep on studying this data in order to ensure its plan is essential for a diverse campus. Kennedy noted that giving a stamp of approval to the University's admissions policy does not compulsorily imply that the University may depend on that same policy without any rectifications. It is the duty of the University to continuously reflect on its admission policies, he added. Contradicting the Court's decision, Justice Samuel Alito pointed out that UT failed to convince that the institute's policy of giving admission to all students in the top-10 percent of their high school graduating class did result in creating diversity, especially considering the state's high schools are already divided into racial or ethnic groups, Patch reported. Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin: The case revolves around a white, female student whose admission was turned down by University of Texas, which considers race as one of the key criteria in admitting some of the students. The said student, Abigail Fisher was reportedly discriminated against citing her race (as she was white). Texas, on the other hand defended its policy dubbing it as crucial in developing a racially diverse campus. That being said, it cannot be denied that the school's admission policy is indeed a little unusual. According to Texas law, at the time Fisher applied, those students who are in the top 10 percent of their high school's graduating class were granted admission to the school automatically. However, that number has now dropped to mere 7 percent for Fall 2017 applicants. In a bid to equip Japanese students for study at U.S. universities, ELS Educational Services, a top-notch English language instructor for foreign students, has revealed its plan to debut its own specialized English language programmes. The scheme will reportedly run in collaboration with Benesse Corporation and Berlitz and is slated to begin with an already selected group of Japanese universities, Study International reported. Those participating in the programme will go in for a full semester of Intensive English for Academic Purposes training initially at the Japanese institutions; prior to be transferred to an on-campus ELS centre at any one of 23 partner institutions in the United States. Mark W. Harris, who will soon undergo a transition from ELS President and CEO to President Emeritus to enable him to focus on business development. As President Emeritus, Harris will consult with partner universities and develop a course of action in terms of recruitment strategies that will eventually boost enrollment from Latin America, Central Asia, Oceania and South East Asia, Study Travel Magazine reported. Harris will be replaced by Reiji Teresaka, a new addition to the company, who is slated to join ELS as CEO. Teresaka, who previously worked at The Carlyle Group as an investment expert, will oversee investments at U.S. partner institutions as well as the on-campus programmes that are scheduled to be hosted in Japan. Alexandra Zilovic, on the other hand will take over the position of the Executive Vice President of Global Operations and Business Affairs. His position is devoted to student success drive at ELS schemes based in the United States, Australia and Canada. In addition, Zilovic will put student support services into effect in order to facilitate the assimilation of Japanese students across participating campuses in the United States. Malik Sundharam will be assigned the role of Vice President of Business Development. Citing the plan to launch ELS India as a higher education agency - a plan of action developed by Malik Sundharam himself - the global language training centre earned recognition from the U.S. Department of Commerce for its crucial contribution in building up U.S. higher education. Sundharam will spearhead ELS counselling as well as recruitment assignments throughout Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and India. Stanford University, June 24, ---- U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday at Stanford University that UK's exit from the European Union would not change the "special relationship" that exists between the two nations. Speaking at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit at Stanford University, Obama said he had spoken with Prime Minister David Cameron about working together to ensure economic growth and financial stability. Obama said that " And based on our conversation, I'm confident that the UK is committed to an orderly transition out of the EU. We agreed that our economic and financial teams will remain in close contact as we stay focused on ensuring economic growth and financial stability. " He also talked to Chancellor Merkel of Germany, and they agreed that "the United States and European allies will work closely together in the weeks and months ahead." He told that " I do think that yesterday's vote speaks to the ongoing changes and challenges that are raised by globalization. But while the UKs relationship with the EU will change, one thing that will not change is the special relationship that exists between our two nations. That will endure. The EU will remain one of our indispensable partners." The historic Brexit vote shock the world with fluctuating financial markets, which caused the global stock markets losing about $2 trillion in value on Friday, according to the report of Reuters. TASHKENT, June 25 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's just-concluded three-nation Eurasia tour gained new momentum for the Belt and Road Initiative and boosted the development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. On June 17-24, Xi paid state visits to Serbia, Poland and Uzbekistan and attended the 16th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent. The tour came just three months after Xi's last visit to Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), and marked a fourth straight year in which Xi visited Central Asia, Wang said, noting that Xi attended over 60 meetings and other events throughout the trip. The visit, he added, further enhanced China's traditional friendship and strategic cooperation with countries in the region. CONSOLIDATING TRADITIONAL FRIENDSHIP China has enjoyed a traditional friendship with Serbia, Poland and Uzbekistan, defined by long-standing exchange, Wang said. Xi's well-timed visit has lifted China's relations with the three countries to a new level, the minister added. During the tour, China and each of the three countries decided to elevate their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership. The upgrade will give inpetus to the "16+1" cooperation involving China and the CEE nations, the building of a China-Europe strategic partnership, and the development of the SCO. Wang said Xi also held in-depth talks with leaders of the countries. They agreed to support each other's core interests and seek common development. They also agreed to expand security ties and support each other in international affairs. The joint statements issued by China with Serbia, Poland and Uzbekistan fully reflected their desire to deepen bilateral relations and expand cooperation that would benefit all parties, said Wang. People-to-people and cultural activities, he added, were also an important pillar and highlight of the tour and demonstrated the profound friendship between peoples. In particular, upon arrival in Serbia, Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, paid homage to the three Chinese journalists killed in the NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on May 7, 1999. The fact that Serbia's president, prime minister and other cabinet members joined them in paying tribute indicated that the time-honored traditional friendship will be passed on from generation to generation, Wang said. PROMOTING BELT AND ROAD, PRACTICAL COOPERATION The Belt and Road Initiative featured prominently during Xi's tour. Wang said it exemplifies the will of those who seek development and resonates with the trend of the times. Proposed by Xi in 2013, the initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt that links China with Europe through Central and Western Asia by inland routes, and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road connecting China with Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe by sea. During the tour, Xi summarized the results of Belt and Road cooperation over the past three years. According to Xi, the initiative has achieved visible progress. Inter-connectivity is taking shape, economic corridors are being built, and the China-Europe freight train service has been growing under the brand CHINA RAILWAY Express. Trade and investment have surged, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges have intensified. Xi put forward thoughts for the next phase of development, noting that China is willing to work with countries interested in building a "green, healthy, intelligent and peaceful" new Silk Road. Serbia, Poland and Uzbekistan were among the first countries to respond to the initiative, and are important countries on the route, Wang said. A series of key projects are being carried out in the three countries, such as the Hungary-Serbia railway, the Pupin Bridge on the Danube River in Belgrade, the expansion and upgrading of Kostolac Power Plant, the China-Europe freight train service, the Qamchiq Tunnel in Uzbekistan, as well as the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline system. PROMOTING SCO COOPERATION, SHANGHAI SPIRIT The Chinese president addressed the 16th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State in Tashkent, promoting SCO cooperation and the Shanghai Spirit. "This shows the importance China attaches to the SCO, a key platform for regional cooperation," Wang said. China stands ready to work together with other SCO members to promote the Shanghai Spirit and the expansion of SCO cooperation, he added. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the SCO, which Wang said is an important occasion to reflect on its past and look into the future. The SCO now is blessed with new opportunities and, at the same time, faces the challenging task of how to better move ahead on security and economic cooperation, Wang said. Speaking at the meeting, Xi hailed the remarkable achievements of the SCO since its establishment 15 years ago. He highlighted the Shanghai Spirit advocated by the SCO -- mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and pursuit of common development. The SCO countries signed the Treaty of Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation, and are moving toward accepting Pakistan and India as new members. "All this shows the SCO has found out a new model for an international organization in line with the latest developments of our time, and is now one of the most vigorous and influential of its kind," the Chinese foreign minister said. Xi put forward a five-point proposal for the SCO to strengthen ties, calling for efforts to further promote the Shanghai Spirit and cooperate in various fields. The Tashkent Declaration issued at the summit drew heavily on Xi's proposals, which won plenty of support, Wang said. Xi also met with a number of national leaders on the sidelines of the summit. The leaders voiced their support for the Silk Road Economic Belt, and vowed to pair their development strategies with it. PRESENTING CHINESE POLICIES, STANCES Wang said Xi's three-nation tour has also been an opportunity to present China's policies, points of view and its plans for reform. The Chinese president stressed that China has found its own development path and achieved remarkable success. It will stick to its set development goals for the coming decades, which calls for a peaceful and stable external environment. He also made it clear that China will be dedicated to safeguarding and contributing to world peace and security. Xi also elaborated on China's "new normal" of economic development. The Chinese economy achieved its expected growth target last year despite challenges and had a good start in the first quarter of this year. He said China will remain an anchor of the world economy and a source of growth. Xi's remarks showed China's confidence and openness, which will help boost international confidence in the country, Wang said. Xi presented China's stance on the South China Sea issue during his tour. At the Tashkent summit, the SCO members agreed the issue should be resolved through peaceful negotiations among parties involved. SHARE Sometimes too many choices is as bad as not enough. I feel sorry for our California Highway Patrol officers in that regard. There are so many people speeding on our roadways these days, it must be difficult for them to choose just one to pull over. It's as if the posted speed limit signs are there just as suggestions. Traffic moves as fast as congestion or the lack of it will allow. Everyone is driving too fast except, of course, the guy in front of me. And it's not just in the United States. But in Europe, law enforcement officials have decided to take a different approach. On high-speed roadways like the autobahn in Germany, cameras are being installed to catch speeding drivers. They work like the red light cameras installed at intersections here do. When a driver speeds past a camera, a trigger is switched capturing the image of the offending vehicle. The cameras use radar technology to sense vehicles that are even slightly over the speed limit. Car owners are sent a fine through the mail. If you're an American tourist, your fine will come through the rental car agency, usually long after you've returned home. The cameras aren't really new technology in Europe. There are just more of them. France now has more than 4,000. I know they were working very well in the Netherlands more than a decade ago. I know this because a friend of mine developed a bit of a reputation for speeding along Holland's highways. He almost couldn't help himself. He lived in upstate New York and took great delight in driving his Corvette along the area's farm roads with near impunity thanks to the scarcity of law enforcement. Holland's roads beckoned, even when he was driving a passenger van. As we drove through the countryside enjoying the views of seascapes, tulip fields and windmills, we often found ourselves being flashed by a roadside camera capturing our international transgressions. Actually, his. I never drove. I figured I could always claim he kidnapped me. What saved my friend back then was that the technology for levying the fines on international renters was essentially nonexistent. But when it caught up, it caught up with a vengeance. At the time, I was traveling to the Netherlands about once a year. He was going three or four times a year, so he had a pretty good system for getting through the airport, customs and immigration. And then it happened. He checked into his flight and, as he was going through security, he was taken out of line. By the police. They took him to a secure, windowless office and showed him a long list of traffic camera violations. This time, he wasn't leaving the country until he paid the fines in cash. Naturally, he wasn't carrying that kind of cash, and the cash he had was American currency. So he was escorted under armed guard into the terminal where he was finally able to coax an ATM to give him enough cash to make his flight. I'm not sure if speeding cameras will ever make their way to the United States; the red-light cameras are controversial enough. But it does seem like they might benefit our beleaguered highway patrol officers. Would they help slow traffic down? Who knows? Sometimes an officer simply parked by the side of the road does, and they won't always come and get you. The camera would nab you every time. I guess we'll have to wait and see. But if upstate New York ever needs to generate a little revenue, I know the perfect spot for a camera. Bill Nash is a Star columnist. Contact him at bnash805@aol.com. His novel, "Stolen Dream," is available at www.billnashonline.com, on Amazon.com or as an e-book. LISA MCKINNON/THE STAR Institution Ale Co. co-owners Roger Smith, center, and sons Shaun Smith, left, and Ryan Smith, head brewer, pose at the brewery's new location on Mission Oaks Boulevard in Camarillo. Lisa McKinnon Columnist SHARE LISA MCKINNON/THE STAR At 14,000 square feet, the new home of Institution Ale Co. in Camarillo is about five times larger than the brewery's original site. The address is 3841 Mission Oaks Blvd. LISA MCKINNON/THE STAR A taster of Restraint, a Maple Brown Ale, is seen with a pear, bacon and blue cheese pizza at Institution Ale Co. in Camarillo. The brewery's new location opened Monday. LISA MCKINNON/THE STAR Pat Gallagher, kitchen manager at Institution Ale Co. in Camarillo, poses with a serving of soft pretzels and dipping sauces at the business' new taproom in Camarillo. Windows offer views of the brewery's production area. LISA MCKINNON/THE STAR A sign directs visitors from the souvenir shop to the tasting room at Institution Ale Co. in Camarillo. The brewery is named for the shuttered Camarillo State Hospital, seen in a photo on the wall. After 17 months of blueprints, digging and construction, Institution Ale Co. in Camarillo unveiled its new, five-times-larger brewery, taproom and kitchen on the first day of summer one of the hottest days in recent memory. Aside from being roughly two seasons later than originally hoped for, the debut could not have come at a better time. Wave after wave of craft-beer fans stopped by the brewery Monday for a cold one. Or two. "It was a little crazy. Some people said they called in sick at work so they could come here instead," said Shaun Smith, co-owner of the brewery with brother and head brewer Ryan Smith and their father, Roger Smith. Named for the Camarillo State Hospital that once occupied what is now the CSU Channel Islands campus, Institution's original brewery and taproom opened in a 2,800-square-foot industrial-park space on Calle San Pablo in September 2013. "We went to the city three days later to talk about needing to move to a larger space," said Roger Smith. They found that space two miles and a freeway overpass away, in a stand-alone former machine shop that counts the Camarillo Ranch House as a neighbor. At 14,000 square feet, the new space includes a 15-barrel brewhouse, a row of 22 taps and a kitchen that produces from-scratch pizzas and soft pretzels. The latter replace the bowls of free snack pretzels that were served at the old place. "We aren't known for our food yet," said Institution bartender turned kitchen manager Pat Gallagher. "Our goal is to offer items that pair well with our beers." Candace Hilger, a Camarillo native who was founding chef at Twenty88 Restaurant in Old Town, is visiting from her current home in Pismo Beach to serve as consulting chef for the next few weeks. At Institution, she and Gallagher are offering pizzas both basic (pepperoni and mozzarella, $11) and gourmet (pear, bacon and blue cheese with fennel and herbs, $14). Pretzels ($7 for two) come with Institution IPA mustard and jalapeno-chipotle cheese sauces for dipping. To create your own beer float, add a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream ($3) to the brew of your choice. Sixteen beers were on tap on opening day. They ranged from familiar brews like Clarity, a dry-hopped Golden Ale ($2 taster, $2.75 half pint, $4.50 pint, and $7 or $13 for growler refills, depending on size) to Coffee Cake, an American Strong Ale made in collaboration with Topa Topa Brewing Co. of Ventura ($3.50 taster, $6 for a 10-ounce tulip; no growler fills). Also on tap are otherwise unnamed brews like Batch 001, described as a Strong Pale Ale with elements of "orange and pine," and Batch 002 with Coffee, an Imperial Stout made with an assist from Beacon Coffee Co. of Ventura. "Batch" beers are experimental brews that are available only in the taproom, where customer demand determines whether they return under a permanent name, said Shaun Smith. Helping with the expansion is brewer Todd Slater, who worked at Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido and El Segundo Brewing Co. in El Segundo before joining the Institution team in January. He recently was voted president of the newly launched Ventura County Brewers Guild. Institution has an agreement with Pacific Beverage Co. to distribute its beers in Ventura County as production ramps up, Smith said. It will self distribute in Los Angeles County. Future projects will include producing beers in bottles and/or cans. For now, the focus is on the expanded brewery and taproom. Visitors who enter via the front door pass through a gift shop that leads to a walkway that serves as a self-guided brewery tour. It passes the brewhouse before ending at the taproom, which leads to an outdoor patio at the back of the building. Hinting at plans for aged-beer production, Smith pointed to a corral of empty kegs opposite a wall painted with the words "Camarillo craft" and "drink local." "Eventually, we'll have bourbon barrels here," he said. "This time, we have room to grow." Hours are from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays (3841 Mission Oaks Blvd., 805-482-3777, http://www.institutionales.com). ALSO BREWING (SORT OF) The opening of Institution Ale Co.'s expanded space is a reminder to check in again on the status of two in-progress breweries in downtown Ventura. Ventura Coast Brewing Co. is headed for a summer debut in the former blu orkid / My Florist building at Oak and Santa Clara streets, owner Kyle Thille said Friday. The location has been transformed by the addition of a 15-barrel brewhouse and six 30-gallon fermenting tanks. Photos of the brewery's progress can be seen on its Instagram feed, @venturacoastbrewco. Look for a Facebook page and/or website to go live in the next week or so (76 S. Oak St.). Just a few blocks away, efforts to open a microbrewery at a vacant, 1930s-era automotive shop have reached the "waiting for a building-and-safety permit" stage, owner John Gonzales said Thursday. Originally called Sessions Brewery, the project is now known as Leashless Brewing, a nod to the practice of surfing without an ankle leash to keep surfer and surfboard connected in the waves. Brewing equipment is scheduled to arrive in August, Gonzales said. Fingers are crossed for an opening date in late fall or early winter (585 E. Thompson Blvd.) OPEN, SHUT AND IN BETWEEN Already a hit in downtown Ventura, the Indian / Tibetan / Nepalese restaurant Himalaya on June 17 opened a sister location in Thousand Oaks, at what used to be Gino's Trattoria. Like the Ventura site, the new restaurant has an outdoor patio and, indoors, the option of sitting at Western-style tables and chairs or on the floor with pillows and low-slung tables, as is done in Nepal. The menu also is the same, offering saag naan stuffed with spinach ($8), goat curry garnished with shredded ginger, green onion and fresh cilantro ($16), fusion takes on pizzas and burritos ($12-$13) and dal bhat tarkari, a traditional Nepali meal served on a tray of bowls containing dal, the vegetable of the day, mango chutney and naan ($19). Plans for a grand opening are in the works, said Sal Aryal, general manager for both locations. Himalaya in Ventura is open daily, while the Thousand Oaks location is closed on Tuesdays (720 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., 805-409-1041, http://www.himalayacuisine.com). In Old Town Camarillo, The 805 Pour House is temporarily closed while its owners and staff take a vacation, according to a handwritten note on the chalkboard posted next to the front door. Calls to the business' phone are greeted by a recorded message that says the "family vacation" will conclude with the resumption of service on July 7. As of this writing, the summer break isn't mentioned on the 805 Pour House Facebook page, which was last updated on May 20 (2135 E. Ventura Blvd., 805-383-8800, http://805pourhouse.com). Elsewhere in Camarillo, the closure of Sushi Hamayu is decidedly permanent so much so that new owners have already claimed the location. According to a letter posted in the window before Sushi Hamayu was shuttered in late May, owners Atsumi and Yoshiyuki Yuuki decided to retire after "a long 30 years in the restaurant business," the last 11 of which were spent at the Camarillo Plaza location. The letter has since been replaced by sheets of paper, one of which is painted with the words "Japanese Ramen Noodle." But is that the menu, or the name of the new restaurant? The answer isn't clear: An alcohol license issued on June 8 identifies Sushi Hamayu as the restaurant that will do business at that address, with Asaka and Yuya Ueno as owners (1855 E. Daily Drive, Suite B). In Ojai, Revel Kombucha Bar and Fermented Goods is headed for an August opening at what used to be a day spa between the back of the Arcade building and what locals know as the farmers-market parking lot. The new business will offer kombucha and craft sodas on tap, along with acai bowls, radish kimchee and other items (307 E. Matilija St., http://revel365.com). SAVE THE DATES(S) July 1 is the deadline to buy discounted tickets for the sixth annual From Field to Fork dinner presented as a fundraiser for House Farm Workers! Tickets purchased on or before that date are $100 per person; they will be $130 thereafter. The event will take place from 5:30 p.m. July 21 at The Walnut Grove at Tierra Rejada Ranch in Moorpark. For tickets and information, click on http://bit.ly/1WGrwS2. Caravan Outpost, a boutique "hotel" consisting of 11 Airstream trailers in Ojai, will celebrate its grand opening with a Fourth of July fundraiser for efforts to install lighting at the Ojai Skate Park. The event from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. will include a taco food truck, beverages, live music and a silent auction (317 Bryant St., http://caravanoutpost.com). "Unbroken Ground," a 25-minute film by director Chris Malloy of Farm League about the role of food in the environment, will be shown July 7 at Patagonia in Ventura. Doors open at 7 p.m. for the free screening at 8; a panel discussion and tastings of Patagonia Provisions organic food items will follow (259 W. Santa Clara St., http://bit.ly/28Tu7nI). SHARE AP FILE PHOTO Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday pardoned 59 people, mostly nonviolent drug offenders. One of men pardoned was sentenced in Ventura County in 1997. By Tom Kisken of the Ventura County Star A little-known federal law allowed the state of California to claim $1.3 million in the 2014-15 fiscal year from the estates of deceased, low-income Ventura County residents who were covered by Medi-Cal. The money will likely shrink dramatically next year because of limits added to a state budget expected to be signed by Gov. Jerry Brown no later than Monday. Called estate recovery claims, the program is designed to help cover the state's Medi-Cal costs and is aimed, with some exceptions, at benefits paid for people 55 and older. Advocates of the elderly praise the planned budget restrictions as long overdue, characterizing the status quo as springing surprise penalties on the poor. "We have people who have been paying the state back for 10 years now," said Patricia McGinnis, executive director of California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, referring to plans set up when people decide they can't sell a family member's home. The federal government requires states to recoup money spent to provide nursing home care through Medicaid programs like California's Medi-Cal. California is one of a handful of states that has also used the federal option to make claims on assets including homes and vehicles for general medical care provided by Medi-Cal to people 55 and older. The claims are made only on the assets of Medi-Cal members who have died. If they have no assets, no claims are made. Across the state, $1.1 billion has been claimed from estates in California since the program started in 1993. About $68 million was claimed in the 2014-15 fiscal year. Mushrooming Medi-Cal enrollment would have pushed that number far higher if not for the planned budget restriction. Of the $1.3 million claimed in Ventura County, officials say they don't know how much came from nursing home care in comparison to benefits for general medical treatment. The distinction is important. In a move long sought by McGinnis and others, the state is set to end recovery efforts aimed at general medical care as of Jan. 1 pending the governor's budget signing. Claims for Medi-Cal benefits paid for services related to long-term care would continue, though restrictions would be added on what property can be claimed. California Department of Finance officials estimate the budget change would decrease total claims by nearly $58 million a year. Legislation that would have brought similar restrictions was vetoed in 2014 with finance officials saying the change needed to be considered not as stand-alone policy but in broader fiscal terms. The budget change was negotiated by the Legislature and the governor and is expected to remain in the budget. "I would be very, very surprised if the governor said 'No, I'm not going to be able to do it,'" said McGinnis. She's happy about the restrictions but critical of the federal mandate to continue recovering nursing home costs. "There's no recovery for Medicare," she said. "I guess we need to penalize people even more if they're poor." The estate recovery law is designed to lessen Medi-Cal's burden on taxpayers, said Margaret Hoffeditz, chief of the recovery branch at the California Department of Health Care Services. Instead of forcing family members out of homes, claims are deferred if a spouse is still living or if the deceased Medi-Cal member has children ages 20 or younger. Survivors can ask for hardship waivers. People who don't want to sell a family member's home can also set up payment plans. "I'm not going to defend it but if someone gets Medi-Cal the reality is that they've gotten a bargain on medical care," said Michael Williams, director of Grey Law, the Ventura nonprofit that provides legal services for the elderly. "But it hurts," he said of the claims on estates set to be inherited. "It doesn't go to your kids, which is what most parents want." Much of Medi-Cal is administered through regional managed care organizations like Gold Coast Health Plan in Ventura County. Many estate recovery claims are based not on the amount of care a person received but on the money Medi-Cal allocated to the local plan. McGinnis cited a claim involving $36,000 and said she has heard of larger claims. The money often involves assets that can be protected if people transfer ownership before they die. "All they can recover against is the assets in your name," said Craig Ploss, Ventura elder attorney. Advocates contend the reason people don't protect their homes is because they never consider the possibility of such claims. "A lot of people who call us never even knew there was a recovery program," said McGinnis. Others do know. Katharine Raley of the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging said many people 55 and older who qualify for Medi-Cal for general medical care decide to bypass it. She said they're worried about claims being placed on their estates after they die. If the budget is signed and claims are restricted as expected, Raley said her office will issue fliers to let people know. If McGinnis had her way, claims on nursing home care would also be eliminated. But states currently have no choice but to go after that money because of a federal mandate. "That's going to be a hard time coming," she said of changing federal law. ROB VARELA/THE STAR Crude oil can be seen where it made its way down a hillside into the Prince Barranca, in Hall Canyon just below where a crude oil pipeline failed, spilling 30,000 gallons of crude oil into the barranca in Ventura Thursday morning. The oil made its way about half a mile down the barranca before it was stopped. SHARE By Alysson Aredas, alysson.aredas@vcstar.com The day after an oil spill fouled a dry gorge in Ventura and threatened the Pacific Ocean with nearly 30,000 gallons of crude oil, state and federal agencies were trying Friday to determine what went wrong. The spill from a pipeline originated near Grove Lane and Grove Street in the northwestern part of the city, with the unrefined oil traveling about half a mile down the Prince Barranca and Hall Canyon, where it was stopped before it could advance closer to the ocean. Ventura resident Kirk Atwater reported the oil at 5:30 a.m. Thursday, calling the Ventura Police Department and an emergency hotline that goes directly to pipeline owner Crimson Pipeline, officials said. Atwater and his wife, Kelly, then alerted neighbors Henning and Linda Ottsen. The Ottsens originally said they heard an alarm go off at 4 a.m. Thursday, but Linda Ottsen said Friday it was not an alarm, just an unusual and loud sound. "I was sound asleep, but I woke up to a whooshing, rushing sound that went on for about 30 seconds. There is always a lot of activity going on across the barranca, so I didn't pay attention to it. We've complained to the city a lot about it, actually," Linda Ottsen said. "When it trailed off, I went back to sleep until I got up again around 5:30 and saw a firetruck over in the area near the gate." After learning of the problem, Crimson's control center in Long Beach immediately shut down the line, company spokeswoman Kendall Klingler said during a news conference Thursday. The valve that was the source of the spill had been replaced Wednesday during routine maintenance, Klingler said. It's not known whether that work caused the problem for the pipeline that, according to Crimson, was installed in 1941. Neither Crimson nor any of the investigating agencies has said what caused Thursday's spill. Klingler said Friday that crews would be working through the weekend to clean up the oil, but there was no timeline for when the effort was expected to be completed. The barranca where the spill occurred is difficult to access, Klingler said. The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration national response center said it received a call from Crimson Pipeline at 9:13 a.m. Thursday notifying the agency of a spill from a 10-inch intrastate pipeline. The state fire marshal is expected to investigate the incident with the assistance of the federal pipeline agency's western region office. Klingler said Crimson also will be conducting its own investigation into the spill, as will the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The city of Ventura said there were no evacuations or health risks to the community Thursday, but Hall Canyon Road at Fairview Drive was open only to residents. Fish and Wildlife, Crimson Pipeline and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency joined for a unified command that will facilitate the cleanup operation. Fish and Wildlife spokesman Eric Laughlin said there had been no observed wildlife impacts so far and that the main focus for crews Friday was to monitor air quality and clean up the spill. Five vacuum trucks from two companies were contracted for the cleanup operation. Each of the trucks can hold about 3,000 gallons, Laughlin said. The extent of the environmental impact is still being evaluated by scientists, Laughlin said. "We're going to be there until every drop of oil is cleaned up," Laughlin said. Staff writer Megan Diskin contributed to this report SHARE A long trip across this amazing country has dispersed the miasma of doom I have been suffused with during this dreadful election season, during which many have been doing their best to make us feel really bad about the future. First of all, there really aren't very many Trump or Clinton yard signs, which I choose to take as a sign of rebellious ambivalence. But this is not about them; this is about a sign of progress! Yes, America has a lot of greatness! And one wonderful barometer of that is agriculture. We have heard for decades about the declining family farm. And we all know families who have worked their hearts out and their fingers to the bone but still lost the farm. This is especially visible in the Midwest, but it's true across the country. The Agriculture Department says the number of farmers declined 4.3 percent from 2007 to 2012; 3.2 million farmers now work 2.1 million farms. That sounds grim. But nowhere is the legendary American ingenuity more evident than on the farm. The truth is that farmers now are using the fruits of technology in ways that are increasing their yields, feeding more people around the world, making crops less susceptible to the vagaries of weather and implementing the amazing research that is underway in our universities. Today's small farmers have college degrees and are constantly updating their methods, their business skills and their connectivity with each other and the world, Drive across Iowa and see not only the behemoth agribusinesses, but really savvy family farmers who know exactly what they are doing. Oh yes, they still work long, tough hours, but they sow, water and fertilize with computers. They talk knowledgeably about genomes, and they are fully aware of changing tastes around the globe and the huge demand for better-tasting, more healthful food that does not wreak havoc on the environment. You Texans may live for the fried beer at your state fair, but your cattle ranchers are producing beef for vast new markets around the world as consumers in rising new economies want to eat the same steak Americans crave. In just 35 years, the world's farmers will have to produce 70 percent more food than they do now. This can't be done without huge investments in research and development. The Economist, the news magazine that tracks major global social issues with dispassion and accuracy, reported that John Deere, world's largest manufacturer of agriculture equipment, began equipping tractors with global positioning systems so farmers could greatly increase efficiency, reduce redundant seeding or missed sections, and cut fuel bills. Sensors now monitor nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium needs of crops being sprayed. Farmers get computer software that routinely helps them with farm management issues that have plagued farmers for centuries. There is amazing research underway on getting rid of weeds without harmful chemicals. And, yes, robots are coming to the farm, which will free millions of people to do other jobs. While the most dramatic innovations in farming are taking place in the West, philanthropist Bill Gates notes that even in Africa, where millions of farmers still rely on primitive farm tools, there are innovations that will change the world, such as the mapping of Africa's soils, which will tell farmers what seeds to plant, how to fertilize and how to increase yields. Farmers are discussing best practices on YouTube videos. All over, fish farming of saltwater fish is being explored. New drought-tolerant corn will revolutionize life for many farmers. Researchers are exploring ways to improve the ways plants process carbon dioxide. Worried about animal rights issues, researchers are experimenting with growing meat muscle directly in labs, bypassing the need to slaughter animals. Synthetic eggs, which might not cause allergies, are in development. While there are social and ethical implications in some of the research, overall, it is exciting. It should provide hope and proof that American greatness is alive and well. PS: There are a lot of awesomely beautiful, productive farms out there. Ann McFeatters is an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service. Readers may send her email at amcfeatters@nationalpress.com. SHARE To sweaters It's been a hot time in the old county this week, with temperatures reaching record highs in some places. Don't let the slight cooling trend midweek spoil you. The heat is expected to return today and last at least through Tuesday. Don't overexert yourself, drink plenty of liquids and protect pets. Beaches will likely be crowded especially when the June gloom burns off. So don't forget the sun block. To all The discovery of a bird in Simi Valley that tested positive for the West Nile virus means its time for protective measures against mosquitoes. Remove standing water. Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts, especially at dawn and dusk. For those with ornamental ponds, county health officials can provide mosquito-eating fish. Contrary to prevailing attitudes, this is a time to sweat the small stuff. To Oxnard The long-delayed audit of city finances has finally arrived and the verdict seems to be that, for too many years, the city was haphazard in its accounting practices resulting in a financial mess that will take much work to fix. Even as the City Council struggles with crafting a new budget, it must grapple with the urgent need to get its financial system in working order and to hire qualified employees for its Finance Department. One thing is certain the answer to two plus two must always be four now and not merely around three or five. To smellers Leave the roses behind. It's time to stop and smell the lavender. From 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. today Ojai's Libbey Park will be aroma heaven for the olfactory senses. There will be vendors, music, petting zoo and more at the 13th annual Ojai Valley Lavender Festival. In addition to filling the air with the fragrance of lavender, the festival also will raise money for student scholarships. Dare we say this is heaven scent? To shoppers It looks as if your budget is about to get tighter. County supervisors have endorsed a spending plan for a half-cent sales tax increase devoted to transit needs, which means it will appear on the November ballot. If approved, the sales tax would rise to 8 percent for most of the county and to 8.5 percent for Oxnard and Port Hueneme, not counting sales tax hikes other cities are considering. At least wage earners have five months now to rework the family budget. To patriots The gala Red, White & Blue Ball at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum in Simi Valley will be held tonight. Westlake Village resident Charlie Plumb, who spent six years as a prisoner during the Vietnam War, will receive the Patrick Henry Medal. It comes in recognition of his public speaking about his POW experience and the challenges of everyday life. Also to be recognized are Gary Pate and Nikolai Arrasmith as Patriotic Teacher and Patriotic Student of the year, respectively. To Leon Today is National Leon Day. No, it's not to celebrate people named Leon, but to mark that today is exactly six months after and six months before Christmas. "Leon" comes from spelling "Noel" backward. Many crafters use this day to begin planning homemade Christmas gifts and decorations. Others use the day for a June celebration of winter. Pa already has a supply of snowballs in the freezer as party favors. To texters Evidently, you haven't yet gotten the message. Texting while driving can be deadly. A survey in April found that 12.8 percent of drivers were seen using mobile devices. The number of fatalities and injuries from distracted driving has risen over three years from 10,162 to 11,090 in 2015. In that same period, the number of citations written by the CHP for using hand-held devices dropped from nearly 168,000 to about 91,000 in 2015. In language texters will understand: IMHO this is no LOL matter. SHARE As he submitted his May revision of the state budget, now mostly enacted, Gov. Jerry Brown won praise both for its relative stinginess and for the fact it included one addition aiming to ensure more attention to safety from big utilities regulated by the state's Public Utilities Commission. At almost the same moment, the PUC opened a reconsideration of its 2014 decision on distributing costs from the 2012 failure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, a ruling that previously dunned consumers more than 70 percent of the $4.7 billion cost for closing San Onofre. And Brown signed a bill requiring extensive testing of wells at the Aliso Canyon storage facility maintained by the Southern California Gas Co. before that site can reopen and once again produce large profits for the company. And yet, all this is plainly too little and too late. Brown inflicted no penalties on his PUC appointees who repeatedly voted for the San Onofre ruling, even after the revelation that it was negotiated in a secret meeting between the PUC's disgraced former president and an executive since departed from the Southern California Edison Co. He said not a word about lies from the PUC, the state Energy Commission and other state agencies that co-wrote an April study threatening electricity blackouts unless Aliso Canyon is reopened soon. Those falsehoods exposed, even conceded during a May legislative hearing have nevertheless been repeated often since. There's been more since then, even some direct Brown hypocrisy over shipping coal from Utah through Oakland to Asian markets. Turns out Brown has a financial interest in coal trains and ships. Oakland magazine reported that public records show he owns a stake valued between $100,000 and $1 million in Evergreen Park Plaza LLC, a real estate venture that figures to profit if coal is exported through the former Oakland Army Base, where its parent company is the master developer. The parent firm is controlled by Brown's friend Phil Tagami. Then there's the small matter of the PUC and Energy Commission quietly entering into a confidentiality agreement without any public hearings. Their pact would "ensure the nondisclosure of any inspection, investigation or enforcement-related confidential information shared between the (commissions)." This deal was part of the consent calendar in the Energy Commission's May 17 meeting. It aims to keep the public in the dark about new safety problems that might arise at utilities regulated by both commissions. This is all the very opposite of the transparency the governor promised in 2010. Plus, this spring Brown vetoed a bill requiring that people trying to influence state procurement practices register as lobbyists. The Fair Political Practices Commission had already labeled this bill as a "significant burden" in which there is no "significant problem." Brown echoed this in his veto statement, saying "I don't believe this bill is necessary." But that bill just might have helped save his former chief of staff, Gray Davis, who later became governor, only to be undone in part by a procurement scandal. What's certain is that Brown's administration is anything but open and transparent, with few, if any, consequences for corruption and lies, even when they are copiously documented. The small positive moves Brown made in May didn't go nearly far enough to fix this problem and he has yet to speak his first words about much of what's been happening on his watch. Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. Wednesday night LAVO and Eduardo Cordova joined forces to benefit AFAN in honor of World AIDS Day. Hollys World co-stars Laura Croft and Josh Strickland (above) both had red on their outfits and donned a red ribbon to commemorate the day, and LAVO donated several thousand dollars to the cause (Photo credit: Al Powers). Photo credit: Al Powers. Croft and Strickland dined at the Italian eatery, enjoying favorites such as Penne a la Vodka and Kobe Meatballs. After raving about the food they headed up to the nightclub where they danced the night away to the sounds of DJ Lisa Pittman. The duo climbed atop the go go box to show off their moves and hit the center dance floor to mingle with the crowd. Photo credit: Al Powers. Photo credit: Al Powers. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 25 By Elena Kosolapova Trend: The Ministry of Investments and Development of Kazakhstan has recommended the carriers engaged in international transportations from Ukraine to Kazakhstan to carry goods bypassing Russia starting from July 1, the ministry said in a message. One of the routes recommended by the ministry is through Georgia, Azerbaijan and across the Caspian Sea to the port of Aktau. Another recommended route lies through Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. These recommendations were made in connection with the fact that the decree by the Russian president establishing the rules for the transit of goods from Ukraine to Kazakhstan via Russia is no longer in power since July 1, 2016. Currently, nearly 500 cars and 1,000 trucks on a monthly basis pass through the Aktau port ferry complex. Taking into account the expected additional volumes, the Aktau port is able to handle extra cargo coming from Ukraine, said the message. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova By: Eugenia Lotova & Kurt Nguyen As the British people decided that they wanted to leave the European Union in a 52 to 48 percent vote, much more than a decision over Britains self-conception hung in the midst. While many citizens have long expressed frustrations regarding their own countrys inability to self-govern due to their EU ties, the impact of a Brexit will be reaching far beyond Britain and the European Union. In the case of investment, the Brexit will compel British investors to reconsider their business strategy in Vietnam. Alternatively, the effects on the Vietnamese export sector will be minimal and may even present opportunities for the communist nation to solidify consumer bases in the United States and European Markets. Post Brexit Market Volatility As the polls began to close, the British pound was quick to react hitting a 31 year low against the US dollar. There is some uncertainty regarding the medium and long term impact of the referendum, but there seems to be a general consensus among financial experts that the currency may plummet in the near future and the country will experience a decrease in GDP growthanywhere between 0.2 and 2.2 percent. The Euro may also experience a drop of 4 percent. The Vietnamese Dong is up 3.74 percent against the Euro and a massive 12.55 percent against the British Pound. While fluctuations in the Euro and Pound may have an impact on Vietnamese exports to Europe, the most important currency paring to watch will be the Dong to Yuan (China) exchange. Heavily restricted in trading by both Chinese and Vietnamese Governments, the wild fluctuation of the Euro, Dollar, and Pound, is likely to put immense pressure on monetary authorities in both countries as they struggle to maintain control. In the event that the either runs out of resources or willpower to continue currency controls, the fallout will be substantial. Vietnamese imports from China currently account for nearly a 30 percent share of its total global purchases. If the cost of these goods were to rise as a result of a float by either currency, it would certainly be a significant blow to Vietnamese export competitiveness. News of Brexit also wiped more than US $1 billion from Vietnam stock market with 500 Vietnamese stocks dropping and 1.9 percent off VN-Index at closing on June 24th, as bearish sentiment dominated for both local and foreign investors. However, the sell-off is attributed to the investors panic rather than actual negative effects on Vietnam. While consumers will be able to purchase more from British companies, it also means that potential British investors will have less purchasing power in Vietnam and any companies exporting to Britain may experience a decrease in demand. Long Term Trade Implications The Bilateral Investment Treaty, which was signed in 2002, was recently replaced by the EU-Vietnam FTA (EVFTA). Talks ended in 2015 and the agreement is expected to come into force in 2018, and thereby provide investors with additional incentives to set up business in Vietnam. Nonetheless, the referendum will force Great Britain to renegotiate trade agreements with Vietnam, disrupting the tax breaks that British investors would have been able to take advantage of under the EVFTA. The top exports to the UK, which include electronics, footwear, machines, and clothing will be negatively impacted by a depreciating currency. In the first 8 months of 2015 revenue from exports to the UK reached nearly 3 billion USD and investments have been spreading to sectors such as banking, manufacturing and garments, indicating a British interest in the Vietnamese markets. Currently the largest companies investing in Vietnam are in the logistics, food and drink, and insurance sectors. Therefore, although the UK is only 16th in amount of foreign investment into Vietnam, the country is Vietnams largest trading partner amongst the European Union nations so the referendum will have a major effect on trade relations in the region. However, compared to Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan, Vietnam wont feel as much of a shock according to Ms. Do Thi Ngoc, Deputy Head of Vietnams Price Statistics Department, because the EUVFTA hasnt been implemented yet. Opportunities for Investment Despite the volatility it has caused in currency markets, Brexit may end up increasing demand for Vietnamese goods and lead to investment in certain sectors. With the current crisis unfolding in mainland Europe, many of the ongoing EU-ASEAN agreements, with countries such as Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines will be stalled. This will encourage Europeans to invest in Vietnam over other ASEAN destinations as EU consumers pursue discounted imports. The impetus for increased demand is likely to be brought on by devaluations in the Euro as well as potential declines in EU growth. As Vietnam is the only country in ASEAN to have successfully concluded an agreement with the EU, imports from the country will presented a significant discount over traditional imports as well as alternative low cost export markets. Although Euro and Pound depreciation may inhibit EU and UK foreign direct investment to a certain degree, this is likely to be made up for by US investment. In the case of the United States, the US dollars position as a global safe haven currency has caused it to appreciate significantly against other currencies. Although strong currency management on the part of Vietnamese authorities has thus far prevent significant movement on the Dong to Dollar currency pair, US based investors will likely have more money to spend in the years ahead. In conjunction with reduced trade barriers, converged regulatory standards, and increased access to restricted sectors soon to be unlocked under the TPP, it is highly likely that Vietnam will reap the benefits of US investment in the years ahead. Naturally, any investment made during such a period of volatility should be done with extreme care and with a up to date understanding of market dynamics. For more information on how your operations will be impacted by Brexit or advise on how to tap opportunities created by market volatility, please contact our Business Intelligence and Advisory Specialists at Vietnam@Dezshira.com or visit us online at www.dezshira.com 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 vietnam@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. Annual Audit and Compliance in Vietnam 2016 In this issue of Vietnam Briefing, we address pressing changes to audit procedures in 2016, and provide guidance on how to ensure that compliance tasks are completed in an efficient and effective manner. We highlight the continued convergence of VAS with IFRS, discuss the emergence of e-filing, and provide step-by-step instructions on audit and compliance procedures for Foreign Owned Enterprises (FOEs) as well as Representative Offices (ROs). Navigating the Vietnam Supply Chain In this edition of Vietnam Briefing, we discuss the advantages of the Vietnamese market over its regional competition and highlight where and how to implement successful investment projects. We examine tariff reduction schedules within the ACFTA and TPP, highlight considerations with regard to rules of origin, and outline the benefits of investing in Vietnams growing economic zones. Finally, we provide expert insight into the issues surrounding the creation of 100 percent Foreign Owned Enterprise in Vietnam. Tax, Accounting and Audit in Vietnam 2016 (2nd Edition) This edition of Tax, Accounting, and Audit in Vietnam, updated for 2016, offers a comprehensive overview of the major taxes foreign investors are likely to encounter when establishing or operating a business in Vietnam, as well as other tax-relevant obligations. This concise, detailed, yet pragmatic guide is ideal for CFOs, compliance officers and heads of accounting who must navigate Vietnams complex tax and accounting landscape in order to effectively manage and strategically plan their Vietnam operations. "It was a huge shock," said estate agent Terrie Simpson. "Frankly, I never thought they would vote to leave". "People are afraid. The pound is dropping," she said. "It's going to be difficult for people who want to buy" property in France. Around 4.9 million British nationals live outside the UK, with about 1.35 million in Europe, many of them in Spain or France. Many retirees in Dordogne fear the effects on their pensions, recalling the financial crisis of 2008 when many Britons in the region sold their homes and shipped out. Healthcare is another concern as British expats currently benefit from the French system under a bilateral convention between London and Paris. Dordogne has long been a magnet for British pensioners, and the 13th-century bastide town of Eymet is host to some 200 families from across the Channel. Overall, between 6,000 and 8,000 Britons live in the area. Publican Rupert Bache said he was upset about the "nationalist and mean-spirited side" aspect of the Brexit debate and feared that other countries could follow suit in "an atmosphere like we saw in 1933". But while many said they were opposed to Brexit, they were quick to acknowledge the EU's shortcomings. "Frankly, we all agree the European institution needs to be shaken up," Bache said. Seventy-year-old Scotsman Ken Napier, who has lived in the area for 18 years, said: "I like Europe a lot for the single market and its positive effect on the economy, but I don't like the rules imposed by Brussels to the detriment of British law." The Royal Navy veteran regretted that he could not vote in Thursday's referendum because he has lived abroad more than 15 years. Napier said he would have voted "Leave" - unlike his wife, who is also Scottish. More than 40,000 people signed a petition on the change.org website saying: "Declare London independent from the UK and apply to join the EU". While Britain voted 52 per cent in favour of leaving the EU in Thursday's referendum, 60 per cent of Londoners voted for Britain to stay. Map of the United Kingdom detailing how the Brexit vote went. (Graphic: AFP) "London is an international city, and we want to remain at the heart of Europe," the petition said. "Let's face it - the rest of the country disagrees. So rather than passive aggressively vote against each other at every election, let's make the divorce official and move in with our friends on the continent. "This petition is calling on Mayor Sadiq Khan to declare London independent, and apply to join the EU," it said. Khan himself issued a statement on the negotiations for Britain's departure from the EU. "It is crucial that London has a voice at the table during those renegotiations, alongside Scotland and Northern Ireland," the pro-EU mayor said. "Although we will be outside the EU, it is crucial that we remain part of the single market," he said. "Leaving the single market of 500 million people - with its free-trade benefits - would be a mistake. I will be pushing the government to ensure this is the cornerstone of the negotiations with the EU," he said. Another petition entitled "London to remain part of the European Union" garnered over 9,000 signatures on change.org, saying the vote to leave the EU was "a vital decision that we don't agree with". A Twitter account @London_Stays was also quickly set up and many people tweeted under the hashtag #londonstays in the wake of the vote. "Really hoping we're just out, not out out," said Katy Ball. Another user tweeting as @ldn_republic wrote: "No longer British but a Londoner". "I am now officially all for Scottish independence, a united Ireland and the City-State of London," Clare Fenwick tweeted. Besides London, Scotland and Northern Ireland were the only other parts of the UK where a majority voted in favour of Britain staying in the EU. The bag returned to Max Self. Tran Huy Bach in Gia Tuong Commune, Nho Quan District brought the bag to the local police. The bag had several items belonging to British tourist Max Self, VND2 million (USD95.20) and other personal effects. The police contacted the tourist and on June 22 returned the bag to him. Self was very happy to receive the lost bag and thanked Bach and the Ninh Binh police. A section of the AAE-1 international submarine cable in Viet Nam. - Photo ictnews.vn The 23,000 km system, stretching across Asia, Africa and Europe, costs an accumulated $820 million, financed by 20 partners from 18 countries worldwide. After operational, scheduled for late 2016, the network is expected to significantly enable the group to establish sound international connection infrastructure, meet domestic increasing demands for broadband internet and connect the African nations where Viettel has invested in, like Tanzania and Burundi, with Europe. The system plays an important role in ensuring the safety of the group's international connection as well as national information security, and maintaining undisrupted connection between Viet Nam and the world. Viettel now operates in Viet Nam and other nine countries in Asia, Africa and South America with 85 million clients. It earned $1.4 billion in revenue in foreign markets in 2015. Details added (first version posted on 13:14) Baku, Azerbaijan, June 25 Trend: The referendum held in the UK regarding the countrys leaving the EU (Brexit) has stepped up excitement in global markets, said the message of the Financial Market Supervisory Body of Azerbaijan June 25. Considering potential impact of the Brexit on doing business in Azerbaijan, the supervisory body is studying and taking the necessary measures to preserve financial stability in the country. Britons held a referendum June 23 on whether the UK should to stay in the European Union, or leave it. The voting results indicate that the campaign to leave the EU, known as the Brexit, has won with 51.9 percent of the votes. The analysis carried out on the basis of expectations of uncertainty increase in the financial market, the market of goods and labor in the transition period of Brexit, shows that the structure and dynamics of Azerbaijans foreign trade, the US dollar-based relationships with key trading partners, the foreign currency structure of assets and liabilities of financial institutions have minimized its direct impact on Azerbaijans economy, as well as financial system, the countrys Financial Market Supervisory Body said in the message. There are no fundamental reasons for the Brexit to have an instant and immediate impact on Azerbaijans financial stability, according to the message. The Financial Market Supervisory Body of the country continues monitoring in this area, work is being carried out to neutralize the psychological impact of the Brexit, the message said. Will Brexit mark the end of the age of globalization? remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Russian and Syrian government airplanes killed at least 45 people, including children, Saturday in a town in eastern Syria, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The monitoring group said that the strikes hit the town of Qourieh in Deir el-Zour province, which borders Iraq and is mostly controlled by the Islamic State militant group. Meanwhile, the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) rebel group, a coalition of Kurdish and Arab forces backed by aerial support from the U.S.-led coalition, clashed with IS inside Manbij, a key stronghold of the extremist group. The SDF pushed into the town from the southern edge, after gaining control of a wheat silo complex on its outskirts. Manbij had been one of the major supply stops for IS militants through areas of northern Syria they control. Local activists say loss of the town would be a significant setback for the terror group. Hundreds of Kurds have come under fire in northern Syria, several of them killed and wounded while trying to flee the crossfire of competing forces. The exodus began after IS abducted about 900 Kurdish civilians in Aleppo province over the past three weeks. Others were trying to flee Manbij surrounded by SDF fighters backed by the U.S.-led coalition. Russian warplanes have been carrying out an air war in support of President Bashar al-Assad since September 2015. More than 280,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011 and since then has blown into a multi-front war that has drawn in global powers. Eight police officers were killed Saturday during a militant ambush in Kashmir, India. The attack, which targeted a security convoy of the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on a highway near Pampore, left 20 officers injured. Pampore is 15 kilometers from the state capital, Srinagar. Police killed two of the attackers. The wounded police officers were taken to a hospital in Srinagar. "Firsthand information after looking at the bodies is, both appear to be Pakistanis, definitely from Lashkar, and in all likelihood, they were fidayeen. Two AK-47 rifles have been recovered from them," said CRPG Inspector General Nalin Prabhat. "I salute the courage of the CRPF personnel martyred today in J&K. They served the nation with utmost dedication. Pained by their demise. My thoughts are with the families of those martyred today. May those injured recover soon," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on Twitter. For decades, rebel groups have fought for Kashmirs independence from India, often attacking government officials. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also condemned the killings. "The only purpose of such blood-spattered acts of violence is to add to the tragedies and miseries of the people," she said in a statement. Indian Junior Home Minister Kiren Rijiju said the attack was a matter of grave concern. "Tomorrow, the CRPF director general of police and other senior officials will go to Srinagar to carry out investigations because it is a matter of grave concern for us that so many security personnel have been martyred," Rijiju said. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training insurgents fighting for Kashmir's independence from India and its merger with Pakistan. Islamabad denies the charge. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 25 Trend: Armenian armed forces have 9 times violated the ceasefire with Azerbaijan on the line of contact over the past 24 hours, says Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry. Armenian armed forces, stationed in the village of Berkaber of Armenias Ijevan district, opened fire at Azerbaijani positions located in the village of Gizilhajili of Gazakh district. Moreover, Azerbaijani positions underwent fire from the positions located near the village of Chileburt of Terter district, Merzili, Yusifjanli of Aghdam and Horadiz of Fizuli district. 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. Italian officials say at least 7,000 migrants have been rescued from small boats in the Mediterranean Sea in just two days. Officials say about 2,000 migrants were rescued Friday after 5,000 were pulled from the sea the previous day. Italian ships along with others belonging to Doctors Without Borders carried out more than 40 rescue operations, pulling people from overcrowded small rubber boats and dinghies. The migrants, believed to be mainly from Arab and sub-Saharan African countries, are trying to reach Europe. Authorities say a break after a week of bad weather is responsible for an upsurge in sea crossing attempts as smugglers resume their illegal operations. Most of the crossings start in Libya, where the navy said it intercepted 1,000 migrants in Libyan waters Thursday. U.S. federal health officials have confirmed that young children in Flint, Michigan, had significantly higher levels of dangerous lead in their blood after the city switched its water supply from Detroit to the Flint River as a cost-cutting measure. The city switched its water supply in 2014 without ensuring that water from the Flint River had been treated with anti-corrosive agents, as required by law. It corroded the city's old water mains, turning drinking water brown because of iron contamination, and also leached lead from smaller pipes that carried water into homes. In all, nearly 100,000 people were affected by the contaminated water. Lead in water supplies can cause profound and permanent health problems, particularly in children whose brains and nervous systems are still developing. "This crisis was entirely preventable and a startling reminder of the critical need to eliminate all sources of lead from our children's environment," Patrick Breysse, chief of environmental health at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Friday. The CDC studied children younger than 6 the age group most vulnerable to the effects of lead poisoning. After a public outcry over the lead pollution, city managers switched their water source back to the city of Detroit's system. Subsequently, the study said, the percentage of children with high lead levels in their blood declined to what it had been before the diversion to Flint River supplies. The study's authors said they did not take other factors into account, such as the possibility that some of the children may have ingested flakes of lead paint, which was once commonly used in many parts of the United States. They emphasized, however, that lead exposure affecting children remains a serious health concern not just in Flint, but across the United States. Because the symptoms of lead exposure are not obvious at first, the CDC said, the problem frequently goes unrecognized. However, "even low levels of lead in children's blood have been shown to affect intelligence, ability to pay attention and academic achievement." Several officials of the Michigan state government are facing criminal charges arising from the Flint water crisis. The Detroit water that now courses through Flint's system does not pose the same corrosion problem. But until old pipes are replaced, Flint residents have been urged to drink only bottled water, and to use filters for drinking and cooking water, and for personal hygiene. Three former U.S. envoys to Afghanistan called on the Obama administration this week not to cut U.S. troop levels in that country next year, even as the White House indicated that it remains committed to doing just that. Dan Feldman, James Dobbins and Marc Grossman all served as U.S. special representatives to Afghanistan and Pakistan between 2011 and 2015 and remain influential voices in Washington foreign policy circles. Along with 10 other former senior diplomats and military commanders who served in Afghanistan, they sent an open letter to President Barack Obama this month, urging him to drop plans to halve the number of American troops in Afghanistan. Currently there are 9,800 American troops serving on Afghanistan, but their number is due to be reduced to 5,500 in 2017. I think its an important signal for the Afghan people, the Afghan government and its international partners that the U.S. will continue to keep its commitment to this number of troops (9,800) through the end of this administration," Feldman said. This would allow whoever takes over from Obama in January "to make a decision very soon," he added. The White House has given no indication that the president intends to change his mind on the troop drawdown schedule, but has said he remains open to possible "adjustments" recommended by military commanders and his advisers. Feldman, now a partner in a Washington law firm, and others say the president should make clear now that the U.S. force reduction schedule will be set aside, so American troops can bolster Afghan security forces struggling against a reinvigorated Taliban insurgency. Grossman, a former undersecretary of state, said Afghans would see reduced U.S. troop levels as a sign of diminishing support from Washington, and that would send the wrong signal to Pakistan and the broader region. We felt that in all of those cases the broader Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan leaving troop levels as they were was the best course, said Grossman, now a vice chairman at a Washington consulting and lobbying firm. Dobbins, a former diplomat who was instrumental in creating the post-Taliban government in Afghanistan, said the current force level is the "minimum necessary to continue to support and assist and sustain the Afghan national security forces and to hold the Taliban at bay. The post of U.S. special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, known as SRAP, was established in 2009, in the early days of Obama's first term, to coordinate U.S. strategy in the region while American forces were driving a military and civilian surge against the Taliban. In identical, nearly simultaneous statements this week, two senior U.S. officials Richard Olson, the current SRAP, and the deputy U.S. envoy to the United Nations, Michele Sison repeated the administrations commitment to the drawdown timetable announced in October. Feldman said those messages, delivered to the Atlantic Council and the U.N. Security Council, suggest the administration is sticking to its plans. The White House has said just as much, but there has been no talk of possible "adjustments" it might make following a security assessment completed this month by General John Nicholson, three months after he took over as the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan. Despite his famously fraught relationship with the military, President Obama has shown greater openness to proposals by his top generals in Afghanistan in recent years, as defeating an increasingly dogged Taliban insurgency has proved elusive. The troop drawdown plan of October 2015, in fact, was a reversal of another, earlier plan to reduce the level of U.S. forces even more sharply. Acting on a request by Nicholson's predecessor, General John Campbell, Obama said the U.S. would keep 9,800 troops in Afghanistan through most of this year. And just this month, the president gave Nicholson authorization to order airstrikes against Taliban targets and to allow American troops to accompany patrols by Afghan security forces moves welcomed by the embattled Kabul government. Briefing reporters on June 10, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that authorization to Nicholson "does not limit in any way our ability to follow through with the plan to draw down troops [to] the level of 5,500." Few details of Nicholson's report have been revealed. If there are further recommendations about troop reductions in Nicholsons security assessment, a U.S. defense official who asked not to be identified said the military is seeing how the new authorizations go first. Feldman, who noted it would be highly unusual for a commander involved in an increasingly bloody, still active conflict to suggest troop cuts, said any further decision altering the timing and size of the U.S. drawdown would take at least weeks, if not months. A bipartisan group of 10 members of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee asked Obama in May to clarify his position on troop levels ahead of a NATO summit in Warsaw in July. They asked that he give Nicholsons recommendations extraordinary weight. I think that as long as the struggle with the Taliban continues to be as challenging as it is, and the potential threat from [the Islamic State group] expanding into Afghanistan, it is important for the U.S. to continue to have a presence in Afghanistan, Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen said in an interview. I think we could be up or down a little bit on that number, but theyre there ... on the ground, Shaheen said of U.S. troops. Its important not to reduce it any further, unless circumstances change. Outside the U.S. Capitol, House Democrats ended their 26-hour sit-in demanding a gun control vote with hundreds of hopeful supporters singing We shall pass the bill. A day later, a bipartisan group of House members announced what that bill might look like. Some of our colleagues say this is all about terrorism, and others say this is all about guns. We are coming together to say that this about keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous terrorists, Representative Carlos Curbelo, a Florida Republican, said Friday at a Capitol Hill news conference. The Terrorism Firearms Prevention Act is identical to a proposal offered in the Senate by Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican. She welcomed the effort on the House side, tweeting Friday, Delighted Rep. Curbelo and others have introduced House companion bill to help keep guns from terrorists, make America safer. Momentum! The legislation appears to address some of the concerns raised by Republicans about the gun proposals championed by House Democrats during their sit-in. Curbelo said if the legislation had been in place, the Orlando shooting would not have happened. He said the effort by Democrats and Republicans sought a way to protect Second Amendment rights while providing opportunity for a judicial review if an individual believes he has been wrongly placed on a watch list and denied purchase of a firearm. Curbelo said he met with the House Speaker Paul Ryan's chief of staff to make him aware of the effort, and there was no objection. Pegged to terror list I am a strong and principled defender of the Second Amendment, said Congressman Scott Rigell, a Virginia Republican who co-sponsored the bill and is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. He said the legislation was very narrowly defined to affect about 3,000 Americans. They cant buy a gun, and they shouldnt be able to," Rigell said. "And they cant get on a plane and shouldnt be able to. This represents common sense, and we should be able to advance it. Finding ways to combat terrorism while instituting new gun laws will be a key part of advancing the gun control debate. In a news conference Thursday morning, Ryan cited FBI concerns about ways gun control legislation could compromise terrorism investigations. Curbelo said the legislation addressed those concerns by giving the attorney general the discretion to allow a sale to proceed if blocking it would compromise an ongoing terrorism probe. Vote unlikely But its unlikely partisan battles over the issue will end, even as members return to their districts for a weeklong holiday break. Its pretty unlikely well see a vote in the House after the break on any gun proposal, said Molly Reynolds, a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, a Washington public policy research group. The Collins proposal failed a test vote in the Senate on Thursday, with only 52 senators going on record in support of it. Ryan has very little incentive to schedule a vote on it in the House, said Reynolds. Or, at the very least, he can keep justifying his decision not to hold vote with his 'were waiting to see what the Senate does' argument. She said Ryan would want to avoid any appearance of giving in to the Democrats' sit-in. "He doesnt want the precedent set that if you take over the well of the House, you will get what you want, she said. Rep. Robert Dold, an Illinois Republican, is another co-sponsor and has worked on this issue since 2011. He said he has had conversations with House leadership about moving forward with the effort. Weve had enough of the partisan dysfunction, and weve had enough of the political games, Dold said. Its time for action. Cambodian survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime appealed for clarity in their compensation claims and complained Friday about a general lack of awareness of legal procedures at the Khmer Rouge tribunal in Phnom Penh. Several survivors gathered at a restaurant in the capital, including Sem Hoeun, 53, who was used as a porter by the regime. She was forced to carry fertilizer made from the remains of the dead to spur agrarian development. Sem Hoeun said she still lives with the pain and suffering of those days. She called on the countrys current leadership not to treat people brutally and badly. Hoeun said she wants compensation, but is unsure how apply for assistance. An estimated 1.7 million Cambodians died during the rule of the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979. So far, only the former head of the notorious S-21 security center, Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, has been sentenced for crimes against humanity. The regimes second-in-command, Nuon Chea, and its head of state, Khieu Samphan, remain on trial. Kranh Tony, a representative of the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) who helps oversee reparations, said without elaboration that the court is continuing to seek redress for survivors through 17 projects. Neth Pheaktra, an ECCC spokesman, said the court needs more funding for reparations projects. Sos Tonh, 54, called for a system of collective compensation that could see money spent on community projects. I dont know what I want, because we hear the words compensation and compensation, but how could they offer us compensation?" he said. "Now, with this gathering, I want a religious hall or school for the next generation of Cambodian kids. Khmer Rouge soldiers beat and killed his father and three siblings in the 1970s, he added. President Barack Obama has designated a site in the heart of New York City as a national park and the first U.S. national monument to gay rights. The Stonewall National Monument, in the city's Greenwich Village area, includes the landmark Stonewall Inn, a tavern where the gay rights movement gained political momentum nearly 50 years ago. The tavern, popular with gays and lesbians, was the focal point of street rioting that broke out in 1969 after a police raid. Obama praised the activists who fought back against the 1969 police action: "They stood up and spoke out. The riots became protests. The protests became a movement. The movement ultimately became an integral part of America." The president's message was part of a video the White House released in time for Saturday's annual LGBT pride celebration in New York, and for events on Sunday marking the U.S. Supreme Court ruling one year ago that confirmed marriage between two people of the same sex was legal throughout the United States. The Obama video, including scenes of the 1969 Stonewall riots, will be broadcast on huge screens in the city's Times Square, a central gathering point for the LGBT pride celebrations. 'Uniquely American spirit' "Stonewall will be our first national monument to tell the story for the struggle for LGBT rights," Obama said. "I believe our national parks should reflect the full story of our country the richness and diversity and uniquely American spirit that has always defined us.'' Obama has used his executive powers in the past to recognize American sites of great significance to African-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and women. The Stonewall Inn has been a rallying point for gay activists for decades. Crowds gathered there last June 26 after the Supreme Court decision, and again this month after the mass shooting that killed 49 people at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, popular with the gay community. The events 47 years ago that made the tavern a gay landmark grew out of a raid by police who said they were enforcing an old city ordinance prohibiting bars from serving alcoholic beverages to homosexuals, and other measures targeting cross-dressers. Bar patrons refused to cooperate with the police, and their resistance spiraled into a spontaneous riot that drew in bystanders. Movement was launched A small green space nearby Christopher Park, now part of the 3-hectare area that comprises the Stonewall monument was the scene of several days of protests and riots, which became known as the Stonewall Uprising. Those protests are considered by many to be the catalyst that launched the modern LGBT civil-rights movement, the president wrote in a proclamation announcing the monument. From this place and time, building on the work of many before, the nation started the march not yet finished toward securing equality and respect for LGBT people. Obama mentioned Stonewall in a speech beginning his second term in office, in 2013, arguing that the battle for gay rights was part of a larger civil rights movement, also including women and African-Americans. The president's position on gay rights issues has broadened during his time at the White House. He had long supported equal rights for LGBT people, but spoke out against gay marriage during his first campaign for the presidency, in 2008. He reversed his position in 2012, however, saying he had gone through "an evolution" on the issue. Orlando also remembered Many political figures and rights groups in New York have for years sought national recognition of the Stonewall Inn as a site of historic importance. The Human Rights Campaign, a group that says it works for a world in which "all people are ensured of their basic equal rights, and can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community," was among those cheering Obama's Stonewall proclamation. "The announcement is especially significant," the group said in a statement, "following the horrific massacre in Orlando, a heartbreaking reminder of the hate and violence we continue to face as a community." U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat whose district includes Greenwich Village, said, "Stonewall is finally taking its rightful place in American history.'' "We are faced with painful reminders daily," Nadler added, "of how much further we must go to achieve true equality and tolerance for the LGBT community. But honoring and preserving the stories of all of the diverse participants in Stonewall in our national park system is a clear symbol of how far we have come." Others who celebrated the announcement include New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio; and the state's two U.S. senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. One Country, Two Systems is the concept implemented by former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. Hong Kong Democratic Party Chair Emily Lau equates the policy to a firewall between the central Communist government and Hong Kong, designed to preserve local freedoms following the 1997 handoff from Britain to Beijing. In late 2015, five Hong Kong booksellers were held by Chinese officials for various crimes, some of which dated back more than a decade. Human Rights Watch China researcher Maya Wang said there had been a campaign to restrict the flow of sensitive political books about China from Hong Kong, and that the detentions appeared to be another step by Chinese authorities to control freedom of expression in Hong Kong. Last week, Lam Wing-kee, one of the five Hong Kong booksellers, recounted his ordeal before reporters. Lam spoke of being held without access to an attorney or his family and said that twice during his detention he contemplated suicide. The revelations sparked protests in Hong Kong, with some residents calling for Hong Kong independence. Lau,speaking on VOAs Asia Weekly podcast, said if it was true that Chinese authorities had detained citizens abroad, and in the case of bookseller Lee Bo had conducted cross-border detention, Beijing was effectively driving a truck through One Country, Two Systems and the firewall would come crumbling down. The system should be preserved but is "at great risk," Lau said. She noted that people in Hong Kong were scared following the detentions, and that the central Beijing government must come out and assure the Hong Kong people that such things can never happen again. Hong Kongs Chief Executive CY Leung wrote a letter to the central government, identifying several concerns regarding Lams claims. Lau called that response woefully inadequate. VOA attempted to contact the chief executive but was informed by his office that Leung was unavailable for comment. Nathan Law, chair of the newly formed Demosisto Party, born out of 2014s pro-democracy demonstrations, called the Hong Kong government a puppet of the central government. Law believes that many are keeping a close eye on this issue because Hong Kong [residents] never imagined [something like the detentions would] happen. He calls the detention of the booksellers evidence of malfunction and [a] breach of One Country, Two Systems. Law believes that it is difficult to change the current system but says he and other civic groups will mobilize to create pressure to defend what they currently have. China's vulnerability Stratfor East Asia analyst Thomas Vien believes China will have to pay a price as a result of Lam's statements. There is long-term interest for China in promoting [an] image that it is a law-abiding country ... that it promotes rule of law. Thats really been hurt by this, he said. Vien also says Beijing faces a greater challenge in trying to convince Taiwan of the merits of the system. But is One Country, Two Systems broken? Vien says that depends on how one defines things in terms of Chinas purposes. For the sake of Hong Kong stability, I think that theres always been the sense from Hong Kongers that China is kind of slicing away One Country, Two Systems in small pieces and [they] are upset, but theres a limit to what Hong Kong can do to resist China given that they dont have their own military, he said. However, Taiwan does have a military force and Vien feels its government may re-examine its relationship with Beijing, and that this incident could further damage ties and elicit greater anxiety over greater cross-strait integration. The U.S. Defense Department plans to repeal its ban on transgender service members, ending a year of contentious internal debate about how they can serve openly. The decision is expected to be announced July 1, USA Today reported Friday, citing a senior Pentagon official who spoke on condition of anonymity. A Pentagon press officer emailed VOA a statement Saturday saying that, "while the DoD anticipates completing our policy on transgender service members in the coming weeks, no date has been confirmed for the announcement." Transgender troops currently can be discharged. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who must approve the change, last year said current regulations on transgender troops were "outdated and are causing uncertainty that distracts commanders from our core missions." He called for a review, saying the ban would be revoked unless there were indications of "adverse impact." Each branch would have one year to implement the changes, which would affect polices on recruiting, uniforms and housing. An estimated 15,000 trans people serve in the U.S. military, Reuters reported, citing the National Center for Transgender Equality as its source. Wide-ranging shifts News of the planned policy shift broke on the same day that President Barack Obama designated as a historic monument the site of a 1969 gay revolt in New York City. The Stonewall Uprising is credited with sparking the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights movement. The military has undergone wide-reaching shifts in recent years. In 2011, it lifted its ban on allowing openly gay troops to serve. Previously, the policy had been "dont ask, dont tell." On Monday, the U.S. Army held a welcome ceremony for its new secretary, Eric Fanning, the first openly gay person to lead a U.S. military service branch. Last year, Carter ordered that each service branch open all military roles to women. The American Military Partner Association, which represents LGBT families, said in a statement on its blog: "We are eagerly anticipating the details of this historic announcement and we are incredibly grateful for the leadership Secretary Carter has shown in getting us to this critically important point for our military families." Baku, Azerbaijan, June 25 By Anakhanum Idayatova - Trend: Israels ambassador to Azerbaijan Dan Stav has paid his first visit to Azerbaijans Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and held a number of meetings. During the visit, Chairman of the Supreme Assembly of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic Vasif Talibov and other high-ranking officials received the ambassador, Israeli embassy in Baku told Trend. During the discussions, the parties touched upon the possibilities of cooperation in trade, agriculture, tourism, heath care and water resources management. Dan Stav was appointed Israels ambassador to Azerbaijan in August 2015. --- Follow the author on Twitter:@Anahanum This week, thousands of Eritreans gathered in Geneva, Switzerland, to both support and protest a new U.N. report alleging that the leaders of the Eritrean government have committed crimes against humanity. Elsewhere, hundreds of Eritrean refugees gathered outside African Union headquarters in neighboring Ethiopia to protest the alleged crimes back home. The report comes from a commission of inquiry set up more than two years ago to investigate human rights in Eritrea. The commission gathered testimony from 833 people in 13 countries including Australia, Canada and the United States, but was not allowed to travel inside Eritrea to conduct its investigation. Its report outlined arbitrary arrests, torture, rape, enslavement, murder and reprisals against family members of dissidents inside the country. During an interactive dialogue at the U.N. Human Rights Council with the commission and other organizations and stakeholders on Monday, Eritreas head of political affairs and presidential adviser said that the commission not only failed to prove the accusations but was overstepping its mandate. The Commission has made the incredible judgment that the human rights situation in Eritrea constitutes a threat to international peace and security, as a fig leaf to try to send yet another African country to the International Criminal Court ((ICC)), Yemane Gebreab told the attendees. Testimonies In the audience were children of jailed journalists, political prisoners in the country and other Eritrean activists who also gave their testimonies. Outside the official proceedings, demonstrators waved Eritrean flags and signs denouncing the ruling party the Peoples Front for Democracy and Justice as criminals. Geneva was literally flooded by people who are requesting that enough is enough, said Daniel Rezene Mekonnen, an Eritrean human rights lawyer, who traveled to Geneva to participate in the dialogue. There must be an end to the situation of crimes against humanity in Eritrea and people were shouting telling the world that they support the findings of the commission of inquiry. Mekonnen said the most heartbreaking aspect of the events was to hear supporters of the Eritrean government deny the seriousness of crimes being committed inside the country. When they deny the realities of the human rights violations in Eritrea, they are insulting the victims, and this is inhuman, he said. These people who are suffering in the dungeons of the regime in all of the formal and informal prison systems in Eritrea, what we call the Eritrean network of gulags, they are innocent people," Mekonnen said. "They dont deserve that. Or if the government believes that they have committed something else, they should be brought to a court of justice. Others believe just as strongly that Eritrea is being wrongly maligned by the international community. Simon Tesfamariam is the founder and director of Red Sea Institute, a nonprofit doing research in Eritrea, and a supporter of the government. Theres nothing wrong with looking at the human rights situation of the nation at all, Tesfamariam said. Those who are investigating the human rights situation are not impartial, not independent, not objective and not neutral. Impartiality questioned He questioned the impartiality of the U.N.s special rapporteur, Sheila B. Keetharuth, who previously worked for Amnesty International and who, he said, has called for Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki to be tried at the ICC. He also criticized the lack of evidence like video or audio to substantiate the allegations. You have anonymized allegations. You dont have any hard evidence, any tangible evidence to make us feel comfortable with the fact that these allegations may, in fact, be true, he said. I mean just think of it in the court of law. Who would take seriously 100 percent anonymized allegations? Who would take seriously that those that are not anonymized are not coming from those who have clearly checkered relations with whom they are making allegations against? The report outlines numerous abuses including the use of national service, which began as a development program but now continues for years and is equated to enslavement in the report. Government officials say it is necessary to stay on a war footing with Ethiopia as recent clashes on the Ethiopia-Eritrea border attest. The report now goes to the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC), which will decide whether to adopt a resolution on the issue. This issue should be passed to the Security Council because only the Security Council has the power to make referrals to the International Criminal Court," commission chairman Mike Smith told VOA. So, yes, these are individual crimes, and yes, we have found that there are a number of people that we have reason to believe are responsible for those crimes," Smith said. Afghanistan's Taliban said Saturday that it would strongly retaliate for the resumption of U.S. airstrikes against the insurgent group, and it rejected assertions that bombing operations ever paused. The U.S. military began anti-Taliban air raids in the last week, but it has declined to provide details. The move came just days after President Barack Obama expanded the authorities under which U.S. troops in Afghanistan can attack insurgents; attacks can now proceed as long as they help the Afghan offensive succeed. "U.S. airstrikes have continued against our countrymen from the onset of the [foreign] invasion. There has been no cessation, so talk of restart is hollow," said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. 'Harsher' response The increase in U.S. airstrikes will be met with a "harsher" reaction from the Islamist insurgency, he said in a statement sent to reporters. "The Afghan Mujahid nation is now used to airstrikes. Continuation of bombings cannot break the will of this nation nor subdue them," Mujahid asserted. The U.S. military spokesman in Kabul, Brigadier General Charles Cleveland, said it would be premature to discuss the battlefield impact of the "limited number of strikes" conducted under the new authorities. "But really, the goal is to help achieve a strategic effect," he told reporters Thursday. "Using these authorities, of course, one evening or a couple of days is probably not going to ultimately result in the strategic effect. It will be a combination of the use of enablers, and it will be combined with Afghan operations over a period of time." Cleveland noted a relative reduction in the Afghan fighting because of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, but he predicted hostilities would intensify in July. "We recognize that we are still very early in the fighting season and that there is a long way to go, and that the ANDSF [Afghan National Defense Security Forces] are going to suffer casualties and they are going to have bad days. There is no doubt about that," he said. U.S. cutback ahead The Afghan military has struggled in the battle against the Taliban since taking the lead from foreign troops in 2014. A residual U.S. force of 9,800 soldiers in Afghanistan has since been involved primarily in a train-advise-and-assist mission for local forces. The number of U.S. troops is set to decrease to 5,500 by the end of this year. Until now, U.S. commanders were authorized only to use airstrikes to protect their forces on the ground and to protect Afghan partners when they faced being overrun by the Taliban, or to go after the Islamic State or the remnants of al-Qaida. Afghan security forces suffered 6,637 personnel killed and 12,471 wounded in 2015, according to the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). "In the first two months of 2016, an additional 820 members of the Afghan security forces were killed in action and 1,389 were wounded," SIGAR said in its quarterly report, quoting U.S military officials. Local Tibetans found the carcasses of 20 musk deer and one eagle on June 22, 2016 in the traditional Tibetan area of Kham Dege, located today in Sichuan province. The carcasses along with around 300 steel traps were discovered at a mountain forest near Tsethang village in Menshod Dama township. Tibetans in the village became suspicious when they saw a group of Chinese coming out of the forest which prompted them to investigate and found the dead animals and the large number of traps. The Tibetans say that the musk deer, which is a recognized protected endangered animal in China, were killed by local Chinese poachers. Two of the Chinese men seen leaving the forest fled the village when a group of Tibetans filed an official complaint and requested the local government and police to take appropriate action. However, the authorities responded by saying that they considered the matter a minor issue, and not important enough to pursue. A police personnel informed the Tibetans that he could collect 50 yuans each, the equivalent of $7.50 US, from the wives of the two Chinese men leaving the village as collateral against the wives also leaving which angered the Tibetans who prize the wild life in their homeland. A Tibetan man named Wangdak wrote an appeal that questioned whether 50 yuan was adequate collateral for killing twenty endangered musk deer, and whether the policeman's proposal was an appropriate law enforcement measure. Chamra Drimey Gyaltsen, a native from the region and President of the Dege Gyalyong Welfare Society based in New Delhi, India, says that, the situation in the area remains volatile," and expressed concern to the VOA. Musk from the endangered Tibetan Musk Deer is highly prized for its medicinal benefits and fetch large sums of money in China and the international market. Destruction of wild life across Tibet since the relatively recent arrival of the Chinese in the region has caused a sense of great loss to Tibetans who have a long history of adhering to an edict on the environment called Ngongya Rigya Dum, that bans hunting and disturbing wild areas in order that wild life are left undisturbed. The edict and near universal adherence to it by Tibetans is based on Buddhism's underlying belief in the sacredness of all living beings. Preservation of the environment's natural beauty is held in special high regard by Tibetans in the Dege region which has a rich cultural history of being home to some of the finest centers of Tibetan painting, sculpture, and metal work. Leaving the European Union, the UK ends its "special relationship" with the United States. But London is also a member of the agreement of the "Five Eyes" from the Atlantic Charter and co-founder of NATO (the British share all information concerning the Stay Behind network). Releasing the UK therefore means the collapse of the entire Anglo-Saxon system of world domination. The National Security Council of the United States has developed a plan to secure the UK to Atlantic structures. It was decided to do everything to prevent the Downing Street appointment of the Conservative Brexit leader, Boris Johnson, and to promote a "consensus" personality able to "reconcile" the British. This personality would negotiate the terms of the exit from the European Union. For its part, the Union would propose to replace the current agreements with almost identical provisions. Following this process, the United Kingdom would have lost his seat on the European Council, but would remain de facto in the Common Market. President Obama has appointed the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to conduct operations within the EU and George Osborne, the current number two of the Government to organize the consensus in the UK. Already, Prime Minister David Cameron has refused to resign before the US presidential election, while the Scottish Executive and the European press highlight the risk of secession to justify the call for a "consensus personality. " The European Council was convened by the President of the Union, Donald Tusk, June 29, in the presence of the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg. Aziz Ansari. Photo: Gary Gershoff/Getty Images Aziz Ansari has penned a New York Times op-ed about Donald Trump, in which the Master of None creator explains how the anti-Islamic rhetoric pushed by the presumptive Republican nominee has had a real impact on his friends and family. Ansari writes how, in the aftermath of the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, he had to tell his mother to avoid her mosque and pray at home. As he sent the text, he recalls, I realized how awful it was to tell an American citizen to be careful about how she worshiped. Though there are more than 3 million Muslims living in the United States, Ansari notes that when people like Orlando shooter Omar Mateen commit crimes, the entire religion is implicated. In our culture, when people think Muslim, the picture in their heads is not usually of the Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or the kid who left the boy band One Direction, he writes. Its of a scary terrorist character from Homeland or some monster from the news The overwhelming number of Muslim Americans have as much in common with that monster in Orlando as any white person has with any of the white terrorists who shoot up movie theaters or schools or abortion clinics. This has a chilling effect on Muslim-Americans: Since the shooting, Trump has reiterated his calls for religious profiling and a ban on Muslim immigrants. Its visceral, and scary, Ansari says, and it affects how people live, work and pray. It makes me afraid for my family. He remembers how he felt when he heard a plane hit the World Trade Center on September 11, and the racial harassment he received in the days after. There is a strange feeling that you must almost prove yourself worthy of feeling sad and scared like everyone else. Then he remembers Trumps claim that Muslim-Americans celebrated the attacks. My family, unable to reach me on my cellphone, was terrified about my safety as they watched the towers collapse, he writes. There was absolutely no cheering. Only sadness, horror and fear. The premiere of Greenleaf gave OWN its best-ever ratings, which is understandable because it serves a long-starved audience. Its already clear that the show will be a great summer soap and in The Baptism, we get to see more of that soapy goodness in Lynn Whitfields performance as Lady Mae Greenleaf. Her poised, calculating coldness might even rival Diahann Carrolls iconic work as Dominique Deveraux on Dynasty. Good thing, too: Seeing Lady Mae throw delicious southern shade makes up for the episodes rather predictable moments. The Baptism begins as Mavis police officer friend gives her the folder on Uncle Macs latest teenage victim, Danielle Turner. Its clear from the police report that he ignored Danielles pleas to stop and forced himself on her. Mavis hands it off to Grace, telling her shes been given a second chance to do the right thing. Mavis accurately calls Macs crime a rape, which is a pleasant surprise. Too often, people dance around the term or want to call it something less ugly. Grace eventually tries to visit Danielle, but her mother is far from welcoming later, shes calls Mac to complain about him reneging on whatever deal they had. Mac assures the mother that hell handle Grace, and its hard to imagine hell approach her with good Christian kindness. A violent man like that, with so much power and influence, is dangerous. In the meantime, Bishop James welcomes Grace back into Calvary Fellowship with her own office. She will be part of the Response Ministry, meaning shes the first person people will see when they want to join various programs and auxiliaries in the church. Grace is still getting her sea legs when she has a meeting with Betty Wilcox, a member of the Bishops Roundtable, an exclusive club for congregants who give $10,000 or more beyond their tithes. Mrs. Wilcox is the type of southern woman who wouldnt let butter melt her in mouth. She wants her granddaughter baptized and doesnt appreciate Grace asking questions about the babys parents. To avoid any confrontation, Grace performs the baptism, with her fathers encouragement and her mothers warning. Grace welcomes baby Erika into the family of God, solidifying her return to her own family and all of its drama. Unfortunately, Greenleaf is trying to juggle too many storylines in the early going. Jacobs affair with Alexa doesnt need as much attention as its getting. It detracts from Sophias fish-out-of-water tale at her new school, an important story that highlights the overlooked experiences of black children at private schools. I want to care more about the shows depictions of black excellence, as Zora calls it, but theres nothing fresh about teens mocking each other for not being cool. Then theres Charity and her husband Kevin, who has an electric moment with another man. The show definitely needs to cover closeted church members and the homophobia frequently found in Christianity, but again, I wonder how fresh this story will be. In the premiere episode, when Lady Mae dismissed Charity for not having any children, it was an obvious indicator that something was supposed to be wrong in Charitys marriage to Kevin. The two seemed close and affectionate, but as friends. In this episode, Charity remarks on that dynamic, telling Kevin their marriage works because theyre best friends. Kevin looks like hes swallowed a lemon when he tells her he doesnt want to hurt someone he loves. (This moment really called for a dramatic chipmunk, if you ask me.) I dont look forward to seeing how Kevins secret plays out. Primetime soaps arent known for nuance. Speaking of soap subtlety, Lady Mae serves up some Dominique Devereaux realness while sampling a menu with Kerissa, Jacobs controlling wife. Kerissa tries to ask Lady Mae about Graces status in the church, but Lady Mae keeps commenting on the small portions of food. Lady Mae has already told Kerissa that she trusts Bishop James judgements when it comes to spiritual matters, but Kerissa is worried about Jacobs place in the church and in the family. Her transparent questioning annoys Lady Mae, who shuts her down in the finest way: Strength like yours, dear, is best expressed in stillness. In other words, stop being a busybody and mind your business. On Dynasty, Dominiques sparring partner was Alexis Carrington (Joan Collins), and their bouts made for delicious television. Right now, none of the Greenleaf children or in-laws can compete with Lady Maes southern shade. Nevertheless, The Baptism gives Whitfield more to do, and its clear she will be a strong audience draw as the series continues. Lady Mae is certainly influential within the world of the show: She pressures Noah into accepting the Greenleaf home as the site for his wedding, just so she can have him keep an eye on Grace. She may not like Kerissa shining doubt on Grace, but Lady Mae will do what she can to maintain order. Weve yet to learn her secrets, though. Trying to figure out who Lady Mae is that church-mother mask will be a challenge. Of course, Kerissa isnt the only busybody in the family. Grace discovers that David Nelson, the police officer accused of killing Kenny Collins, has been calling Bishop James for over a month. She meets up with him, then learns he needs an upstanding church leader to stand by him when he makes a public apology. Grace shows him the Danielle Turner file, and Im already wondering how this will blow up in her face. David wants something from the Greenleaf family for his own survival. He wants secrets. Yes, Grace wants to bring down her uncle, but maybe David isnt the best person to confide in. And yet, I must commend Greenleaf for showing how police brutality that involves black victims can infiltrate black lives: The case is mentioned at Calvary, at Sophia and Zoras school, and a news report about it plays on a car radio. Grace has been gone from Memphis and her family for almost 20 years. She doesnt realize how powerful the Greenleafs have become, but shell soon find out. Grace needs to find a trustworthy confidante to help her take down Uncle Mac but right now, its not looking good. Everyone seems to have quid pro quo written across their foreheads (and checkbooks). Does Grace have what it takes to go against her family? Time will tell. Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images Hes portrayed everyone from the dignified Tony Blair to the affable David Frost, but now Michael Sheen is ready to explore his sinister American side. Sheen will be writing, directing, and starring in the crime thriller Green River Killer, his directorial debut, adapted from the graphic novel Green River Killer: A True Detective Story by Jeff Jensen and artist Jonathan Case. He will play necrophiliac serial killer Gary Ridgway, who pleaded guilty in 2003 to 49 charges of first-degree murder of women in the state of Washington during the 1980s and 1990s. The films central narrative will revolve around police detective Tom Jensen Jeff Jensens son who spent 20 years tracking and building a case against Ridgway, whos currently serving life in prison with no chance of parole. This is a dark story but one that ultimately finds hope and meaning in that darkness, Sheen said of the film. The story of Tom and Gary, and how they are bound together in time, pulled me in from the beginning and wouldnt let go. I hope that by now bringing it to life on screen, it can make audiences feel the same way. Photo: Twentieth Century Fox Half an hour into Roland Emmerichs un-eagerly anticipated sequel Independence Day: Resurgence, an underling informs a general (William Fichtner) that an alien vessel is about to displace much of the Atlantic Ocean: Sir, the ship is over 3,000 miles in diameter! The general is incensed. How the hell did we miss this? he snarls. How the hell did we? Weve barely seen that ship, let alone gotten a sense of its scale. Its as if someone hacked the effects budget a week before shooting and all the connecting tissue went into the bin. Say what you will about the 1996 Independence Day (me first: it stunk), its makers had obvious affection for the invasion-from-space genre and seemed genuinely excited to use fledgling computer technology to pulverize the Earth. This hodgepodge has been thrown together in so slovenly a way that its no surprise the studio didnt show it to the press. Does Emmerich even care? Soundly ridiculed for his heartfelt Stonewall, he and his co-writers seem too depressed to put conviction into their trademark soap-opera subplots. So, there arent even any good-bad laughs as in The Day After Tomorrow (2004), when virtually the entire U.S. population has been flash-frozen, but Jake Gyllenhaal is still trying to summon the courage to tell Emmy Rossum that he, you know, likes her. The romantic lead here is Liam Hemsworth, a piece of deadwood that floated over from The Hunger Games series. The only spark in his scenes comes from Maika Monroe (It Follows) as his fighter-pilot girlfriend whos also the daughter of haunted ex-president Bill Pullman. (Pullman: You should be with Jake. Monroe: Hes on the moon, remember?) All the main characters lose loved ones except, alas, Jeff Goldblum, whose tiresome dad (Judd Kirsch) is still dodging death beams and giving elderly Jews a bad name. For the record, Jessie T. Usher is the son of dead hero Will Smith (he didnt need the sequel money) whos angry with old pal Hemsworth over a lethal mishap I never quite understood, though it seems similar to the one that killed George Zipp in Airplane! Usher gets to hurl the climactic insult at the ugly alien queen who turns out to be the source of all power: Get ready for a close encounter, bitch! Among the other casualties is Charlotte Gainsbourg as the researcher who rushes around with the dazzled Goldblum, setting up the scene in which Judd Hirsch exhorts his unmarried son to kiss her. Brent Spiner is the gaga scientist from the first movie who wakes up from a 20-year coma to scratch his butt in semi-close-up and tell the president that he has a plan to send cold-fusion bombs up the ass of the big alien ship. Ill let you parse the metaphor. (Apropos Spinner: If the mad scientist from Independence Day can get resurrected, why not Data? Cant Paramount give the TNG crew a last hurrah on TV, say before the old crew gets even longer in the tooth? Even that embarrassing mouth-breather Wesley Crusher could be redeemed, given Wil Wheatons internet-age fan base!) Independence Day: Resurgences only real outrage is its use of an African strongman (Deobia Oparei*) who has reportedly murdered a ton of his people but gets a chance to redeem himself by disemboweling select aliens from behind with a pair of machetes. Evidently Emmerichs rainbow coalition of earthlings has a place on the team for mass murderers. No wonder his Stonewall movie rang so hollow. At heart, he wants to make the world safe for predators. * This review originally misidentified the actor who plays the warlord. We regret the error. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 25 Trend: The results of the counteroffensive by the Azerbaijani army on the contact line of the countrys and Armenian troops in early April are of important military and political significance and had a great influence on reviving the settlement process of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, according to an article in the newspaper Respublika by chief of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan, lieutenant-general Madat Guliyev. The article is devoted to the Day of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan celebrated on June 26. The April events have once again confirmed the high level of technical and tactical training of the Azerbaijani army, the article reads. The myth on invincibility of the Armenian army was once again destroyed. An Azerbaijani soldier proved that it is possible to win in difficult combat conditions. 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. As a result of this successful counteroffensive, more than 2,000 hectares of territory in Azerbaijans Aghdere, Fizuli and Jabrayil districts were liberated, even a larger territory came under the control of the Azerbaijani army, the article says. Heroism of Azerbaijani soldiers and officers further enhanced patriotic spirit in the Azerbaijani society, Guliyev said. The results of the April counteroffensive by the Azerbaijani army have plunged the occupation forces and the Armenian society into a deep psychological shock, the article noted. 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 26 Trend: There is no need to use the incident investigation mechanism at the current stage on the line of contact between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops, said Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev June 25. The commander-in- chief made the remarks during a meeting with servicemen and military officials in Baku. First, there are no such mechanisms and no one tells us exactly what it will be comprised of. In this case, it wouldnt be right to consider this issue today, said the president. The second issue is about its meaning. If it is about freezing the conflict and taking some additional measures on the line of contact, then of course, Azerbaijan wont do that. It will be possible when positive dynamics are observed in the talks, we see concrete results and know when our territories will be de-occupied. In this case, of course, various mechanisms can be used and this issue can be considered. Further, the president touched upon an important issue reflected in the statement which was adopted in St. Petersburg, following the meeting of Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian presidents. It was noted that the situation on the line of contact has been stable in recent times and it is assessed as a positive factor. In this case, there is no need for an incident investigation mechanism. Thats to say, that condition was not accepted either. I reiterate that we should hold the talks based on the essence of the issue. Armenia's occupation policy should stop. We should know when the process of de-occupation of our lands will begin, and such process of course will happen, said President Aliyev. Azerbaijani side and I personally have repeatedly said that we can resolve this conflict only stage by stage, because, it's impossible to do otherwise, said the president. Armenia has always tried to even more complicate the situation, disrupt the negotiation process and stage-by- stage settlement. But in our opinion, it is the most suitable way. It can lead to the speedy settlement of the issue. Azerbaijans principled position on resolving the issue is clear, added President Aliyev. There hasnt been and wont be any changes in this position. I reiterate that the issue should be resolved within Azerbaijans territorial integrity, said the president. Nagorno-Karabakh will never be given independence. The second Armenian state will never be created on Azerbaijans historical lands. A former Dallas County deputy sheriff with a prior conviction for abusing a young girl almost 30 years ago was sentenced to three life prison terms for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in 2009. A Hill County jury convicted Thomas Johnny Wilkins, 68, on two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of indecency with a child by contact and recommended life prison terms Thursday on all three counts. Because of Wilkins 1989 conviction for assaulting a family member for four years beginning when she was 9 years old, all three charges in his trial this week in Hillsboro were first-degree felonies. Hill County District Attorney Mark Pratt and his assistant, Matt Boyle, presented evidence to show Wilkins worked as a deputy sheriff in Dallas from 1976 to 1982 and was a deputy constable in Dallas County from 1982 to 1987 before he was charged with abusing the young family member. In both cases, Wilkins was convicted of giving his victims a pink drink that made them dizzy, light-headed and forced them to lie down. Wilkins sexually assaulted the girls while they were in this dizzy state, according to trial testimony. The victim in the most recent case, who is now 19, told jurors that her family lived near Wilkins about seven miles north of Hillsboro and he befriended her and her sister. She said Wilkins gave them a horse but allowed them to keep it on his ranch. The girls came over regularly to care for the horse and ride it. One day, the girl said, she came over by herself and Wilkins gave her a pink liquid to drink. Shortly thereafter, she became drowsy, she said, and he sexually assaulted her. She said she was 12 at the time. First Assistant DA Matt Boyle did a tremendous job preparing the case for trial, and we were pleased to have an excellent local jury provide some comfort and a sense of justice to the victims, Pratt said. Wilkins acknowledged he gave the horse to the girls and admitted he gave both victims something to drink. However, he said the liquid was cough medicine and he denied sexually assaulting either of the girls. A 24-year-old Fort Hood solider was arrested Thursday on a federal possession of child pornography charge. The solider is accused of using an online file-sharing network to post illicit images of children, according to his federal arrest affidavit. The investigation also uncovered video of the man he took as he sexually abused a 5-year-old boy, according to the affidavit. Winston Grainger III, formerly of Columbus, Ohio, was arrested at Fort Hood after a warrant was issued Wednesday for his arrest on one count of possessing or attempting to possess child pornography. Federal Homeland Security Task Force Officer and McLennan County Sheriffs Office Detective Joe Scaramucci issued a warrant for Graingers arrest after officers began an undercover operation with Homeland Security investigations in early October, according to the arrest affidavit unsealed Friday evening. According to the affidavit, three images of nude children in sexual positions were initially found in Graingers possession in October. Each image allegedly contained an image of an underage child victim who was recognized by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Later in the month, officers executed a federal search warrant at Graingers residence and seized several items, including an external hard drive and a laptop, the affidavit states. Investigators found 15 photographs and video of an underage boy. The affidavit states the images and video showed the boy being sexually assaulted by a man, later identified as Grainger. Officers were able to connect GPS data with the images to Graingers former address in Columbia, Ohio. Investigators reported that other images without GPS data were taken before a 5-year-old boy allegedly made an outcry of sexual abuse against Grainger while at Fort Hood, the arrest affidavit states. Grainger was arrested and was taken to the Jack Harwell Detention Center in Waco on Friday. He is scheduled for a preliminary and detention hearing Tuesday afternoon. Attempts to contact Fort Hood officials were unsuccessful Friday. The Waco Police Department identified officers Kevin Spicer, Adam Beseda and George Neville as the three officers under internal and criminal investigations after a man they arrested filed a complaint against them. In-car video shows Neville grabbed the man by the throat during the arrest, Waco Police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said. Spicer and Beseda attempted to stop Qualon Deshan Weaver, 35, for a traffic violation at the intersection of J.J. Flewellen Road and Herring Avenue on May 4, Swanton said. Neville and a fourth officer came to assist in Weavers arrest and the search of his vehicle, Swanton said. The Tribune-Herald has requested the in-car video and other public documents related to Weavers arrest. The Waco Police Department is seeking a Texas Attorney Generals opinion on whether releasing the video and other documents would unduly interfere with its investigations. Weavers attorney also has requested the video from the McLennan County District Attorneys Office as he decides whether to file a civil rights lawsuit. When Spicer and Beseda initiated the traffic stop for an improper stop at a signal, Weaver continued driving at a slow rate of speed, according to an arrest affidavit. He came to a stop multiple times as Spicer and Beseda followed but continued driving as the officers started to exit their vehicle, according to the affidavit. The officers observed Weaver moving in the car before he pulled over, appearing to conceal something, they reported in the affidavit. Weaver eventually stopped, and officers were able to make contact with him and arrest him about 550 feet away from a Rapoport Academy elementary school, Swanton said. After a search, officers found almost 10 grams of marijuana, according to the affidavit. Grabbed during arrest Weaver was handcuffed, and during his arrest, Neville grabbed Weaver around his neck, Swanton said. Swanton said Weaver was transported to McLennan County Jail on charges of evading in a motor vehicle and possession of marijuana in a drug-free zone. He also received citations for driving with an invalid license and failure to identify, according to police records. DAs office officials watched in-car video June 9 showing the arrest and discovered Neville had grabbed Weaver by the neck, Swanton said. The DAs office contacted Waco police, and the departments Professional Standards and Conduct Unit immediately started an internal investigation, he said. Neville and Beseda were placed on administrative leave the same day the DAs office watched the video and contacted the department. Spicer was placed on administrative leave June 16 as the investigation progressed. The standards unit reviewed the video and determined a separate criminal investigation should be started, Swanton said. A supervisor from the Detective Division has been assigned to determine whether criminal charges against any of the officers will be filed. We take any incident of potential misconduct very seriously, Waco police Chief Brent Stroman said in a statement. We are committed to constitutional policing at every level. Although there is a sense of urgency in these matters, the Police Department needs to perform thorough investigations. Neville has 11 years of service, Beseda has seven and Spicer has five, Swanton said. They are all assigned to the Street Crimes Unit. Baylor Universitys Texas Hunger Initiative has won plaudits for its efforts to recruit nonprofit groups to sign up needy clients for government social service. Its officials have even been invited to testify to Congress about the program as a model for the nation. Now, the state is preparing to pull the plug on the contract that made it possible. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission says that at the end of August it will end THIs $3.5 million annual contract for recruitment and training for the Community Partner Program. The HHSC is planning to work with another yet-to-be-announced state agency to take over development, support and retention of the partnership, a spokesman for the HHSC said. Jeremy Everett, executive director for Texas Hunger Initiative, said his organization signed a five-year contract with HHSC in 2012 to expand the Community Partner Program but finished the expansion in four. They said we did an excellent job, Everett said. We did it in a more timely fashion than expected. . . . It doesnt always pay to be an overachiever. At least we used taxpayer money efficiently, and we feel good about that. Everett said he had hoped to have at least the remaining year to strengthen the relationships with about 1,400 community-based organizations in the program. Those groups are now doing at no charge to the state what 99 HHSC offices used to do: sign up clients for benefits such as Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, Medicaid, Medicare and the Childrens Health Insurance Program. They dont get resources, they dont get paid and they are changing the way they do business so they can be better case managers, Everett said. What we dont want to happen is for these community-based organizations to decide not to continue with the program because their trusted partners arent there. Everett said he still has a glimmer of hope that the decision can be reversed. He said Baylor University interim President David Garland is sending a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott asking for the contract to be extended. He said the loss of the contract would be a financial challenge for Texas Hunger Initiative and could affect staffing at its Waco headquarters and its 12 regional offices around the state. Forty-three full-time employees work for the agency, not counting subcontractors and interns. But Everett said Texas Hunger Initiative has other pending contracts and federal and private grants that could buffer the loss. Were not an organization built around a single contract, he said. Texas Hunger Initiatives direct funding through the contract was $1 million, with the rest going to subcontractors. The organizations entire budget is typically between $7 million and $8 million a year. Still, Everett said his main concern is ensuring that the partnerships remain strong, and Texas Hunger Initiative will continue to support the Community Partner Program even after the contract ends. The great thing is that were able to keep a strong regional presence regardless of the outcome of the contract so we can help maintain the integrity of the program, he said. Everett said hes proud of the work Texas Hunger Initiative has done with the Community Partner Program, which is already becoming a model in other states. The idea of using nonprofit groups, health clinics and faith-based organizations to do casework for social services programs has bipartisan support in Congress, Everett said. He said he has testified five times before congressional committees and has worked with 25 states. What we have been able to build is a beautiful thing, he said. Congress loves it. Buddy Edwards, executive director of Caritas, a leading Waco charity, said Texas Hunger Initiative has won respect in the nonprofit world. Caritas was already part of a program to sign up clients for benefits before the Community Partnership program started, but Edwards said Texas Hunger Initiative has been able to scale up that model statewide. I think Texas Hunger Initiative has worked extremely hard to make an impact in regard to the hunger issue, particularly in the area of getting more SNAP funding, he said. Ive heard nothing but positive comments for them. A downtown Waco church hopes to transform an old county fallout shelter into a sanctuary. Acts Church pastors David and Kim Booker said the congregation plans to raise $1.7 million to transform the 17,000-square-foot warehouse next door to the church at 300 S. 13th St. The church bought the warehouse eight years ago when it moved from Steinbeck Bend Drive, before the downtown area began to boom with redevelopment. Instead of tearing the concrete building down and starting over, the Bookers said they feel called to transform the structure that served as a nuclear fallout shelter into a different kind of shelter for the community. Just where people can run to for safety from storms of everyday life, not just physical storms, but spiritual, emotional, Kim Booker said. I feel like what the Lord is doing with the sanctuary next door is a picture of what he wants to do with the whole community not destroy it and demolish it and tear it down and get rid of it but he really wants to revive places. I feel like a picture of what we want to do here is a picture of the community as a whole. At the height of the Cold War, McLennan County developed a nuclear fallout plan in July 1967, which included the building at 13th Street and Mary Avenue, the duo said. The renovation project, which will be done by local firm RBDR Architects, will give the congregation room to grow from its 350 members to more than 800. The church holds two worship services, except during the summer months when students leave town and just one service is offered. Without room for expansion, more services would have to be added to accommodate growth. David Booker, who was born in Waco, said the congregation originally moved to central Waco to bring the neighborhood a really great church. The couple also bought a home two blocks from the church in an effort to worship with the community and not at the community. Were just at the place now we really felt like the Lord said, Its time to get moving on it, David Booker said. The main reason is that we feel strongly that this is where God told us to be and weve never been able to escape that that this is what he said. Plans for the sanctuary include bringing the congregation closer with chairs surrounding a circular stage in the center of the room, instead of a stage up front. With God in the center Kim Booker said she thinks the design will create more of a feeling of participating than spectating and will reduce the amount of staring at the back of heads. In quiet time I feel like the Lord just kind of showed me a picture and said, This is what I want it to represent, that Im the center. Everything revolves around him, she said. The sanctuary in use now will be transformed into 10 childrens classrooms, freeing up the upstairs of the church for youth ministry. Right now its kind of a maze around here, David Booker said. The largest project cost is funding electrical, plumbing, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning for the warehouse, he said. The church will maintain the industrial feel of the warehouse, keep most of the pillars in place and add soundproofing. David Booker said sermons are often interrupted by the blast of train horns on the nearby railroad track. Right now, the train goes by right in the middle of a sermon, and you have to stop, he said. David Booker said the congregation is spending time in prayer on raising the money and then will move forward collecting the funds. Everyones really excited, he said. Usually you expect some negative feedback, and we didnt get any. He said some of the churchs biggest donors are individuals who dont attend the church but support what they do. Ultimately, its got to be for us, just trusting God, he said. We dont have money inside the church. Were trusting the Lord. Were a debt-free church. We own the building. We wont do this until we have all the money. We have always thought of ourselves as a nation of courage and hope. Few statements reflect our identity better than the quote affixed to the Statue of Liberty, Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses. There is something sacred about Ellis Island, the entry point for so many who came in response to the beacon of life and liberty. Most of us are descendants of those who came. Facing severe persecution in the civil wars that swept across Liberia, thousands fled to the United States in the last decade. A few weeks ago I attended the building dedication for Ebenezer Liberian Church in Brooklyn Park, Minn. More than a thousand people showed up. They filled the auditorium and spilled over into corridors and classrooms. I was inspired by their hymns, songs and testimonies to Gods goodness and grace. Four decades ago I visited Vietnamese refugee camps in central Texas. Most were boat people who fled persecution and poverty after the fall of South Vietnam. We picked them up with buses and brought them to our church, even though most spoke little English. A few members in our church resented their presence, but most reached out with the compassion of Christ. Today more than 1.5 million Vietnamese call America home. The largest Christian Vietnamese church has over 4,000 members and the number of Vietnamese Christians is growing. In Minnesota I met Hmong Christian leaders. The Hmong were Animists from the hill country of Laos and close allies to the U.S. during the Vietnam War. They fled brutal persecution and sought refuge in America. More than a quarter-million now live in the U.S. Many have embraced Christ. There are now more than 140 Hmong Christian churches in the United States, most in Minnesota, Wisconsin and California. Their children are attending college and moving into professional ranks. Today the oppression in Syria represents the worlds greatest refugee crisis. Eleven million Syrians, more than half of them children, have fled the brutal attacks by ISIS. Most of them are Muslim. But many Christian organizations are reaching out to these refugees providing shelter, blankets, water, food and comfort. Virtually every denomination is represented as well as para-church groups like Samaritans Purse and World Vision. When Jesus introduced himself to the synagogue in his hometown at Nazareth, he infuriated the crowd by stating that God loved the Syrians. He reminded them that Elisha healed a Syrian leper when there were many lepers in Israel. They were so enraged they tried to throw Jesus off a high cliff (Luke 4:16-30). We are always afraid and suspicious of people who are different than we are. But perfect love casts out fear. Isaiah says, Hide the fugitives, do not betray the refugees. Let the fugitives stay with you; be their shelter from the destroyer. The oppressor will come to an end, and destruction will cease; the aggressor will vanish from the land (Isaiah 16:3-4). Bill Tinsley reflects on current events and life experience from a faith perspective. Visit www.tinsleycenter.com. Email bill@tinsleycenter.com. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, June 25 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Turkmenistan supplies electricity to Afghanistan on preferential terms and is working on increasing its export to the country, the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper reported. Turkmenistan delivers electricity to Afghanistan via the Imamnazar-Andkhoy power transmission line with the capacity of 300 million kilowatt hours and Serhetabat-Herat-Toraghundi power transmission line with the capacity of 200 million kilowatt hours. The newspaper said that Turkmenistan has adopted a relevant concept in order to ensure the comprehensive modernization and development of its electricity sphere and increase its capacity. The implementation of this concept has created an opportunity to increase the volume of electricity exported to Afghanistan through the Serhetabat-Herat-Toraghundi route from 200 million kilowatt hours to 400 million kilowatt hours. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 25 By Fatih Karimov Trend: Irans flag carrier, Iran Air will only use Airbus-made aircrafts for its flights to the EU, same as the past, Shahrokh Noushabadi, the head of the press service of the Iran Air, said. He made the remarks while reacting to reports about ban on flying the Iranian airlines fleet of Boeing and Fokker to the EU sky, Tasnim news agency reported. Iran Air has never used its Boeing and Fokker fleet in EU route, because it is not economically justified, Noushabadi said. He further said that the airline has always used Airbus 340 and 310 aircrafts in flights to Europe, adding the company uses Boeing 747 for long routes such as Beijing and Malaysia. We use our Fokker fleet for domestic flights and to the Persian Gulf countries only, he said. On June 16, the European Commission confirmed the partial lifting of a ban on Iran Air. The step will allow most of the airline's planes to fly in and out of the EU territory, except its fleets of Boeing 747-200s, Boeing 747SPs and Fokker 100s. "I am happy to announce that we are now also able to allow most aircraft from Iran Air back into European skies," said the EU Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc. In 2010, the carrier was restricted to operating just 12 of its 43 aircraft after airport inspections revealed serious safety problems. Your Ultimate Investing Toolkit Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools: Portfolio Monitoring Top Stock Lists Premium Reports Stock Screeners Live News Feed Premium Support Free for your first month. PLDT Inc. provides telecommunications and digital services in the Philippines. It operates through three segments: Wireless, Fixed Line, and Others. The company offers cellular mobile, Internet broadband distribution, operations support, software development, and satellite information and messaging services; and sells Wi-Fi access equipment. It also provides fixed line telecommunications services; business infrastructure and solutions; intelligent data processing and implementation, and data analytics insight generation services; and information and communications infrastructure for Internet-based services, e-commerce, customer relationship management, and information technology (IT) related services. In addition, the company offers managed IT outsourcing, Internet-based purchasing, IT consulting and professional, bills printing and other related value-added, and air transportation services; distributes Filipino channels and content services; and provides full-services customer rewards and loyalty programs. Further, it engages in the sale of mobile handsets, broadband data routers, tablets, and accessories, as well as provides domestic leased lines and alternative messaging solutions, such as over-the-top services, social media, and messenger application. As of December 31, 2021, it had 71,221,952 mobile broadband subscribers; 3,619,372 fixed line subscribers; and 2.8 million broadband subscribers. The company was formerly known as Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company and changed its name to PLDT Inc. in July 2016. PLDT Inc. was incorporated in 1928 and is headquartered in Makati City, the Philippines. Post Holdings, Inc. operates as a consumer packaged goods holding company in the United States and internationally. It operates through five segments: Post Consumer Brands, Weetabix, Foodservice, Refrigerated Retail, and BellRing Brands. The Post Consumer Brands segment manufactures, markets, and sells branded and private label ready-to-eat (RTE) cereal and hot cereal products. It serves grocery stores, mass merchandise customers, supercenters, club stores, natural/specialty stores, and drug store customers, as well as sells its products in the military, ecommerce, and foodservice channels. The Weetabix segment primarily markets and distributes branded and private label RTE cereal, hot cereals and other cereal-based food products, breakfast drinks, and muesli. This segment sells its products to grocery stores, discounters, wholesalers, and convenience stores, as well as through ecommerce. The Foodservice segment produces and distributes egg and potato products in the foodservice and food ingredient channels. It serves foodservice distributors and national restaurant chains. The Refrigerated Retail segment produces and distributes side dishes, eggs and egg products, sausages, cheese, and other dairy and refrigerated products for grocery stores and mass merchandise customers. The BellRing Brands segment markets and distributes ready-to-drink (RTD) protein shakes, other RTD beverages, powders, nutrition bars, and supplements. It serves club stores, food, drug and mass customers, and online retailers, as well as specialty retailers, convenience stores, and distributors. Post Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 25 By Fatih Karimov Trend: Iran exported 955,000 tons of agricultural products worth $802 million during the first two months of current fiscal year (March 20-May 20). Irans agricultural exports increased by 22.5 percent in terms of volume and 4.6 percent in terms of value year on year, the agriculture ministry said. The agricultural products shared 13.91 percent of Irans total non-oil exports value. Horticulture products topped the list of countrys agricultural exports in terms of value with a 43.13 percent share, followed by livestock and poultry (26.5 percent) and farming products (25.7 percent). Iran plans to export $5 billion worth of agricultural products during the current fiscal year (to end March 2017). The Islamic Republic exported $3.99 billion worth of agricultural products in last fiscal year (March 2015-2016). The country exported $6.6 billion worth of agricultural products in the fiscal year to March 2015), meanwhile, agricultural imports amounted to $12 billion during the period. Agriculture in Iran accounts for about one-fourth of the gross national product and employs about two-fifths of the labor force. Woolworths is tightlipped on speculation that it has held talks with giant retailer Steinhoff International about selling its struggling discount department store chain Big W and some Masters hardware chain sites. Trade press Inside Retail has reported that Markus Jooste, CEO of Steinhoff International, has been in Australia to talk with Woolworths. Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci is focusing on turning his supermarkets around. Credit:Louie Douvis It said a sale of Big W and Masters sites would help new Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci to focus on turning around its flagship supermarkets. Steinhoff International has been raised recently as a potential buyer for whitegoods retailer The Good Guys. Its Australian businesses are Best & Less, department store Harris Scarfe, Freedom Furniture, franchised bedding chain Snooze, and discount furniture and electricals chain POCO. Patrick Norman Pat Chapman is a 34-year-old, Caucasian male who was last known to be in Piedmont which is near the area of Greenville, Missouri on May 10, 2020. Pat had stayed the night with a friend and his wife at their home. In the early morning when the friend woke to go to work. Pat was gone in his own Burgundy color 1995 Ford Escort. That is the last anyone was known to have seen him. The vehicle was later recovered on May 29, 2020 in Mill Spring, Missouri. Tehran, Iran, June 25 By Mehdi Sepahvand Trend: The accreditation certificates issued for management systems by the National Accreditation Center of Iran (NACI) are recognized by 32 countries, NACI Director Nayereh Pirouzbakht said. The recognition follows the signing of a multi-sided agreement between NACI and the Asia Pacific Accreditation and Certification Commission, she told IRIB news agency June 25. She further said that the new agreement will prevent companies inside Iran to one-sidedly issue certificate credentials, requiring them to work under the supervision of NACI. Iranian companies used to issue for example ISO 9000 or ISO 14000 credentials or give self-made rewards on quality, but they will be limited hence and would have the right to do so only of NACI approves, Pirouzbakht said. Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. Tehran, Iran, June 25 By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend: Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) forces got engaged in an armed clash with members of a dissident group, dubbed Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI). The clash took place in a village around Mahabad, West Azerbaijan province of Iran, IRNA news agency reported June 25. An IRGC officer speaking on condition of anonymity said the group entered the village for terrorist and promotional purposes. The IRGC also clashed with the group earlier this week in Oshnavieh County in the same province. West Azarbaijan is in northwestern Iran and borders with neighboring countries Turkey and Iraq. By The Associated Press Jun. 24, 2016 | 08:22 PM | LOUISVILLE, KY Republican Gov. Matt Bevin's administration has called on Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear to "admit he is wrong" for challenging the governor's order abolishing and re-creating the University of Louisville board of trustees. Bevin cited an opinion from former Democratic Attorney General Jack Conway, issued in September, that says the governor does have the authority to reorganize the board. That opinion was issued on whether state law required the board of trustees to reflect the racial composition of the state as a whole. Beshear is trying to block Bevin's order in court. In a written statement, Beshear pointed out Conway's comments last week that Bevin was on "shaky legal ground." Beshear said a judge asked both sides to work together on this issue, saying "this is not a good start by the governor." By The Associated Press Jun. 24, 2016 | 08:20 PM | LOUISVILLE, KY Carly Fiorina is campaigning for U.S. Sen. Rand Paul's re-election in Kentucky, reuniting the two one-time presidential candidates. Fiorina, the former chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard, appeared at a fundraiser for Paul at the Louisville home of Cathy Bailey, the former ambassador to Latvia under former President George W. Bush and a major Republican donor. Fiorina told the crowd of a few hundred people Friday night that she was not campaigning for Paul out of her loyalty to the Republican Party but because of her admiration for Paul and his policies. Neither Paul nor Fiorina mentioned presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, whom they both sharply criticized during their respective presidential campaigns. Paul is facing Democratic Lexington Mayor Jim Gray in the November general election. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Jun. 17, 2016 | NASHVILLE, TN By West Kentucky Star Staff Jun. 17, 2016 | 02:02 PM | NASHVILLE, TN Drivers headed toward the Nashville area may be in for some delays this weekend, as an ongoing project continues. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says Tennessee's Dept. of Transportation shared the information about work at I-24/65 and Trinity Lane. Drivers should take note of scheduled construction activity on at the Trinity Lane bridge, just north of downtown Nashville. I-24/65 will have lane closures at the Trinity Lane bridge from Friday at 8:00 pm to Monday at 5:00 am for bridge deck repair. On Friday night, there will also be alternating closures of the northbound lanes to remove and reset the barrier rail to the southbound side. Two lanes will remain open on I-65 southbound and northbound at all times. This repair project involves concrete work. There will be a necessary curing time for the new concrete to harden before the lanes are opened to traffic. During this time, there is a possibility that no workers will be present, but the lanes will still be closed. As soon as the concrete reaches the appropriate strength, the lanes will be opened to traffic. The Daesh terrorist group has been created to defeat the Islamic Republic of Iran, says Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Revolution, IRNA reported. 'The main reason behind the formation of the Takfiri terrorist groups and their terrorist operations in Iraq and Syria was attacking Iran,' the Leader said in meeting with families of defenders of holy shrines martyred in the fight against Daesh terrorists in Syria and Iraq on Saturday. But they are trapped in these countries, the Leader said, referring to the terrorist groups. The terrorist groups do not differentiate between the Shias and Sunnis, he said, 'They just target any Muslim who side with the Islamic Revolution and is against the United States. Rita Redmond was a true lady who felt that every pupil had something to gift to the world Baku, Azerbaijan, June 25 Trend: The first elected president of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy hasnt ruled out the collapse of the UK as a result of the Brexit, RIA Novosti reported June 25. This can be the end for the UK, he said. UKs withdrawal is not the end for the EU, Rompuy told the Canvas TV channel. Britons held a referendum June 23 on whether the UK should to stay in the European Union, or leave it. The voting results indicate that the campaign to leave the EU, known as the Brexit, has won with 51.9 percent of the votes. In the wake of the Brexits victory, David Cameron has said he will step down as the UK prime minister. HENDERSONVILLE LIKELY TO IMPOSE WATER RESTRICTIONS THIS COMING WEEK NO "GENERAL" RAIN IS FORECAST FOR AT LEAST A WEEK WILL LIKELY BE ASKED TO TAKE SIMPLE STEPS TO CONSERVE WATER Well over 60 thousand customers on the City of Hendersonvilles water system will likely be asked to voluntarily conserve water, as an advisory will probably be issued by the city water department due to a lack a rainfall and with water levels falling in the Mills River, which is Hendersonvilles principle source for water. Rainfall deficits have been stacking up since last winter. The AshevilleAirport, which typically receives more rain that the immediate Hendersonville area, now reports a deficit so far this year of about five and a half inchesthe deficit here at WHKP, Hendersonvilles official weather observation station, is even greater. May was the only month since early last winter with near normal precipitation totals in Hendersonville. Forecasters are looking to late Monday and Tuesday as our best chance for some scattered rain, but almost no general rainfall is in the forecast for at least a week. Last week, the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council placed four western North Carolina countiesHaywood, Jackson, Macon and Transylvaniain the severe drought category. HendersonCounty joins nine others, from the Piedmont westward, in moderate drought. Local farmers are keeping a close eye on their crops right now, remembering that devastating drought a few years ago, back in 2007, that literally drove some local growers out of business, while others had to sell cattle and other livestock because there was not enough hay or corn to feed themmuch of it literally dried up and died in the fields. Local hay growers have been lucky so far this year, with a couple of good cuttings early and so far. One corn grower, with hundreds of acres of feed corn growing in the county, tells us that his is looking ok for right now but hes wondering how long that can last without rain. If the city imposes voluntary water restrictions, which more than likely will happen, the public will be asked to voluntarily cut back on washing cars, watering lawns, filling up pools and to take some other common-sense water conservation steps. Hendersonvilles water system supplies water for Laurel Park, into Etowah and Fletcher, and into the Saluda areas. One encouraging thing the city has now that it did not have in that drought of 2007is an emergency water in-take in the French Broad River and an agreement with the City of Asheville to use water from the French Bbroad if necessary. And its reported that Hendersonville will be relying more and more on the French Broad for water going into the future. Hendersonville also completed a major multi-million dollar upgrade on its water treatment facility on Highway 191 just a few years ago. By WHKP News Director Larry Freeman 06/25/16 Updated 4am Turkey did not expect the U.K.s decision to leave the EU, Turkeys president has admitted on Friday, Anadolu reported. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended a fast-breaking iftar dinner hosted by the All Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUMSIAD) and wished the best to the U.K. after a historic referendum on Thursday, in which voters opted to leave the EU. We, along with the whole world, were expecting yes for the referendum result, Erdogan said. U.K. voters opted to leave the EU in a historic referendum on Thursday, sparking worries across European capitals over the political future of the bloc. Almost 52 percent of voters rejected their country's 43-year EU membership. Erdogan stressed that Turkey has always given its due importance to the acceleration of Turkey's EU membership bid but the bloc has always been delaying the process. Double standards are no longer hidden. They have put more obstacles on Turkeys path. They have been keeping Turkey waiting at their door for 53 years. During his speech, Erdogan also criticized EU's asylum procedures. The EU blocs bad humanitarian and immoral approach to immigrants has led to a serious debate about the trustworthiness of the European Union, he said. The EU and Turkey signed a refugee deal on March 18, which aimed to discourage irregular migration through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving the conditions of nearly 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey. The deal also allows for the acceleration of Turkeys EU membership bid and visa-free travel for Turkish nationals within the Schengen area, on the condition that Ankara meets 72 requirements set by the EU. Although Turkey fulfilled most of the criteria last month, differences between Brussels and Ankara on anti-terror legislation have forestalled the visa-liberalization deal. Erdogan said the EU was being Islamophobic vis-a-vis Turkey. I am saying now that the EUs approach to Turkey is Islamophobic, Erdogan added. Turkey began its EU accession talks in 2005.In 1963, Turkey and the European Economic Community (the EUs former name) signed an association agreement. China's working population is the problem and not unemployment, says Reuters. (Photo : Getty Images) Chinas unemployment problem may be overblown as some economists believe that other industries can still handle laidoff workers from the governments drive against overcapacity. A report from Reuters pointed out the possible exaggeration of the country's dilemma on unemployment, citing the situation of some former steel firm workers who were able to find new jobs quickly. Advertisement In fact, the outlet noted that the country may be facing a possible shortage of laborers to match the unpredictable demands in the manufacturing industry, as well as the declining size of China's working-age population. Unemployment Worries in China Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that there may be hidden details on the actual unemployment situation in China. According to the report, the country's underemployment indicator has increased to 12.9 percent, three times of the record posted in 2012. This statistics from Fathom Consulting highlights the degree of slack that the employment in China is experiencing at the time when the mass layoffs have yet to occur. "The degree of slack has surged in recent years," the London-based analytics firm explained. "China has a substantial hidden unemployment problem, in our view, and that explains why the authorities have come under so much pressure to restart the old growth engines." Fathom further noted that the country has problems with social instability brought about by insecure jobs, something that legislators should be aware of. Reality However, a more recent article from Reuters deems the data from Bloomberg far from the actual reality the laborers who were laid off is currently experiencing. In fact, the outlet believes that China should be looking at a problem of shortage of workers instead of the surplus of them, considering the lingering drop of the size of their working-age population, a consequence of the long-standing one-child policy. According to the report, workers who were laid off were only seeking jobs in other provinces where they can find more secure employment. Furthermore, some economists believe that if the workers have lower expectations in jobs in terms of pay, then finding a new one would be easy. "The core issue is: What kind of job can they find and what kind of pay can they get for a new job?" Gavekal Dragonomics economist Cui Ernan told Reuters. "If they lower their expectations for their pay or for the role that they are working in, then it's not that hard for them to find a job." Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 25/06/2016 (2314 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Trust Elon Musk to bowl people over with a wild idea when theyre least expecting it. The entrepreneur announced this week his electric-vehicle company, Tesla, is offering to buy out SolarCity, one of the nations biggest names in solar energy, for an all-stock deal worth US$2.8 billion. Musk is describing the deal with words such as obvious, no-brainer and incredibly compelling, while many financial analysts and investors are puzzled if not outright alarmed. Teslas stock plunged by more than 10 per cent after the news came out, while SolarCitys rose by about 15 per cent. Confused? Heres a quick rundown of whats going on. What is SolarCity? SolarCity is a major installer of solar panels. The technology can help consumers and businesses save money on their energy bills by converting the suns energy into electricity. The company, which was founded in 2006 by two brothers who happen to be related to Musk, accounts for more than a third of all solar-power generation systems that have been installed in U.S. homes. Musk himself is the chairman of SolarCity. Why did Tesla offer to buy SolarCity? Musk is trying to create a massive, clean-tech behemoth. On a conference call Tuesday, he said he wants Tesla stores basically to be a one-stop shop for electric cars, solar panels and home batteries. Does this make sense? To a certain extent. SolarCity could save on sales and marketing costs and possibly gain access to new customers, if it had Teslas help. Some analysts say SolarCity burns a lot of its money on customer acquisition; if those costs could come down, itd be a big benefit to SolarCitys business. Under Teslas control, SolarCity also could adapt more quickly to emerging trends. One of the cool things about having a solar panel or two on your house is, depending on where you live, you can sell any power you dont use back to the utility. That puts a bit of cash back in your pocket. Although dozens of states have such programs, thats beginning to change as some states, such as Nevada and Michigan, have taken steps to roll back some of these programs. While this spells potentially bad news for companies that purely focus on generating electricity with solar panels, its potentially good news for companies that can sell linked systems that consist of both solar panels and home batteries. That way, consumers still get to store any excess energy they produce, even if they cant sell it back to the grid. Combining SolarCitys solar panels with the Tesla Powerwall home-battery system appears to be precisely what Musk has in mind. And now imagine going a step further, using this solar-electric system to power the high-speed charger in your garage that keeps your Tesla topped up with juice. With the much-anticipated Model 3 entering production next year, you can bet Tesla will be selling this bundle hard to consumers. OK. So why are some investors freaking out? Some say theres no need for Tesla to buy SolarCity to gain all these advantages, particularly when both companies are struggling financially. SolarCity is in worse shape; its stock has fallen 60 per cent from the beginning of the year, and a single share of Tesla is worth about 10 times more. Meanwhile, as the cost of solar panels keeps falling, SolarCity may have trouble keeping pace with those changes, and its business model may not be sustainable, said Sam Abuelsamid, senior research analyst at the market-research firm Navigant. Washington Post Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 25/06/2016 (2314 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. LOS ANGELES Shoppers browsing through the Nordstrom store in one of this citys toniest malls may leave with more than a tie or sport coat. They may want something far pricer a new Tesla. Tesla opened an electric-car boutique in the mens section of the Nordstrom store Monday that could become the model for others. Tesla has had its own stores in malls, but not one inside a department store. Not only could it potentially cut the automakers real estate costs, but it could also help Tesla attract more customers who discover the car just by walking by. At the store on a hot afternoon, customers could step directly from the mens suits section into the Tesla display to check out a white Model X crossover with its upward-opening gull-wing rear doors or learn more about the cars features. Test drives were being held in the parking lot. Were getting a lot of people walking by, said Jonathan Rios, a product specialist. The mini-store is slated to operate inside the Nordstrom store at the Grove through the end of the year. Nordstrom executives thought it would be interesting, says Dan Evans, a spokesman for the upscale department-store chain. We like to create an experience inside our store to make people want to come there Weve experimented and tried different things. He says the two brands were in discussion for months about the idea. Financial terms were not disclosed. Tesla, based in Palo Alto, Calif., is the auto-industry upstart that has revelled in defying industry convention. Rather than selling dealerships, it has depended on its own company stores to sell cars. Putting Tesla boutiques inside Nordstrom stores is a great idea, says Max Zanan, who has two auto dealer-related businesses. Hes president of Total Dealer Compliance, a car dealership compliance-auditing firm, and CEO of IDDS Group, a consulting firm for dealerships. The Nordstrom experiment ramps up pressure on traditional dealers to find ways to be more creative when it comes selling new cars, he says. Nordstrom attracts a very upscale clientele that is a good fit for Tesla, Zanan says. USA Today Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 25/06/2016 (2314 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Darren Kao has two apps on his Sony Xperia Android phone WeChat to stay in touch with his Chinese clients, and the Starbucks wallet, for his morning caffeine fix. For everything else, hes got his trusty BlackBerry. Kao is one of a shrinking tribe of diehard BlackBerry fans dedicated to navigating modern life with what most people consider an obsolete appliance. Echoing many BlackBerry devotees, he says iPhones and Androids just cant match BlackBerrys voice sound quality, centralized notification hub and physical keyboard. Id rather use my old BlackBerry than a brand new phone, he said. To outsiders, its an increasingly perverse lifestyle choice. After all, BlackBerry Ltd. has committed to updating the BB10 operating system only through the end of the year. It has no stated plans for another BB10 phone and is accelerating a pivot to handsets running Googles Android. Even U.S. President Barack Obama, who famously fought to keep his BlackBerry despite security objections from the Secret Service, told Jimmy Fallon last week he finally ditched his Berry earlier this year (reportedly for a Samsung). Some voices on Wall Street would like BlackBerry to move on, as well. Macquarie analyst Gus Papageorgiou, whos covered the Canadian company on and off since 2002, said in May ditching hardware altogether would actually help the bottom line and cheer the market. Chief executive officer John Chen has said hell do that if he cant make the handset unit profitable by September. He can probably expect renewed pressure when BlackBerry reports earnings Thursday. (See sidebar). At the end of March, about 23 million people around the world were using BlackBerrys, including the Priv Android phone, according to a company filing. Three times as many people were using the handsets two years earlier, but the continued loyalty is striking all the same. Getting non-BlackBerry applications onto a BB10 phone requires patience and some technical skill. Friends and family often find themselves adding BlackBerry Messenger to their roster of messaging apps to keep in touch with the few remaining BlackBerry users in their life. Kao, an IT consultant who runs a mobile software startup in Ottawa, keeps the hotspot of his BlackBerry always on to allow WeChat to function on his Android. He refuses to message with his wife and friends through anything other than BlackBerry Messenger. Kim Kardashian has said she buys old BlackBerrys on eBay to ensure a steady supply. Other members of the tribe painstakingly follow online tutorials on work-arounds that will make popular apps such as Snapchat and Instagram work on BB10. The results are often glitchy, says Howard Mesharer, a 23-year-old BlackBerry fan from Columbus, Ohio. When Chen chose to make phones running Android instead of BB10 last year, it opened a rift in the BlackBerry community, according to Chris Parsons, editor-in-chief of CrackBerry.com, BlackBerry fandoms central gathering place. It caused a little bit of chaos because they essentially made people make a choice at that point, are you a BlackBerry user or are you essentially an Android user, said Parsons, whos known as Bla1ze online. One CrackBerry user, known only as Cobalt232, found a way to rework Androids source code, stripping out certain elements that stop Android apps from working on BB10. Hes allowed the diehards to download apps from Googles store that dont otherwise work on BB10, Parsons said. Ask Kao which Berrys hes used, and the list is extensive. His first came in 2003, when he landed his first job out of university. It used to be a badge of honour to be able to carry BlackBerrys, and now its almost a shame, he said. People look at it like its a dinosaur, a museum piece. Bloomberg News U.S. and Chinese product safety officials are joining forces to address concerns about the hazards of the hoverboard. (Photo : Twitter) China and the United States are teaming up to ensure that the popular but notoriously unsafe hoverboard toy follows stricter safety regulations. According to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Elliot Kyle, the Chinese product safety agency responded positively to his office's concerns over reports that some of the lithium-ion batteries used in certain hoverboards are prone to catching fire. Advertisement Kyle also thanked the agency for helping track down the companies that manufacture the products in question, The Wall Street Journal reported. The chairman, who was in China to talk with officials about product safety, said that his office has learned a lot in the last few months since they have blocked the sale of the controversial gadget, particularly in the need to provide better product development information. He said that hoverboards were an example of a new product that caught safety officials off-guard with a set of hazards that were not previously expected. Kyle added that the sudden increase in the toy's popularity made it more difficult to effectively put down adequate safety nets. The chairman said that when the toy became very popular in 2015, safety concerns were placed more on incidents of riders falling from it due to improperly calibrated electrical systems. With reports of hoverboards catching fire emerging, users ended up facing another danger alongside the original concern. Kyle said that his office, along with the Chinese quality supervision administration and the European commission for product safety, is hoping for online shopping sites to also push for stricter safety standards before putting hoverboards on sale on their pages. Amazon has reportedly taken the lead in this regard, with the online retail giant taking hoverboards off its listings while awaiting more safety certifications from manufacturers, the Albany Daily Star reported. However, customers can still purchase models made by Razor and Jetson, as these already have the needed certifications. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 24/06/2016 (2315 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. HALIFAX The son of a decorated 94-year-old veteran who has been fighting for months for a bed at the federally-funded Camp Hill Veterans Memorial hospital in Halifax said he feels emotional and relieved that his father is getting his wish. Peter Blendheim, who spells his name differently from his father Petter Blindheim, said he met with Halifax MP Andy Fillmore on Friday and was informed that his father would be admitted as an allied veteran to one of the 13 beds available at the hospital. Its emotional for me and emotional for my family, said Blendheim in a phone interview. Now my father can go there in peace and be happy. Peter Blendheim, son of Norwegian veteran Petter Blindheim, holding a recent newspaper from Norway, protests with members of the advocacy group Banished Veterans outside the Veterans Affairs office in Halifax on Thursday, June 16, 2016. The son of a decorated 94-year-old veteran who has been fighting for months for a bed at the federally-funded Camp Hill Veterans Memorial hospital in Halifax said he feels emotional and relieved that his father is getting his wish. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan Petter Blindheim, a veteran of the Norwegian Royal Navy and merchant marine, could be admitted as early as next week, his son said. Ottawa initially rejected entry to Camp Hill for Petter Blindheim last October. The family appealed that decision and in January, Veterans Affairs again refused his entry because it said Norwegian forces fighting from England didnt qualify as official allies. The department later recanted that position, but last week rejected the former sailor who has fallen repeatedly and broken his arm on the basis that Ottawa can pay for any necessary care at provincial facilities. On Friday, Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr announced that Ottawa had reached a new agreement with the Nova Scotia Health Authority to expand veterans access to beds in the Camp Hill hospital. Hehr said a review would be conducted to better address long-term care for veterans country-wide. The veterans health care regulations are not currently compassionate or flexible enough to address the urgent needs of our veterans, so as we undertake a review to better address long-term care needs, this measure will provide the flexibility necessary to help veterans and their families, Hehr said in a statement. Fillmore acknowledged Friday that his Liberal governments decision took time. Sometimes, getting things right takes longer than wed like it to, said Fillmore in a statement. (This) decision provides a starting place to look at the process which has been so challenging over the last few weeks, and introduce much needed flexibility and compassion for other veterans in the future. Blendheim said his family is relieved. He said when he told his father the news, he was more concerned about other veterans than himself. I said to him, You got your bed in Camp Hill, and he turned to me and said, But not just for me. It wont look good. What about the other veterans?' said Blendheim. Blendheim said the decision will give his 73-year-old mother a much-needed break from caring for her husband, who needs help with everything from using the bathroom to washing. Shes having a really hard time with her own health. She has arthritis in both her legs She can hardly walk herself, said Blendheim, adding that his parents have been together for nearly 50 years. Just to watch them try to function here, she can hardly walk so shes pushing and almost falling into the wheelchair when shes trying to take him to the bathroom. Petter Blindheim was commended by the Royal Norwegian Navy for his courage when a torpedo sank a vessel he was serving on in November 1942. After torpedoes struck the Montbretia, Blindheim ran to the deck and removed a primer from the depth charges he oversaw to help ensure they wouldnt go off and kill sailors in the water as the ship sank. After the war, he emigrated to Canada and worked as a tradesman, spending most of his career working at a shipyard. Follow (at)AlyThomson on Twitter. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 25/06/2016 (2314 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The body that regulates Manitoba pharmacists is investigating a complaint that more than two dozen patients in northern remote communities have died partly due to inadequate pharmacy services over the past 10 months. Two pharmacies named in the complaint say the allegations are news to them, while the organization that represents the provinces northern chiefs, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO), says it is also unaware of any deaths linked to a lack of access to prescription drugs. The complaint comes from Daren Jorgenson, an Internet pharmacy pioneer and former owner of Four Rivers Medical Clinic. He said he heard of the problem from First Nations leaders who have shown him documents pertaining to the deaths. He also admits a conflict of interest in that he is looking at offering a mail-order pharmacy service to northern communities. CP The body that regulates Manitoba pharmacists is investigating a complaint that more than two dozen patients have died partly due to inadequate pharmacy services over the past 10 months. In a lengthy complaint to the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba, a copy of which was obtained by the Free Press, Jorgenson alleges unethical behaviour on the part of two Winnipeg-based pharmacies one which used to have the federal Health Department contract to supply northern Manitoba First Nations with prescription drugs, and a second one that currently holds the contract. He accuses both of unethical behaviour and failing to safeguard the well-being of vulnerable patients. He said the company that used to have the contract Grand Medicine Health Services did not ensure continuity of care when the contract was transferred to Muskehki Pharmacy, a business jointly owned by MKO and the North West Co. He alleges that Muskehki failed to recognize its limitations in being able to dispense and deliver medications to patients in a safe and timely fashion. Susan Lessard-Friesen, the College of Pharmacists registrar, said she became aware of the complaint early Friday. She has emailed Jorgenson seeking more details and corroborating evidence. She has referred the matter to the colleges complains committee. It is a very serious allegation that hes made. Were taking it, as we do all of our complaints, as a serious matter, Lessard-Friesen said. MKO Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson said shes heard of no serious issues with the delivery of prescription medicines to the North certainly none linked to any deaths. We would be really, really up in arms about that if that actually happened. Its not something that were hearing of, she said Friday. North Wilson acknowledged there were logistical and transitional problems at first when Muskehki took over the federal government contract, but she believes they have, for the most part, been worked out. We would be really, really up in arms about that if that actually happened. Its not something that were hearing of MKO Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson Muskehki took over the contract about a year ago. Ottawa recently renewed the deal for another year. Derek Reimer, chief financial officer for Muskehki and director of business development for the North West Co., said the contract renewal shows Health Canada has been satisfied with the work the pharmacy has been doing. Weve received no information that would in any way validate or support the allegations that have been made, he said. He said Muskehki is 60 per cent owned by northern First Nations through MKO. The business has 50 employees, many of whom are employed in the northern communities. From our perspective these kinds of allegations are not helpful when were trying to build a business, work closely with Health Canada, do things right and be co-operative. Obviously the health of the First Nations is very important to us, Reimer said. Gail Halko, chief operating officer with Grand Medicine Health Services, said in an email late Friday that her company had just heard of the complaint. At Grand Medicine Health Services we know that we worked very hard to ensure a smooth transition of the contract, Halko said. We will support and work closely with the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba if they need anything from us. MKO Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson An official with the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch in Winnipeg could not be reached for comment late Friday. larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 25/06/2016 (2314 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Ernest Cobiness, an Ojibway artist from Buffalo Point First Nation, is creating an elaborate collection of statues to honour indigenous peoples and the history of their survival since European contact. He unveiled a model of a figures head, the first part of the statuary, earlier this week at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Accompanying him were Southern Chiefs Organization Grand Chief Terrance Nelson and members of the Mediwiwin, a group of teachers, historians and spiritual leaders trained in the Ojibway traditions. Cobiness, with the help of his cousin Ron Preluitz, hopes to finish the first part of the collection, a prototype, by this time next year. The full grouping will include four figures atop a pre-Columbian-style pyramid and will take years to complete. Many people think of pyramids as Egyptian, but settled indigenous cultures throughout the Americas included pyramid-type mounds. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Artist Ernest Cobiness talks about his creation at an event earlier this week at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. The final location for the finished piece is yet to be determined, but its temporary home will be along Highway 6, close to the Red Sun gas station. Cobiness hopes to see his work used as an architectural model for a building containing a museum to indigenous perspectives. If that happens, it will be funded privately. He wont accept government funding. He comes from a long line of artists, and is the son of acclaimed artist Eddy Cobiness. Free Press: The final stage will be to use your work as a model for a museum dedicated to the history of the Americas from the indigenous perspective. Why are you doing this? E.C.: Theres always two sides to every story. Ours is never heard. Its always pushed aside, the denial of our rights and who we are we want to tell our story this is the life of our people, these are our survival stories, not the story they tell in school about Christopher Columbus coming and discovering our people. Thats the story weve been told and we believe that. Im just saying, thats just not the true history, that is what were trying to correct. And if we dont, its just going to go on and on, making our people look bad and putting them down. We should be walking tall, telling people our history. Were not aboriginals. Were not natives. Were Anishinabe. F.P.: And this art pays tribute to that, how exactly? E.C.: For the art, the head of the first statute is six, seven feet high. Imagine that. Hes going to be sitting down, about 12 feet across at the shoulders. From the tip of that, from where hes holding his pipe, itll be about 20 feet high. Hes pointing his pipe to the summer solstice on June 21, when the sun rises over the Earth. Hes praying. In ceremony, you always give thanks to the Creator. We always acknowledge the Creator first. Without him, we wont be where we are today. Thats what the statue means. F.P.: What about the other figures? E.C.: There are four figures on the building (the pyramid). My concept is they are like doorkeepers for each direction and thats why they sit in the four directions. Even when we sit in the lodge, we always acknowledge those four directions, thats how we think. We live in this place, Mother Earth Its a spiritual thing. F.P.: Whats your goal for this statue with the four figures and the pyramid, once its done? E.C.: What were trying to do is attract the people to come and look. This is our story. This is what we want, to tell the real story about what happened to our people. The atrocities, the residential schools, all the the things that happened to the people. F.P.: And what do you think presenting your side of history will accomplish? E.C.: People talk about getting over that, about moving on. But how do you move on as a people? As a nation? When theres denial? In order to move on and heal, you have to come to terms with whats been done We cant move on unless we learn how to heal, accept things. I think thats one reason theres so much racism toward our people. Its the denial of whats happened to our people, the genocide Its still going on today. The newcomers who came to our shores didnt understand us. They thought we were primitive, eh? Were trying to bring awareness through my art, and through the knowledge of our people, like you said, the history of our people, through our eyes, our voices, our people. This is what my dad talked about, bringing something to life, creating something so other people will understand what youre trying to say with your art. If you can create something, people will say Now I see what you mean. If my sculptures, my work, my painting will bring forward people to question about truth or whatever they seek, then he would say, Youve done your job. alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 24/06/2016 (2315 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A Winnipeg mother wanted on a Canada-wide arrest warrant was handcuffed in a city park Friday in a public takedown involving about 12 police officers. Sandra Giesbrecht remains in police custody. Her children, Josh, 9, and Montana, 11, are safe. During a Saturday morning press conference, police announced Giesbrecht is now charged with two counts of abduction and one count of flight from police. Const. Jason Michalyshen of the Winnipeg Police Service. Police were tipped off Friday to the mothers whereabouts near Amherst Street, where she was driving a Ford Expedition SUV. Police say she fled, leading officers on a brief chase. The chase ended after Giesbrecht abandoned the vehicle on the 100 block of Deer Lodge Place. She was arrested nearby. The arrest was described to the Free Press by a couple who saw it happen as they took groceries into their home, which is adjacent to Bruce Park, south of Portage Avenue near the intersection of of Douglas Park Road. The mother and children were holding hands when they were surrounded by police about 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Police came running from the north and the south in the park, some in uniform and some in plainclothes, said the man who asked that his named not be used. There were about 12 police officers altogether who came out of marked cars and unmarked cars. When they went to handcuff her, she was holding the childrens hands, both of them on one side of her. Sandra Giesbrecht The mans wife got closer to the scene and saw a beige van with a dent in its front bumper. She said a police officer told her Giesbrecht had been in the van and hit a police car that was trying to block her from fleeing. She said the officer also told her there was a wig on the front seat. The arrest was confirmed by police on Twitter about 6 p.m. Friday. The ordeal began on June 20, when the children were taken from a residence on Lumsden Avenue. Police issued a Canada-wide arrest warrant for Giesbrecht on Wednesday and appealed for public help. The police intervention came on the heels of a nasty, prolonged family court battle. Supplied photo Sandra Giesbrecht's dented car Court documents reviewed by the Free Press paint a troubling picture of how the children were caught in the middle of an ugly dispute between their parents, who married in 2005. This included Child and Family Service involvement, allegations of sexual assault that were found to be false, violent threats and psychological abuse. Queens Bench Justice Cathy Everett awarded full custody of the children to their father, lawyer Jacob Giesbrecht, on April 8 after a four-week trial. Sandra Giesbrecht was only allowed to have supervised visitation once per week after the judge found her to be an emotionally unstable manipulator. She was also ordered to pay monthly child support. Since the separation, the mothers behaviour has been disturbing. She continues to show an unwillingness to parent the children in a healthy manner. She continues her attempts to prevent their parental bond with their father, Everett wrote. Immeasurable harm has been caused to these children over the past 2 1/2 years by the mothers toxic conduct. She has attempted to destroy the parental bond between the children and their father. To some degree, the extent of which is unknown, she has been successful. As part of the court ruling, the mother was also banned from having any unauthorized contact with her children or her estranged husband. SUPPLIED Police scene at Bruce Park where woman was arrested. Winnipeg Police confirmed in a tweet Friday evening the missing Giesbrecht children were found. On Thursday, Det. Sgt. Shaunna Neufeld spoke at a news briefing and, through the media, asked Sandra Giesbrecht to get in touch with her about the missing children. Neufeld said investigators believed the children are safe and that Giesbrecht loves them. I want to help you. Im a mother too, Sandra, of three children, and I know the unconditional love that you have for your children, Neufeld said during the briefing. I know in your heart you want to do the right thing and resolve things quickly. Right now, things arent good and there is a need to create some answers and move forward and resolve this. with files from Mike McIntyre, Kevin Rollason Montana Giesbrecht, 11, (left) and her brother Josh Giesbrecht, 9 are shown in Winnipeg Police Service handout photos. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 25/06/2016 (2314 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. It took police 16 minutes from the time they spotted Sandra Giesbrecht to put her in handcuffs. The Winnipeg woman, wanted on a Canada-wide warrant issued Wednesday for allegedly kidnapping her own children from a Lumsden Avenue home, was spotted by police driving an SUV and later bolted from the vehicle, running into a city park just before 5:30 p.m. Friday. She has been charged with two counts of abduction and one count of flight from police. Her son, Josh Giesbrecht, 9, and daughter, Montana Giesbrecht, 11, are in the hands of child-welfare authorities, and investigators are still interviewing them. As of Saturday afternoon, there was no word on when theyd be returned to their fathers custody. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Const. Jason Michalyshen comments on the Giesbrecht case Saturday during a press conference. A short vehicle chase ended in a foot pursuit after Giesbrecht hit a patrol car on Amherst Street in St. James, abandoned the vehicle in the 100 block of Deer Lodge Place and fled on foot into nearby Bruce Park. She was arrested at 5:36 p.m. She stopped the vehicle near Bruce Park, exited, fled with her children to a tree or shrub area, where she was trying to hide in bushes, Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen said at a news conference Saturday. We continued to pursue her. I dont know what was going on in her mind at the time, but she was making every effort to avoid us. Police also confirmed details the Free Press initially reported, that evidence was recovered suggesting Giesbrecht was using a disguise. A wig was seen on the floor of the SUV, which didnt belong to Giesbrecht, Michalyshen added. Whether she borrowed the vehicle or took it is still unclear. Before she was arrested, officers couldnt see the children in the SUV, Michalyshen said. I dont know what was going on in her mind at the time, but she was making every effort to avoid us Const. Jason Michalyshen He wouldnt speculate on whether the kids were hiding during the short car chase or if the children and the mother had slept in the Ford Expedition SUV at any time over the five days they were missing. I can tell you we did not (confirm) that the children were actually in that vehicle until the vehicle had stopped and they fled, Michalyshen told reporters. Police say the chase to recover the two children, abducted from their fathers custody, was punctuated with moments of incredible tension before Giesbrecht was finally handcuffed and officers took back her children. Michalyshen said police are breathing a sigh of relief the kids were OK. The last five days have been incredibly challenging for the Giesbrecht family, first and foremost, and for our missing-persons unit, stressful working around the clock, Michalyshen said. SUPPLIED Police scene at Bruce Park where woman was arrested. Winnipeg Police confirmed in a tweet Friday evening the missing Giesbrecht children were found. I just got off the phone with Det.-Sgt. (Shaunna) Neufeld. Shes very tired this morning but very pleased we have Montana and Josh in a safe place. As head of the missing-persons unit, Neufeld issued a heartfelt public plea Thursday from one mother to another to ask Giesbrecht to turn herself in and let the children go on. Police said Saturday no other charges are currently pending against Giesbrecht or anyone she may have been in contact with while she was missing. What happened during the five days they were missing is still a mystery, but the immediate goal is to help the kids regain a sense of stability, Michalyshen said. There are a lot of pieces we still have to sort through. Yes, we have her in custody. Yes, weve spoken to the children, but there are certain components to this investigation (where) we do need to dig further, with respect to the vehicle, specific individuals she may have had contact with. We need to (chronicle) the last five days, Michalyshen said. Sandra Giesbrecht We dont know whats been going on for the last few days, but based on what was shared with me, the children are in good health. The officers that were directly responsible had them chuckling and laughing very very quickly, which was really nice to hear. alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 24/06/2016 (2315 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. For the next week, Manitobans will be able to glimpse hand-stitched Scottish history. The Scottish Diaspora Tapestry is on display in the lobby of the Manitoba Legislative Building. The tapestry consists of 305 panels, all hand-embroidered by volunteers from 34 countries.Volunteers were asked to send in stories and images of their own Scottish heritage to help create templates for the tapestry. The panels depict pieces of Scottish history from various countries, with each panel taking approximately 200 hours to stitch, for a total of over 60,000 hours. SUPPLIED Baron Gordon of Prestoungrange stands next to the seven Manitoba panels from the Scottish Diaspora Tapestry. The tapestry is on display at the Manitoba Legislative Building until July 3. Twenty-seven Manitoban embroiderers hand-stitched seven panels depicting the history of the Scots in Manitoba, including the history of the fur trade, the Lord Selkirk Settlers, the Battle of Seven Oaks, and the Metis community. One of those embroiderers is Lorraine Iverach, who jumped at the chance to contribute. She is a member of the Lord Selkirk Association of Ruperts Land and is a descendant of the Selkirk Settlers. Its absolutely thrilling to have been a part of it, she said. We had only seen pictures of the other panels, so to see them now in person and to realize that our humble contribution is part of this jaw-dropping display its absolutely thrilling. Baron Gordon of Prestoungrange has helped spearhead this project since its beginnings in Prestonpans, Scotland. Hes also a member of the Prestoungrange Arts Festival and said the tapestry was developed to promote the socio-economic state of Prestonpans as well as Scotland Homecoming in 2014. He said the town of nearly 8,000 was originally a coal-mining town until the pits were shut in the 1960s. The place has been full of unemployment and everything else ever since for the older people, he said. The town sort of lost its sense of direction and sense of purpose. In 1997, the Prestoungrange Arts Fesitval began collecting the history of the town dating back nearly a thousand years. We went right back to the origins and started writing the history, painting murals on walls, writing poetry and making plays, said the baron. We focused on the history of the town because we were trying to give the town back its own sense of significance and community. In 2010, the Arts Festival and local embroiderers created the Prestonpans Tapestry to celebrate the Battle of Prestonpans in 1745. The ladies had itchy fingers. Having done one, they wanted to do another, said the baron. He said the Diaspora Tapestry has transformed the image of the rural and industrial Prestonpans. This was a hard community that had lost its way and had it all taken away, he said. [It] absolutely made a difference. The arts impact has been very good indeed. So its yet one more place that believes the use of the arts, the creative use of the arts and the involvement of the arts in the whole community can make an impact on self-esteem. The tapestry has been on a world tour since last September and has been displayed throughout Europe, Australia and New Zealand. After its stop in Winnipeg, it will move on to Wisconsin, Toronto, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Montreal before returning to the UK. Eventually, the tapestry will be permanently housed in a museum in Prestonpans. The tapestry is on display at the Manitoba Legislature until Sunday, July 3. For more information on the Scottish Diaspora Tapestry, visit www.scottishdiasporatapestry.org alexandra.depape@freepress.mb.ca Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 25/06/2016 (2314 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Despite hovering near the edge of death, I am courageously trying to suffer in silence. Seriously, if you were able to look at me right now, you would most likely recoil in horror and then douse your body with several gallons of industrial-strength hand sanitizer. I say this because, as I sit here at the home computer typing these words, I have just coughed up several medically valuable internal organs onto my keyboard, which is now coated in a thick, slippery layer of drool. Worse, when I squinted in the bathroom mirror this morning, my eyeballs, which I was able to see only because my eyelids were propped open with toothpicks, resembled Ping-Pong balls that have been scribbled on with a red marking pen if you catch my medically disgusting drift. I am not a doctor, but my tongue looks even worse; it appears to be coated with the kind of greenish mould you normally only find on three-week-old leftovers at the back of the refrigerator. Even my hair, which is currently clumped on my head like the remains of a deceased woodland creature, is experiencing pain. What with being a courageous crusading newspaper columnist, I dont wish to complain or cause widespread alarm but it appears I have been struck down by an unexpected case of SSMCS better known in the scientific and medical communities as Severe Summer Male Cold Syndrome. I know some skeptical readers for the purposes of todays column lets refer to them as women are probably shaking their heads in disgust, but SSMCS is a debilitating condition wherein innocent men such as myself are reduced to whimpering tubs of goo with barely enough strength to lie on the couch in the den and operate the TV remote control using their Jedi mind-control powers. As I implied earlier, what with being a manly guy of my particular gender, its not as if I have been looking for sympathy. No, hold on, now that I think about it for a minute, thats exactly what Ive been doing. It is a known scientific fact the only way for a man to recover from this crippling illness is for his loved ones (possibly his wife) to gaze upon him with moony faces, wipe his fevered brow with a cold cloth, and gently murmur healing phrases such as, There, there, you poor little bunny. And, Whos being a brave little soldier? But that is not what has been happening in my house. In my house, I have been forced to lay on the couch, all by myself, blowing most of my brain cells into hundreds of tissues, which I then scrunch up and fling onto the floor to form a trail for my wife to follow if she finally decides she should check to see whether I am still breathing or have begun knock, knock, knocking on heavens door, so to speak. I have tried taking my mind off my nasal agony by watching TV, but as far as my fevered brain can tell, the only programs currently available are: 1) News shows wherein TV anchors with fabulous hair complain to one another they are spending too much time complaining about Donald Trump, whose hair is not nearly as fabulous; 2) Sports programs wherein fat men in Hawaiian shirts play poker while a breathless play-by-play man excitedly informs viewers: Yes, Bill, it looks like hes going to fold nope, my mistake, hes just reaching for the onion dip. 3) Reality-TV home-renovation shows wherein hip designers remodel grungy kitchens using a roll of duct tape and a box of tongue depressors. I have even tried passing time by pressing my fevered face against the front window and turning green with envy while watching a healthy neighbour mowing his lawn. Curse you, Mower Man! I muttered jealously. Maybe I will stagger over there and cough up a lung on your flower bed. At one point, I bravely asked my wife, She Who Must Not Be Named, if she wouldnt mind putting her hand on my forehead to determine how long I have left to live. You are going to be shocked, but, what with being a woman, my wife had no idea of the physical and spiritual devastation caused by Severe Summer Man Cold Syndrome. Im not your mommy, my wife sniffed in reply. I coughed gently and said: Would you mind phoning my mom? You really are pathetic, arent you? my wife snorted before marching out of the den. I thought about yelling after her to check the pantry to see if we had enough chicken soup on hand to keep me going for a few more hours but I bravely held my tongue. Because, like I said earlier, guys like me prefer to suffer in silence. doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 25/06/2016 (2314 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The EU is dying. I hope weve knocked the first brick out of the wall, exulted Nigel Farage, leader of the U.K. Independence Party. He proposed June 23, the date the United Kingdom narrowly voted to leave the European Union, should be a new national holiday called Independence Day. But Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, who wanted Scotland to remain in the U.K. and the U.K. to remain in the EU, sadly tweeted: Scotland will seek independence now. Camerons legacy will be breaking up two unions. Neither needed to happen. Soon-to-be-former Prime Minister David Camerons decision to hold a referendum on Britains EU membership has assured the dismantling of the United Kingdom. In England, 58 per cent voted Leave, while 62 per cent of Scots voted Remain. It is democratically unacceptable for Scotland to be dragged out of the EU by the English, said First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and a second independence referendum in Scotland is highly likely. It remains to be seen whether Camerons historic blunder will also trigger the disintegration of the EU itself, but there are plenty of right-wing nationalists in other EU countries who hope there will be a domino effect. Marine Le Pen, leader of Frances Front National, called the referendum a key moment in European history, and said, I hope the French also have a similar exercise. And a possible Frexit is just the start. Geert Wilders, whose anti-Muslim, anti-immigration Freedom party is predicted to win 46 of the 150 seats in the Dutch parliament in next years election, promised if he is elected, the Netherlands will hold its own Nexit referendum. Italys anti-immigrant Northern League and the populist 5-Star Movement both called for a referendum on Italian membership of the EU. Kristian Thulesen Dahls, the leader of the Danish Peoples Party, said Denmark should follow Britains lead. Nationalist leaders in Eastern Europe such as Polands Jaroslaw Kaczynski and Hungarys Viktor Orban indulge in harsh anti-EU rhetoric all the time. And so on. But most of the people who might vote for these nationalist leaders are not seeking the destruction of the EU, just big changes in the way it works in particular the reform or abolition of the euro currency and much stricter controls on immigration. Unlike the Little Englanders who voted for Brexit, they see the EU as an essential bulwark against a return to the old Europe of beggar-my-neighbour trade policies and savage wars. The EUs leaders will have to take a very tough line in the negotiations about the EUs post-Brexit relations with the U.K. A horrible example will be required to show the nationalists and populists in other member states that leaving is hard and painful. And to preserve the EU, they will have to abolish or drastically restructure the euro (but that had become necessary anyway). The odds are, however, the EU will survive. Its biggest problem will not be the loss of the U.K., its second-biggest economy, but rather the fact post-Brexit Germany will dominate the union even more than it does already. As for the British, they have made their bed, and they will have to lie in it. The pound sterling has already lost much value and will probably lose much more. The last of the three major global ratings agencies, Standard and Poors, will downgrade the U.K.s AAA credit rating. Foreign investment will dry up in recognition of the fact the country will probably lose duty-free access to the EUs single market. Further down the road, more pain will follow, as jobs disappear abroad, the British economy goes into recession and the City of London starts to lose its status as a global financial centre rivalled only by New York. That will make domestic politics nasty enough, but the anti-immigrant fervour and outright racism that disfigured the Leave campaign are unlikely to dwindle in the ugly aftermath. Scotland will vote to secede from the U.K., but it will face major legal and political barriers in its campaign to remain a member of the EU in its own right. Spain, in particular, will give it a hard time, as Madrid does not want to provide a precedent for Catalonia seceding from Spain and painlessly re-emerging as an independent EU member. Northern Ireland will face an even harder time, as the Republic of Ireland will continue to be a EU member, and so it will have to re-establish border controls. One alternative would be for Northern Ireland (which voted in favour of staying in the EU) to unite with the Republic, but Northern Irish Protestants would still fiercely resist such a proposal, and in that context a revival of armed conflict is not unthinkable. The triumph of Brexit is a most regrettable outcome for everybody involved and possibly even for the world economy. But perhaps it isnt really all that shocking: Charles De Gaulle vetoed British entry to the Common Market, the EUs ancestor, for five years on the grounds it didnt really have a European vocation. Turns out he was right. Gwynne Dyer is an independent journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 25/06/2016 (2314 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. At city hall, lumps and bruises from beating your head repeatedly against a wall is, apparently, the cost of progress. Just ask Matt Allard. This week, the rookie councillor from St. Boniface took a beating after pitching Winnipeg Transit officials a pilot project to install free Wi-Fi and charging ports at bus shelters. He is also trying to get free Wi-Fi in a wider range of civic facilities. Neither proposal got much support. John Woods/Winnipeg Free Press files Bus passengers load buses in downtown Winnipeg Thursday, September 10, 2015. Allard noted an Internet service provider was willing to install open-access routers in community centres, recreational facilities and even open public spaces at essentially no charge. Unfortunately, it appears city officials are trying to define what would constitute public space and determine whether it is feasible to include open areas such as parks. These officials seem unaware, remarkably, you can access mostly free Wi-Fi in much of the downtown. Many national and provincial parks, most shopping malls and airports, bus stations, restaurants and cafes offer free access of some sort. And in Winnipeg, free Wi-Fi is offered in city libraries. Its not only feasible, its pervasive, and there isnt much need to study and define public space. The bus shelter proposal, which kicked off a broader discussion of the benefits of offering free Wi-Fi on transit systems, met a similar fate. Transit director Dave Wardrop told a civic committee free Wi-Fi wasnt important because everyones phone now comes with a data plan that allows them to surf the Internet from anywhere. As for the shelter proposal, Wardrop said it would be much better to put charging stations and free web access in libraries and community centres where people might be willing to miss a bus or two to charge up their device or surf the web. Based largely on the naysaying of city officials, both proposals were accepted as information by the committee, which is administrative lexicon for the place where good or challenging ideas go to die. Given this result, it is hard not to have some sympathy for Allard, a councillor doing his part to drag the city into a more progressive, modern mindset. And really, it is hard to explain the horrifyingly limited understanding city bureaucrats have of these important issues. First off, the city already has lots of information on who uses free Wi-Fi and how they use it through the citys library system. And given Internet service providers were willing to undertake the cost of providing this service at essentially no cost to the city, there really is no argument for holding back. The more troubling scenario is the response of Winnipeg Transit officials, evidence there are corners of civic government that are not only afraid of change but also painfully, hilariously unaware of the good ideas being applied in other cities. It should be noted while many people like to disparage Winnipeg Transit, it has never been given the resources it needs to truly succeed. And it is safe to say Wardrop has more pressing issues vying for his attention; last year, maintenance problems with more than 100 newer diesel buses forced Transit to curtail service in most parts of the city. Still, Wardrop seemed unaware many cities around the world have added these amenities to their transit system and found them to be a key to increased ridership, particularly among younger generations. The Free Press reported in its coverage this week that while Winnipeg was pooh-poohing the free Wi-Fi idea, New York Citys Metropolitan Transportation Authority was getting ready to take delivery of 127 buses equipped with charging stations and free Wi-Fi access. As an ironic footnote, the buses are manufactured by Winnipeg-based New Flyer Industries. New York is hardly alone. All over the world, bus and train systems are slowly adding Wi-Fi and charging ports as standard amenities. Research shows a growing interest by all generations, but particularly millennials, in taking transit and using wireless devices rather than using a car and sitting in traffic. Given the exponential growth in smartphone ownership, one U.S. researcher opined free Wi-Fi and charging ports are now considered as essential in public spaces as air-conditioning and bathrooms were to previous generations. As for Wardrops comments about data plans, anyone who owns a smartphone and subscribes to a mobile television or music streaming service can tell you free Wi-Fi is a godsend that helps contain the punitive overcharges for data usage. Politically, Wardrops comments may prove to be unwise. In Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowmans state of the city address earlier this year, he specifically mentioned free Wi-Fi on buses as a future priority of his administration. The politics of publicly dismissing, out of hand, an idea the mayor has publicly supported seems to be mildly career-limiting. Wardrop may be right that Wi-Fi and charging stations are not be essential in bus shelters. Clearly, the greater need is to look at low-cost options corporate sponsorship, exclusive agreements with Internet service providers to add these amenities to transits moving assets. However, this is the way of things to come. Someone needs to rescue these ideas from taken-as-information purgatory and put them back on an active agenda of some sort. Certainly, this needs to happen long before progressive councillors such as Allard get tired of taking their lumps. dan.lett@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @danlett Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 25/06/2016 (2314 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In the end, anti-intellectualism won. I think people in this country, declared Vote Leaves Michael Gove, have had enough of experts. This was in response to Great Britains remain campaign that had experts lined up, solid in their belief the British economy would fare better if the country remained part of the European Union. Early Friday, it was clear that experts be damned, leaving the EU was what the majority of Britons want. With the outcome of the Brexit vote, Prime Minister David Cameron resigned and has said he will leave the unprecedented task of managing the countrys exit up to his successor, who many believe will be MP Boris Johnson, the former London mayor who campaigned heavily for the leave side. Many think MP Boris Johnson will be the U.K.s next PM. Mr. Johnson himself was never a markedly pro-exit politician, however, he is extremely ambitious. He became a cheerleader for the leave campaign in order to situate himself as the heir apparent for the Conservative party and he was ruthless in his tactics, relying on misleading information about the cost of EU to Britain and invoking racist and anti-immigrant rhetoric. He didnt act alone in that regard. U.K. Independence Party Leader Nigel Farage, who was also pro-exit, fuelled antagonisms toward foreigners as well. The party, founded in the early 1990s on an anti-European platform with strong anti-immigrant and anti-homosexual beliefs, has become home for neo-Nazis and supporters of the far-right who actively campaigned for the leave side. They pitched a vision that Britons can take their country back. And it sold. Much like in the United States, where presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has won support for his pledge to make America great again. Anti-immigration sentiments in both countries have hit their mark. In the United Kingdom, researchers say that between 1993 and 2014, the foreign-born population more than doubled, to around 8.3 million from 3.8 million. Many of those immigrants are from countries such as Poland, Spain, Portugal, and Italy, who came to Britain for better jobs as the economy weakened. In the U.S., with immigration and particularly Mexican immigration pushing the number of immigrants to record highs, there are concerns about losses of jobs as well. Add to this the fear of attacks by Muslims in both the U.S. and in Europe and the U.K., with both Mr. Farage and Mr. Trump warning women are at risk of rape by Muslim men, and xenophobia became an easy sell. In the U.K., as in the U.S., this fear of the other the foreigner who can take away your job, rape your daughters, and steal your homeland is a comforting theme. Its an easily identified target, and for many of those who support both Mr. Trump and those who were on the leave side older, white, less educated, blue collar its a simplistic rationale for a failure to thrive. Blame someone else. Now that the results are in and the process begins for the country to leave, the trending search on Google is, What is the EU? It makes you wonder exactly who was voting for what Thursday and suggests it may have been more about who was voting against whom. Microsoft's purchase of LinkedIn may prove to be troublesome for the business-oriented networking platform. (Photo : Getty Images) Microsofts acquisition of LinkedIn may bring complications to the latters expansion in China, considering what happened with Alphabet Inc.s Google pullout from the country due to censorship in 2010. Win Beta, a website dedicated to news and updates about Microsoft, said that many are finally taking a closer look at the Microsoft-LinkedIn merger after a few days from its announcement. Advertisement While it may not have any issues with regard to the rest of the world, the tandem may face difficulty particularly on the part of LinkedIn in China thanks to the Chinese government's "Great Firewall." The Acquisition On June 13, Microsoft revealed its plans to buy the business-oriented social networking service LinkedIn for $26.2 billion. According to the Xinhua News Agency as posted on China.org, the plan was to bring growth to both companies as Microsoft gains access to LinkedIn's connections to improve its business productivity tools. "We are in pursuit of a common mission centered on empowering people and organizations," said Satya Nadella, Microsoft's Chief Executive Officer. "Along with the new growth in our Office 365 commercial and Dynamics businesses, this deal is key to our bold ambition to reinvent productivity and business processes." Furthermore, Nadella emphasized the crucial role of LinkedIn's social networking service for professionals and businessmen, saying that if and once people succeed in what they are looking for they would need "a connected professional world." The Complication While analysts remained silent for more than a week after the announcement, many of them are now seeing the possible difficulties for such venture particularly in China. The Wall Street Journal contributor Alyssa Abkowitz particularly noted that doing business in China may prove difficult for Microsoft even if they team up with LinkedIn considering what happened with Google in 2010. In fact, Microsoft is facing a three-year anti-trust probe, which Nadella would reportedly discuss with Chinese officials during his visit to the country, per Reuters. Plus, LinkedIn's supposed expansion in the country will also be affected even if the company agreed to follow the nation's stern rules on censorship. As it turns out, the only way Microsoft would be able to remove such complications is to agree to be subjected to more scrutiny and abide by rules and regulations set forth by the ever-so-strict Communist Party of China. Meanwhile, a LinkedIn spokesperson told the WSJ that while it may be already owned by Microsoft soon, it would still operate separately from the tech company and "retain its distinct brand, culture and independence" everywhere, including China. A Winona County judge has dismissed all charges against two sisters and one of the womens husbands who had been accused by a family member more than three years ago of misappropriating a nearly $145,500 inheritance owned by their ailing father. Winona County District Court Judge Mary Leahys ruling dismissed all eight charges each against Teresa Sue Forsyth and her sister, Deborah Pearl Clegg, and all four charges against Cleggs husband, Wayne Robert Bohnhoff. The charges hinged in part on determining whether the father, who was living in assisted-living and nursing homes from 2008 until his death in 2012, could be legally defined as a vulnerable adult and unable to give consent to the use of his finances. The sisters had been granted power of attorney by their father in 2009. The court concluded that since that time they had appropriately used his funds, with his permission, to pay bills and oversee his care as his health failed. The court, in examining medical and financial records, determined that the father was never lacking in medical care, and that all of his bills were paid in full. The record contains no evidence (the father) or his estate was neglected or otherwise abused, the court found, adding: No evidence supports the claim that defendants appropriated any financial resources from (the father) without his personal direction. The father, the court noted, suffered from physical weaknesses but remained mentally competent. He continued to have more control over his assets than his daughters, and could have revoked their power of attorney at any point but chose not to, the court found. The case began in February 2013, when a brother asked authorities to look into the financial accounts his sisters had created on their fathers behalf. In court papers filed shortly before the dismissal, a defense attorney argued that the case was predicated on the allegations of a scorned family member ... who found himself on the outskirts of (the fathers) good graces and should never have resulted in criminal charges. Sen. Jeremy Miller and a Democratic colleague issued a plea for bipartisanship Friday in hopes of closing gaps in negotiations over a special session in Minnesota. Purple Caucus co-chairs Miller, R-Winona, and Sen. Roger Reinert, DFL-Duluth, reached out Friday to the governor and the heads of both parties in the House and Senate with an idea for a compromise they hope can please everybody. The negotiations have been ongoing with the House, Senate and governor since the session ended in May, aiming for a special session to correct mistakes in the proposed tax bill and get another shot at passing a bonding bill with more than $1 million in public infrastructure and road projects. Gov. Mark Dayton has maintained that he will not order a special session unless conditions are met. The governor included several new spending items in his demands, including a $42 million funding boost for state colleges next year, $31 million to improve medical training and residencies in Greater Minnesota and nearly $100 million for the St. Peter security hospital. They would also be required to revisit and fix a mistake in the tax bill that would have reduced the overall revenue by $102.4 million during the next three years, by changes in the tax rate of pulltab revenues at bingo halls, according to the Department of Revenue. The $260 million tax bill died without the governors signature earlier in June. Dayton has said he will need guarantees on those items by House and Senate leadership before he will bring the Legislature back. While the Purple Caucus proposal doesnt add anything new, the two senators urged the negotiating parties to fix the tax bill, and fund only a few of the items in the governors list, specifically the Minnesota Security Hospital upgrade and improvements at the University of Minnesota Health Sciences Education facility. In the letter, they say the two projects have wide enough support statewide to garner the needed three-fifth super majority and that they should work together toward common goals. Miller said it is simply prompting people to do their jobs. People, including me, are frustrated and disappointed with the extreme partisanship in politics, Miller said. Its time to get this done and work together toward a special session compromise. The compromise hasnt been forthcoming, with both Republican leadership and the Democratic governor accusing each other of being uncompromising and causing the stall by not considering the others proposals. The Purple Caucus is a conglomeration of senators from both sides of the aisle focusing on practical, result-oriented government. It is in its third year. Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona, said that discussions between House members are also calling for a special session. There are needs, and those are reflected in the tax bill and in the bonding bill, Pelowski said. With neither of them passed this year, the Legislature missed all three of its major goals at the outset of session. A comprehensive tax bill and bonding bill were attempted, but the bonding bill failed in the last hours of the session. Stop-gap transportation funding for projects throughout the state were included in the capital projects bill in lieu of a transportation bill. On an early June afternoon, Joan Moor walked the aisles of the Kwik Trip on West Broadway and South Baker Street, carrying a spray bottle of Spic and Span and a large cleaning wipe. A hairnet perched on her short brown hair, her blue Kwik Trip shirt tucked in, Moor sprayed and wiped down the exposed surfaces in the store: shelves, tables, serving areas. Between loaves of bread, behind candy bars, around the milkshake and coffee machines. Moor, who has a developmental disability, is just one of the thousands of Winona residents who have gained work skills and confidence through the Winona ORC, or Occupational Rehabilitation Center, since it opened in 1973. Sometimes she bent to reach the low shelves. Other times, she stood on tiptoe to find hidden dusty corners. Customers came and went, picking up a cup of coffee, a cold sandwich, a piece of fruit. Walking past the table of pastries shed just finished cleaning, Moor waved to her coworker, who was tending to the front counter. Hi Kelly, she said. Hi Joanie. As Moor reached the coffee machines, her coworker Emily Koeller walked over, opening the cupboard beneath the counter Moor was cleaning. I like you, Emily, Moor said with a big grin. I like you too, Joanie, as long as you dont spray on my hair, Koeller said with a laugh. Moor, 54, works at Kwik Trip three afternoons a week, a position shes held for 26 years. In addition to those hours, she also works every day at the Winona ORC in a variety of supervised jobs, including janitorial work and document shredding. Kwik Trip store manager Mike Krause has been working with Moor since he started at the location about three years ago. Moors duties at work include cleaning surfaces, stocking shelves, and cleaning bathrooms, he said. She jumps in to help with other tasks as needed. Shes always got a smile on her face, shes always got a good personality, he said. Besides being cheerful and eager to please, Krause said Moors also got a good handle on where things are located in the store, even after its recent remodel. And, given her long tenure at the store, shes a friendly face for many neighborhood customers. She knows a lot of people that come in here, Krause said. In an interview, Moor was unequivocal about the meaning of work in her life. I love my work, she said. Moor said cleaning provides a way for her to de-stress, earn money, and, of course, socialize. I like it a whole lot, she said. Meeting friends, this one, she said, pointing to her ORC case worker, JoAnna Gribbons. What else do you like about your job, Joan? Gribbons asked. Talk with customers, help them find something, Moor said with a grin. She said she hopes to keep her job at Kwik Trip as long as she can, and shes increased her hours there from two to three afternoons a week. Outside of work, Moor enjoys relaxing with her roommates and her cat, Snowball. She lives in a Home and Community Options house thats staffed during the day. At night, she and her roommates can reach a staff member, if needed, through a remote monitoring system. Its a relatively recent technology that gives them more independence. Moor is also involved in two citizen groups that advocate for disability services. She is a leader for Self-Advocates of Minnesota in Winona, helping run meetings, training sessions, and events. With People First, another advocacy group, she goes to St. Paul annually to talk with legislators about issues that are important to her. Talk to them about raises, for you, she said, pointing to Gribbons with a grin. No cuts, dentist and doctor. In 2014, Moor was recognized by the Arc of Southeastern Minnesota for her work as an advocate for herself and others with disabilities. Buff Hennessey, director of the organization in the region, said the award goes to a person with a disability who enthusiastically and effectively presents the views of people with disabilities to others. Moor is also in HCOs annual productions, serves on the Project COMPASS advisory board, and loves to help cook meals at her house. She also likes to save up for vacations she goes on with the tour company Search Beyond Adventures. But when shes at Kwik Trip, she sinks into the rhythm of the job, greeting her coworkers by name when they cross paths. Coworker Marie Eglinton, whos known Moor for 16 years, came out of the kitchen carrying four hot sandwiches. She placed them in the Hot Spot and stopped to chat with Moor. Did she tell you what our favorite song is? she asked. Whitney Houstons I Will Always Love You. With a dramatic flair, Eglinton sang the last few bars of the chorus, Moor joining in. I will always... Love youuu! COLUMBUS While visiting a dairy business, Russ Feingold, spoke about rural issues voters are concerned about during a roundtable discussion. The event, held Friday at Sassy Cow Creamery, drew approximately 20 people, including candidates running for state and federal office, local farmers, and representatives from the Columbia County Democratic Party. Tell me what is on your mind, Feingold said. Issues brought up included broadband access, climate change, education, student debt, youth unemployment, campaign finance, trade agreements and more. Roads in Wisconsin are slipping away from us, said George Ferriter of Doylestown, a candidate for the 42nd District in the Wisconsin State Assembly Ferriter said townships and villages dont have the funds to properly improve and maintain roads. We need help, Ferriter said. Feingold said the country needs a transportation bill that is actually funded. We are just going to have to invest, Feingold said. Feingold said Wisconsin is ranked fourth for the worst roads in the country. Ferriter also brought up the student debt crisis. He said youth are moving away from rural communities after college to find better paying jobs to pay their debt. He said with their debt burden, young people are putting off buying homes, getting married and starting families and even buying cars. Feingold said Sen. Elizabeth Warrens bill that includes allow students to refinance their debt needs to pass. The roundtable discussion included topics of interest to the dairy industry, including water quality and dairy prices. Dairy prices have plummeted, Feingold said. He said in the last two years, dairy prices have gone from $22 to $14. That is dramatic,Feingold said. He said the low dairy prices are creating a credit crisis for farmers. After the round table discussion, Feingold went inside Sassy Cow Creamery for ice cream. He chose a chocolate milk chocolate malt. The visit to Sassy Cow Creamery served as part of Feingolds tour to listen to the priorities and concerns of Wisconsinites in all 72 counties. Feingold and Johnson are both scheduled to be at the Dodge County Dairy Brunch Sunday at the Pieper family farm, W7552 Highway C, Beaver Dam. The brunch runs from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It all started with Snoopy. It was 1971, and Richard Sheard, just out of college and volunteering to help with the Columbus Fourth of July fireworks for the first time, got a close-up look at a ground display, known as a lance piece in industry parlance, that featured Charlie Browns dog. The display had been shipped to Columbus in pieces by a fireworks manufacturer in Green Bay, and assembled on site by a company technician. The guy that the company sent down to oversee it, he simply showed up, and then, once the display was done, he just left, Sheard said. We did all the work, and Im thinking, What are we paying this guy for? The next year, the guy was out of a job. Sheard, who already owned his own chemical company and had an interest in pyrotechnics that stretched back to his junior high days, took charge of the local fireworks display in 1972 and never looked back. In recognition of all of his work with the fireworks shows and Fourth of July Organization involvement, Sheard has been named the 2016 Columbus Fourth of July parade marshal. Its a little ironic, considering he hasnt actually watched the parade in years. I see them line up, he said. But Im involved in getting the (fireworks) equipment ready to go out to the park. This year, hell have to turn the prep work over to the fireworks company crew, at least until the parade is over. Sheards fireworks shows especially his ground displays have become a local legend and garnered state and national acclaim. The first set piece he built was a knockoff of that Snoopy display that he helped assemble back in 71. Then he got creative, coming up with his own designs and devising effects. Soon Sheard was making pieces that didnt just light up, they moved. He made an Elvis with swinging hips, with a musical background. He built frameworks of the west coast of Europe and the east coast of the United States and suspended the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria on cables between the two. Then with the song Coming to America playing in the background, he pulled the ships across the cable to the New World. He did a Star Wars theme that featured R2-D2 and C-3PO, along with a TIE fighter and a rebel fighter that were up in the air shooting exploding Roman candle balls at each other. And during the Iran hostage crisis, he built a huge 10-foot-by-10-foot-square outline of Ayatollah Khomeini, who was Public Enemy No. 1 in America at the time. When the display lit up, the crowd erupted into a loud chorus of boos. What the people watching didnt know was that Sheard had placed a giant firecracker behind the Ayatollahs glowing face. When the boos reached their crescendo, he lit the fuse. We blew that sucker up, and the crowd just went nuts, Sheard remembered. In addition to the many lance pieces he built, Sheard also got into making wheels. Wheels are just a circular frame that you put devices on, and different things spin, things go bang, things whistle, he said. You could have little color balls flying, just all different types of effects. Over the years, Sheards wheels got more complicated and more creative, as he traveled and learned from others who had a shared interest. His favorites are chromatrope wheels, which are two wheels placed back to back that have drivers in them that make them spin in opposite directions, giving a kaleidoscope effect. I was really into this stuff in the 1970s, he said. That whole decade I was making just all kinds of different things. Sheard won awards at state and national conventions for lance work, ground displays and wheels, and he passed his expertise on to others at seminars that he taught. He also served as the president of the Pyrotechnics Guild International for a couple years. Today, he doesnt have the time that he used to to make his own displays, but hes still the chairman of the Fireworks Committee and continues to look for new devices from fireworks companies. In recent years, Sheard said the local show has been using Spectrum Pyrotechnics, located near Columbus, and he has been very satisfied with the quality and variety of innovative products they offer. Sheard also expressed his thanks to everyone whos pitched in to help with the fireworks over the year. These shows would not have been possible without the large number of volunteers that have worked on these displays, he said. PARDEEVILLE In Wisconsin, you can register to vote at the polls on Election Day. But Pardeeville Village Clerk Brandon Bledsoe says it would be easier, for election officials and for other voters, if people completed their registration in advance. Thats why Bledsoe has blocked off a day Tuesday, from 8 to 4:30 p.m. specifically to register new voters who live in the village limits, at the Village Hall, 114 Lake St. Bledsoe said he knows of similar drives in at least 40 other Wisconsin municipalities, though he hasnt heard whether any other Columbia County clerks are doing so. Prospective voters can register in person with the clerk of the municipality in which they live any time during the clerks normal office hours, up until the Friday before the election at 5 p.m. or whenever the municipal clerks office closes, whichever is earlier. People can also register to vote by mail. For people who have a Pardeeville mailing address but live in one of the surrounding towns such as Pacific, Marcellon or Wyocena Bledsoe said he can help with the registration paperwork Tuesday, but that paperwork has to be submitted to the clerk of the town where the prospective voter lives. The paperwork, he said, mainly entails submitting proof of residence. Documents that can be used for proof of residence include a Wisconsin drivers license or state-issued ID, a bank statement, a pay stub or a utility bill. Generally, documents that qualify as proof of residence have the prospective voters current name and address. Photo ID is not specifically required for voter registration, according to Bledsoe, but it is required for voting and Tuesdays drive will be an opportunity to educate people as to which types of photo ID are acceptable at the polls, and how to get photo ID if they dont have it. The next opportunity to go to the polls will be on Aug. 9, with the partisan primary. Columbia Countys sample ballots are out, and can be found online at www.co.columbia.wi.us/columbiacounty/Portals/2/election/08092016/SAMPLE%20Columbia%20County%20Ballots%20August%202016.pdf. Wisconsin voters can also see what races are included on the ballot in their home precincts, by logging onto myvote.wi.gov. Bledsoe said Pardeeville elections usually include a fair number of people who show up hoping to vote at the villages polling place, at Village Hall, but who do not live within the village limits. The registration drive, he said, could be an opportunity for some people to verify where they should go to vote. And even though people are welcome to register at the polls on Election Day, having a large number of same-day registrants can slow things down, especially if an election is expected to have a large turnout, as is expected for the Nov. 8 general election. For the April 5 non-partisan spring election, Bledsoe said, about 90 voters registered at the polls in Pardeeville. Bledsoe said Pardeeville has a respectable rate of voter registration now, with between 1,200 and 1,300 registered voters in a village of about 2,000 people. But people are moving into the village all the time, he said, and its these newcomers who would mainly benefit from a voter registration opportunity. Im trying to be pro-active, he said, in getting as many of our residents as possible registered before the election. Currently, there is no official sex education in Chinese schools that could help in preventing AIDS transmission. (Photo : Getty Images) With 80 percent of new HIV cases in China among gay men, HIV positive males feel the heat from society and government. On Wednesday, an HIV-positive man from Guangzhou lost his arbitration case on the ground that his health status was used to stop him from working. Global Times reported that when the man was discovered to be HIV positive when he underwent physical examination in April, he was suspended from his job at a public agency in Guangzhou Province. He requested to be reinstated, but the local labor dispute arbitration committee in the province rejected his request. Advertisement It turned down the mans request based on regulations governing the prevention and treatment of infectious ailments which mandate quarantine for HIV-positive people until they are proven they are no longer infectious. With the committees decision, Qiu Hengyu, the mans lawyer, said the former public employee would file an appeal with the Peoples Court of Baiyun District in the same province. He would also asked the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), which issued the rules that the committee cited in rejecting his request to be reinstated, to explain why HIV positive people must be quarantined. The lawyer pointed out that the committee ignored a law approved by the National Peoples Congress that excludes HIV carriers from the need to be quarantine. Peng Yanhui, LGBT Rights Advocacy China director, pointed out that while it has been a decade since the Rules on AIDS Prevention and Treatment took effect in 2006, its goal to ensure HIV positive people enjoy equal employment rights was never reached. According to Financial Times, in 2015, newly diagnosed HIV cases in China increased by 15 percent or about 100,000 people. However, NHFPC Deputy Director Wang Guoqiang said overall infection rate and number of HIV and AIDs cases was at a relatively low level. Wisconsin company wrestles with the FDA over an infant formula Nikos Linardakis says the FDA has stymied efforts that he and James Esselman have made to launch their Bene Baby Co.s product. A woman uses the Uber app on a Samsung smartphone on Sept. 2, 2014, in Berlin, Germany. (Photo : Getty Images) A Shanghai taxi company has sent a complaint letter to China's Ministry of Transport, saying that online car-hailing platforms such as Uber and its local rival Didi Chuxing represent unfair competition. Shanghai Dazhong Taxi & Car Leasing Co. said that there is serious "unfairness" in the conduct of online car-hailing services, which allow privately owned cars to provide transport services, and violates "certain regulations," the company said in a statement to state-owned Global Times. Advertisement According to the letter, taxi companies need to comply with very strict regulations on taxes and car insurance, while car-hailing services do not have to follow these standards, imposing an unfair burden on taxi companies. This is not the first time that taxi companies and drivers have publicly vented their ire toward online car-hailing companies. Taxi drivers in Xian in northeast China's Shaanxi Province and Qingdao in eastern Shandong Province recently went on strike in protest against online car-hailing services. "These online car-hailing platforms have caused us losses," a Shanghai-based taxi driver surnamed Liu told the Global Times on Thursday, claiming that he loses 50 yuan ($7.6) in income every day as more people flock to transport services online. Didi, Uber, and the Transport Ministry have yet to reply to the the Global Times interview as of Thursday. "Certainly the online car-hailing sector needs regulation," said Zhao Zhanling, a lawyer with the Beijing Zhilin Law Firm. However, he believes the government is unlikely to ban online car-hailing services, as it is already a huge market and prohibiting it would hurt public interest. Zhao added that the taxi industry itself needs to conduct reforms, noting that the cost of operating taxis is too high due in part to government-mandated fees and must be improved. In October the past year, the Transport Ministry released a draft regulation that requires private cars used in online car-hailing platforms to be registered as commercial vehicles. The draft also pushed for car-hailing services to purchase insurance for their customers. "The draft was very controversial," said Zhang Xu, an industry analyst at Internet consultancy Analysys International, adding that it was widely considered as too strict. The statement from Shanghai Dazhong also cited safety concerns as another reason for tighter regulation of its online competitors. In May this year, a woman was reportedly murdered by a Didi driver in the southern city of Shenzhen, according to local media reports. "The [car-hailing] sector does need more regulation, and at the same time the companies themselves need to make managerial improvement," Zhang noted. Earlier in March, Didi issued a security guide and conducted a trial function that offered speed dialing to the police via its app. The company also said it will invest about 100 million yuan per year in order to improve safety. Tornado, Hailstorms Kill At Least 98 in Eastern China Heavy hail and a strong tornado have hit eastern China's Jiangsu Province on June 23, leaving at least 98 people dead and some 800 injured, according to local media. (Photo : Getty Images) A tornado, hailstorm, and heavy rain have left 98 people dead and nearly 800 injured in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu. The tornado struck the outskirts of Yancheng City on Thursday afternoon, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Villages in the neighboring Funing County saw winds of up to 125km/h (78mph), flattening power lines, overturning cars and ripping roofs off houses. Advertisement "I heard the gales and ran upstairs to shut the windows," Funing resident Xie Litian, 62, told the state-owned Xinhua News Agency. "I had hardly reached the top of the stairs when I heard a boom and saw the entire wall with the windows on it torn away." When the storm subsided, Xie said all the neighboring houses disappeared. "It was like the end of the world," Xie said. Power and communication lines are down in some areas, and emergency supplies, including 1,000 tents, have been rushed to the scene, the civil affairs ministry said in a statement. On Friday, rescuers were carrying injured villagers into ambulances and delivering food to survivors. More than 1,300 police officers had been mobilized to help, while emergency supplies were being sent from Beijing. President Xi Jinping had ordered "all-out rescue efforts" after what local media reports claim to be one of the worst disasters to ever hit the region. The monsoon season, which runs from May to July, often brings severe weather to China. Earlier this week, severe floods south of the country killed at least 22 people and left 20 missing. This year's rainy season has been particularly wet, with water levels in several major rivers exceeding those of 1998, when severe flooding affected 180 million people. Direct economic losses from the floods are estimated to reach 2.7 billion yuan ($410 million), according to the BBC. Vice Premier Wang Yang said China faces volatile weather conditions due to the influence of the El Nino phenomenon on weather patterns. It is with a very measured sense that Hoda ElSadda, member of the recently founded Institution to Defend the Constitution, and rapporteur of the liberties and rights chapter for the C-50, expressed optimism over the recent statements made by Minister of State for Legal Affairs Magdi ElAgati that promised an amendment of the controversial law to regulate the right for civil protests. Earlier in the month, ElAgati had promised that in the near future the law that was issued under the interim presidency of Adly Mansour, in 2014, in the long absence of a legislative body would be subject to amendments that are designed to reduce what critics had been arguing are excessive constraints that go against the text and spirit of the constitution drafted by the C50 and adopted with an overwhelming majority in January 2014. This is an overdue process; this law has always been incompatible with the constitution and it is time to rectify this without any further delay, ElSadda said. She argued that this move, should it happen, should be followed by a reverse of legal courts that sent young men and women to jail for having violated this law which is unconstitutional to start with. ElSadda insisted that once the amended law is issued, prompt measures to release those who had been sent to jail should be taken without any further delay. This is about the respect of the constitution and it is also about the pursuit of a much needed social cohesion, she added. ElSadda is convinced that the issue of social cohesion is central to the dominating idea of the 2014 constitution. And, she said, the issue of social justice is consequently very key because in the absence of social justice and politics sensitive to the economically challenged there is no way we could obtain social cohesion, she said. As such, ElSadda is very worried about the new state budget which she finds to be totally off the line of social justice as off the text of the constitution. ElSadda is particularly concerned with the failure of the executive to honour the share of the budget that the constitution stipulates as a minimum for public spending for health, education and scientific research. According to the 2014 constitution the state should allocate 3 percent of the budget for health services which are in a very unfortunate shape and 6 per cent for education which prompts endless criticism and 1.5 cent for scientific research. This is supposed to be the minimum; the fact that the executive decides to forgo this minimum is very alarming, ElSadda said. She explained that there are two reasons for concern: the first is the almost systematic shrugging off the constitution and the second is the insensitivity to the acute complaints of the vast majority of the about health and education services. ElSadda had already been worried with the little attention that she found that Prime Minister Sherif Ismail had given to these two very crucial issues in his statement before parliament in April. I could see this coming in the budget but I was hoping that I was wrong, she said. ElSadda is currently discussing the issue with members of the new institution as with members of parliament. She does not have immediate answers about how this could or if it would be rectified. But she is certain that advocacy is required if only to secure future change and certainly to take the constitution off the shelf where it has been put for the most part during the past two years. I think that even though we have been going through a lengthy transition and have been faced with no small challenges, we are way overdue in implementing the text and spirit of the constitution especially on the chapter related to rights and liberties seems to have been almost all forgotten, she argued. The failure of the state to amend the regulations on the right to protest and the failure to allocate the necessary resources to health and education are but some of many other signs of the lack of attention tht the executive is showing to the constitutional text on rights and liberties. I am not just talking aobut rights and freedom of expression, which are essential liberties according to the constitution, but also about socioeconomic rights, she said. She added the whole purpose of drafting this constitution was to make sure that it is implemented this was not just designed as act as a reminder that this constitution was not designed to serve a cosmetic purpose, ElSadda insisted. Moroever, she argued that the executive cannot simply decide to overlook any particular chapter under any given pretext, because I do hear some who suggest that there are those in executive quarters who argue the incompatibility of the chapter on freedoms and rights with the requirements and challenges of the confrontation the state is having with terrorist groups, and I think it is wrong for anyone to even start to suggest this. According to ElSadda, there is no "either/or" argument to be made on freedoms versus terrorism. ElSadda acknowledges that calls for introducing amendments to a constitution that has not even been taken to practice are unrealistic. I mean, even if we decided that we want to go through amendments soon, we need to at least explore the text that we have in practice, she said. ElSadda insists that "taking the constitution towards implementation" cannot be done selectively. Honouring freedoms and rights, including socioeconomic rights, freedoms of expression and other public liberties, is actually essential to consolidating society, which should be the obvious requirement for any war against terrorism, anywhere in the world and we are not an exception, she said. Moreover, ElSadda insisted that it is erroneous of the same sceptical currents in the ranks of the executive to argue or act against the role of civil society, as demonstrated with the attack on several prominent NGOs, including Al-Nadim Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture. According to the constitution that the executive, from the top to bottom, is sworn to uphold, ElSadda reminds, the role of the state is to support and not to hamper the contribution of civil society. Moreover, she reminds, the post-30 June/3 July regime agreed, during the periodic review of the situation of rights in Egypt in the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in November 2014 and March 2015, to honour and support the role of the civil society, alongside other still unfulfilled commitments related to the right to demonstrate and to assemble, and the need to protect human rights defenders. Egypt, ElSadda reminds, should have acted to prepare and adopt the law affirming the right to establish non-governmental organisations merely upon notification, as per the commitment it accepted. She equally expressed concern over the official rigidity demonstrated on the matter during a session of the UN Human Rights in Geneva earlier in June. This is not a very positive sign, she argued. This month, the working groups of the "Institution to Defend the Constitution" will consider "what needs to be done" on these and other matters, that actually touch the core of the constitution that is designed to secure the formation and protection of a civil state in the full sense of the word," according to ElSadda. We need to look at what should be done on the law that regulates demonstrations, which we have always argued was unconstitutional, and what should be done towards implementing the constitutional text on securing a specific share for women in judicial bodies, and what needs to be done on honouring constitutional stipulations on the role of labour and professional syndicates, ElSadda said. She added: I have to say that one is really worried because it is not only that these texts are overlooked, but at points they are actually and maybe even deliberately contradicted. It is not happening; the constitution is just not being implemented and we actually sense that there is a smear campaign that targets some of the basic rights included there especially those related to human rights, political liberties and civil society, ElSadda said. Our ultimate objective is to secure the rule of law. This is the basic foundation of a civil state, just as it is the foundation of securing development and combating terrorism. Without the rule of law, and here I should note without the role of NGOs that are the watchdogs that observe the rule of law, we are up to some unfortunate challenges, she said. Search Keywords: Short link: China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page An Egyptian man lied when he said he hijacked a domestic EgyptAir flight to focus the world's attention on the evils of his country's government, a lawyer seeking the man's extradition claimed Friday. Lawyer Eleni Loizidou repeatedly attacked Seif Eddin Mustafa's credibility, telling a court that he initially told police in a sworn statement he had hijacked the plane in a bid to see his ex-wife and children in Cyprus after more than two decades apart. Loizidou said 59-year-old Mustafa never told Cypriot authorities after his arrest that he belonged to an anti-Egyptian government group as he now claims. She also said Mustafa told the Cyprus Asylum Service that he hadn't been persecuted for his political beliefs since the government of President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi came to power. Loizidou tried to poke holes and highlight contradictions in Mustafa's 18-page testimony in which he claimed that he intended to seek asylum in Italy and to expose Egypt's "fascist" government. Mustafa is fighting his extradition, fearing that he would be tortured and killed if he is sent back to Egypt and that he would be glad to be tried for the hijacking in Cyprus where he says he would receive a fair trial. Mustafa has disavowed his statement to police immediately after his arrest, saying everything in it is "wrong" and that he only signed it because he "trusted" Cypriot authorities. He has later insisted he belonged to an underground anti-Egyptian government group and that it made no sense for him to hijack a plane simply to see his family. But the lawyer painted Mustafa as a petty criminal and highlighted contradictions in his testimony, including his claim of being a pacifist while admitting to having volunteered for a suicide bombing mission in Lebanon back in 1979. She also dismissed his claim that he never meant to take hostages when he hijacked the plane. The March 29 hijacking ended peacefully on the tarmac of Cyprus' Larnaca airport where the plane was diverted after all 72 passengers and crew were released and Mustafa was arrested. Search Keywords: Short link: The duo also discussed the United Kingdoms Thursday vote to leave the European Union and the possible consequences of the move Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry discussed over the phone Friday with his US counterpart, John Kerry, recent developments in efforts to restart Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, as well as a number of international and regional issues. Among issues discussed were the latest developments in Libya and Syria. The two diplomats also discussed the United Kingdoms Thursday vote to leave the European Union and the possible repercussions of the move. Shoukry and Kerry agreed to keep in touch and follow up on developments after the UK's exit vote. Search Keywords: Short link: One of the Socialist Equality Party candidates for the Senate in Queensland in the Australian election, Mike Head, was interviewed on Wednesday night on Brisbanes community radio station, 4ZZZ. The station has an international audience of 500,000 listeners monthly. The interview, conducted by Blair Martin on the Queer Radio show, began with the October 1917 Russian Revolution and its immense global impact, and then turned to the historic struggle of the Fourth International, founded by Leon Trotsky, to defend and take forward the fight for genuine socialism against Stalinism. The discussion ranged widely, including on the danger of war, the expanding support for the Socialist Equality Parties globally, the growing quest by workers and young people for an alternative to the political establishments program of war and austerity, and its attacks on basic democratic rights. Head also explained the SEPs attitude toward parliament and the anti-democratic preferential voting system. The interview promoted the SEPs election rally in Brisbane this Saturday, June 25, where Head and fellow SEP Senate candidate Erin Cooke will speak on the SEPs fight to build an international anti-war movement and revolutionary leadership in the working class. The meeting is being held at the Woolloongabba Senior Citizens Hall, 22 Qualtrough St, Woolloongabba, at 2p.m. To listen to the interview, go to 4ZZZs podcast. To contact the SEP and get involved, visit our web site or Facebook page. Authorised by James Cogan, Shop 6, 212 South Terrace, Bankstown Plaza, Bankstown NSW, 2200. Directed by Leanne Pooley from a script by Pooley, Tim Woodhouse and Andrew Metcalfe 25 April is an 85-minute animated documentary, directed by Leanne Pooley, about New Zealands involvement in the Allied powers catastrophic attempt to seize the Gallipoli Peninsula in present-day Turkey during World War I. The invasion began with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzacs) beach landing on 25 April 1915. Soldiers from Britain, France, India and Newfoundland were also involved. Their immediate objective was to seize the Dardanelles shipping lanes linking Russia to Western Europe and defeat the Ottoman Empire, a German ally. Recorded deaths on all sides numbered 130,842, with a further 262,014 wounded. After eight months of mutual slaughter, the Allies evacuated. Following the defeat, many soldiers who participated in the invasion were sent to the Western Front, while a sizeable Allied force continued to fight in the Middle East. After the war the Ottoman Empires territories were divided between Britain and France. Pooleys 25 April has been released amid a deluge of war propaganda linked to the World War I centenary including exhibitions, a new memorial park, television shows and books glorifying New Zealands war effort. The purpose is to instil unquestioning respect for the military, especially in young people, to prepare them for the next war. The world today closely resembles the build-up to war in 1914. A series of bloody interventions in the Middle East, NATOs threats against Russia, and increasingly reckless US provocations against China threaten to unleash a Third World War, even more barbaric than the last. A documentary exposing the real character of New Zealands role in WWI would be extremely timely. Pooleys animated feature, however, fails to deliver on this score. While avoiding the overt jingoism of other centenary productions, the film is guided by national-isolationist conceptions; it does not oppose the war itself or touch on its imperialist character. Its depiction of fighting at Gallipoli implies that New Zealand should have simply stood aside, or chosen a strategy more independent of Great Britain. New Zealand soldiers are presented as victims of British commanders and Ottoman bullets, rather than of their own government and military that sent them to fight. This is why the NZ Film Commission, which funded the production, regards it as no threat to the official glorification of the Anzacs and promotion of militarism. It is currently preparing a lesson plan for schools based on the film. The documentary has no narrator, but describes the Gallipoli campaign through the words of five New Zealand soldiers who participated in itThomas (Hami) Grace, Edmund Bowler, George Tuck, John Persson and Ormond Burtonand Muriel Wakeford, an Australian nurse. Passages selected from their diaries and memoirs are related in animated interviews, interspersed with scenes of battle and daily life at the front. The interviews are life-like and relatively engaging, but in the battle scenes the soldiers faces are like those of chiselled superheroes, with unchanging, grim expressions. The comic book style, designed to appeal to children, has a distancing effect which, whatever the film-makers intentions, results in a sanitised picture of the fighting. The films underlying nationalist approach is spelled out most clearly by Lieutenant-Colonel Edmund Bowler. Bowler went to war, he says, believing he was serving great men and prepared to die for King and country. After the months of carnage, he concludes: Everything was so mismanaged; it was time to demand a colonial voice and a leader of our own. Bowlers statements do not amount to an argument against the war. World War I would have been no less barbaric if New Zealand leaders had more authority, or if this or that campaign had been better managed. The worst aspect of 25 April is its one-sided, almost exclusive focus on what the New Zealand and Australian forces endured, glorifying their bravery and sacrifice. It fails to convey the enormity of the Ottoman Empires casualties: 86,692 deaths, compared with New Zealands toll of 2,779. British deaths are also ignored. Some sympathy is shown for the Ottoman troops, notably in the depiction of the 24-hour armistice, when both sides paused fighting to bury the dead. A New Zealand soldier shares a cigarette with a Turk and later refuses to shoot him when he has the chance. But this scene is an exception. Some of the individual stories give a sense of the horrors of war and the despair felt by ordinary soldiers. They describe vividly the constant fear of being shot, the appalling army rations, the filth, disease and lice, and the waste of lives in battles such as the Nek and Chunuk Bair. Muriel Wakeford explains that she defied Australian censors by writing letters home detailing the atrocious conditions and the lack of medical supplies. Some were published in a regional newspaper. She remarks that sometimes the suffering [of wounded soldiers] was so intense, death seemed like the best way out. At one point a soldier is shown deliberately walking into no-mans-land to commit suicide by being shot. The inclusion of Ormond Burton is marred by what is left out. Burton says he joined the army because the church backed the war and I wanted to do the Christian thing. A note at the end of the film states that after the war Burton became a pacifist, but does not go into detail. What Burton actually wrote of the war was: Victory had not brought a new world, and we saw in a flash of illumination that it never could. War is just waste and destruction, solving no problems but creating new and terrible ones. Such denunciations are excluded from 25 April. In 1936 Burton co-founded the Christian Pacifist Society of New Zealand. He was arrested for speaking and writing against World War II under anti-democratic laws passed by the Labour Party government, and spent more than two years in prison. Perhaps the most poignant story in the film is that of John Persson who, after experiencing the fighting, strongly objects to his 17-year-old brother Martins decision to enlist. John speaks of his powerlessness to protect Martin, who becomes the youngest New Zealander killed at Gallipoli. The film ends with John, wounded, returning home to his farm after refusing to go to the Western Front. Despite such moving portrayals, the depiction of the Anzacs simply as victims of Britain serves to reinforce the Gallipoli myth: that the troops were national martyrs who died so that Australia and New Zealand could gain national identity and independence. Speaking at an Anzac Day screening in Auckland, writer-director Leanne Pooley implied that New Zealand had naively followed Britain into the war: [W]e went off to war without asking too many questions because we were part of a club ... Last year, around the anniversary of Gallipoli, we committed troops to go and join the fight with ISIS, and it struck me ... that once again, we were going off to war because we were in a club. These comments cover up the fundamental nature of the First World War and New Zealands involvement in it. The four-year slaughtera conflict waged between the imperialist powers for the re-division of colonies and marketswas a manifestation of the break-down of the capitalist nation state system. The New Zealand ruling elite eagerly joined in, sacrificing 18,500 young lives, in order to share in the spoils of war. New Zealand participated as a minor imperialist power, quickly seizing German Samoa in the South Pacific and after the war, along with Britain and Australia, took a share in the plunder of phosphates from Nauru. Today, New Zealands capitalist class is an ally of US imperialism for the same reason it previously supported the British Empire: it relies on Washington to protect and advance its own neo-colonial interests. Unfortunately, while it has definite positive features, Pooleys 25 April fails to mention any of these most critical issues. The authors also recommend: New Zealands WWI exhibitions falsify history and glorify war for a new generation [22 April 2015] Waltz With Bashir: Memory takes us where we need to go [24 December 2008] A valuable and compelling antiwar film [7 December 2005] Delta Airline pilots conducted informational picketing Friday at eight airports around the United States to protest stalled contract negotiations. Pilots picketed at eight airports where Delta has major operations, including Minneapolis, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York LaGuardia, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Atlanta and Cincinnati. Under conditions in which the airline is enjoying booming profits, the pilots are seeking to recoup massive concessions surrendered during Deltas 2005 bankruptcy, which included average pay cuts in excess of 40 percent. Delta recorded pre-tax income of $1.56 billion in the first quarter of 2016, triple the amount for the same period last year. It made $4.5 billion in 2015. The pilots contract became amendable December 31, 2015, but contract talks began 10 months earlier. The pilots are seeking a 40 percent compounded pay increase while maintaining their current level of profit sharing Starting pilots at Delta earn some $68,000 a year according to one report. That is less, not counting profit sharing, than pilots at United Continental and American, as well as at cargo shippers Fedex and United Parcel Service. Delta and the Air Line Pilots Association have been meeting with the US National Mediation Board since March. Under terms of the Railway Labor Act, pilots are barred from striking without first navigating a maze of legal obstacles, and Delta pilots are only at the beginning of the process. Pilots rejected an ALPA-recommended tentative agreement in July 2015 by a 65 percent margin, with about 85 percent of Deltas 12,800 pilots voting. The proposal would have reduced profit sharing and imposed a new, draconian, sick leave policy as well as work-rule changes. It provided for an inadequate wage increase of an immediate 8 percent followed by 6 percent, 3 percent and 3 percent over the next three years. Following the rejection vote, the ALPA master executive chairman, Captain Mike Donatelli, submitted his resignation. He was replaced by Captain John Malone, a Delta pilot based in Atlanta. At Detroit Metro Airport, police forced protesting pilots to picket behind metal barricades away from the front entrance to the Delta terminal. About 1,500 Delta pilots are based in Detroit, a regional hub. Delta Airlines is now the most profitable airline in the history of the industry, said Captain Mark McClain, a 33-year veteran Delta pilot and an ALPA spokesman in Detroit. What we want is a restoration of concessions that recognizes our contribution. This job requires a university degree and an FAA rating, which takes an additional two years. Most of the pilots here have eight to 10 years previous experience before they are hired by Delta. Asked about the proposal pilots rejected in 2015, McClain replied, The proposal last year reduced profit sharing. It basically took money out of one pocket and put it in another. We were funding our own pay raises. When a contract is voted down 65-35 percent there is a disconnect. The market rate for pilots has risen, he said referring to the current shortage of experienced pilots. We are looking for a contract that recognizes our contribution. Captain Tim Hooey, a pilot with 28 years in the cockpit and also an ALPA representative, added, We are substantially below our other peers right now. We are 40 percent below what we were in 2004. A recent FEC filing showed that Delta was paying big dividends and handing big raises to management, but pilots have gotten no rewards. Currently there are tens of thousands of airline workers facing contract expirations or working without a contract. This includes pilots at Southwest Air and United Parcel Service. Pilots at Fedex recently concluded contract negotiations. In February, 9,000 mechanics and maintenance workers at United Continental Holdings voted to reject a sellout contract negotiated by the Teamsters by a 93 percent margin. The contract would have provided a 25 percent wage increase, but this would have been offset by a raft of concessions including the creation of a new B scale for new hires, who would have earned drastically less than veterans. It also imposed higher medical costs. Continental pilots are currently working under a two-year contract extension. Meanwhile, United Continental announced Friday it was close to a tentative agreement with 25,000 flight attendants over terms of a new contract after three years of negotiations. It would be the first joint contract agreement since United and Continental merged in 2010. The vote by United Continental mechanics followed a contract rejection vote by Southwest Airline pilots last November. Southwest Airline flight attendants rejected a contract proposal last July that included a 3 percent pay increase along with significant concessions in work rules. Over the past several decades there has been a continuing assault on airline workers, including massive wage cuts and the destruction of pensions and working conditions aided and abetted by the unions. This has continued even as airline profits rebounded, in part because of the plunging price of oil, from which jet fuel is extracted. The year 2015 was the most profitable for the airline industry since the start of deregulation in 1978. Pilots internationally continue to resist the relentless pressure by the airlines for further cost cutting. Air France workers threatened a four-day strike this week over changes to work rules, before management suspended its cost cutting plan. EasyJet pilots based in Amsterdam struck Friday over sick pay, rest time and pensions. They are currently working under personal contracts, but demand a collective bargaining agreement. And earlier this month Scandinavian Airlines pilots struck over a wage increase. The United States appears to be at the beginning of an airline pilot shortage, as airlines expand operations and a wave of retirements is expected as pilots reach the mandatory retirement age of 65. Entry to the profession is difficult. It requires rigorous training and numerous certifications. Meeting the 250-hour minimum flight time requirement can take at least six months and cost up to $100,000, which most pilots are forced to pay out of pocket. New federal regulations impose even more stringent requirements. The military, which previously provided a large portion of airline pilots, now accounts for only about 30 percent of new airline pilots. This pool is likely to shrink as the military offers incentives for pilots to stay in the service longer. On Wednesday, congressional Democrats staged a sit-in on the floor of the House of Representatives in an attempt to force a vote on gun control legislation, in the aftermath of the mass murder of 49 people by a heavily armed gunman at a gay nightclub in Orlando . At around 11:30 Wednesday morning, around 40 Democrats, led by the former civil rights leader and longtime congressman from Atlanta, John Lewis, entered the House chamber while the Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan was attempting to hold a vote on an unrelated bill, and sat on the floor in the aisles around the speakers platform. The sit-in continued overnight, in spite of unsuccessful attempts by Republicans to restore order. However, the move completely failed as a disruptive tactic. Republicans were able to pass an appropriations bill, and later voted early Thursday morning to adjourn for the Fourth of July holiday. With the House no longer in session, Democrats left the chamber Thursday afternoon, declaring that they would continue to press the issue after the recess. The occupation demanded that the House hold a vote on two bills, one expanding background checks for people purchasing weapons and another which would strip the right to buy a gun from people listed on the governments no-fly list, enacted after the September 11th attacks, which prohibits people on the list from boarding commercial aircraft in the United States. The argument that such a measure would prevent such homicidal outbursts as the Orlando shooting, which occur with tragic regularity in the United States, does not hold water. The no-fly list reportedly contains the names of 81,000 people, of whom only 2,700 are American citizens. Nearly all are foreign terrorists, like Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the head of ISIS. The demand that these people be barred from purchasing guns in the US is meaningless when the vast majority of them are legally banned from even entering the United States. More broadly, the Democratic Partys campaign over gun control would set the precedent that inclusion on a secret government list, with no judicial oversight or ability to appeal, is sufficient grounds to deprive someone of their rights, using the tragedy in Orlando as a pretext. Even more ominous in this regard is the proposal in the upper house of Congress by California Senator Dianne Feinstein, who proposed the prohibition of the purchase of firearms be linked to the far more expansive terror watch list, which according to the ACLU includes more than 1 million names, often selected on the flimsiest basis. The logic of the Democrats proposed legislation does not end with restrictions on purchasing a weapon, but leads to more overtly police-state measures such as preventive detention. The campaign slogan of no fly, no buy seeks to obscure the essential anti-democratic character of these proposals. The response of the political establishment as a whole has been to falsify the real issues posed by Orlando and other mass shootings. Public pronouncements by Republicans have focused on the question of terrorism and the need for more strident intervention in the Middle East, coupled with attacks on democratic rights, save the right to buy a gun, the one right which they support. Democrats, on the other hand, have focused entirely on gun culture and the availability of weapons. There is no discussion of the deep crisis of American society that has produced the phenomenon of mass shootings. The Democrats did not resort to sit-ins when Congress voted to slash funding for food stamps or extended unemployment benefits. When they held majorities in both houses of Congress in the first two years of the Obama administration they did nothing to address the economic distress facing millions of workers. They have not staged a protest on the House floor against funding for the war in Syria or NATOs troop buildup against Russia, moves which they wholly support. Instead, they have latched on to a phony issue, gun control, which does nothing to alleviate the social crisis which gives rise to frequent mass shootings in the United States, in order to make it an issue they can run on in the general election in November. A headline appearing on the Washington Posts website yesterday put it bluntly: House sit-in guarantees gun control will be a top issue in fall election. The electioneering motives behind the protest are underscored by the fact that the bill has already been defeated in the Senate, in voting Monday forced by a 15-hour filibuster by Democratic Senator Chris Murphy last week. As Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, prepares to run a right-wing campaign in the general election, the Democrats are eager to find less explosive issues to campaign on than economic inequality, the main focus of Bernie Sanders campaign, with which to mobilize their social base within layers of the upper middle class. An additional motivation behind Wednesdays stunt was undoubtedly to attract the social forces, particularly young people, who were mobilized by the Sanders campaign, with a fake show of defiance. It is significant in this respect that the leading role in Wednesdays theatrics was played by John Lewis, whose reputation as a young civil rights leader in the 1960s was used to lend the action an air of legitimacy. Now 76, Lewis is a thoroughly establishment figure who supports the repressive powers of police; during the mass protests in Ferguson, Missouri against the police murder of Michael Brown in 2014, he called on Obama to declare martial law. As the group of lawmakers sat on the floor, they chanted slogans such as no fly, no buy and shame, shame, and held prayer vigils throughout the night. We have been too quiet for too long, Lewis shouted. There comes a time when you have to say something. You have to make a little noise. You have to move your feet. This is the time. G.K. Butterfield, the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, intoned, This is the way great movements began. This is the way the March on Washington started, and Rosa Parks, and all the great movements that we can remember started with just an idea. The comparison of Democratic congressmen relocating from their regular seats in the House to the floor mere feet away to the mass struggles of the civil rights movement in the 1960s is absurd. The US Congress is a bastion of wealth and privilege. The average net worth across both houses surged past $1 million in 2014, with Democrats outpacing their Republican counterparts. Nancy Pelosi, leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, has a net worth of at least $29.3 million, according to a report last year by Politico. The civil rights struggles which this stunt is meant to evoke placed their participants at considerable personal risk. In contrast, the Democratic occupation of the House received favorable wall-to-wall coverage in the media, and Speaker Ryan did not even attempt to enforce the rules of the chamber when the protest began. The only repression meted out against the protesting legislators was the shutting off of cameras for C-SPAN, the cable network that regularly broadcasts House proceedings. President Barack Obama expressed his support for the action on Twitter. Most importantly, the civil rights movement was a struggle for the expansion of democratic rights, whereas the sit-in in the House of Representatives is designed to limit and undermine them. It is a measure of the reactionary character of this campaign that it allowed congressional Republicans, whose presumptive nominee Donald Trump responded to the Orlando shooting by reiterating his call for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States, to posture as defenders of due process. As Mark Walker, a Republican congressman from North Carolina, posted on Twitter, Calling this a sit-in is a disgrace to [the sit-ins in the 1960s protesting segregated lunch counters]. They sat in for rights. Dems are sitting in to strip them away. The real attitude of the Republicans to democratic rights was expressed by Senator John Cornyn of Texas, the Republican deputy leader, who offered an alternative to the no-fly, no buy legislation in the Senate, requiring the government to prove its case against someone on the watch list within 72 hours in order to deprive that individual of gun rights. He then declared, If they are too dangerous to buy a firearm, they are too dangerous to be loose on our streets. In other words, the Republicans defend the dubiously interpreted Second Amendment right to bear arms, promoted by reactionary lobbies like the National Rifle Association, but they have no problem with using government lists as the basis for rounding people up. The no-fly, no buy legislation, like the whole bipartisan campaign reducing incidents like Orlando to terrorism, has a definite logic, whatever the immediate intentions of Feinstein, John Lewis or Cornyn: it leads inexorably to demands for the preventive detention of everyone on the watch list, a modern version of mass detention camps like those established for Japanese-Americans during World War II. As news that Britain had voted to exit the European Union triggered a global financial panic, it became clear that the Brexit vote will have vast and unforeseen consequences throughout Europe and beyond. The process of European integration launched just after World War II, intended to build political institutions that would make a new world war impossible, is unraveling. Europe is now preparing for years of bitter negotiations over the legal and financial conditions of Britain's withdrawal from the EU and its treaties. With trillions of euros in trade and financial contracts at stakeand intra-EU tensions sharpened over many years by the Greek debt crisis, the Middle East refugee crisis, and US-sponsored wars in the Middle East and Ukrainedivisions within the EU are set to intensify. Top officials made somber and pessimistic comments about the prospects for Europe and the world in the wake of the Brexit vote. German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivered a brief statement in Berlin, taking no questions. She called Brexit a break in Europe's history, reflecting fundamental doubts about the current direction of European integration and challenging the ability of European countries to assert our economic, social, ecological and foreign policy interests. Merkel bluntly warned that there was no guarantee that the explosive contradictions reemerging between the major European powers would not again erupt into war: Even if it is hard to imagine now, she said, we should remember, especially in these hours, that the idea of the European Union is an idea of peace. After centuries of terrible bloodshed, the founders of the European Union found a joint path towards reconciliation and peace, culminating in the treaties of Rome signed almost sixty years ago. That is and continues to be anything but a given in the future. Against this specter of a new war in Europe, Merkel had little to propose besides vain hopes that the EU could present its hated policies of austerity, war and police repression in a more favorable light to its remaining citizens. We therefore have to ensure that citizens get a concrete sense of how the European Union contributes to improving their own personal lives, she said. In fact, a key factor in the Brexit crisis is the reality that masses of voters in Britain, as across Europe, have concluded that the EU is a socially regressive institution hostile to their interests. A tool of European capitalism, it is, moreover, irrevocably torn by the competing interests of European states. Merkel did not attempt to hide rising intra-EU tensions. Even as she called for unity, the German chancellor, whose government only two years ago repudiated the policy of military restraint pursued by Germany after World War II, said she would defend first and foremost Berlin's interests. The German government will pay special attention to the interests of German citizens and the German economy in that process, she declared. On Monday, Merkel will host French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who are meeting today in Paris, for a one-day meeting to prepare an extraordinary two-day EU summit. Even as EU officials attempt to construct a negotiating framework, however, tensions are already erupting between different European countries. Spanish officials reacted by proposing to take back the Rock of Gibraltar, a British possession at the tip of the Iberian peninsula situated between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, which was captured by British and Dutch forces in 1704. Spain's acting foreign minister, Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo, told Onda Cero radio, I hope the formula of co-sovereigntyto be clear, the Spanish flag on the rockis much closer than before. British officials flatly rejected proposals to share sovereignty over Gibraltar with Spain. Above all, Brexit is stoking tensions between the two largest remaining EU economies, Germany and France. Yesterday, Hollande demanded profound change in the EU, focusing on strengthening European military and police powers and generating more economic growth. While Hollande's comments broadly echoed those of EU officials, who have called for expanding the EU's repressive powers and its ability to wage foreign wars, his remarks on growth were a barely veiled criticism of Germany, in line with longstanding French calls for a looser monetary policy. These demands have faced determined and ever more overt opposition in Berlin since the eruption of the Greek debt crisis, shortly after the 2008 Wall Street crash. The calculation of the [French] head of state is that Angela Merkel, who blocked this, will now have to give way, an anonymous French presidential staffer told Les Echos . There is no indication, however, that Berlin and Paris will be able to resolve the escalating conflicts within the euro zone. As stock markets collapsed globally, former US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan appeared on the financial news channel CNBC to declare that, due to the intractable political conflicts unleashed by the crisis, it would prove to be more serious than the financial crashes of 1987 and 2008. This is the worst period I recall since I've been in public service, Greenspan said. There's nothing like it, including the crisisremember October 19, 1987, when the Dow went down by a record amount, 23 percent? That I thought was the bottom of all potential problems. This has a corrosive effect that will not go away. Greenspan indicated that he considered both a Greek exit from the EU and Scottish secession from Britain to be likely. However, he reserved his sharpest warnings for the increasingly bitter divisions within the euro zone, declaring that the euro is a very serious problem in that the southern part of the euro zone is being funded by the northern part and the European Central Bank. What has emerged is the breakdown of the EU and the impossibility of overcoming contradictions deeply lodged in the historical and economic development of Europe on a capitalist basis. Far from uniting Europe, the relentless assault on workers' social and democratic rights and the escalating military interventions that have proceeded since the dissolution of the USSR in 1991 have discredited the EU and undermined the relations established during the Cold War era. The greatest danger, however, lies in the suppression of the independent interests of the working class, the only social force that can overcome the deepening crisis and drive to war. Opposition to the EU in Britain was organized not from the left, from the standpoint of the independent political interests of the working class, but from the rightby extreme nationalist elements within the Conservative Party in alliance with the far-right, anti-immigrant UK Independence Party, who attracted around them reactionary petty-bourgeois, pseudo-left elements such as George Galloway. The European allies of these forces predictably praised the Brexit and called for a further breakup of the EU along nationalist lines. Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's neo-fascist National Front (FN), attended a congress of far-right parties in Vienna Friday that hailed the Brexit vote. Le Pen, who has associated her campaign for next year's French presidential election with a demand for a referendum on a French exit from the EU, said: Like a lot of French people, Im very happy that the British people held on and made the right choice. What we thought was impossible yesterday has now become possible. Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders, also at the Vienna meeting, welcomed the Brexit vote as historic, adding: Now its our turn. I think the Dutch people must now be given the chance to have their say in a referendum. The rising tensions within the EU confront Washington with serious problems. The NATO military alliance encompassing all of the major European powers is central to the global imperialist policy of the United States. US President Barack Obama aggressively campaigned against Brexit, traveling to Britain to threaten that the UK would be relegated to the back of the queue in its relations with the US if it exited the EU. With NATO now facing increasing internal conflicts, or even possibly outright dissolution, Obama took a more conciliatory stance yesterday. The people of the United Kingdom have spoken, and we respect their decision, he said. The special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom is enduring, he added, and the United Kingdoms membership in NATO remains a vital cornerstone of US foreign, security and economic policy. Will Fulgenzi, the Socialist Equality Party candidate for the Melbourne electorate of Wills, participated in an election forum on Wednesday evening. He explained the SEPs anti-war, socialist perspective and its opposition to the nationalist, pro-war policies of Labor, the Greens and the pseudo-left Socialist Alliance. Candidates were invited to give three-minute responses to three issuesclimate change; whether they supported a treaty or constitutional recognition for the Australias indigenous population; and their attitude to the brutal bipartisan system of detention of refugees. These were followed by questions from the floor. In addition to outlining a socialist and internationalist perspective on these issues, the SEP candidate opposed the conspiracy of silence by Labor, the Greens and the entire political establishment, on Australias alignment with the US war drive against China, and their complicity in successive illegal US-led wars in the Middle East. Other candidates on the platform were Labors Peter Khalil, Samantha Ratnam from the Greens, Zane Alcorn of the Socialist Alliance and the Sex Partys Tristram Chellew. The event was organised by the Brunswick Uniting Church and attended by around 60 people. In response to the second question, all the candidates besides the SEP presented the desperate social crisis confronting the Aboriginal population as a racial, rather than a class question. The SEP candidate stated that neither a treaty nor constitutional amendments would do anything to address the desperate social crisis confronting the Aboriginal population, because its predicated on the maintenance of capitalism This is a class issue. It is not due to the supposed racism of white workersa fraudulent argument that has always been used to divide the working class along racial lines. Fulgenzi indicted the Greens and Labor over the ongoing attacks on the Aboriginal population. The former Greens-backed Gillard Labor government, he noted, continued the Howard governments 2007 Intervention, including the punitive welfare-quarantining measures against all Aboriginal welfare recipients in the Northern Territory, extending it to selected working-class areas in other parts of Australia. In countries where treaties have been introduced, including Canada and New Zealand, conditions for the indigenous population had only continued to decline. Opposing the official land rights campaign advocated by the Greens, Labor and pseudo-left, which benefits only a tiny layer of aspiring Aboriginal capitalists on land-councils, Fulgenzi advocated a united struggle by indigenous and non-indigenous workers as part of the fight for a workers government. The other candidates said nothing about the Northern Territory intervention but supported the official land rights campaign. Socialist Alliances Zane Alcorn opposed constitutional reform on the grounds that it would be an obstacle to a proper treaty and proper land rights. The third question, on the candidates attitude toward the brutal offshore refugee detention centres in Nauru and Manus Island, provoked the greatest amount of cynical humanitarian posturing. Labors Peter Khalil, who personally advised the US occupation government in 2004 in the course of the illegal invasion of Iraq which killed over one million people and created millions of refugees, absurdly posed as a defender of refugees based on his parents heritage as Egyptian migrants. He claimed that the refugee issue was close to my heart. Greens candidate Samantha Ratnam declared that the treatment of refugees would define who Australia is going to be in the international community. The Greens represent a wing of the ruling establishment who believe the brutal treatment of refugees undermines Australian imperialisms ability to employ human rights rhetoric to justify its predatory military operations in the Middle East and the South Pacific. While Ratnam claimed to oppose offshore processing, it was the Greens that propped up the Gillard Labor government as it reopened the camps. Socialist Alliances Zane Alcorn failed to mention Labor or Greens role in the treatment of refugees. His perspective was essentially identical to the Greens nationalism. Alcorn declared that were a wealthy country and called for an increase in Australias resettlement intake. Like the Greens, Socialist Alliance has no principled opposition to the reactionary program of border protection. Fulgenzi told the meeting that the SEP opposed offshore processing and the entire framework of border protection, which asserts that the national state should determine who can and cannot live in the country. He insisted that the working class must have the basic democratic right to live and work in any country with full citizenship rights. The refugee crisis cannot be resolved while the major imperialist powers rain carnage on the Middle East and Africa, Fulgenzi said. There has been the bombing of Iraq, the intervention in Afghanistan, supported at the time by the Greens, the intervention in Libya and the regime-change operation in Syria, also supported by the Greensand tacitly supported by the misnamed Socialist Alliance, he said. Now the major powers are preparing for a war that is far more catastrophica nuclear war with China. The threat of war hangs over the election, but the Greens, Labor, Liberal and Socialist Alliance are all maintaining a conspiracy of silence over it, because they support it. During the question-and-answer segment of the debate, Fulgenzi pointed to the central role of the former Labor government in aligning with the US pivot to Asia, noting that Labors candidate for Wills, Peter Khalil, was identified in WikiLeaks cables as a protected source of the US embassy. Khalil defended the build-up against China with the bogus rationale that the US was seeking to protect freedom of navigation and that Beijing, rather than the Washington, was the aggressor. In an answer riddled with inaccuracies, he declared that China had expanded missile batteries and tried to claim sovereignty over international sea lanes. Khalil said nothing about his identification as a protected source. Fulgenzi said that Khalil was providing the rationale for stepping up US war plans against China... If China was sailing its battleships up the west coast of California and declaring that this was an expansionist United States, and intervening in disputes between the US and Mexico, this would be declared an act of war. Yet this is precisely what the US is carrying out. The Greens candidate Samantha Ratnam falsely claimed that her party did not support any moves to war in Afghanistan and said the Greens had called for a vote in parliament to consider the question of Australias involvement in these wars. Socialist Alliance candidate Zane Alcorn said nothing about the threat of a US-Australian war with China, in line with his partys role in keeping silent on the pivot. The primary political role of Socialist Alliance, which speaks for a privileged layer of the upper middle class, is to channel oppositional sentiment among workers and youth back behind the official political set-up, through the lie that the Greens and Labor represent a lesser evil. At the conclusion of the forum, Alcorn declared that his party would put the Greens, which he insisted were streets ahead of everyone else here, as its second preference, and called for extra-parliamentary action to pressure the major parties. To contact the SEP and get involved, visit our web site or Facebook page. Authorised by James Cogan, Shop 6, 212 South Terrace, Bankstown Plaza, Bankstown NSW, 2200 On Sunday, June 19, a force of heavily-armed Mexican federal police fired automatic weapons into a crowd of 500 striking teachers and their supporters blocking a highway in the impoverished town of Nochixtlan in the southern state of Oaxaca, killing at least thirteen and wounding dozens more. The massacre reveals the brutal lengths to which the Mexican ruling class will go to impose its attacks on Mexican workers. Opposition will not be brooked. Those who lost their lives, mostly young people, were protesting in defense of public education. Teachers across Mexico, most forcefully in Mexicos deeply impoverished southwest, have demonstrated against efforts by President Enrique Pena Nieto to privatize education and impose authoritarian methods of testing and hiring teachers. In the wake of last Sundays massacre, a groundswell of opposition has emerged nationally against state repression and right-wing reforms, part of Pena Nietos Pact for Mexico, aimed at slashing social services. Thousands of workers, youth and peasants attended funeral processions for the dead in Nochixtlan. Residents have since rebuilt the barricades taken down in the police operation. On Wednesday, 200,000 doctors and nurses struck in sympathy with the teachers and against attempts to privatize the federal social security and health systems. Students at major Mexican universities boycotted classes this week to protest Sundays attack and ongoing efforts by the government to impose higher education costs. Parents of the 43 Ayotzinapa student teachers disappeared by the Mexican government in September 2014 continue to tour the country in protest, after the Pena Nieto administration shut down the only independent investigation of the attack. Through the Pact for Mexico, the Mexican oligarchy, backed by US imperialism, seeks to implement a massive transfer of wealth from the Mexican working class to the banks and corporations. The US ambassador to Mexico, Roberta Jacobson, met with Pena Nieto the day after the attack in Oaxaca to express support for his reforms. After a perfunctory and insincere expression of regret over the slaughter in Nochixtlan, Jacobson emphasized that the opportunities for bilateral cooperation have never been better between the US and Mexico, and that only through alliances on education can we succeed in training the Twenty-First Century labor force. It is likely that the federal police who opened fire in Nochixtlan were US-trained officers using weapons provided by the Obama administration. Through the Merida Initiative, the US has spent over $2.3 billion arming and training Mexico's police and armed forces since 2008, providing them with deadly weapons, drones, surveillance equipment and airplanes. In addition, the US Northern Command has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on separate training programs that, unlike under the Merida Initiative, are not subject to any human rights withholding provisions. Nearly 5,000 Mexican police and military personnel were trained at US military bases in 2015 alone. The educational reforms of the Pact for Mexico have their origins in similar programs being implemented in the United States and around the world. In cities such as Detroit and Chicago, the Obama administration has worked closely with the trade unions to impose pension and wage cuts, school closures and antidemocratic testing policies on millions of teachers. The resurgence of class struggle and, in particular, the struggle of teachers, is not only a Mexican, but rather an international phenomenon. In Detroit, thousands of teachers staged sickouts to protest the dilapidated condition of the citys schools. Similar strikes and protests have taken place in Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and Atlanta. A strike wave of teachers and professors has swept across five Brazilian states in recent weeks, as opposition grows to counter-reforms undertaken by Interim President Michel Temer. The Mexican ruling class has responded to the growth of social opposition and the reemergence of the class struggle not only by employing state violence. As a backup, it has also brought to the forefront various self-proclaimed left or even socialist groups in an attempt to disarm social protests and prevent working-class opposition from taking an independent, revolutionary form. Key is the role of former Mexico City mayor and ex-Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who now heads the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) party. He founded this new party in 2014 after splitting with the supposedly left PRD. Lopez Obrador, who will run for president in 2018, pledges to transform Mexico through the electoral process. In the wake of this week's signs of a broadening movement of strikes and protests, Lopez Obrador posted a video calling for a national protest march for Sunday, June 26 against the political mafia and hypocritical conservatives. In the video, Lopez Obrador says the demonstration will be directed against corruption and will pose the question: Why not choose humanism? Why not search for reconciliation and peace? As for the teachers work stoppage, he calls for a dialogue with a state that has ruled out compromise. MORENA is being groomed to play a similar role as SYRIZA in Greece and Podemos in Spain. The party won a majority of seats in the Mexico City Constituent Assembly in the June 5 elections. It is being widely hailed as Mexico's foremost broad left party after the collapse in support for the PRD. The latter has been thoroughly exposed as a right-wing party by its vote for the Pact for Mexico, its role in carrying out and covering up the Ayotzinapa massacre, and its electoral alliances with the right-wing National Action Party (PAN). Like its counterparts in Greece and Spain, MORENA is a nationalist, pro-capitalist, anti-socialist party. Its radical phraseology is designed to tie the Mexican working class to the blood-soaked Mexican state. If brought to power, MORENA will play the same role as SYRIZA in Greece. It will enforce the Pact of Mexico in conjunction with US imperialism, and, if necessary, respond to opposition in the working class with violence and repression. The Mexican working class cannot solve the severe problems plaguing Mexican society by tying itself to bourgeois parties such as MORENA and proceeding on a nationalist basis. It can do so only in a united revolutionary struggle with its class brothers and sisters worldwide, including in the United States. The Student Representative Council (SRC) at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) is collaborating with the university administration to institute a reconciliation process to shut down student protests and engineer a return to class. The SRC wrote to the administration this week asking for a meeting to negotiate an end to the present standoff. SRC spokesperson Gerald Tulu Manu Peni told Radio New Zealand on Wednesday that studentsthat is, the SRCwere prepared to apologise if the administration did likewise and condemned the actions of police who opened fire on protesting students on June 8. The students were shot while preparing to march to the parliament in support of a no-confidence vote by the official opposition against Prime Minister Peter ONeill over corruption allegations. The university blamed the students, saying the shootings resulted from them not heeding the administrations advice. Classes were suspended indefinitely on May 20 after police occupied UPNGs two campuses to suppress widening protests. Classes were scheduled to resume on June 14. Following the shooting, the students declared they were in mourning and would not return until two wounded colleagues recovered. Fresh clashes erupted on Thursday between a group of students and Uniforce, the campus security. One student, Henry Norrie-Maim, said the violence broke out after guards tried to enforce a return to class. Uniforce tried to use force, using flares to chase the students out, but that brought back the frustration from two weeks ago, he said. The library was stoned and Uniforce cars torched. In what students described as a spillover from that confrontation, a UPNG building was set on fire Friday morning. Police re-occupied the campus and staff were turned away. Student representative Samuel Apa told ABC Radio that students would keep demonstrating until there is a genuine reconciliation process. Reconciliation is a fraud. Students across PNG have waged a determined struggle over a nearly two-month period in the face of escalating government intimidation and state violence. The SRCs perspectivealigning with the opposition parties and focussing protests on limited, and failed, appeals for ONeills removalhas brought the movement, at this point, to a dead-end. The resumption of classes is being organised by student councils in collaboration with the political establishment and state apparatus. After noting that the disruptions will cost the government millions of kina (PNGs currency), the governments chief secretary Isaac Lupari met with university administrators then called on parents, civil societies and political leaders to ensure that students return. The Catholic Bishops Conference offered to facilitate reconciliation in the Melanesian way between the students, the UPNG administration, police and the government. A negotiating group, comprising NGO representatives, church leaders and prominent statesmen, including former Prime Minister Michael Somare, is to mediate between the students and the university. UPNG acting chancellor Dr Nicholas Mann said students had to return to classes for the sake of their own future. After June 25, Mann warned, the first semester would no longer be viable. Mann told the National that some classes at the science and medical schools had resumed last Monday but the majority of students were yet to return. Another student leader, Hercules Jim, told Radio NZ that many students who had been traumatised by the shooting were still back in their home villages. We want to go back to class, he said, but could not do so under the present circumstances. We have been sacrificing our lives as future leaders of this nation for a cause we believe in, Lin said, and should not be taken lightly by the university and the government. Asked by ABC Radio if any students would be penalised over the protests, Mann replied they would if found to have broken the law, or if the SRCs statutes had been breached. He declared that students would also be answerable under the UPNGs student conduct agreement. The SRC took a case to the National Court attempting to nullify reaffirmation forms that students were forced to sign. Spokesman Manu Peni said the form, which states that anyone involved in unrest or boycotts can be expelled on the spot, denied students their right to protest. The court declared it is not satisfied that the human rights of students were being breached. The National made a pitch to students eyeing careers in the state apparatus. On June 16, it reminded the current crop of student activists that the existing PNG political leaders, bureaucrats and business people were themselves starry-eyed young people during their university days, shouting anti-government slogans. Perhaps, after having made your point, would it be advisable to now stand back and learn all you can, it counselled. Students are returning at the University of Technology in Lae where classes had also been suspended for nearly two months. Fights erupted last week after a forum hosted by the administration and SRC attempted to end the boycott. The SRC had signed an agreement committing to an immediate resumption of classes. Vice Chancellor Albert Schram said there are still some students who wanted to maintain the boycott at any cost. Security personnel and police were on hand just in case somebody wants to stir up trouble. The University of Gorokas campus remains deserted after the governing council imposed a two-week break following clashes between opposing groups of students. Amid a precipitous economic collapse and harsh austerity measures, the PNG political establishment is deeply concerned that student protests will coalesce with struggles by workers over jobs, living standards and social conditions. More than 20 doctors at Mt Hagen General Hospital, the biggest referral hospital in the Highlands, voted unanimously on June 17 to resign en masse. Over 200 nurses walked off the job, leaving only the emergency and labour wards operating. Staff allege mismanagement and corrupt practices at the hospital and by the provincial health authority. The National Doctors Association intervened on Thursday, ordering a return to work. Severe government spending cutbacks have already resulted in reductions of 40 percent across the health system. The WSWS previously warned that students need a fundamentally different political strategy to that pursed by the SRC leaderships. None of the immense social problems can be addressed, let alone resolved, simply by replacing ONeill with another representative of the ruling class. The only means of defending the social and democratic rights of young people and working people is on the basis of a socialist and internationalist perspective. In television interviews Wednesday and Thursday, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders acknowledged that he would not be the partys nominee and that he would be voting for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in November. In a taped interview with C-SPAN, broadcast on Wednesday, Sanders was asked whether he planned to speak at the convention and what he would say. He replied, It doesnt appear that Im going to be the nominee, so Im not going to be determining the scope of the convention. He later added that he expected to have a speaking slot, traditional for candidates with such large support among convention delegates. Sanders reiterated what has become his mantra for nearly a month, that he will do everything that I can to defeat presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. The anybody but Trump argument is the one being made by many leading Democrats to youth and working people disgusted with Clintons right-wing, pro-corporate and militaristic record, many of whom rallied to the Sanders campaign. Appearing on a trio of morning television interview programs Thursday, Sanders went one step further in what appears to be a deliberately choreographed program to condition his supporters to the ultimate full-on endorsement of Clinton. Appearing on MSNBCs Morning Joe program, Sanders answered Yes when asked directly whether he will vote for Clinton in November. He again declared, I think the issue right here is Im gonna do everything I can to defeat Donald Trump. He elaborated on his opposition to Trump, saying, We do not need a president whose cornerstone of his campaign is bigotry, is insulting Mexicans and Latinos and Muslims and women, who does not believe in the reality of climate change when virtually every scientist who has studied this issue understands this is a global crisis. This is not somebody who should become president. He went on put the focus on the Democratic platform. What my job right now is is to fight for the strongest possible platform in the Democratic convention, Sanders said. That means a platform that represents working people, that stands up to big money interests. Sanders did not rule out endorsing Clinton before the Democratic National Convention, to be held July 25-28 in Philadelphia. In an interview later Thursday on CBS, he said he hopes to endorse Clinton before the convention, adding, I havent heard her say the things that need to be said. Asked what those things might be, he referred to the cost of college education, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and universal health care coverage. The Washington Post reported Thursday that the platform drafting committee, which includes five Sanders nominees among its 15 members, has proven to be less fractious than expected. The Post wrote that telephone negotiations have narrowed the areas of disagreement over policies including the minimum wage and U.S. policy in the Middle East, Democrats said. That probably will mean that a consensus platform document will emerge from a two-day meeting of the platform drafting committee Friday and Saturday, Democrats close to each campaign said. This is indirectly confirmed by the content of an op-ed column published Thursday in Sanders name, appearing in numerous daily newspapers, under the headline, Heres What We Want. While couched in lofty rhetoric about continuing the political revolution espoused by Sanders, taking on special interests and banishing the influence of big money from the political system, the column was notably short on specifics. As the Post noted in its report, the essay listed mostly issues on which he and Clinton agree, including overturning the Supreme Courts Citizens United campaign finance decision, universal voter registration, clean energy investment and a reduction in the U.S. prison population. ... He did not mention his proposal for free college tuition, which she vigorously opposes, or a universal $15 minimum wage, which she considers too inflexible, or U.S. policy toward Israel and the Palestinians. There was also a signal from the Clinton campaign that it was prepared to make minor organizational concessions to Sanders. This took the form of an initiative to remove Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz from day-to-day running of the DNC. She was replaced June 16 by Brandon Davis, a Clinton supporter and national political coordinator for the Service Employees International Union, who was named executive director of the DNC. The Sanders campaign has repeatedly called for the removal of Schultz as DNC chair, a demand that has now in effect been granted, since Schultz retains only the title, but not the directing role. The absolutely conventional, bourgeois character of Sanders political views was underscored by his comments during Thursdays television interviews about the British referendum on leaving the European Union. He expressed concern about the breaking down of international cooperation, a major theme of White House statements on the issue, while at the same time solidarizing himself with the economic nationalism of the Leave campaign, declaring that in terms of the global economy, while its great for CEOs to be running to China, they forget about the people who are losing their jobs. He made no reference to the vicious anti-immigrant baiting of both the Leave and Remain campaigns, or to the murder of Labour Party MP Jo Cox by a fascist gunman, who identified himself by the slogan Britain First. Yehia Kalash, syndicate secretary general Gamal Abdel-Reheem, and undersecretary Khaled El-Balshy, were referred to court in June for harbouring wanted journalists inside the syndicate HQ A Cairo misdemeanor court adjourned Saturday the trial of Egypt's Press Syndicate chairman Yehia Kalash and two other board members to 2 July on charges of harbouring fugitives inside the syndicate's headquarters. The trio were absent from the trial, but represented by lawyers. In the next session, two State Security policemen are scheduled to testify, as well as the syndicates security staff and syndicate member Hatem Zakaria. Kalash, union secretary general Gamal Abdel-Reheem and undersecretary Khaled El-Balshy were referred to court in June for harbouring journalists Mahmoud El-Sakka and Amr Badr who were staging a sit-in in the syndicate to protest warrants issued for their arrest. El-Sakka and Badr, who were arrested inside the syndicate, were among many ordered arrested ahead of the 25 April protests against the Egyptian-Saudi Red Sea island maritime border agreement. Kalash, Abdel-Reheem and El-Balshy are also facing charges of spreading false news about the police raid on the syndicate's headquarters 1 May that resulted in the arrest of the two journalists. A trial is yet to be set for this second charge. Search Keywords: Short link: On June 26, Spaniards will be called to vote for the second time in six months to elect the next parliament. The election is set to produce another hung parliament like that of last Decembers elections, with neither of the major four partiesthe Popular Party (PP), Citizens, the Socialist Party (PSOE) and Unidos Podemos (UP)able to gain a majority in parliament. On Sunday, three separate polls by Metroscopia, Sigma Dos and GAD3 found that UP, an alliance between Podemos and the Stalininst-led United Left (IU), is making big gains at the expense of the PSOE. It would garner between 84 and 95 parliamentary seats in the 350-seat parliament,up from 71 seats won in December. The PSOE would fall from 90 to 78 and 85 seats. The PP under interim Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy would get between 113 to 129 votes, and Citizens 40 to 41. While the major four parties are committed to not repeating elections, any government emerging from these elections would be weak, divided, and unpopular. The most widely cited possible configurations would be a grand coalition between the PP, Citizens and the PSOE, or a UP-PSOE government. Rajoy has stated that he hopes for a coalition government with PSOE and Citizens, stating, I continue to believe that the best thing is to have a government with a wide parliamentary support, and I am willing to work for this. Albert Rivera, Citizens leader, has stated that his party will not vote for Rajoy, but could abstain to allow him to rule or support another PP candidate. Rivera has called for a negotiating table between the three constitutional parties, PP-PSOE-Citizens, without waiting one minute. Rivera has also opened the door to the parliament voting for an independent candidate, in other words, the creation of an unprecedented technocratic government supported by the PP, Citizens and the PSOE. The PSOE, led by Pedro Sanchez, is in a weaker position than in December. Polls show his party has been overtaken by Unidos Podemos, relegating the PSOE to a third position for the first time since the 1977 elections after the death of General Francisco Franco. The social democrats have so discredited themselves by their previous cost-cutting measures that they are incapable of political benefiting from the explosive social anger at the PPs years of cuts, tax hikes and corruption scandals. Sanchez, who failed to get enough parliamentary support for a PSOE-Citizens government last April, is claiming that he will rule neither with the PP nor with Podemos. However, his position within the PSOE is precarious. If the party suffered the ever more likely historic defeat, it could allow internal opponents to remove Sanchez to allow such a grand coalition. A possible successor could be the current regional premier of Andalusia, Susana Diaz. Along with the PSOE old guard led by the former Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez, Diaz became the leading contester to Sanchezs leadership after the December elections, opposing any attempt to form a government with Podemos, claiming that the pseudo-lefts key requirement to hold a referendum on independence in Catalonia was unacceptable. Nonetheless, the other likely government is a Unidos Podemos-PSOE government, supported by separatist and nationalist parties. Under Iglesias, UP has framed its entire electoral campaign as preparing a government of change with the PSOE. Its electoral ads, pamphlets, and Iglesias speeches and interventions in debates are all directed to pressuring the PSOE for this government. UP has accepted deficit reduction, i.e., austerity, the European Union and NATO. Podemos has also abandoned its populist rhetoric. Words such as caste and oligarchs are omitted and instead Podemos is now promoting itself as the new social democracy, a clear indication that it aims to save the post-Franco order from mass opposition to the establishment parties. Iglesias has also renounced the main condition it had imposed on the PSOE to form a coalition in the post-December negotiations: the independence referendum in Catalonia. No sooner had Sanchez stated that We will not support a government which fragments the Spanish national sovereignty, and which questions the economic and social viability of the welfare state, than Iglesias intervened in the radio last Tuesday to state, Our proposal is that there is a referendum, but we are available to talk about anything. We wish to talk without red lines and hear other kinds of proposals. Meanwhile the separatist Republican Left of Catalonia has stated that it would be willing to support such a government only if it agreed to a referendum to be held in less than a year after it was elected. Whatever coalition of parties emerges to rule Spain after the elections, what is clear is that it will be ferociously hostile to the opposition to austerity and war in the Spanish population, and to the growing militancy in the European working class. There are escalating strikes against austerity measures in France, Belgium, and against Podemos ally, Syriza, in Greece. Yet all Spains parties are committed to deepening the assault on living standards and defending Spanish imperialism abroad. What is being prepared is a confrontation with the working class. The question posed for the ruling class is whether it will bring Podemos to power to try to channel the mass anti-austerity opposition into a new dead end like the Syriza government, or whether it will use Podemos as a safety valve in the case a PP-Citizens-PSOE coalition is set up. The intensification of the crisis will drive wider layers of workers and youth into social and political struggle. The unsustainable levels of unemployment, 23 percent overall and 45 percent among youth, nearly a third of the families living in poverty, and wage cuts and job insecurity offers no viable solution within the capitalist system. Flooding across the state of West Virginia Thursday swept away houses, damaged bridges and roads, and killed at least fifteen people. On Friday, thousands of people remained without power, stranded by high water, and rescue crews worked to evacuate residents trapped on their roofs. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency for 44 of the states 55 counties on Thursday evening, after a string of torrential storms swept across the region. A detachment of 150 West Virginia National Guard was activated Friday morning to assist in rescue and recovery efforts. Rivers and streams swelled rapidly after record rainfall. An 8-year-old boy was killed after he was pulled away in the Big Wheeling Creek. He was walking along the waters edge with his mother and sister when he slipped, according to local media reports. He was swept downstream in the high water; his body found three hours later by rescuers. On Friday, searchers retrieved the body of a four-year-old boy who was taken by high water in Ravenswood. According to WCHS TV, the toddler jumped into the water outside his home. His grandfather jumped in after him but the current was too strong. Other rescuers spotted the little boy twice but could not reach him. The heavy rain, rushing water and wind gusts of 60 miles per hour also caused numerous traffic accidents. On Thursday morning, trees were strewn across Interstate 64 and hydroplaning accidents forced the closure of several onramps. In Kanawha County, where the state capital Charleston is located, local media reported several deaths. Around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, 47-year-old Melissa Hess called 911 after she became trapped in her vehicle near Wills Creek. Kanawha Sheriff Sergeant Brian Humphreys told the media that Hess stayed on the line as water poured into her SUV; after 13 minutes, the water was halfway over her windshield. First responders were unable to navigate the flooded roads, and around 5:00 p.m. the emergency dispatcher heard screaming as the call disconnected. Another woman died in Wills Creek after her car was swept into the high water around 1:00 a.m. An elderly man died a few miles away in Jordan Creek, where emergency responders told WSAZ News they had received hundreds of calls for help. A hospice patient died in the area when first responders were unable to reach her home. Kanawha officials suspended many rescue efforts at nightfall Thursday, according to a Charleston Gazette-Mail report. Kanawha Metro 911 spokesperson Brooke Hylbert told the newspaper that the service grappled with about 30 active water rescue calls in the county at 6:00 a.m. Friday morning, most pending from the night before. The Elk River at Queen Shoals (in Kanawha County) crested at a record 33 feet, breaking the previous record of 32 feet set in 1888. Flood stage is 19 feet. The National Weather Service in Charleston reported flooding on the Gauley, Cherry and Cranberry Rivers; the Gauley River reached an all time high of 29 feet at 10:00 p.m., but the Gazette-Mail reported it continued to rise after the NWS station stopped recording. At a press conference Friday afternoon, Kanawha County officials said many emergency responders had been on the clock for more than 24 hours. Theres a lot of just utter devastation in some areas, said county deputy emergency manager C.W. Sigman after announcing that crews had just gained access to the communities of Clendenin. The homes are gone, he said. A shelter had been opened at Shoals Elementary, although the school lacked electricity. In some counties, power, cell phone and Internet outages have delayed rescue and assessment efforts. Appalachian Power reported at least 32,000 of its customer households cut off across the state. MonPower reported another 35,000 without electricity and Dominion Power reported 1,700 outages. A statement from the governors office said, Certain portions of Greenbrier and Nicholas Counties have been rendered inaccessible because of public infrastructure damage. There are conflicting reports as to whether the Summit Lake Dam near Richwood has been breached. In White Sulphur Springs, cell phone video showed a burning house floating away in floodwaters and striking a bridge. The house caught fire after being struck by lightning and according to a CBS reporter on the scene, Parts of the community were still on fire Friday morning. Flooding resulted in numerous road closures in the Charleston area. The Dunbar-South Charleston bridge, connecting the capital to South Charleston, was closed after being struck by runaway coal barges on the Kanawha River. The bridge was closed until Division of Highways inspectors ensured its structural integrity. The Nitro-St. Albans bridge and the Interstate 64 bridge near the town of Nitro were also closed due to the danger posed by loose barges overnight. In Elkview, as many as 500 people became trapped in the Crossings Mall shopping center after its only access road washed away, leaving an enormous trench. Employees and shoppers slept in the stores or in their cars, and local media reports indicated that many people generally remained in good spirits. The shopping centers Kroger sold food and water to the stranded, but without running water or gas, restaurants were unable to function, and overflowing toilets have become a problem. Rescuers speculated that those trapped would have to be rescued by helicopter, if they could not build a temporary bridge. There is no time-frame for a solution at this point, WSAZ reported Friday. A Cairo Criminal Court adjourned on Saturday the first session in the trial of chief editor of Al-Ahram Arabic news website Hisham Younis and journalist Ahmed Amer on charges of publishing false news about the countrys former justice minister Ahmed El-Zend. The session was adjourned to 29 June to inform Amer of the proceedings, as he did not attend today's session. Younis attended the session with an Al-Ahram-appointed lawyer. The court also imposed an EGP 200 fine on the prosecution for not notifying both Younis and Amer of their referral to criminal court in January. The state-owned Al-Ahram Arabic website published a story in 2014 alleging that El-Zend used his post as the head of the Judges Club to illegally sell part of the clubs property in Port Said to his relative. El-Zend had occupied since 2009 the position of head of the Judges Club, an unofficial but powerful institution where over 90 percent of Egypts judges are members. El-Zend was appointed justice minister in May 2015, though he was sacked after less than a year in office for making public statements that were interpreted as an insult to the Muslim Prophet Muhammad. Search Keywords: Short link: Sitting shirtless in sweltering temperatures at a homeless encampment in East Yakima, Dee carved small melons into chunks that he handed to nearby friends. Were just out here doing what we do: take care of each other survive, said the 37-year-old. Egypt's Daqahliya Security Directorate headquarters reopened Saturday following more than two years of reconstruction after the building was hit with deadly bombings in late 2013. The directorates operations were temporarily run out of the state-owned Talkha fertiliser company in Daqahliya. The directorate building was struck with bomb blasts in December 2013, killing 15 people and injuring 134, in the aftermath of the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi earlier that year. Nine policemen, two civilians and three unidentified individuals were among the dead. The explosions ripped through the building's side facade and damaged a number of police vehicles and parts of adjacent buildings, including the city council building, a state-owned theatre and a bank. Search Keywords: Short link: Last Friday a letter was delivered to Prime Minister Netanyahu from new Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. We have reached the point whereby the two sides have expressed a desire to make amends, the Turkish prime minister wrote. He continued, saying that talks are currently taking place and the two sides still haven't finished working, but that it should not take a long time. PM Yildirim further said that the most important thing is to remove the Gaza's isolation for humanitarian reasons. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Yildirim has been in his position for less than a month, but is known as one of the most obedient and faithful members of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's inner circle. He didn't write the letter or send it on his own initiative. The Gaza issue was left to the very end of the letter on purpose. Things really start rolling from here. Turkish Hurriyet Daily News published a headline on the timetable of the approaching reconciliation between Israel and Turkey. On Wednesday, the head of the Turkish negotiation team, Feridun Sinirlioglu, told me that an agreement between Israel and Turkey will be published on Sunday, but that it won't be an announcement that we return ambassadors to Tel Aviv and Ankara. Erdogan and Netanyahu. Reportedly closer than ever to an agreement. (Photo: AP, Kobi Gideon/GPO) Sinirlioglu further stated that he doesn't know when, where or in what way the agreement will be announced it could be done simultaneously in both Israel and Turkey, perhaps in a European capital, or the sides could just send the text of the agreement to various news agencies. By contrast, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu decided to take his time, and prefers to remain cautious and reserved. Sinirlioglu sounds stressed and speaks shortly and purposefully. He doesn't want to blurt out a single unnecessary word. He said that the sides still haven't finished working. Work on the deal will go on until the very last minute. After Ramadan in three weeks, it seems like Foreign Ministry Chairman Dore Gold and his negotiation partner Yossi Ciechanover will release the details of the agreement which will have been signed after almost six years with nearly no official relations. Five years of closed door negotiations arent a walk in the park. The two have been careful not to congratulate each other it could be too dangerous. Yet Sinirlioglu is only the man who was sent to do the dirty work. The reconciliation agreement with turkey was born and formed according to Turkish President Erdogan's mood in any given day, on the whims and fluctuations of his internal affairs, and the international interests of his country. There was also a sharp turnaround on the Israeli side Israel was pressured into getting an agreement for three years, and Netanyahu even agreed to utter "words of sorrow" (but not apologize as Erdogan wanted) for the deaths of nine Turks and a Turkish-American who attacked IDF soldiers on the Mavi Marmara in 2010, which was attempting to sail to Gaza. Israel even agreed to put $21 million into an "injury fund" for the families of those who died. At this point, an agreement could have already been signed and ambassadors could have been exchanged three years ago. Then Erdogan brought up Gaza and put that as a condition for negotiations. He saw that Israel was eager for a deal, and he saw this as an opportunity to become a hero in the Arab world, and a savior of the Hamas leadership which resides in Turkey. The Marmara incident. Sparked the Israeli-Turkish tensions. (Photo: IDF Spokesperson) You have to understand, said Turkish journalist Salim Nashban, Erdogan's sympathy and empathy with the Hamas movement in Gaza doesn't come out of humanitarian interests. He is Hamas. His sympathies lie with the Muslim Brotherhood, and they run deep. Their ideology is his worldview. That's what motivated Erdogan to request that the blockade on Gaza be lifted as the third condition of the reconciliation agreement, and he announced that he intends to go himself to Gaza. He also stubbornly refused to close down Hamas offices in Turkey. The negotiations fell apart. Intelligence reports stated that "as long as Erdogan is prime minister (showing that this report was from before he became president), there is no chance of an agreement." "Even if some sort of agreement comes about," the report warned, (the agreement) will only last until Erdogans next angry outburst." The Leviathan in the room So what's different now? At a certain point you all sobered up, said Suat Kinikiyolo, who slammed the door on Erdogan's party and established his own Middle East Research center based in Ankara. As soon as Israel signaled to Erdogan that it wasn't willing to run after Turkey, Kinikiyolo said, the Turkish president grabbed the reins and gave the green light to send signals to Jerusalem that he is ready to come to an agreement. Dr. Yosef Shapaki, an economist and energy advisor, says that Netanyahu was able to overcome his disgust of Erdogan because of the natural gas. "With the discovery of the Leviathan gas field, Israel has been preparing to extract and sell the gas. This is a multi-billion dollar find, and Israel needs the Turkish market. According to our information, Israel needs to maintain its relations with Turkey in order to ship the gas through Turkish pipelines and, inshallah, on to European markets. Without the pumping station in Turkey, the gas will evaporate, just like the money. " Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz was observed speaking with Erdogan when they were in Washington, DC in March. Even Turkey hurried to define the talks as "important" and "especially positive," and it was speculated that the two "have already set up the infrastructure for sending the gas to Turkey." Egypt, the third player in the planned gas and reconciliation agreement, seems to be absent. Kinikiyolo guesses that PM Netanyahu is making sure he sends messages of calm support in order to preserve stable relations with Egypt. (Egyptian President) al-Sisi finds himself in a difficult situation; on the one hand, he is chasing after the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and fighting with the Hamas military wing, and now, his Israeli ally is reconciling with Erdogan, a patron of Islamists and Sisi's arch rival, he said. In Kinikiyolos estimation, there is some sort of coordinated mechanism of dialogue regarding the normalization of ties with Ankara. After the breakthrough whereby it seems that Erdogan agreed that the reconciliation agreement was moving forward, he invited in Khaled Masha'al. Masha'al, equipped with a Turkish passport, received regular updates as to how the negotiations were coming along, and presented his own laundry list of demands. These included a seaport in Gaza, an expanded complex for fishermen, lifting the blockade, expanding the list of items allowed into Gaza, a new hospital, fixing infrastructure, and building new homes for those who lost their homes in Operation Protective Edge. Masha'al requested that two other issues be brought up during negotiations: The building of a power station in Gaza, and the absolute refusal of the Israeli request that Turkey close the Hamas offices there. Salah al-Arouri. Hamas and Israel both want him gone. (Photo: AFP) There's no chance that Erdogan would close the Hamas offices, said journalist Tulin Daloglu. According to him, Israel will have to accept and swallow it. The next day, the Turkish foreign minister confirmed what Daloglu said, saying that his country will continue to manage their contacts with Hamas, and will not close their offices. Behind the scenes is also Salah al-Arouri, a Hamas terrorist who organized - without permission from Mesha'al or Ismail Haniyeh the kidnapping of the three Jewish teenage boys in Gush Etzion , amongst other plans. Israel released him from jail as a part of the Gilad Shalit deal , but he was not allowed to return to Gaza. He was sent to Turkey instead, where he rented offices and started his own group which identified with Hamas but didn't follow its orders. Nine months ago, Arouri disappeared without a trace, and now hes asking to come back to Turkey. This is where you can see a point of agreement and its not the first of its kind between Netanyahu and the security establishment and Hamas: Both are interested in sweeping Arouri away and putting a stop to his plans. Despite the declarations coming from Gaza, Hamas is not interested in kidnapping Israeli civilians or soldiers, as its leaders know it may cost them dearly. An so, Arouri, rejected by several Arab countries, spends his days in Qatar and Sudan. Its not hard to guess that whenever he is informed of a high-profile figure whos been eliminated, he imagines his name is next on the list. Some 3,000 persons participated on Friday at the largest LGBT pride parade that Haifa has ever seen in its decade of hosting them. The two-kilometer parade route was filled with a sea of rainbow flags, balloons, colorful costumes, music, and dancing. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Haifa Pride Parade (: ) X The messages of the parade were social ones of equality for all communities in the city and the country and equality within the LGBT community itself. Northern drag queen, Zohara Platinium (Photo: Ido Erez) Roni, a Haifa resident, marched with a large group of friends. "It's moving to see here so many people. It's the largest (pride) parade that Haifa has ever had, and it's wonderful and emotional. We came to march, to demonstrate, and to have fun." A float in the parade (Photo: Ido Erez) 'I'm attracted to Smotrich' stickers (Photo: Ido Erez) Oriel, one of the participants, came from Tel Aviv and distributed stickers that read, "I'm attracted to Smotrich" (an MK who self describes as a "proud homophobe"). Last week, Oriel took part in Ashdod's Pride Parade. "It's important because the community is still discriminated against. They don't let us marry because of the ruling rabbinic establishment; they don't let us adopt. We have to continue marching and demonstrating until (we achieve) full equality." Some 3,000 participated (Photo: Ido Erez) Crowds in the parade (Photo: Ido Erez) Ofri came to show solidarity and march, even though she is not a member of the LGBT community herself. "I have a ton of friends in the community, and I came to show solidarity with them and to support them and also to support equality for all people," she said. A sea of flags (Photo: Ido Erez) At the parade's conclusion, thousands gathered for a party full of dancing and performances at Gan HaEm in the Carmel Center neighborhood. The parade was guarded by hundreds of police officers and volunteers. Haifa Mayor Yonah Yahav (right) (Photo: Ido Erez) Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav was amongst the participants; this year, the parade was sponsored by the city. "I think that there's no place like Haifa to express the principles of equality. There's no place more deserving than here to hold the parade," said the mayor. Haifa Municipality with a pride flag Municipal Councilor Yossi Shalom, who holds the youth and community portfolio, said that the municipal activities and aid will continue every year for future pride parades in the city. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas retracted on Saturday the allegation that he made before the European Parliament on Thursday that rabbis in Israel had called to poison Palestinians' wells. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter A message from his office stated, "After it was clarified that the alleged statement attributed to a rabbi regarding poisoning wells was unfounded, the Palestinian present stresses that he did not intend to harm Judaism or the Jewish people, in accordance with the deep respect he feels for all religions, including Judaism." The statement simultaneously rejected the Israeli claims against Abbas of anti-Semitism and condemned the "illegal" steps of Israeli authorities and settlers against the Palestinian people and the incitement against him and his rights. Abbas addressing the European Parliament (Photo: AFP) In his Brussels speech to the European Parliament, Abbas sharply criticized the Jewish State and emphasized that his hand was outstretched in peace and addressed Israel: "But are your hands outstretched for peace? Are you willing to recognize the historical injustice?" He ended his speech and was applauded by saying, "The non-existence of a Palestinian state and the non-implementation of the two-state solution prolongs the conflict and produces extremism. We are against international terror, and the way to have the terror you face come to an end, you must bring an end to the Israeli occupation." Despite the efforts of European Parliament President Martin Schulz to arrange a meeting between Abbas and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, who was also in the Belgian capital, the Palestinian president refused to meet On this refusal, Rivlin commented from Brussels, "I must say that I find it strange that President Mahmoud Abbas has refused again and again to meet with Israeli leaders, and turns again and again to the support of the international community. I want to take this important opportunity to say that I was happy to welcome the initiative by representatives of the EU to set a meeting between me and Abbas, who is also visiting Brussels. I was sorry to learn he rejected such a meeting. "We will not be able to build trust between us if we do not begin to speak directly, and look at what can be done and not at what cannot be done. And there is a lot that can be done." Pope Francis heads to Armenia's genocide memorial on Saturday for a prayer service, fresh from his ad-libbed declaration that the Ottoman-era massacre of Armenians a century ago was a planned "genocide." Francis is due to lay a floral wreath at the memorial and greet descendants of the Armenian orphans who were taken in by Pope Pius XI in the 1920s and housed at his summer residence south of Rome. Francis drew a standing ovation upon his arrival Friday in Armenia when he denounced what he called the ideologically twisted, planned "genocide" of Armenians starting in 1915. His prepared speech had avoided using the politically charged term, which Turkey rejects. Coalition Chairman MK David Bitan (Likud) said on Saturday, "There's a problem with the positions of the heads of the Mossad and the Shin Bet. Somethere there is making them leftists." Bitan was speaking at a Saturday cultural event in Be'er Sheva. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter He continued, "Something happens to you over the years when you're in that position. I believe that this is a development that happened as part of their job." Bitan also spoke of the former Mossad chief, the late Meir Dagan . The coalition chairman claimed that Dagan came to him at a Likud branch office in Rishon LeZion and asked to run for Knesset before he was appointed to head the Mossad. "Dagan was a fundamentalist right-winger after he entered the Mossad, and he came out of the organization the opposite Everybody's a leftist there except for Avi Dichter." David Bitan (Photo: Knesset Spokesman) Bitan also chose to attack his former friend in the party, the former minister of defense, Moshe Ya'alon: "His main problem was he was the ultimate IDF chief of staff. We don't need a defense minister that serves the army instead of serving the political system. There's a problem with chiefs of staff that become defense ministers. They think that it's their job for their whole lives." Not mincing words, Bitan next attacked the criticism of another former chief of staff who became the defense minister, Ehud Barak, on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu : "Barak was the most political chief of staff. Only Moshe Dayan was more so than he. He was a failure as prime minister. He lives in New York, and every now and then he comes to Israel to brag." The coalition chairman did not rule out the possibility that Ya'alon's replacement, Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beytenu), would return to the Likud party. Bitan claimed that MK Orly Levy-Abekasis's resignation from Yisrael Beytenu was planned because of her desire to run for the leadership of the Histadrut. Bitan also addressed the possibility that the Zionist Union might join the government: "Their requirement as of now is to remove Bayit Yehudi, and that's not something that we would agree to. (Zionist Union leader) Herzog wouldn't manage to bring more than 10 MKs from Labor. If Bayit Yehudi were to leave, he could bring 20." Seeing Turkey and Israel represented at the ambassadorial level will certainly add value to the geostrategic dynamics of the region, but I hope not to see an Israeli ambassador in Ankara before Erdogan makes his constitutional case. Israel should know Erdogans skill in exploiting such foreign deals. This one will allow him to claim hes smoothing his relationship with the White House, and that no matter what he does, business as usual will go continue. It should not! Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Turkish and Israeli officials are expected to announce an agreement to normalize their politically and diplomatically broken relationship on Sunday. Technically, this is good newsbut the timing could not be more unfortunate. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has used foreign policy skillfully to serve the interest of his own domestic agenda in Turkey. He has always been able to link the countrys actions abroad to his carefully constructed image as a visionary leader; respected and admired by foreigners. But although Erdogans domestic arrogance in chipping away Turkish democracy has significantly tarnished his image abroad, he has still been able to cut deals with major powers - as he did with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on refugees just before Turks went to the polls to re-do the June 2015 general election. Netanyahu and Erdogan Its no secret that Erdogan wants to change the countrys parliamentary system into a unique Turkish-style presidential one. He opened the issue for public debate almost a decade ago, hoping to change the constitution to allow it. Erdogans ruling AKP party has yet to present a draft of their proposed constitution to the parliament - the timeline has only now begun to shorten. Turks are scheduled to elect their president and their government in 2019, but there is speculation of a possible early election that would slap the opposition down further and present Erdogan with a new parliamentary spreadwith enough seats to change the constitution. Turkeys opposition parties have proven to be weak, but the Nationalist Movement Party has surprised even its own base by raising at least four potential candidates to replace the current party leadera move that certainly could energize the political landscape here. The Republican Peoples Party is less enthusiastic, but holds onto a steady presence as the main opposition party. The pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party is in trouble not only because of its members lifted immunities, but also because they lost the support of the White Turks who pushed them above the nationwide 10-percent threshold required for parliamentary representation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Photo: AP) Even with the oppositions long-standing disarray, Erdogans aim of changing the constitution still faces challengesand the agreement with Israel will give him what he wants. The democratic values of freedom of the media, freedom of assembly and justice will prove to be the losers against the material calculations of the Israeli gas that awaits Western markets. Israel could still achieve its materialistic gains if it waits until Erdogan presents his constitutional proposal to the parliament. The AKP claims they will do so before the end of the year, and in that respect, it shouldnt matter whether Israel normalizes its ties to Turkey today or in six months after waiting those six long years. In the end, Erdogans Turkey wont cease supporting Hamas, and it wont change its mind on the Jewish state. Even the cold-blooded calculation of interests demands that an Israel that helps Erdogan will only elevate his efforts to crush his countrys secular-liberal camp, who are indeed the most-needed partners of peace and stability on both sides. GOMA- Hacking away in the midday sun, 49-year-old farmer Daniel Lazuba remembers vividly his life before one of Africa's most active volcanos erupted 14 years ago. "All of this was corn before," he said as he pointed to rows of new banana trees pushing up between black stones. "My cabbage seems to be growing better than ever these days, but in this area, I still have to start from zero." Traumatized farmers like Lazuba are slowly returning to fields decimated by the 2002 eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in eastern Congo. Flowing lava flattened more than 30 percent of the city of Goma, 20 kilometers away. Nearly 150 people died, and 400,000 fled into neighboring Rwanda. BEIRUT- Air strikes carried out by Syrian or Russian warplanes killed dozens of people in eastern Syria on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported. It said the strikes hit the village of al-Quria in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zor province, killing 47 people including 31 civilians. ISIScontrols most of Deir al-Zor province and has laid siege since March last year to the remaining government-held areas in the city of the same name, which is close to Syria's eastern border with Iraq. SRINAGAR- Militants killed eight Indian police officials and injured 20 when they attacked a security convoy in northern Jammu & Kashmir state on Saturday, a police spokesman said, in an attack claimed by Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Two men attacked a convoy of India's Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on a highway near the Pampore town, 15 kilometres (9 miles) from the state capital Srinagar. The militants were killed by CRPF officials who were guarding the highway, police spokesman Bhavesh Kumar Choudhary said. Dr. Abdullah Gaznavi, a spokesman for LeT, told Reuters by phone that the attack was carried out by members of the group's suicide squad. Gaznavi claimed 13 CRPF police officials were killed in the fighting that lasted for an hour. Zahava and Herzl Shaul, the parents of Staff Sergeant Oron Shaul who was killed during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding that the return of their sons and Lieutenant Hadar Goldin 's remains be part of an upcoming reconciliation deal with Turkey on Thursday. Shaul and Goldins remains are thought to be held by Hamas , with whom Turkey has significant diplomatic relations . The Prime Minister told the Shauls that he understood their demands, and would later give his answer. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Zehava Shaul saysthat its well known that the Turks have demands before they agree to any sort of normalization, including some that have to do with Gaza. Its inconceivable that youll allow the Turks to mark achievements and (that you will) heed their demands, while our sons are still being held in Gaza. It has to be a high-priority condition for the deal. It's important to us as a people, as a society, as families, and as parents who sent their children to protect the homeland. Two years have already passed, she said. Meanwhile, Simcha Goldin, father of Hadar Goldin who's remains are being held captive by Hamas in Gaza joined in saying that "we view (the reconciliation agreement) very severely." He added that "this agreement doesn't include the return of our boys Hadar and Oron Shaul to Israel, and this goes against the promises which have come from the Prime Minister's own mouth for the past two years." He further stated that "the fact that the prime minister signed this agreement proves that the government failed in its first test after Operation Protective Edge, and has awarded Hamas a prize for kidnapping Lieut. Hadar Goldin and First Sergeant Oron Shaul." He finished by saying "the time has come for Israel to be the one who tells Hamas what price it should pay for kidnappings and for holding soldiers' bodies. It shouldn't be how it has been for the past 30 years whereby we are the ones who have to pay the heavy price to our enemies." Ilan Mengisto, the brother of Avera Mengisto who is being held in Gaza, said "our family has completely trusted the prime minister up until now, but this deal which is about to come out makes us worry that my brother has been abandoned to his fate by the Israeli government." He continued, saying "It can't be that the government will let Hamas abuse an Israeli with a mental condition and leave him (in Gaza) to await his fate, while at the same time giving humanitarian aid to Gaza. Where is the humanitarian aid for my brother? Did you all forget about Avera Mengisto in Gaza?" The Shauls have also said that they are preparing to erect a protest tent outside of the Prime Minister's residence, much like what Gilad Shalit's father Noam did while Gilad was held captive by Hamas. The family (not including the parents) will leave for Jerusalem at 8:30am on Sunday from their homes in Poriya Ilit. They will set up their protest tent outside of the Prime Minister's house on Balfour Street. The parents will join the protest on Monday. Hadar Goldin (left) and Oron Shaul (right). Their remains are still held by Hamas. Herzl Shaul said that he told Netanyahu that in every meeting with us you've repeated your promise - that Oron and Hadar will be a priority in any negotiation for any deal, and that there won't be a deal without them. You've repeatedly made that promise, as is expected of a leader. This is the time, Mr. Prime Minister; you have the responsibility and the duty to make sure that the agreement with the Turks will not go forwar without this condition being met, he added. The parents told Netanyahu that For two years we've allowed all of the state and military organizations to do anything they thought would bring the boys back home - without our intervention. Unfortunately, if anything was done, we have yet to see results. It may be necessary to change (our) thinking and conduct. It appears that the way which you have acted, if you have acted, leads nowhere. We apparently need to act differently so that the other side understands that we shouldn't be trifled with. Other bereaved parents who lost their children during Operation Protective Edge joined the Shauls in protest. Ilan Sagi, father of Staff Sergeant Erez Sagi, who was killed in a battle in Nahal Oz , said, There should be no agreement with Turkey before the sons who are being held by Hamas are released. Our patience has run out. It will soon be two years since Protective Edge ended, and the sons place of burial is nowhere. We were silent up until now, but well come out in a large protest in the coming days . Zehava and Herzl Shaul. "It may be necessary to change (our) thinking." (Photo: Avihu Shapira) A letter the protest leaders sent out to bereaved families said, Dear parents, almost two years have passed since the terrible disaster struck us, and for almost two years the Protective Edge family has had two missing casualties, on whose behalf no one especially not the government has been doing anything The pain of the missing (soldiers) families is all of our pain, our moral duty to the families, and even more towards the sons who went to fight and did not come back is (to make sure) they return home for a proper burial. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's Office responded saying ""Israel is making constant efforts both openly and in secret to bring IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, may their memories be blessed, as well as the two Israeli citizens being held in the Gaza Strip, back to Israel. Israel will not cease its activity until the mission is accomplished." The Egyptian-Saudi border demarcation agreement, which would place two Red Sea islands in Saudi territory, is yet to be delivered to Egypts parliament for ratification, said parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Al in his first interview with state TV on Saturday. Abdel-Al dismissed media reports that the agreement had already been put before parliament. "It will be referred to the parliaments legislative and constitutional committee to check its constitutionality and determine if it is the type of agreement that needs a public referendum." On Tuesday, Egypt's Administrative Court voided the deal, which placed the two Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir in Saudi waters, stating that the two islands remain Egyptian. However, the State Lawsuit Authority the body representing the government in legal cases has appealed the ruling. We [the parliament] will not rush at all regarding this agreement, and any citizen bearing relevant information or documents will be welcomed, he said. Regeni case Abdel-Al also said that the Egyptian parliamentary delegations visit to the European Union parliament last April had succeeded in changing the negative image surrounding the murder of Italian PhD student Giulio Regeni in Cairo earlier this year, though he did not give further details. Regeni, who was in Cairo conducting research on independent trade unions, went missing on 25 January. His body was found bearing signs of severe torture by a roadside on the outskirts of the capital nine days later. Italian officials have criticised what they described as a lack of transparency in the Egyptian investigation process. Legislative agenda According to the speaker, the parliament is willing to issue several new legislations before the end of the parliamentary season, which is expected for July or early August. "We are considering discussing and issuing the law which regulates the building of churches, the transitional justice law and the local governance law," he said. "The protest law is not among the laws that will be discussed before the end of the parliamentary season," he noted, referring to the controversial law that severely restricts protesting in the country. Earlier this month, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Magdi El-Agati announced that a "governmental committee will soon meet to amend the protest law to go in line with the 2014 constitution." Several Egyptian parliamentarians have welcomed the governments announcement, saying they were preparing their own proposals for changes. The law, which mandates stiff prison terms of up to three years in jail as well as hefty fines for those who protest without a government permit, was passed in November 2013 during the turbulent period that followed the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Opposition in parliament "To be clear, this parliament is composed of the strongest opposition ever, and this was obvious when they rejected the civil service law and passed the cabinet's plan under the condition of offering MPs a detailed report of the governments activity every six months," Abdel-Al said. The law, which was signed by Egypt's cabinet in November 2015, has met with widespread criticism by many state employees and labour unions, aims at reforming the state's administrative apparatus in order to encourage investments by curbing notorious bureaucratic inefficiencies and streamlining hiring practices and wage-structures in government institutions. He added that parliament has no ruling party or concrete coalitions, even though it includes more than 350 MPs who are members of the pro-state coalition "Support Egypt," including Abdel-Al himself. Live coverage of parliament The speaker said that the halting of live TV coverage of parliament sessions does not mean the proceedings are not covered publicly. "In each session there are journalists who cover proceedings, and the sessions are recorded and later broadcast," he said."The live coverage disturbs the concentration of MPs by making them focus on the cameras rather than on the discussions," he added. Earlier this year, the majority of MPs agreed to a proposal submitted by 40 members to halt TV coverage in order to prevent grandstanding by some MPs. Search Keywords: Short link: Dozens of unemployed Jordanians protesting the lack of job opportunities in the town of Dhiban south of the Jordanian capital Amman were met with violence at the hands of Jordanian security forces on Thursday and Friday nights. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The protest has been going on for about two months, with a large protest tent set up in the center of the town. The violence erupted after Jordanian security forces attempted to take down the tent and arrest the protest organizers. Dhiban, a town of 39,000 people, is one of the poorest towns in the entire Kingdom of Jordan. Rioters close off the road to Dhiban (Photo: YouTube) The ensuing riots saw the use of live fire which resulted in several injuries amongst the Jordanian security forces. Meanwhile, dozens of protestors were arrested. Following the use of tear gas by Jordanian authorities, protestors set fire to the houses of the policemen who live in the city. These social protests are coming at a bad time for the Jordanian government. The new Jordanian Prime Minister, Hani Al-Mulki, has been compelled to personally intervene and create a framework which will solve these unemployed Jordanians' issues, whereby the security forces will withdraw from the town, and whereby those who were arrested will be released (except those who used live fire against the security forces). "The government wants to solve this problem with dialogue and in a legal and objective way. The dialogue requires quiet and time. We arent in a war," said Musa Mayata, Jordanian Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs in an interview with CNN Arabic. Former Member of Parliament Ali a-Sanid is mediating between the two sides and claims that the Jordanian Prime Minister scolded the Interior Minister over the security forces' behavior. "I believe that what happened on Thursday night is a part of the 'Arab Spring,' and that we need to be careful," a-Sanid said during his meeting with Prime Minister al-Mulki early Friday morning. A-Sanid claimed that the rioting would have continued were it not for the Prime Minster's efforts and the removal of security forces. Jordanian forces take down the protest tent in Dhiban Yet despite the promises of the Jordanian Prime Minister, Friday night still saw riots in Dhiban. The rioters closed off one of the main roads with large boulders and burning tires. Security forces therefore tried to disperse the rioters using teargas, but this only led to further clashes between the two sides. Rioters also threw Molotov cocktails at security service vehicles after hundreds of people gathered in the main square of the town. Witnesses claimed that the rioters also threw rocks at the security forces, who then responded by firing more tear gas. There were no reports of any wounded, but one of the protest leaders later wrote on his Facebook page that "our demands are legitimate and legal. We are completely committed to this non-violent protest which expresses our suffering. We urge our brothers in the security forces to not shoot teargas at us." Former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon sharply criticized Coalition Chairman MK David Bitan over the latter's comments whereby he said that "there's a problem with the positions of the heads of the Mossad and the Shin Bet. Something there is making them leftists." Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Ya'alon said that "these dangerous political maneuvers to destroy the security establishment and to incite against its heads are continuing systematically. They are shameful and worrying. We will pay a heavy price for this." Bitan was speaking at a Saturday cultural event in Be'er Sheva. MK David Bitan (Photo: Knesset Spokesperson) The coalition chairman then touched upon former Mossad chief Meir Dagan. The coalition chairman claimed that Dagan came to him at a Likud branch office in Rishon LeZion and asked to run for Knesset before he was appointed to head the Mossad. "Dagan was a fundamentalist right-winger after he entered the Mossad, and he came out of the organization the opposite Everybody's a leftist there except for Avi Dichter." Bitan also chose to attack his former friend in the party, the former minister of defense, Moshe Ya'alon: "His main problem was he was the ultimate IDF chief of staff. We don't need a defense minister that serves the army instead of serving the political system. There's a problem with chiefs of staff that become defense ministers. They think that it's their job for their whole lives." Finally, Bitan attacked the criticism of another former chief of staff who became the defense minister, Ehud Barak. "Barak was the most political chief of staff. Only Moshe Dayan was more political than him. He was a failure as prime minister. He lives in New York, and every now and then he comes to Israel to brag. The Ministry of Culture sent a short questionnaire to managers of orchestras, theaters, and dance troupes in Israel, in which they were to report whether they avoided performing in West Bank settlements, the Negev, or the Galilee in the past year. If they had, their government grant would be cut. This is all part of Minister Miri Regevs policy. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter That policy is almost correct. Indeed art in towns in the periphery should be encouraged, but the specific areas she chose are slightly strange. Haifa for instance, is farther away from Tel Aviv than the settlement of Maale Adumim (100 kilometers vs. 87 kilometers). And settlements are usually not in worse socio-economic shape than other towns either, so that argument doesnt hold water. Culture Minister Miri Regev. An almost-correct initiative. (Photo: Amit Shabi) The usual division into branches of municipalities says that Maale Adumim and Ariel are equivalent to Gedera and Petah Tikva (branch 6) and Alfei Menashe is equivalent to Ramat Gan (branch 8). These are just random examples, and there are many others like them. Its clear, then, that the Culture Ministrys regulation is not a product of sincere care for people for whom cultural products are out of reach. It is a threat pointed at artists whose political views make them want to avoid performing outside the state of Israels borders. Stage artists are often people of a prominent public presence, and so their submission is important to the right-wing government. This is one of the tricks being used to erase from our minds the existence of any difference between Israel and its colony. The purpose is the same as the one represented by the act of erasing the Green Line from official maps. Will this trick serve the inventive ministers goals? I doubt it. Most artists arent especially political. They care about making a living, and only a small minority are so opposed to the occupation that they would be willing to punish hundreds of thousands of people who chose to build their homes at a comfortable price on robbed land. In this sense, theyre similar to the public at large, some of which is happy with the occupation, and some of which has made peace with its irreversibility. From a utilitarian standpoint, it would have been better for the government to ignore the lone noisemakers. It doesnt do so because of its need to prove to its right-wing voter base that its representatives are making sure to avenge the insults it suffers at the hands of others. Why do right-wingers insist on loudly fighting a small leftist group? (Archive Photo: Gil Yohanan) Insult is a key word here. The loud right is controlled by the feeling of being insulted. It seems strange at first, since the loud right is a large group that is growing, while the political leftist artists are a fringe group among the already shrinking Israeli left wing. The correct tactical approach to dealing with these artists should be avoiding conflict and averting your gaze. Basically, the same thing intelligent IDF Battalion commanders do when a reserve soldier doesnt want to answer a summons for a few weeks of dull guard duty. What their commander will usually do is say something like Lets say that your wife is about to give birth, that your business is collapsing, that youre suffering from lower back pain. Well do ok without you, and only call on you if theres a war or a really important training session. Just do us a favor, and stay away from the media. Using force only makes the rebels into martyrs. So why dont they just let the small number of rebellious artists be? Why do they insist on punishing and banishing them? What is the scary trait this small group holds, that causes an avalanche of scorn to fall upon them one that does more damage to the scorners themselves? I think the reason is the doubt that keeps bubbling up in the loud rightists stomachs. The institutional and popular violence is allegedly meant to silence the rebellious, but it is in fact a bit of noise thats meant to quell internal doubts. The emperor knows, in his heart of hearts, that he is without clothes. He fears the moment when the childs cry will be heard throughout the land, and he will be forced to contend with the lie he told himself. Spain's premier on Friday sought to reassure Britons living in Spain after the Brexit vote, saying that for now, they would keep the same rights to live and work there. Spain is home to the largest concentration of British nationals living outside their country in the European Union, and many of them have watched the Brexit campaign with concern. In a televised address, acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said EU treaties governing Britain's ties with the rest of the bloc would remain in force while London negotiates the terms of its exit in a process he said could take "at least two years". During that time, nothing would change for Britons in Spain, nor for Spaniards in Britain, who would maintain the same rights they have enjoyed until now as EU citizens. "Their rights to move freely, to work, to pay social security contributions, to receive pensions, to invest, to vote or be elected in local elections will not be affected at all," he said. "The same applies to the rights of British citizens who live or work in our country or in the rest of the EU," he added. "While there is is the first time that a member state decides to leave the union, the treaties foresee a negotiated and organised exit procedure." Officially, some 300,000 Britons are residing in Spain, but many do not bother to register, with estimates suggesting between 800,000 to a million live in the country. Whole swathes of Spain's southern coast have been transformed into little outposts of Britain with pubs and other shops catering to their tastes. One of the EU's main tenets is the freedom of its citizens to live and work in any member state and be entitled to social security and health care. Many Britons living in Spain fear they will lose these benefits when Britain leaves the 28-nation bloc. Search Keywords: Short link: A car bomb killed four civilians and wounded 14 others in the war-torn Libyan city of Benghazi Friday night, a hospital official said. The car was parked in front of the entrance of the Al-Jalaa hospital, one of the two biggest in the city and where troops get treatment for injuries battling armed groups, including Islamic State militants. Fadia Berghathi, head of the hospital's media department, told AFP "a car bomb exploded in front of the entrance of the hospital, killing four civilians and wounding 14 others". A military source in Benghazi told AFP the explosion "was caused by a sticky bomb planted under a car parked in front of the hospital". There was no immediate claim of responsibility. For two years the eastern city has seen bloody battles between loyalist forces led by General Khalifa Haftar and armed groups including militants from IS group and Ansar al-Sharia, which is close to Al-Qaeda. The hospital treats Haftar's fighters and is frequently visited by his commanders. Pro-government forces Friday repelled a counterattack by IS group as they pressed their offensive to retake the militants' coastal bastion of Sirte, 450 kilometres (300 miles) east of the capital Tripoli. The Western-backed overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 plunged Libya into chaos, with rival rebel forces seizing as much territory as they could. IS Islamist militants groups have taken advantage of the upheaval to establish a presence. Search Keywords: Short link: Arizona News Quartzsite, Arizona - Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced the arrest of 27-year-old Thomas Daniel on charges of First Degree Premeditated Murder and Arson. A State Grand Jury indicted Daniel for his alleged involvement in the murder of 65-year-old Linda Garrett, a long-time resident of Quartzsite, Arizona. At their request, the Arizona Attorney Generals Office began assisting the Quartzsite Police Department with their investigation in 2015. The Quartzsite PD arrested Daniel on Monday, June 20, 2016. On August 23, 2012, at 8:40pm, Quartzsite Police and Fire Department responded to a trailer fire in Quartzsite. During firefighting operations, firefighters located and recovered the deceased body of Linda Garrett. An autopsy determined Garrett suffered and died from several stab wounds. DNA evidence led to Daniel's arrest. A judge set Daniels bond at $500,000. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Shawn Steinberg. All defendants are presumed innocent until convicted in a court of law. Health News Washington, DC - U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President for Government Affairs Bruce Josten issued the following statement today on the House Republicans health care reform package: The Chamber has long been a leader in the push to improve the Affordable Care Act. This House Republican whitepaper will once again generate welcome discussion about the problems and benefits of the health care law. The Chamber will vet the proposal and determine our position based on input from our broad membership base. Upon initial review, there are areas we can support, such as the repeal of the employer mandate, the easing of the age rating ban from 3:1 to 5:1 in the individual and small group market, the improvements to Health Savings Accounts, and the repeal of various ACA taxes. On the other hand, there are areas of clear concern, such as the proposed taxation on employee health care benefits and lifting the ban on physician-owned hospitals. We look forward to participating in the public debate kicked off by todays announcement. Yuma News Yuma, Arizona - On Thursday at approximately 7:00 a.m. a suspicious backpack was placed in front of the Yuma Police Departments Lobby. Because of the way the backpack was placed the decision was made to evacuate the building and call the Yuma County Sheriffs Department bomb squad to assess the backpack. The backpack was found to contain non-threatening items. Through the investigation of the incident it was learned that Renee Tagliafero was the person who placed the backpack at the Yuma Police Department. A be on the lookout or BOLO was put out for Tagliafero and she was located 10:16 p.m. in the 100 block of east 16th Street. Tagliafero was booked into the Yuma County Detention Center for Hoax. The Yuma Police Department encourages anyone with any information about this case to please call the Yuma Police Department at (928) 373-4700 or 78-Crime at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous. Remember if your information leads to an arrest you may receive up to a $1,000 cash reward. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Saturday he opposed "any attack on any religion" after Israel accused him of libelling the Jewish people in an address to the European Parliament. "Palestine is the cradle of the three monotheistic faiths. We stand strongly against any attack on any religion," Abbas said in a statement. In apparently unscripted Arabic remarks to the European Parliament on Thursday, Abbas said that recently "a number of rabbis in Israel made a clear declaration and asked their government to poison water to kill the Palestinians". He gave no source for the accusation, but said it was part of wider Israeli campaign of incitement against the Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office responded by accusing Abbas of disseminating "a blood libel in front of the European Parliament". Abbas's office acknowledged on Saturday that the reports on which his comments had been based had proved without foundation. "It has become evident that the alleged statements by a rabbi on poisoning Palestinian wells, which were reported by various media outlets, are baseless," it said. Abbas "didn't intend to do harm to Judaism or to offend Jewish people around the world". The accusation that Jews were poisoning the wells of Christians gained traction in 14th century Europe as a plague swept across the continent. Another allegation from the Middle Ages -- that Jews murdered Christian children to use their blood for ritual purposes -- gave rise to the term "blood libel". The Jerusalem Post newspaper reported on Tuesday that the well-poisoning story had resurfaced in a statement by the Palestinian foreign ministry naming a "rabbi Mlad" as authorising contamination of Palestinian water. The Post and other Israeli media said they had failed to locate any such person or edict. Search Keywords: Short link: Mogadishu: The death toll from an attack by the Somali Islamist group al Shabaab on a hotel in the capital Mogadishu on Saturday rose to at least 15, a police officer said. Major Ali Mohamed said the death toll included guards, civilians and militants. "The operation has now ended but we are still combing the building for any possible militants who are hiding," he told Reuters. A spokesman for al Shabaab, which claimed responsibility, said the death toll was at least 20 guards and civilians. Numbers of casualties cited by the government are often lower than those reported by al Shabaab. Turkish police on Saturday detained 28 people over links to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's archfoe, US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, Dogan news agency reported. In the latest crackdown, police carried out simultaneous raids in several cities including Istanbul as well as Konya and Kayseri in central Anatolia, the agency said. Among other charges, the suspects are accused of "membership in a terrorist organisation," the Hurriyet newspaper reported on its website. Police are searching for 23 other people including Rizanur Meral, the head of major business group the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (Tuskon), according to Dogan. Founded in 2005, Tuskon has 55,000 members and supporters of Erdogan accuse it of financing pro-Gulen activities. Ankara accuses Gulen of plotting to overthrow the Turkish government and running a "terror" group. But his supporters have repeatedly denied the charges. The latest arrests came months after some 100 Gulen supporters were detained in similar raids in April. Search Keywords: Short link: New York: Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton regained a double-digit lead over Republican rival Donald Trump this week, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday. The June 20-24 poll showed that 46.6 percent of likely American voters supported Hillary while 33.3 percent supported Trump. Another 20.1 percent said they would support neither candidate. Trump had enjoyed a brief boost in support following the June 12 mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, as he doubled down on his pledge to ban Muslims from entering the country, cutting Hillary`s lead to nine points. But Trump`s rise in popularity appeared to be only temporary, unlike his lasting surge among the Republican field last year after the attacks in Paris and in San Bernardino, California. Hillary`s 13.3 percentage point lead is about the same as she had before the Orlando attack. Trump`s slip this week came as he struggled to show that he can keep up with a Clinton campaign apparatus that has dwarfed his in size and funding. Campaign finance disclosures released earlier this week showed Trump started June with a war chest of just $1.3 million, a fraction of Hillary`s $42 million. Trump sought to ease concerns among his allies by saying that he could tap his "unlimited" personal wealth if needed, and also by bolstering efforts to raise money through fundraising events and online donations. Meanwhile, Republican leaders including House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker continued to express reservations about their new standard bearer, who has angered some in the party with his fiery rhetoric. Ryan and Walker both said over the past week that they felt Republicans should follow their "conscience" when deciding to support the party`s likely nominee, instead of urging party members to support him. The poll only captured some of the voter reaction to Britain`s decision in Thursday`s referendum to exit the European Union, a move that some pundits say suggests Trump`s insurgent candidacy has tapped into a broad and powerful anti-globalization wave sweeping Western countries. The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online and included interviews with 1,201 likely voters in all 50 states. It has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 3.3 percentage points. Fulshear (US): Police say a Houston-area woman fatally shot her two adult daughters before officers shot and killed her. The incident happened about 5 pm yesterday in front of a home on the fringe of the Houston suburb of Fulshear. Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls says a motive was still under investigation, but it appeared the shooting climaxed a family argument. Nehls says the two younger women had already been shot when a Fulshear police officer arrived and saw the mother with a gun in her hand, apparently preparing to shoot one of her daughters again. The officer shot and killed the woman. No identities have been released. Hyderabad: Gnana Sai is just eight months old but her battle with a severe liver ailment has touched the hearts of all her loved ones. Unable to withstand her pain, Sai's parents have approached a court in Andhra Pradesh seeking permission to kill their daughter. The little girl is suffering from a congenital liver disease and her poor parents cant afford a liver transplant that is immediately needed for the child. According to Hindustan Times, Ramanappa and Saraswati are agricultural labourers who hails from RS Kothapalli village in Chittoor district. The couple reportedly approached the Tamballapalle civil court for killing their daughter through passive euthanasia. The judge said he had no powers to decide on mercy killing and instead asked them to approach either the Chittoor district court or the high court. Doctors had recommended a liver transplant for Sai within two months. We spent 5 lakh on her so far and now, we are penniless, the father said. Ramanappa said he was ready to donate his liver to his daughter but he didnt have the 30 lakh needed for the operation. We went from pillar to post to mobilise money, but could not, the report quoted him as saying. Meanwhile, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu who came to know about her plight has assured all help and announced 30 lakhs for her treatment. Earlier, a local politician had said that he would inform the chief minister about her case. I will bring it to the notice of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and see that the government will bear the expenses for Sais treatment, he was quoted as saying. Patna: Bihar's Class 12 "topper" in Arts Ruby Rai, who had said political science is all about cooking, was arrested on Saturday when she appeared for a re-test at the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) office, police said. "Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Bihar police probing into the Bihar toppers scam has arrested Ruby Rai when she finally appeared for a re-test at BSEB office," a police official said. Ruby will be produced in the local court on Sunday, the official added. Before today, Ruby Rai failed to appear in the re-test twice on June 3 and June 17. She reportedly informed the board that she is not well and unable to appear for the re-test. The results of Ruby and other toppers were put on hold after the scam came to light in May. A total of 14 students were called for a re-test by the BSEB after a news channel broadcast a sting in which Rubi Rai said: "Prodikal (read political) science is about cooking", and Saurabh Shreshtha, a Science topper, said: "Most reactive element in the periodic table is aluminium". Ruby had scored 444 out of 500 marks in the Arts stream and Saurabh Shreshtha 485 out of 500 in Science. Both studied in VR College in Vaishali district. According to police officials, the Patna civil court has issued a non-bailable warrant of arrest against four toppers including Ruby Rai. The VR college director-cum-principal Bachcha Rai was arrested early this month and was lodged in Beur jail in Patna. The former board chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad and his wife, and former Janata Dal-United (JD-U) MLA Usha Sinha were also arrested in connection with the scam. "Police have taken them on remand for interrogation," officials said. So far, nearly 20 people have been arrested by the SIT. New York: The combination of a hot climate and less variation in seasonal temperatures leads to a faster life strategy, less focus on the future and less self-control -- all of which contribute to more aggression and violence, according to a new model that explains the link between climate and crime rates. Many studies have shown that levels of violence and aggression are higher in hot climates, but the lead explanations of why this is so are not satisfactory, according to the researchers. So they developed the new model CLASH (Climate Aggression, and Self-control in Humans) that they believe can help explain the impact of climate on rates of violence in different parts of the world. "Climate shapes how people live, it affects the culture in ways that we don't think about in our daily lives," said co-author of the study Brad Bushman, Professor of Communication and Psychology at The Ohio State University in the US. "We believe CLASH can help account for differences in aggression and violence both within and between countries around the world," he said. The General Aggression Model suggests hot temperatures make people uncomfortable and irritated, which makes them more aggressive. "But that doesn't explain more extreme acts, such as murder," Bushman said. Another explanation is that people are outdoors and interacting more with others when the weather is warm, which leads to more opportunities for conflict. But that does not explain why there is more violence when the temperature is 35 degrees Celsius than when it is 24 degrees Celsius -- even though people might be outside under both circumstances. The CLASH model states that it is not just hotter temperatures that lead to more violence -- it is also climates that have less seasonal variation in temperature. "Less variation in temperature, combined with heat, brings some measure of consistency to daily life", Maria Rinderu from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands explained. That means there is less need to plan for large swings between warm and cold weather. The result is a faster life strategy that is not as concerned about the future and leads to less need for self-control. "Strong seasonal variation in temperature affects culture in powerful ways, lead author of the study Paul van Lange, Professor of Psychology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam added. People living in these climates are oriented to the present rather than the future and have a fast life strategy - they do things now. With a faster life strategy and an orientation toward the present, people have to practice less self-control, Bushman said. That can lead people to react more quickly with aggression and sometimes violence, said the researchers who described the new model in an online article in the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences. "We think it provides a strong framework for understanding the violence differences we see around the world," Bushman noted. Berlin: The 27 countries left in the European Union after Britain`s vote to leave should refrain from taking revenge, but focus on building consensus in areas such as security, migration and economic growth, German officials said on Friday. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the ZDF television station there was hard work ahead negotiating the terms of Britain`s exit, but European leaders were committed to charting a new course that tackled high rates of youth unemployment and other issues raised through the UK referendum. Steinmeier said he told EU foreign ministers at a meeting in Luxembourg on Friday to focus on rebuilding a strong Europe, not hashing through differences with Britain. "We have to accept the decision that was made, and not go looking for revenge," said Steinmeier, who will meet the foreign minister of France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg - the six founding EU members - in Berlin on Saturday. Manfred Weber, who represents German Chancellor Angela Merkel`s political party in the European parliament, said it was imperative to start negotiations with Britain soon about its departure, to ensure stability and avoid uncertainties. "We want to negotiate a new relationship, not a nasty divorce," Weber told the Muencher Merkur newspaper. "My goal would be to wrap up the exit negotiations within about a year." German officials are worried France, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and Hungary could also seek to leave the EU after Britain`s vote, German newspaper Die Welt said on Friday, citing a finance ministry strategy paper. Steinmeier said political parties in some EU member states would likely push for similar popular votes, but he knew of no specific country that was seriously considering leaving the bloc. He said a majority of Germans supported continued membership in the EU. Berlin: German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier said on Saturday that the EU would weather the shock of the British vote to leave the union as he convened crisis talks. "I am confident that these countries can also send a message that we won`t let anyone take Europe from us," he said heading into a meeting in Berlin of his counterparts from the EU`s six founding members. His French counterpart Jean Marc Ayrault urged quick negotiations on Britain`s exit from the union, saying that the pressure would be "very strong" on British Prime Minister David Cameron at an EU summit on Tuesday to speed up the process. Cameron, who on Friday announced his resignation by October in the wake of the referendum, said it should be his successor who leads the complex negotiations under Article 50 of the EU`s Lisbon Treaty which sets out a two-year timeframe to leave. Steinmeier called the European Union "a successful project of peace and stability" and said that there was a "strong desire" within the bloc to defend and strengthen it. "I think it is absolutely clear that we are in a situation in which neither hysteria nor paralysis are permissible," he said. "We must not rush headlong into hectic action, pretending we had all the answers. But we must also not fall into depression or inaction after the British decision." Steinmeier hosted Ayrault, the Netherlands` Bert Koenders, Italy`s Paolo Gentiloni, Belgium`s Didier Reynders and Luxemburg`s Jean Asselborn in a lakeside villa north of the city centre. Ayrault said he and Steinmeier, whose countries long represented the twin-engine of European integration, were working on joint proposals that could deepen cooperation among EU members that use the euro currency, or bolster security and defence coordination. Steinmeier said the ministers would discuss joint action on the refugee influx, the unemployment crisis and security during their meeting scheduled to wrap up around 1000 GMT with a news conference. London: Londoners mobilised on social media Saturday to back a campaign to go from Brexit to `Lexit`, calling for their city to divorce Britain and "move in with our friends" in the European Union. While largely a symbolic protest, it is fuelled by real anger following Thursday`s dramatic vote to quit the EU, which was acutely felt in the national capital, where a majority voted for Britain to remain in the EU, contrary to the prevailing mood in the country. More than 130,000 people signed up to a petition to London Mayor Sadiq Khan calling on him to "Declare London independent from the UK and apply to join the EU". "London is an international city, and we want to remain at the heart of Europe," it says. "Let`s face it, the rest of the country disagrees. "Let`s make the divorce official and move in with our friends on the continent." The petition was started by freelance writer James O`Malley, who expected only a few hundred signatures. "It did start a bit like a joke, a frustrated joke, a cry of despair," the 29-year-old told AFP. "I`m a big fan of the EU- the values, the utopian ideas underpinning the EU. I don`t want to see London leave." Despite the jokey origins, he said the idea was not unthinkable. "A few years ago we would have said leaving the EU is impossible," he said. "I`m hoping now, given this gigantic reaction, to turn it into something meaningful. For example, could we use it to campaign for greater devolution for London?"The idea of London becoming a city-state like Singapore is circulating online. "I`m pushing for Lexit," Grimshaw London architect Mark Middleton said on Twitter. Khan has dismissed the idea but insisted that the capital`s voice must be heard in Britain`s EU exit negotiations, chiefly that the UK should retain access to the European single market. The London Evening Standard newspaper said in its editorial Friday that the vote reflected the city`s interests. "The capital`s economy, depending so much on the financial sector, which in turn depends so much on our privileged EU access as well as our global reach, made it inevitable that London would see the referendum differently," it said. The results of Thursday`s referendum make the capital-country division clear. Some 51.9 percent nationwide voted for Britain to leave the EU, but eligible Londoners voted 59.9 percent for Britain to stay. Among the UK`s major cities, London was not alone in having a majority of voters who wanted Britain to stay in the EU. Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast and Newcastle voted in. Three of the UK`s four highest Remain votes were also in London: Lambeth (78.6 percent), Hackney (78.5 percent) and Haringey (75.6 percent).On the other hand, Londoners were amongst the most apathetic about voting. Of the 12 regions, turnout in London was the fourth lowest at 69.7 percent. But the shockwaves were reverberating around the city nonetheless. "I never felt less British and more Londoner," Remain voter Julius Beltrame, 39, who works in the software sector, told AFP in The Lexington, a north London pub, in the early hours of Friday as the results were coming in. Beverley David, a 33-year-old headhunter also in The Lexington, added: "People in London have a different identity. We are Londoners first, then European, then British." The restiveness was also evident when former London mayor Boris Johnson, who spearheaded the Leave campaign, left his home Friday. Police had to hold back an angry mob who booed him and yelled "traitor", "you`re a parasite" and "shame on you". Most Londoners identify as having roots beyond Britain. "London is a cosmopolitan city which cannot be compared to the rest of the UK," said Carmen Martinez, 43, a Spanish civil servant who is retraining to become a teacher. "Here you do not feel marginalized. In the rest of the country they do not want immigrants." Scotland: Scotland wants immediate talks with the European Union on protecting its place in the bloc, after Britain`s vote to leave the EU, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Saturday. Speaking after an emergency meeting of her cabinet, Sturgeon said it had agreed to seek "immediate discussions with the EU institutions and other EU member states to explore all possible options to protect Scotland`s place in the EU." The UK as a whole voted by 52 percent to 48 percent to leave the EU in Thursday`s historic referendum. But Scotland voted strongly for Britain to remain -- by 62 percent to 38 percent. On Friday, Sturgeon said the results put a fresh referendum on Scottish independence "on the table", adding that it was "highly likely" within two years. She cited a clause in her Scottish National Party manifesto that there had been a "significant and material change in the circumstances" in which Scotland voted against independence in 2014, when 55 percent of Scots voted to stay in the UK. On Saturday, Sturgeon reiterated her plans. "As I said yesterday, a second independence referendum is clearly an option that requires to be on the table and is very much on the table," she said. "To ensure that that option is a deliverable one within the required timetable, steps will be taken now to ensure that the necessary legislation is in place. Cabinet this morning formally agreed that work." Brussels: It consists of just five short, vaguely worded paragraphs, but Article 50 of the European Union`s 2007 Lisbon Treaty will decide how Britain leaves -- and it is already causing problems. The short section buried in the laws that govern the EU has never been used before and was written at a time when the prospect of any member state leaving seemed very unlikely. The key opening phrase -- "Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements" -- was indeed the first time EU law laid out an exit plan. But now it is at the centre of an acrimonious row between London and its soon-to-be former partners about how and when Britain will leave after Thursday`s vote to quit. "It provides few concrete details about how a the withdrawal must be organised," Robert Chaouad, a research Fellow at the Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS), told AFP.Article 50 says that "a Member State which decides to withdraw shall notify the European Council (the 28 leaders of the EU member states, led by EU President Donald Tusk) of its intention." But it does not say when this must happen, and that has become the first crucial stumbling block. Prime Minister David Cameron said on Friday he would resign by October, leaving his successor to begin the talks. "I think it is right that this new prime minister takes the decision about when to trigger Article 50 and start the formal and legal process of leaving the EU," he said. But his EU peers believe notification should be "as soon as possible" to minimise the chaos of a "Brexit", and preferably by Cameron himself at an EU summit on Tuesday and Wednesday. What is clear from Article 50 is, however, that it is only the member state concerned which can make the notification. It cannot be forced on Britain by Brussels. Jean-Claude Piris of the Delors Institute in Brussels said it was "normal and understandable" Cameron wanted to wait until a successor was in place, and that the rest of the EU "will not put a knife to Britain`s throat". "However if it drags on another six months or a year then it will become objectionable and I would understand if the EU became impatient," he told AFP.Under Article 50, Britain`s notification will set the clock ticking on a two-year period of negotiations within which a basic withdrawal agreement should be made. After that "the treaties shall cease to apply to the state in question" -- or in layman`s terms, Brexit is a reality. The talks can in theory be extended if need be -- but only by the unanimous consent of Britain and the other 27 member states. The alternative is a chaotic British exit on the stroke of two years, with lots of loose ends untied.Britain and the EU will separately need to negotiate what Article 50 calls their "future relationship". This is not spelled out but would include issues such as access to the single market, whether Britain will have trade deals with the EU, whether free movement will continue, and so on. Under Article 50, negotiations on these topics will take place in parallel with the talks on the basic withdrawal agreement. But again it is vague, mentioning only the talks "taking account of the framework for its future relationship with the union". "Legally, everything is possible, because there is no precedent. One can imagine a withdrawal agreement that would double as an agreement establishing relations between the UK and the EU," said Chaouad of IRIS.Article 50 does say that a former EU nation can seek to rejoin after leaving -- under Article 49 of the Lisbon Treaty. This however begins the membership process from zero, in the same way as current candidate states like Turkey, Serbia and Albania. The remaining 27 EU states must approve Britain`s withdrawal agreement by a "qualified majority". The European Parliament will also vote by a simple majority. US-backed fighters edged further into the Islamic State (IS) group stronghold of Manbij on Saturday, threatening a key staging post on the militants lifeline from Turkey to their "caliphate" in Syria and neighbouring Iraq. If it succeeds, the offensive on Manbij -- backed by intense air strikes by a US-led coalition -- would mark the most significant victory against IS group for the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance. In neighbouring Iraq, elite counter-terrorist forces and police were poised to assault the last IS-held neighbourhood of the militants once emblematic bastion of Fallujah in a further blow to their prestige. In Manbij, SDF fighters overran a key road junction in the south of the city after capturing nearby grain silos overnight, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "The grain silos overlook more than half of Manbij. SDF fighters can climb to the top and monitor the city," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. The Raqa Revolutionaries Brigades -- one of the Arab components of the Kurdish-dominated alliance -- confirmed that SDF forces had seized the silos and pushed into the city. The Mills Roundabout lies less than two kilometres (one mile) from the city centre. The Observatory said IS and the SDF were locked in intense street fighting as the militants tried to defend their positions. Captured by IS group in 2014, Manbij was a key transit point for foreign fighters and funds, as well as a trafficking hub for oil, antiquities and other plundered goods. Across the frontier in Fallujah, security forces were poised to assault Jolan, the last neighbourhood still held by IS. Tens of thousands of people fled the fighting, with many camped out in the open in the summer heat. "Dozens of families are still without tents or any form of shelter inside the camps, living in miserable conditions. The majority are elderly people, women and children," the Norwegian Refugee Council said. The SDF launched its offensive to take Manbij on May 31, driving across the Euphrates River from the east with military advice from some 200 US special forces troops. IS has thrown large numbers of fighters into the battle, losing 463, according to the Observatory. The SDF has lost at least 89. The militants have taken some 900 Kurdish civilians hostage in areas under their control west of the city, according to the Observatory and Kurdish officials. Manbij lies in the eastern plains of Aleppo province, which has become a battleground between an array of competing armed groups, including Al-Qaeda, non-militants rebels and government forces, as well as the SDF and IS. Aleppo was once the country's commercial hub but now lies divided between government forces in the west and rebels in the east. A two-day truce brokered by Moscow and Washington earlier this month in a bid to rescue a wider ceasefire expired without renewal and Russia warned it would press ahead with its air campaign, saying the rebels had failed to deliver on promises to break ranks with Al-Qaeda loyalists. On Saturday, Russian and Syrian warplanes pounded rebel-held areas in and around the city in support of a regime offensive on the rebels' sole remaining supply route, the Observatory said. The Castello Road has been repeatedly hit by air strikes but residents said the bombing had intensified in recent days. An AFP correspondent in the rebel-held east of the city said the latest strikes lasted throughout the night. "In the past two days, my kids and I haven't been able to sleep all night because of the huge blasts, the likes of which we haven't heard before," said 38-year-old shopkeeper Abu Ahmad. A father of three, Abu Ahmad owns a small convenience store in east Aleppo. "We haven't been able to get any products or produce for the shop over the past two days because no one can use the (Castello) road," he said. The Observatory said government forces were also fighting rebels in northern neighbourhoods of the city in a bid to halt rocket fire on government-held districts. The renewed government offensive around Aleppo comes a day after another key ally, Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, pledged to send more fighters to join the "greatest battle" of the war. More than 280,000 people have been killed since the conflict began with anti-government protests in 2011. A prominent Syrian activist and journalist died in a Turkish hospital overnight after being seriously wounded in a bomb blast in Aleppo last week. Facebook pages managed by fellow activists said Khaled al-Issa, a Syrian photographer in his 20s, died in Antakya. Journalist Hadi al-Abdullah, who was wounded in the same bombing that some activists have blamed on Al-Qaeda, was in stable condition in hospital. Search Keywords: Short link: New Delhi: On this day in 1975, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had clamped a nation-wide emergency, which is said to be one of the darkest days of Indian democracy. Now 41 years later, the BJP-led NDA government wants to highlight the excesses during the Emergency with nationwide rallies. According to the Hindustan Times, the NDA ministers will attend rallies across the country on Sunday to highlight the alleged excesses during the Emergency. Citing government sources, the report said that around 50 out of 63 ministers were assigned different towns and cities where they will hold meetings and rallies themed Save Democracy. The report said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already issued a direction in this regard at a Cabinet meeting held this week. The 21-month Emergency period (June 25, 1975 and March 1977) is dubbed as the biggest blow to Indian democracy when fundamental rights were suspended, opposition leaders were jailed and press freedom were curbed. Home minister Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu, and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu are among the Cabinet ministers who will attend the rallies. In Delhi, BJP president Amit Shah will attend a function. The report said that the rallies are an apparent counter to the Congress Save Democracy march last month to protest the governments alleged attempt to muzzle the opposition. It comes as the Congress is geared up to celebrate the birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi, the only woman Prime Minister of India till date. Quoting a senior BJP leader, the report said that the campaign was aimed at connecting with the people and telling them about the events leading to the imposition of Emergency on June 25 and what followed in its aftermath. A whole generation has come up since then, who has taken democracy for granted. People ought to be told that the democracy they are enjoying is hard-earned and they need to zealously guard it, he added. Patna: Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Pravin Togadia on Saturday expressed hope for the construction of Ram Temple. "We hope that a law will be passed in the parliament for construction of Ram temple during the remaining three years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government". VHP leader Pravin Togadia that the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya will be possible only by legislation. "Neither the court order nor mutual consent will pave way for construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, it is only possible by bringing a law in parliament in this regard," he told media after a three-day VHP meet here. Togadia demanded the BJP-led central government bring a law in the parliament for this purpose. Stressing VHP is committed to construction of the Ram temple, he did not reply to queries that whether the fresh demand for construction of Ram temple is connected with Uttar Pradesh assembly polls next year. Togadia termed the alleged migration of Hindus from towns and villages across the country a human rights violation and urged the central government to take this issue seriously. Washington: Attacking his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton over donations to her family foundation, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has alleged that she received funds from Indian political leaders and institutions to vote for the Indo-US civil nuclear deal. Released by the Trump campaign in the form of a 35-page booklet, none of these allegations are new and have been known in the public domain for past several years. Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, had refuted these allegations several times in the past. In a statement, the Trump campaign said the information provided in the booklet is in-depth summary of the top 50 facts about Clinton's record that were detailed by Trump in a major speech early this week in New York. Citing a New York Times report, the Trump campaign alleged that as early as 2008, Indian politician Amar Singh had donated between USD 1,000,001 and USD 5,000,000 to the Clinton Foundation. "Singh visited the US in September 2008 to lobby or a deal allowing India to obtain civilian nuclear technology; then-Senator Clinton assured him democrats would not block the deal," the Trump campaign alleged. It said in 2008 the Confederation of Indian Industry gave USD 500,000 to USD 1 million to the Clinton Foundation. It also alleged that Indian-American Raj Fernando was appointed to the State Department's International Security Advisory Board by Clinton?s chief of staff Cheryl Mills at her "insistence". Fernando, he alleged, has donated between USD 1 million and USD 5 million to the Clinton Foundation. Trump alleged Clinton's foreign policy has cost America thousands of lives and trillions of dollars and unleashed ISIS across the world. Patna: The Janata Dal (United) on Saturday dubbed the Kashmiri separatist leaders attending an `iftar` party hosted by the Pakistan High Commission here as a `diplomatic failure` and lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for extending a hand of friendship to Pakistan. "This is a diplomatic failure. We attend their birthday parties and eat cake. And they are involving the separatists. It is very clear what their intentions are. They made tall claims during the election campaigns on dealing with these issue," JD(U) spokesperson Ajay Alok told ANI here. The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has invited leaders of the Hurriyat Conference for Eid Milan on July 21, the separatists have claimed. Last year, the Pakistan High Commission had cancelled an iftar party on July 4 to ensure that the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the SCO summit in the Russian city of Ufa took place without any hiccups. A meeting between the Hurriyat leaders and the Pakistani envoy in August last year had led to India calling off the proposed Foreign Secretary-level talks between the two nations. New Delhi: Pakistan has done it again. It has proved once more that this country is least serious about it's own home-grown terrorism. To prove it, Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit on Saturday gave a very loose statement over the terror attack in J&K's Pampore area in which eight CRPF jawans were martyred today. Shortly after the operation - between Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Pakistani Lashkar-e-Toiba operatives - ended today evening, Basit shrugged off the scribe's questions over the issue, asking them to rather focus on the Iftar party. It`s the month of Ramzaan, let`s focus on this Iftar party. The issue of Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed issue between India and Pakistan. It`s an issue which needs to be solved. We hope we will sit and discuss over the issue and find a solution. I have already said what I think about the relationship between India and Pakistan. Today we are celebrating Iftar. Let's have Iftar party and enjoy ourselves, Basit said media-persons here. Delhi: Iftar party organised at Pak High Commission, Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit also present pic.twitter.com/D5qwrghc1H ANI (@ANI_news) June 25, 2016 Basit further said, "We want peace in the entire world. Our foreign policy towards India is based on this essence and spirit." "We want peace between our 2 countries (India-Pak). Our 2 countries must work together to have tension-free & cooperative relationship. We must solve all our problems & settle all our disputes, including J&K, peacefully to usher in era of stability in South Asia," he added. Abdul Basit then coolly walked inside the Pakistan High Commission here where the Iftar party was going on. Delhi: Visuals of Iftar party organised at Pak High Commission, Pak High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit present pic.twitter.com/4xdvtP3K23 ANI (@ANI_news) June 25, 2016 Watch the video here: #WATCH: Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit on Pampore (Jammu & Kashmir) terrorist attack.https://t.co/jkzSn90gXs ANI (@ANI_news) June 25, 2016 In the fierce gun-battle that took place today evening, seven CRPF personnel were also injured after militants attacked a paramilitary convoy in Frestbal area of Pampore, in which eight jawans succumbed to their injuries. The entire area has been cordoned off as security forces have launched a search operation and are combing the vicinity. "Our jawans were returning after practicing in the firing range when the attack happened. Our men returned fire with great bravery and it was during that time that both the militants were neutralised. As of now we have lost eight boys and around 27 are injured," CRPF commandant Rajesh Yadav told the media here. "Two LeT terrorists travelling in a private car came from the opposite direction and got down in front of the CRPF bus, resorted to indiscriminate firing and later tried to enter the bus," a CRPF spokesman said, adding the CRPF's road opening party (ROP) "swiftly swung into action and gunned down both the terrorists". Yadav further added that all the injured and the bodies of the deceased have been moved to be 92 Base Hospital. Traffic on the busy highway came to halt immediately after the attack as tension gripped the nearby Pampore town. Lashkar-e-Toiba spokeman Abdullah Gaznavi claimed his outfit's responsibility for the attack through a statement mailed to some local news agencies in Srinagar. Meanwhile, PM Narendra Modi took to Twitter to express his grief over the death of the CRPF personnel in today's Kashmir attack. "I salute the courage of the CRPF personnel martyred today in J&K. They served the nation with utmost dedication. Pained by their demise," PM Modi tweeted. I salute the courage of the CRPF personnel martyred today in J&K. They served the nation with utmost dedication. Pained by their demise. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 25, 2016 My thoughts are with the families of those martyred today. May those injured recover soon. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 25, 2016 Home Minister Rajnath Singh earlier today offered his condolences to the kin of the martyred. "Deeply anguished to learn of the death of CRPF personnel in an ambush at Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir today. My heart goes out to the families of the CRPF men who lost their lives in Pampore. I also pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," Rajnath said in a series of tweets. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also expressed her solidarity with the bereaved families of the slain CRPF personnel. "The only purpose of such blood-spattered acts of violence is to add to the tragedies and miseries of the people and subvert the Government`s efforts aimed at bringing permanent peace and prosperity to Jammu and Kashmir," the Chief Minister said in a statement. New Delhi: A book has revealed the ways employed during 19911996 by the then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to keep tabs on each other after babri mosque demolition. Book `Half-Lion: How P V Narasimha Rao Transformed India`, which will be available from June 27, cites Raos private papers as well as interviews with over a 100 people and makes staggering revelations. The book says that a day after the demolition of the Babri Masjid, Rao deputed an Intelligence Bureau (IB) official at 10, Janpath, to check which Congressmen were babbling at his back. The IB report mentioned a conversation within the bungalow: During the course of discussions with Sonia Gandhi, Arjun Singh, Digvijay Singh, A K Jogi, Salamatullah and Ahmed Patel reportedly expressed their unhappiness with the handling of the situation (Babri demolition) including by the Prime Minister. Sonia Gandhi, whose differences with Rao are an open secret, was using the Congress party to keep tabs on him. In May 1995, Rao asked the Intelligence Bureau about how many of his Cabinet hopefuls were pro-high command (pro-Rao) and how many were pro-10 Janpath? The IB then listed a few names and written in columns next to the name were the persons state, caste, age, loyalty, comments, reports The Indian Express. For instance, next to Margaret Alva it was written Karnataka, Christian, 53, pro-high command, political lightweight, could be dropped if adjusted suitably in organisation otherwise Christians of Karnataka may react adversely, next to M S Aiyar it was mentioned Tamil Nadu, Brahmin, 52, pro-10 Janpath, was critical of handling of Ayodhya issue by the PM. Took care of party interests in JPC on bank scam. The list also mentioned the names of leaders to be pondered over for appointment to organisational posts, for example Sharad Pawar Maharashtra, Maratha, doubtful, a good organiser and influential leader. Could prove useful. During his tenure, Rao never permitted Sonia or those close to her to influence his governments policies. However, he failed in his management of Sonia Gandhi after he quit the PM post. Thiruvananthapuram: Rajya Sabha BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, holding forth on various Congress leaders, said that Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is with a "special friend" in London. When the media pointed out that Gandhi had spent some time in Kumarakom a few years back, Swamy shot back, "No, now it`s not like that, he is right now in London with a `special friend`." On Monday, a day after his 46th birthday, Gandhi announced that he is going abroad on a short visit for a "few days". He also said that "what one now needs to know is how many passports he (Gandhi) has". "In London, documents have now come out about his status, and now he says that `Swamy has to come out with documents`. It`s not me, who has to do it, instead it`s he who has to come out with the documents. He is now running away from it," said Swamy. He also did not spare Robert Vadra, who earlier in the day called him an "attention seeker" and a "classist" for his comment that ministers who wear a coat and tie look like waiters. Targeting the previous UPA regime at the Centre on corruption, Swamy said "Very soon, you will see that the Congress Working Committee can be held in Tihar Jail." "P Chidambaram and his entire family will certainly go to jail in the Aircel case and so would other Congress leaders who have various other cases against them. It wouldn`t be long when the CWC can be held inside the jail," said Swamy. Training his guns on Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha member and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, he said he has always said that Tharoor knows who killed his wife. "He knows who killed her and how they did it," added Swamy. New Delhi: BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, who has been indirectly targeting Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for the past few days, on Saturday denied attacking his party colleague. Swamy said reports that he had been targeting Jaitley are all rumours. If I want to target someone, I do it openly. In fact, Mr Jaitley looks very smart in a coat, Swamy said, in reference to his earlier remarks on the wardrobe of ministers. The Rajya Sabha MP had said earlier this week that ministers who wear a coat and tie look like waiters and must be instructed to wear Indian clothes. With his coat and waiter remark, Swamy was apparently taking another swipe at Jaitley who wore a lounge suit for his engagements in Beijing this week and for his meeting with the Bank of China Chairman Tian Guoli. Today's remarks followed reports that the party was angry with Swamy over his continuous attacks on the Finance Minister as well as top bureaucrats in the Finance Ministry. Swamy denied that as well. All such reports are false. I am addressing party meetings, Swamy said. The BJP anger was visible after Swamy yesterday issued a veiled threat to those asking him to follow restraint saying that if he disregarded discipline there will be a bloodbath. People giving me unasked for advice of discipline and restraint dont realise that if I disregard discipline there would be a bloodbath, he had tweeted in an obvious attack on Arun Jaitley. Swamy was obviously referring to the minister urging him to be restrained in the wake of his attacks on Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian on Wednesday, and to his use of the word discipline in defending Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das on Thursday another target of a personal attack by the BJP MP. However, he today clarified on the use of the word "bloodbath" and said he did not intend the literal meaning of the word but only hinted at "chaos" which has not happened. "I said I am the most disciplined person. If I was indisciplined, there would not be what they called as bloodshed. Bloodshed did not mean blood spilling. Bloodshed means there will be chaos. And I said that because I am disciplined, nothing of that kind happened," he told a press conference. The BJP leader said his usage of the word was 'misunderstood' as everyone took the literal meaning of bloodshed. Washington: A US Senator has praised the NSG for deciding against granting India membership of the grouping immediately, hours after the elite group's plenary meeting ended in Seoul with no decision on India's membership in face of strong China-led opposition. "Today, the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) reaffirmed its strong support for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by refraining from admitting India," Junior Democratic Senator from Massachusetts Edward Markey said in a statement. The NSG was founded in response to India's 1974 nuclear test and it has worked for decades to prevent the sharing of technology that could contribute to the further spread of nuclear weapons, he said yesterday. "If India joined the Nuclear Supplier Group, it would be the only participating government in the organisation that was not a party to the NPT, weakening the NSG's commitment to the treaty. By refraining from admitting India, the NSG strengthened both the treaty and the broader global nonproliferation regime," Markey, a known India-basher, said. As a member of the US House of Representative, Markey has unsuccessfully led effort to block passage of civil nuclear deal between India and the US. Last month during a Congressional hearing, Markey had opposed India's NSG membership application. The NSG yesterday ended its plenary meeting in Seoul with no decision on India's membership. "The NSG plenary in Seoul earlier in the day decided against granting India membership of the grouping immediately and said it will continue to have discussions on participation of countries which have not signed the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said yesterday. China, which had made no secret of its opposition, succeeded in scuttling India's bid despite a significant majority backing the Indian case. Thirty-eight countries supported India, according to Indian officials. Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is following in the footsteps of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by keeping the media away, state Congress president V.M. Sudheeran said on Saturday. Sudheeran, interacting with the media here, said: "It`s somewhat strange that Vijayan is for some unknown reason not showing up before the media". "I can speak from the early 1970s when we entered politics, and from that time I have seen chief ministers interacting with the media at least once a week and that too after the weekly cabinet meeting. But Vijayan is not doing it," said Sudheeran. On May 25 Vijayan was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of the state, and after the first cabinet meeting held that day, he met with the media. Since then he has not held any post cabinet briefing. "We are all surprised at the way that he has kept away from the media. We have always believed that the Chief Minister is answerable to the people, and that is done through the media. We have only one thing to say, that this new practise is not good, especially in a state like Kerala," said Sudheeran. Vijayan`s predecessor Oommen Chandy had always been ready to answer questions from the press at any time. Two men were killed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle and a 14-year-old girl seriously wounded in a shooting early Saturday in the southern French city of Marseille, Police Commissioner Laurent Nunez told AFP. The two men, whose identities were not revealed, were shot dead in their car in a carpark in the Consolat housing estate in a northern district of the city shortly after midnight. The teenager was nearby and was seriously wounded in the shooting, Nunez said. Shootings are a regular occurrence in Marseille which is known for its high crime levels. Six people have been shot dead in the port city since the start of the year, mostly in gangland killings. Vowing a crackdown, Interior Minister Bernard Cazenueve in September 2015 said 6,000 weapons a year were being seized from criminal groups in Marseille, of which 1,200 were combat rifles and other weapons of war. Search Keywords: Short link: New Delhi: Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy's remark that ministers who wear a coat and tie look like waiters has not gone down well with Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra. Vadra has taken a dim view of Swamy's remarks and described the Rajya Sabha member's derogatory remark about waiters, who work so hard for their living, as `deplorable and classist`. In a Facebook post, Vadra said: "So is there no dignity in being a Waiter ?! The attention seeking BJP MP Swamy`s comment `Ministers who wear a coat and tie look like waiters and must be instructed to wear Indian clothes`. Undermining waiters who work hard for a living; making condescending and derogatory remarks about them is deplorable and classist." On Friday, Swamy had urged the BJP leadership to ask ministers to wear traditional Indian clothes when they go abroad. "BJP should direct our ministers to wear traditional and modernised Indian clothes while abroad. In coat and tie they look like waiters," he wrote. It is seen as a swipe at Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who wore a lounge suit for his engagements in Beijing this week and for his meeting with the Bank of China chairman Tian Guoli. Swamy has been critical of the Finance Ministry over the past couple of days and has been mounting attacks on its officials via Twitter. Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday won the Anantnag by-election by over 12,000 votes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated Mufti on her victory. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader, who became Chief Minister on April 4, polled 17,700 votes while Congress` Hilal Ahmad Shah managed only 5,600 votes of the nearly 28,500 votes polled on Wednesday amid a boycott called by separatist politicians and militants. National Conference`s Iftikhar Hussain Misghar came a distant third with a little over 2,800 votes in the constituency that was once a bastion of his party. Mehbooba Mufti`s victory margin was double that of her father, the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who had in 2014 won by around 6,000 votes in the constituency. Opposition candidates of the Congress and NC alleged that the Chief Minister "engineered" her victory by using the government machinery in her favour. The Congress` Shah alleged discrepancies in some Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) as they were "not sealed properly" and that postal ballots were counted as "bogus votes". "They have changed the voting machines. This is a murder of democracy. The election observers acted as dead wood," Shah told IANS. Congress and National Conference supporters earlier created a ruckus inside the counting hall, Government Degree College, Anantnag, by shouting anti-government slogans that briefly disrupted the vote count. As the returning officer refused to entertain the protests, the opposition supporters led by Shah walked out and refused to be part of the counting. The PDP, however, termed the protest as a frustration over defeat. PDP legislator Abdul Raheem Rather told IANS that the Congress had lost from "places where they had a good support". "This is expected from them," Rather said, refuting the allegations of bogus votes. Eight contestants contested from the constituency that has over 84,000 eligible voters. A formal announcement of Mehbooba's victory will be announced only after all the votes are counted, the officials said. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: Congratulations to J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti for the phenomenal victory in the Anantnag assembly by-election. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 25, 2016 Home Minister Rajnath Singh also congratulated Mehbooba Mufti. Spoke to Jammu & Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti ji over the phone and congratulated her on her electoral win in Anantnag bypolls. Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) June 25, 2016 This will be Mehbooba's fourth term in the Assembly. Mehbooba Mufti was one of the eight candidates in the bypoll for Anantnag Assembly seat which was necessitated due to death of incumbent MLA and then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7 this year. Mehbooba Mufti assumed power after being sworn in as the Chief Minister of the PDP-BJP coalition government on April 4. It is mandatory for a Chief Minister or any other minister in the state to become a member of either house of state's bicameral legislature within six months of being sworn in. At present, Mehbooba Mufti represents the south Kashmir Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency in Parliament. (With Agency inputs) Srinagar: Security forces on Saturday busted a major module of the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) in south Kashmir`s Shopian district with the arrest of three militants of the outfit. A police officer told IANS, "Three active militants of the HM have been arrested during an operation in Shopian district by the security forces today. "The arrest of these militants has dealt a major blow to the militant activities in the district." New Delhi: Jharkhand on Saturday demanded five battalions of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to combat Naxalism in the state. Making the demand, state Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma laid stress on the need to strengthen telecommunication and mobile network to control Naxalism. Verma took part in a meeting to review the progress of development works undertaken in the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected states. The meeting was held in the pressence of Home Minister Rajnath Singh. "In order to control Naxal problem in the state, Verma demanded five battalions of CRPF to run a special drive in 13 focus areas including Latehar, Banalat, Pesrar, Parasnath, Balumath etc," an official statement said. Jharkhand already has more than 20 battalions. Verma urged the Centre to increase the network of banks and post offices for financial inclusion in LWE districts so that Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, MUDRA Yojana, Kissan Credit Card Yojana, Fasal Beema Yojana and others are effectively implemented. Noting that at presentl only 1500 bank branches are in operation in 4402 panchayats of the state, she said that increased number of bank branches, post offices, computerized sub-post offices will boost financial inclusion and also increase post office's role in financial exchanges specially in payment of MGNREGA wages. "The CS laid stress on the need to strengthen telecommunication and mobile network to control Naxalism in the state," the statement said. Noting that new radio and television transmission centres are the need of the hour, Verma conveyed during the meeting that at present proposals for 900 mobile towers are pending in the state and out of the five radio transmission centres, not even a single one lies in Santhal Pargana Commissionery. Verma also asked the Centre to increase the 5 per cent funds given under NRHM for health-related basic infrastructure, primary health centres and sub-centres and make it expense-flexible. She also asked the Centre to minimize the requirement of land for Central School and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya from 10 acre and 25 acre respectively to 5 acres so that the pending 8 Central Schools and 11 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas can be opened. She also urged the Centre to exclude linear projects like canal, tele-communication from the need of acquiring forest clearance. Gulbarga: Out of the three senior students of a nursing college, who were on Friday arrested in connection with the alleged ragging of a first year Dalit girl student from Kerala, two of them were on Saturday sent to 14-day judicial custody. The third student, who is in the hospital, could not be produced before the district magistrate. Kalburugi Superintendent of Police N Shashi Kumar said that those arrested were identified as Lakshmi, Athera and Vishnupriya. The victim, a student of Al Qamar College of Nursing School in Gulbarga, is presently in a critical state. Since the unfortunate incident, the first year student from Kerala has been in hospital with several internal burns. She was shifted to the Kozhikode Medical College after have spent over a week in the ICU at a hospital in Karnataka. The doctors have reportedly said that the toilet cleaning fluid has burnt the student`s internal organs. The principal of the nursing school, Dr Esther, has said that there was no ragging, adding the girl drank the phenol because of some family problems.The victim`s mother, who is a daily wage labourer, took a loan of Rs three lakh for her daughter`s education. Gulbarga: The Karnataka Police have said that based on the preliminary inquiry conducted by them, it could not be established whether a Dalit student from Kerala was forced to drink toilet cleaner by her seniors as part of ragging at the Al-Qamar College of Nursing in Gulbarga. The police said the 19-year-old nursing student, who in her complaint alleged she was ragged and forced to drink phenyl, was on several occasions asked by her seniors to sing and dance for them. However, as per a report in The Indian Express, police said it could not be established whether the seniors made her consume toilet-cleaning chemical in the hostel. The preliminary investigation was based on questioning of several nursing students of the college. Among those interrogated were the five students who have been accused by the victim. The victim was forced by some of her seniors to dance and sing on many occasions. But preliminary investigations show that the seniors did not force her to consume a chemical in the hostel, said a senior police officer, as per the newspaper. The police had yesterday arrested three persons in connection with the incident. The first-year nursing student is currently undergoing treatment at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital (KMCH) with severe stomach and foodpipe problems. According to PTI, the 19-year-old student was allegedly force-fed toilet cleaner by her seniors at the hostel on May 9, seriously damaging her foodpipe. Based on her statement, city police on June 22 registered an FIR against five of her seniors. A copy was sent to Gulbarga Police Commissioner for further investigation. She was admitted to a private hospital in Gulbarga after the incident, but her condition worsened after five days and she was sent back home with another Keralite student. She was then admitted to Thrissur Medical College Hospital, after which she was referred to KMCH on June 2. Doctors at KMCH had suggested a major surgery as the chemicals of the toilet cleaner severely damaged her food pipe following which she had been admitted to the ICU. Pune: Holding black flags, Congress workers on Saturday protested ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Smart City event scheduled here. Peeved by "disrespect" to Pune Mayor Prashant Jagtap, the Nationalist Congress Party and its ally Congress in Pune Municipal Corporation are boycotting the event. Accusing the BJP of trying to "hijack" the function organised by the state government, Jagtap said he had to ask for an invite and later was shocked to see his name missing from the list of invitees for the function. However, as a protocol formality, Jagtap plans to receive Modi at the Pune Airport, but will not attend the main function as the first citizen. The PM will launch the first set of 20 Smart City projects with a proposed investment of Rs 48,000 crore at a major function here on Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the Smart Cities launch. He will be joined by Governor CV Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu at the event where the 'Make Your City Smart' contest and Smart Net Portal shall also be inaugurated. Washington: Researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California including one of Indian-origin conducted a new study on microbes that may be associated with a history of breast cancer. Using planetary protection techniques that ensure NASA spacecraft do not contaminate other worlds, researchers found a link between bacteria in breast ductal fluid and breast cancer. The same sequencing and analysis methods were used by the researchers for examining bacteria in spacecraft assembly rooms were employed for the study. The breast ductal system contains the glands that produce milk and naturally secretes a substance called "nipple aspirate fluid". "We applied these planetary protection techniques in the first-ever study of microorganisms in human breast ductal fluid," said Parag Vaishampayan, scientist in biotechnology and planetary protection at JPL. The researchers found differences between the ductal fluid bacteria found in women who have experienced breast cancer, and the bacteria present in those who have not. The findings were published in the online journal Scientific Reports. The research team found that the community of microorganisms in breast ductal fluid differed significantly between two groups -- 23 healthy women and 25 women who had a history of breast cancer and had gone through treatment. It was then analysed with next-generation genomic sequencing, which has also been used for examining bacteria in NASA spacecraft assembly facilities. For the study, NASA scientists collaborated with cancer researchers from different institutions. "Collaboration between JPL space technology experts and medical researchers will continue to propel groundbreaking discoveries, Vaishampayan, who earned in PhD from University of Pune in Maharashtra, said. "This publication represents a success for JPL's Medical Engineering Forum Initiative, which focuses on applying NASA technology for medical needs here on Earth," JPL's Leon Alkalai, who is spearheading the initiative said in a statement. Though the study found a correlation between specific species of bacteria and women who have gone through breast cancer treatment, the cause of the bacterial population difference is unclear. However, the new research findings set the stage for further study on the role microbes may play in causing or preventing breast cancer. They are in line with recent research studies that suggest microbes contribute to 16 percent or more of malignancies worldwide. (With IANS inputs) Chennai: Terming the recent arrest of five Tamil Nadu fishermen in mid-sea by the Sri Lankan Navy as an "inhumane" act, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Saturday urged the Centre to take up the matter with the highest authorities of the island nation. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jayalalithaa said the boat which carried five fishermen from Tamil Nadu last week "drifted ashore" due to an engine snag following which they were arrested by the Sri Lankan government. "This appears to be an 'inhumane' act of arresting fishermen in distress at sea," she said in the letter. Pointing out that 24 fishermen and 93 fishing boats were already in the custody of Sri Lanka, Jayalalithaa said the strategy of not releasing the boats is causing "great frustration" among the fishermen in Tamil Nadu. "I urge you to take this up with the highest authorities of the Sri Lankan Government and ensure the immediate release of fishermen and the precariously berthed boats," she said. Denying fishermen the right to peaceful fishing in their traditional waters of the Palk Bay to which "they have a historical claim" is causing "considerable angst among the fisherfolk of Tamil Nadu" she said. "The Government of Tamil Nadu strongly reiterates the need to restore the traditional fishing rights of our fishermen in the Palk Bay by annulling the Indo-Sri Lankan agreements of 1974 and 1976" ceding Katchatheevu to the island nation, she said. "The constitutional validity of these agreements has been challenged on very valid legal grounds in the Hon'ble Supreme Court by me and the Government of Tamil Nadu has subsequently impleaded itself," she said. She sought Modi's personal intervention "to secure the release of 29 fishermen and 94 fishing boats at the earliest" and requested him to instruct the Ministry of External Affairs to take urgent steps in the matter. Lucknow: Without mincing words, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday expressed his resentment over the merger with gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's party saying he will not be welcome in Samajwadi Party. "Mukhtar Ansari will not be welcome in the party. We don't want such people in the party," Yadav said during a television show here, adding he didn't take the decision regarding the merger. Yadav's displeasure over the merger had been evident soon after the development on June 21 when he said, "If party workers perform their responsibilities, then there will be no need of another party." Hours later, he sacked the Secondary Education Minister Balram Yadav apparently for facilitating the merger. The Chief Minister, however, later described the merger as an "internal matter" of the party and said he had no displeasure over it. At least 15 people were killed Saturday in an attack on a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu that was swiftly claimed by Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shebab militants. Major Ali Mohamed said the death toll included guards, civilians and militants. "The operation has now ended but we are still combing the building for any possible militants who are hiding," he told Reuters. A spokesman for al Shebab, which claimed responsibility, said the death toll was at least 20 guards and civilians. Numbers of casualties cited by the government are often lower than those reported by al Shebab. The assault, the latest by the Shebab group targeting hotels and restaurants in recent months, was led by a suicide attacker driving a car laden with explosives, the militants said in an online statement. As night fell in Mogadishu, sporadic gunfire could still be heard coming from the Naasa Hablood hotel after it was stormed by the militants, witnesses told AFP. "What we know is that there were at least five victims, including three security guards, and that six others were injured," police official Ibrahim Mohamed said. "The security forces have managed to enter into the hotel and are in the process of restoring security," Mohamed added. The attack began at 4:30 pm (1330 GMT) with a powerful blast followed by two other explosions and then heavy gunfire, AFP journalists and a witness said. The Naasa Hablood hotel in southern Mogadishu is often used by politicians and members of the Somali diaspora visiting the city. Somali security forces cordoned off access to the neighbourhood in which the hotel is located, an AFP photographer said. The Shebab swiftly claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement on the Telegram smartphone app that militant gunmen had forced their way into the hotel. "The attack started with a heavy blast carried out by a brother who drove a car loaded with explosives. Gunmen fought their way into the hotel, and we believe that casualties were inflicted in the enemy's ranks," the Shebab said. Saturday's attack came just three weeks after another assault quickly claimed the Shebab group on the city's Ambassador hotel left 10 dead including two lawmakers when a huge car bomb ripped the front off the six-storey building. The Shebab lost their foothold in the capital in 2011 but continue their battle to overthrow the Somali government and launch regular attacks on military, government and civilian targets like hotels and restaurants in Mogadishu and elsewhere. In November last year, the Islamists carried out a similar attack on the Sahafi hotel in central Mogadishu, leaving at least 12 dead. Across the border in Kenya, five policemen were killed on Monday when suspected Shebab fighters attacked their convoy. Shebab insurgents have staged repeated attacks in Kenya, including the killing of at least 67 people at Nairobi's Westgate Mall in 2013 and the massacre of 148 people at a university in Garissa in April 2015. The Shebab earlier this month confirmed the death in a special forces raid of a commander named Mohamed Mohamud aka Dulyadin, who was suspected of organising the Garissa University attack. In recent months they have also claimed attacks on bases of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM). The authorities in Nairobi have vowed to send back 350,000 Somali refugees living in Dadaab camp in northeast Kenya. The UN refugee agency however has called on Kenya to ensure the repatriation is carried out "in a humane, dignified manner, in line with international principles". The vast majority of residents of the sprawling Dadaab complex of camps close to the Kenya-Somalia border fled Somalia's more than two-decades long conflict. Many remain fearful of returning to a country where insecurity remains rife and poverty is widespread. *The story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: Beijing: China's national observatory on Saturday renewed its yellow alert for a heat wave in some southern and northern areas, where temperatures of between 35 and 39 degrees Celsius are predicted for the daytime. China has a four-tier colour warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue, Xinhua news agency reported. During the daytime on Saturday, high temperatures of above 35 degrees Celsius are expected to scorch a vast region south of the Yangtze river and central parts of north China, the National Meteorological Centre said. Some parts of Guangdong, Jiangxi and Fujian provinces will see up to 39 degrees Celsius of high temperatures. The centre also warned parts of Anhui, Zhejiang, Tibet, Qinghai, Hainan and Guizhou should brace for heavy rain from Saturday morning to Sunday morning. London: UK Prime Minister David Cameron on Saturday called out to the world's LGBT community to live "freely and openly". In his first message since he announced his impending resignation outside Downing Street yesterday over Britain's vote to leave the European Union (EU) in the Brexit referendum, the British premier hailed the Pride in London event this weekend, which is an annual gay pride celebration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. "Sadly, many people in the LGBT community feel the need to filter their behaviour, or hide who they are. But Pride says to Londoners, Britain and the world: be yourself. Live freely and openly," he said. "Treat others with respect and tolerance, and expect that same treatment yourself. And in the wake of Orlando as we come together in solidarity with one another today, what better message could there possibly be," he added. Praising the #NoFilter theme for this year's Pride in London, he urged, "Let's not change who we are. Let's not hide who we are. Let's live life with no filter". He also highlighted the achievements of his government in the form of the Same-Sex Couples Act, so that "people in this country can celebrate their love for one another, regardless of their sexual orientation. One of the strongest legislative frameworks to tackle discrimination. And a zero-tolerance approach to homophobic bullying everywhere". "Now there is, of course, more that needs to be done. Especially on issues such as the availability of Pre Exposure Prophylaxis; mental health in the LGBT community; and on the vital task of working internationally to change laws and attitudes," he noted. Describing the recent attack at a gay nightclub in the US as a "direct attack on the LGBT community", he said, "So we stand with the people of Orlando, and we send our deepest condolences to the families and friends who are grieving today. As we remember those who were lost, we should also resolve to never allow this attack, this terror attack, to change who we are or how we go about our lives". Berlin: Founding EU members are to hold a crisis meeting Saturday on the future of the bloc after Britain's seismic vote to leave the union and the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron. As the "Brexit" vote sent global financial markets into freefall, Moody's cut Britain's credit rating outlook to "negative", saying the vote to pull out of the European Union could hurt its economic prospects. After the shock result German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande led calls for the EU to reform in order to survive a traumatic divorce with Britain. European leaders are anxious to ensure the transition is as painless as possible, with the foreign ministers of the six EU founding members gathering in Berlin Saturday in the first of a series of crisis meetings over the coming week. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will host his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault, the Netherlands` Bert Koenders, Italy`s Paolo Gentiloni, Belgium`s Didier Reynders and Luxemburg`s Jean Asselborn for the six-way talks on "current European political issues", the German foreign ministry said in a statement. Steinmeier regretted Britain`s decision, saying it was "a sad day for Europe and the United Kingdom". Paris and Berlin will present their partners with "concrete solutions" to make the EU "more effective", Ayrault told AFP.German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who called the result a "blow" to Europe, said she would would host the leaders of France and Italy along with EU President Donald Tusk in Berlin on Monday to try to chart a reform plan. "We take note of the British people`s decision with regret. There is no doubt that this is a blow to Europe and to the European unification process," Merkel told reporters in Berlin. With global markets in turmoil, she said it was important to "not draw quick and simple conclusions from the referendum in Great Britain, which would only further divide Europe." EU chiefs have urged Britain to leave as "soon as possible, however painful that process may be". European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said he was "very sad" that Britain had voted to leave, but repeated that there would be "no renegotiation" of Britain`s membership. Leaders of the EU, born out of a determination to forge lasting peace after two world wars, will open a two-day summit on Tuesday to grapple with Britain`s decision. The shock outcome of Thursday`s historic referendum could have a knock-on effect on other EU members battling hostility to Brussels and possibly lead to the break-up of the United Kingdom after Scotland raised the prospect of another independence vote. Britons, many worried by immigration and what they saw as interference in the running of their country by bureaucrats in Brussels, voted by 52 to 48 percent to abandon the bloc after 43 years of often troubled membership. In an emotional statement outside Downing Street, Cameron said he would resign to make way for a new leader by early October after the failure of his "Remain" campaign. "I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination," he said as sterling, global stocks and oil prices plummeted.The result caused the pound to fall to a 31-year low of $1.3229 at one point but it recovered some ground after the Bank of England said it stood ready to pump 250 billion ($370 billion, 326 billion euros) into the financial system to avert a crisis. European stock markets dropped around eight percent at opening before recovering later, while British bank shares lost a quarter of their value in morning trade. London`s FTSE 100 index recovered to close down 3.2 percent. US stocks dived, with both the Dow and S&P 500 closing down more than three percent. Britain will be the first country to leave the EU, in a move seen a victory for the anti-establishment rhetoric of the Brexit campaign that highlights growing populism across Europe. "Take a bow, Britain!", eurosceptic newspaper the Daily Mail wrote across its front page on Saturday. "It was the day the quiet people of Britain rose up against an arrogant, out-of-touch political class and a contemptuous Brussels elite," it added. The vote, the culmination of an often poisonous campaign, exposed deep divides across British society, including between what The Independent newspaper called "those doing well from globalisation and those `left behind` and not seeing the benefits in jobs or wages". It may be some time before Britain takes the concrete steps needed to extricate itself from what will become a 27-member alliance. Cameron said it should be his successor who leads the complex negotiations under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which sets out a two-year time-frame to leave. The "Leave" victory threatens to shatter the unity of the United Kingdom, with Scotland and Northern Ireland voting to remain in while England -- barring big cities like London -- and Wales supported out. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said a second independence vote was now "highly likely" after a 2014 referendum backed staying in the UK, and the Scottish parliament was due to meet for an emergency session early Saturday. In Northern Ireland, the nationalist Sinn Fein party seized on the result to call for a vote on reunification with the Irish Republic. The British vote will stoke fears of a domino-effect of exit votes in eurosceptic member states that could imperil the integrity of the bloc. Dutch far-right MP Geert Wilders and French National Front leader Marine Le Pen immediately called for referendums on EU membership in their own countries. Germany took a more measured approach, its foreign office tweeting that "we are off now to an Irish pub to get decently drunk. And from tomorrow on we will again work for a better Europe!" Berlin: German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Saturday for clear-headed negotiations with Britain on its departure from the European Union, stressing that talks with the "close partner" must take place in a good atmosphere. Merkel`s reasoned approach came despite a call from foreign ministers from the EU`s six founding members for Britain to leave the bloc as soon as possible after Britons voted to quit in the biggest blow to the project since World War Two. "The negotiations must take place in a businesslike, good climate," Merkel told a news conference after a meeting of her conservative party in Hermannswerder, outside Potsdam to the west of Berlin. "Britain will remain a close partner, with which we are linked economically," she said, adding that there was no hurry for Britain to invoke Article 50 of the EU treaty -- the move it must make to set in motion the process to exit the bloc. "Quite honestly, it should not take ages, that is true, but I would not fight now for a short time frame," Merkel said. To the north of the German capital, the six foreign ministers struck a more urgent tone, pressing Britain to trigger the process for exiting the bloc after Britons voted by 52-48 percent to exit the EU, which it joined more than 40 years ago. "We now expect the UK government to provide clarity and give effect to this decision as soon as possible," the ministers from Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg said in a joint statement. It is up to Britain to set in motion this process to exit the bloc. In London, Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Vote Leave campaign, said Britain should begin informal negotiations on a full settlement governing its post-Brexit relationship with the EU before invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. FRENCH PRESSURE France pressed for a swift start to the exit process. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the negotiations with Britain must move quickly and the remaining EU member states also needed to give fresh impetus to the project. "We have to give a new sense to Europe otherwise populism will fill the gap," he said, stressing that the EU could not wait for British Prime Minister David Cameron to depart in October before the exit process begins. Ayrault said other EU leaders would put "a lot of pressure" on Cameron at a summit meeting next Tuesday to act quickly. In Colmar in eastern France, French President Francois Hollande said the separation "will be painful for Britain but ... like in all divorces, it will be painful for those who stay behind too." France and Germany have drafted a 10-page paper mapping out three areas of immediate concern for the remaining EU members: security, migration and refugees, and jobs and growth. Diplomatic sources say they want use this as a basis to shore up the EU, while building a more flexible union that recognises some members have less appetite to deepen integration than others. Global stock markets plunged on Friday, and sterling saw its biggest one day drop in more than 30 years after the British vote to leave the EU. Ratings agency Moody`s downgraded its outlook for Britain. The six foreign ministers lamented the watershed brought by Thursday`s `Brexit` vote and said the EU was losing "not just a member state but history, tradition and experience." Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn told Reuters: "I believe you can destroy the European Union with referenda. We have to communicate better what the EU is done and we have to work harder on issues such as migration where we have failed." Both Ayrault and Asselborn warned Britain not to play games by drawing out the exit process. "There`s no reason to play a cat and mouse game. That would not be respectful after deciding to organise this referendum," Ayrault told a news conference after the ministers` meeting. "It`s in Britain`s interest and in the interest of Europeans not to have a period of uncertainty that would have financial consequences, and that could have economic and political consequences," he said. Dublin: The future unification of Ireland would be in the best interests of its citizens, but holding a referendum while the British government is negotiating its exit from the EU would only cause division, Irish Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan said on Saturday. Northern Ireland`s deputy leader Martin McGuinness called on Friday for a vote to unite Ireland with the British-run province to the north. But his demands were rebuffed by pro-British First Minister Arlene Foster as well as by Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny. Under a 1998 peace deal that ended 30 years of sectarian violence, Britain`s Secretary of State for Northern Ireland can call a referendum if it appears likely a majority of those voting would seek to form part of a united Ireland. "I share the view that at some stage in the future that the unification would be in the best interests of the people but only when there is a majority consent of the people in Northern Ireland," Charlie Flanagan told national broadcaster RTE. "We now have a situation following the referendum, where the UK is leaving the European Union. Any further referendums in Northern Ireland would cause a greater level of division than we have now and is therefore in my view particularly unhelpful." Britain`s Northern Ireland minister Theresa Villiers, who campaigned for Britain to leave the European Union in Thursday`s referendum, said the conditions for a vote had not been met. But McGuinness said the British government had no democratic mandate to represent the views of the North after 56 percent of Northern Irish voters sought to remain in the EU compared to the 52 percent of the United Kingdom as a whole who voted to leave. Sinn Fein, predominantly supported by Catholic Nationalists who remained part of the UK in a province dominated by Protestants after the Irish state secured independence from Britain in 1921, campaigned for a vote to leave. Opinion polls have consistently shown little appetite from voters on either side of the border for unification. A BBC/RTE survey in November found that 30 percent of voters in Northern Ireland would like to see a united Ireland in their lifetime. Kenny said there were much more serious issues to deal with after the vote, including the fate of the border, the only land frontier between the UK and the rest of the EU that was marked by military checkpoints until the 1998 peace deal. Ramallah: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said today he opposed "any attack on any religion" after Israel accused him of libelling the Jewish people in an address to the European Parliament. "Palestine is the cradle of the three monotheistic faiths. We stand strongly against any attack on any religion," Abbas said in a statement. In apparently unscripted Arabic remarks to the European Parliament on Thursday, Abbas said that recently "a number of rabbis in Israel made a clear declaration and asked their government to poison water to kill the Palestinians". He gave no source for the accusation, but said it was part of wider Israeli campaign of incitement against the Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office responded by accusing Abbas of disseminating "a blood libel in front of the European Parliament". Abbas's office acknowledged on Saturday that the reports on which his comments had been based had proved without foundation. "It has become evident that the alleged statements by a rabbi on poisoning Palestinian wells, which were reported by various media outlets, are baseless," it said. Abbas "didn't intend to do harm to Judaism or to offend Jewish people around the world". The accusation that Jews were poisoning the wells of Christians gained traction in 14th century Europe as a plague swept across the continent. Another allegation from the Middle Ages -- that Jews murdered Christian children to use their blood for ritual purposes -- gave rise to the term "blood libel". The Jerusalem Post newspaper reported on Tuesday that the well-poisoning story had resurfaced in a statement by the Palestinian foreign ministry naming a "rabbi Mlad" as authorising contamination of Palestinian water. The Post and other Israeli media said they had failed to locate any such person or edict. Yangon division: Scores of police have been deployed to guard a village in central Myanmar where religious tensions are running high after a Buddhist mob destroyed a mosque, authorities said on Saturday. It is the latest flare-up of anti-Muslim violence in Myanmar, which has seen sporadic bouts of religious bloodshed since 2012, with a surge of Buddhist nationalism presenting a key challenge for Aung San Suu Kyi`s new government. The most recent violence erupted this week when an angry mob of around 200 Buddhists rampaged through a Muslim area of a village in Bago province following an argument between neighbours over the building of a Muslim school. Own Lwin, the local police chief, said the atmosphere remained tense Saturday with around 100 police officers deployed to keep the peace. "Last night, 50 police guarded the village to prepare for rumours that there might be more unrest. Now we have arranged a police force of up to 100 officers," he told AFP, adding that no arrests have been made over the destruction of the mosque. Win Shwe, the mosque`s secretary, told AFP that Muslim residents fear for their safety and are planning to move to a nearby town until the tension cools. "Our situation is not safe and now we are planning to leave the village...We still feel afraid," he told AFP. Strident anti-Muslim sentiment has fomented across Myanmar in recent years, with outbreaks of violence threatening to unravel democratic gains since the former junta stepped down in 2011. The worst religious violence struck central Myanmar and western Rakhine State, which is home to the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority, tens of thousands of whom still languish in displacement camps after rioting. Hardline monks and Buddhist nationalists fiercely oppose moves to recognise the Rohingya as an official minority and insist on calling them "Bengalis" -- shorthand for illegal migrants from the border with Bangladesh. Suu Kyi, a vocal champion for human rights, has been criticised for not taking a stronger stance on the Rohingya or the abuse they face. This month the UN warned that violations against the group could amount to "crimes against humanity". The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, now leading Myanmar`s first civilian government in decades, has asked for "space" while her administration seeks to build trust between religious communities. Acapulco: Three federal police were shot dead as they ate in a market in a southern Mexican town beset by disappearances and recent discoveries of bodies in clandestine graves. A woman and a man were wounded in the attack yesterday, which was perpetrated by unknown gunmen with "large-caliber" weapons at the municipal market of Chilapa, the Guerrero state prosecutor's office said in a statement. The wounded were urgently hospitalised while an operation was launched to find the killers, the statement said. Chilapa lies in a region of Guerrero state where opium poppies are grown and drug cartels fight for control of heroin trafficking. At least 16 people were reported missing in May of last year after an armed group of 300 people occupied the town for several days. Earlier this month, seven bodies were found in five clandestine graves in the municipality and a woman's corpse was discovered in a well. United Nations: The United Nations is concerned by the Syrian opposition`s accusations that incendiary weapons have been used in Syria but said on Friday it is unable to verify the reports. The Syrian opposition High Negotiations Committee called on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday to launch an investigation into its accusations that Russia has used air-delivered incendiary weapons and cluster bombs in Syria. The Russian mission to the United Nations was not immediately available to comment on the accusations. "We are concerned about the reports of the use of incendiary weapons in Aleppo, Syria," UN spokesman Farhan Haq said. "We are not in a position to verify these reports." "We expect that all parties and states involved in the conflict will refrain from their use in this way," he said. Russia deployed warplanes to Syria last year to support President Bashar al-Assad against rebels seeking to end his rule. A crackdown by Assad on pro-democracy protesters five years ago sparked a civil war, and Islamic State militants have used the chaos to seize territory in Syria and Iraq. Incendiary weapons use substances that are designed to set fire to objects or burn people, and cluster munitions are containers that explode in the air to distribute smaller bombs over a large area. Both are banned under the Convention on Conventional Weapons. Belgian authorities have charged two men with terrorist offences after raids overnight, the federal prosecutor's office said Saturday amid reports of a planned attack on a Euro 2016 fanzone. "Two persons... were taken for questioning and arrested by the investigating judge," a statement said. "They are charged, as perpetrator or co-perpetrator, for participation (in) the activities of a terrorist group." It said several houses were raided overnight in Verviers, in eastern Belgium, and in Tournai, close to the border with France. No weapons or explosives were found, it said, adding that no further information would be given as the investigation continued. A spokesman said earlier one man was detained in each town. Belgium remains on high alert after attacks in March claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group on Brussels airport and on the city's busy metro system left 32 people dead. Several of those involved were directly linked to the Paris November attacks, planned in Brussels and also claimed by IS, which killed 130 people. RTL news service, citing unnamed sources, said on its website the man detained in Verviers was planning an attack on fans watching Belgium's next Euro 2016 game against Hungary on Sunday. Last Saturday, Belgium charged three men with "attempted terrorist murder" after massive anti-terror raids linked to a reported threat to fans during a Euro 2016 game. At the time, prosecutors said they were responding to the need for "an immediate intervention". Belgium police killed two IS militants in a raid in Verviers in January 2015 who were later found to be linked to the cells involved in both the Brussels and Paris attacks. Euro 2016 host France meanwhile is on maximum alert. Search Keywords: Short link: Washington: The Pentagon is set to lift its ban on transgender troops within the coming weeks, US media reported Friday. The move would be another major milestone for America's vast military, which up until five years ago still banned gay troops from openly discussing their sexuality under a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. USA Today said the transgender announcement is expected July 1 and the plan would require each branch of the military to phase in the new policy over a 12-month period. Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook declined to confirm reports, but said a decision was due "soon." Currently, Pentagon rules allow transgender troops to be discharged from the military. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter last year ordered all military roles -- including combat positions -- to be opened to women. Maryland Democratic Congressman Steny Hoyer welcomed the news. "The reversal of the ban is a major step forward in the effort to secure the full rights and equality of LGBT people in our country, and it will strengthen our military by ensuring that talented, dedicated candidates are not turned away or discouraged from serving because of their gender identity," he said in a statement. The US military has about 1.3 service members. Karachi: Former Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari has approached the United States and sought to convince it to sell F-16 fighter aircraft to Islamabad on ground to fight the war against terror. In a statement issued by the Sindh information department, Zardari met Senator John McCain in Los Angeles and sought the support of the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee in getting the fighter jets. "Former president of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari met Senator John McCain in Los Angeles and discussed relations between the US and Pakistan," the Dawn quoted the statement, as saying. The statement added, "Mr Zardari sought the senator`s support for Pakistan in getting F-16s from the US and emphasised that Pakistan needs F-16 and drone technology to fight the war against terrorism which is the big threat not only for Pakistan but the entire world." Zardari`s request to Senator McCain comes days after after Adviser to the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz hinted that government reportedly plans to buy used F-16 fighter jets from Jordan after a USD 699 million deal to buy the aircraft from the US failed to take off owing to the Congress refusing to sanction it. The former president has urged the US government to review the decision. YEREVAN, JUNE 25, ARMENPRESS. Pope Francis again uses Genocide term with this title the Turkish media has referred to Pope Francis visit to Armenia and his usage of the term Genocide in a speech at the Presidential Palace. The Turkish Hurriyet daily has published the news with the following title : Once again he used that word. Hurriyet draws attention on the fact that the Pope has deviated from the pre-prepared speech text and has called the 1915 tragedy Genocide. Hurriyet writes that back in 2015, Pope Francis had used the term again in a ceremony in Vatican by saying : The first genocide of the century happened with the Armenians, after which Turkey had recalled its Ambassador from Vatican, who returned to his post only after 10 months. The Turkish Milliyet wrote : One year has passed..The Pope has done the same again. Milliyet also highlights the fact that Pope Francis changed his pre-prepared speech and used the term Genocide. The Turkish agency of the German Deutsche Welle wrote : Visiting Armenia Pope Francis once again calls the events of 1915 Genocide. DW highlighted that this is the Popes 14th foreign visit, and Armenia has become his first stop in the region. Deutsche Welle reported that Pope Francis is due to visit Georgia and Azerbaijan in September. The Turkish T24 reported The Pope uses the term Genocide for the third time by saying that the Vatican sources informed the Pope will avoid the term this time. CNN Turk quoted the Popes speech This Genocide became the first circle of inhumane disasters of the previous century. CNN Turk reports that the usage of the term had strained Turkey-Vatican relations back in 2015. Sabah reports Popes scandalous announcement..Despite not being written in the text, the Pope said Genocide in Armenia. Similar articles were published by Haberler, Al Jazeera Turkish agency, BBC Turk, NTV, Yeni Safak and Aksam. Pope Francis delivered a speech on June 24 in the Armenian Presidential Palace during a meeting with President Sargsyan, top officials, foreign diplomats and representatives of the society. During the speech, the Pope deviated from the pre-prepared text and used the term Genocide. In particular, Pope Francis said: Metz Yeghern, the Great Evil that struck your people and caused the death of a vast multitude of persons. Sadly, that tragedy, that genocide, was the first of the deplorable series of catastrophes of the past century, made possible by twisted racial, ideological or religious aims that darkened the minds of the tormentors even to the point of planning the annihilation of entire peoples. YEREVAN, JUNE 25, ARMENPRESS. After visiting the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial, Pope Francis singed the Honorary Guest Book in the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute by writing: Here I pray with pain in my heart, so that never more will there be tragedies like this, so that humanity does not forget and knows how to overcome the evil with good. May God grant the beloved Armenian people and the entire world peace and consolation. May God protect the memory of the Armenian people. Memory should not be diluted or forgotten. Memory is source of peace and the future. Pope Francis visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex. He was accompanied by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Catholicos of All Armenians His Holiness Karekin II. An intercessory prayer was delivered with the participation of Catholicos of All Armenians, Pope Francis and other top clerics. The Pope laid flowers in the Eternal Flame of the innocent victims and planted a fir tree in the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial park. YEREVAN, JUNE 25, ARMENPRESS. The meeting of His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II and Pope Francis took place in the evening of June 24 in Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin. The delegation of the Catholic Church, Bishops of the Armenian Church and Diocesan leaders from Armenia and the Diaspora were present at the meeting. Catholicos Garegin II welcomed Pope Francis to the Biblical country of Armenia and Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin, and conveyed his fraternal love and best wishes to the members of the delegation. There is joy in our homes and in our souls today, as our beloved brother has visited the Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin, and as the Armenian nation has a special warm affection for him. The clear evidence of this is the presence of the high-ranking priests from our dioceses from around the world, who have travelled here together with the faithful of their communities. Our people consider your visit as an opportunity and chance to express their feelings of gratitude for your caring attitude towards our people, the Armenian Church and Nation. In this sacred sanctuary we offer our prayer to heaven, asking Lord to grant you long healthy years to guide the Roman Catholic Church, and implement the mission of Christs Church together with the Spiritual Primates of the Sister Churches and the faithful, for the sake of a more peaceful and better world and the happier life of mankind, Catholicos of All Armenians His Holiness Garegin II said. Pope Francis expressed his gratitude to His Holiness Garegin II for the warm reception and fraternal love, stressing that in Holy Etchmiadzin he feels at home. Emphasizing the importance of united prayer and peace in the remarks of His Holiness, Pope Francis added that as Churches they are called to be the preachers of peace. At the end of the meeting, a mutual presentation of the delegations of the two churches and an exchange of gifts was held. On the occasion of the visit, the Catholicos of All Armenians presented a Liturgical Chalice to Pope Francis, on which the St. Peter Basillica of the Vatican and the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin were engraved on the sides of the cup, as well as the holy apostles of the two churches. His Holiness also presented an icon of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide and a miniature sculpture of the Pope. In turn, the Pope gifted to His Holiness a mosaic of the Holy Mother of God. At the conclusion of the meeting, Pope Francis left a message in the Pontifical Memory Book. Following the meeting a private meeting between the two Pontiffs was held. YEREVAN, JUNE 25, ARMENPRESS. Latvian Minister of Finance Dana Reizniece-Ozola says the UKs withdrawal from the EU can impact the EU budget, therefore it is necessary to review the relations model of Britain and the EU, Armenpress reports citing RIA Novosti. She proposed a new model with the EU within the context of the upcoming changes. I think there is going to be a distribution of funds. For instance, there can be a Nigerian model where in order to have an access to the EU market, some money is being invested, she said. The Minister said it would be desirable the EU does not seek to find ways to punish the Great Britain, but rather, to keep this country for Europe. Otherwise, it may lead to the EUs split. On June 23 a referendum was held over the UKs EU membership. More than 16,7 million people voted in favor of Brexit. YEREVAN, JUNE 25, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and First Lady Mrs. Rita Sargsyan visited the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial on June 25 with Pope Francis and Catholicos of All Armenians His Holiness Garegin II. The Armenian President and the two Pontiffs paid homage to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims. Pope Francis laid a wreath at the Memorial and prayed. The Pope laid flowers with the President and Catholicos Garegin II at the Eternal Flame, where clergymen performed an intercessional ritual for the canonized martyrs. Pope Francis visited the Memory Park of the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial, blessed the fir-tree planted under his name and afterwards signed the Honorary Guest Book of the Armenian Genocide Memorial-Institute. Here I pray with pain in my heart, so that never more will there be tragedies like this, so that humanity does not forget and knows how to overcome the evil with good. May God grant the beloved Armenian people and the entire world peace and consolation. May God protect the memory of the Armenian people. Memory should not be diluted or forgotten. Memory is source of peace and the future, Pope Francis wrote. A group of descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors approached Pope Francis in the Memorial. Sons and grandsons, whose ancestors being orphans of the Genocide found refuge at the Castel Gandolfo Papal Palace under the decision of Pope Pius XI. Pope Francis and Catholicos Garegin II departed to Gyumri, where the Pope will deliver a Holy Mass in the Vardanants Square. YEREVAN, JUNE 25, ARMENPRESS. In Yerevan, the Pope has spoken about the past tragedies not to inflame wounds, but to help create grounds for reconciliation, said Federico Lombardi, SJ, Director of the Holy See Press Office in a briefing in Gyumri. Some occurrences happened after the ceremony in St. Peters Basilica, but the true relations between the Holy See and Turkey are good, there are no reasons to see big issues here. Yesterday evening, references to past tragedies were made not for inflaming the wounds, but rather to help find grounds for reconciliation, Federico Lombardi said. According to him, the President of Armenia also made very good formulations in favor of reconciliation and peace. He used the term condescension, if I remember correctly, in the sense that Pope has used it. Its about mutual understanding, building a harmonious future, this must be clear, he added. We dont look for culprits. We dont spread accusations. We simply want things to be called by their names, as it will allow two neighboring peoples to move towards genuine reconciliation and a shared prosperous future, President Sargsyan said during the June 24 reception at the Presidential Palace. Pope Francis said: Sadly, that tragedy, that genocide, was the first of the deplorable series of catastrophes of the past century, made possible by twisted racial, ideological or religious aims that darkened the minds of the tormentors even to the point of planning the annihilation of entire peoples. YEREVAN, JUNE 25, ARMENPRESS. In an interview with Armenpress, political scientist Narek Galstyan said the UKs vote to leave the European Union will not be a disaster, but it can have such political consequences that can lead to a crisis. The talk is about the so-called domino and snowball effect. If the Great Britain will really withdraw from the European Union, and the countries where the public complaints are high against the EU and the people there will decide to follow the British example, in this case crisis will really start within the EU which will be very difficult to overcome. So far, the final withdrawal is not decided yet since the referendum results are not binding, Narek Galstyan said stating that the UKs withdrawal will not lead to a disaster both for the EU, and the Great Britain. He said the Great Britain represents an option of mutually beneficial cooperation for the EU which is the following: to sign a special agreement with the EU within the framework of the accession of the European Free Trade Association and to stay in the EU market without being a member of the EU. Or it will follow Switzerlands example and will cooperate with the EU through a separate agreement and will use the EU market. Economist Tatul Manaseryan said what the UK does, it actually legitimizes the existing processes. He said it will be incorrect to say that the UK is deeply integrated into the EU. The Great Britain has been keen on expanding the strategic allied cooperation with the US and had its own stance in almost every sector which has not always been in compliance with the EU. There are many examples, such as the UK did not join the Schengen zone, it did not accept the single currency maintaining the positions of the pound and etc. Of course, the financial and the stock market turmoil is understandable, it could not remain indifferent from that process, but I think that it will be temporary, Manaseryan said highlighting that nothing can no longer happen with the Great Britain, it is a powerful empire and maintains its economic positions. Concerning Armenia, the economist said there is no obstacle for Armenia, our country continues developing the relations both with the UK, the EU and the EU member states. Just in terms of foreign political policy we must take into account that the new events make the UK, as a strategic partner of the US, adopt a more concrete and clear stance especially when the struggle is being escalated between the US dollar and the Euro, he said. YEREVAN, JUNE 25, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian nation continues living under the difficult situation of an undeclared war, protecting peace within the borders of our country at a heavy price and the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to live in freedom in their maternal cradle, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II said in his speech at the Republican Square of Yerevan prior to the joint ecumenical peace prayer with Pope Francis. In response to our peoples peaceful aspirations, Azerbaijan violated the ceasefire and began military operations on the borders of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh in the month of April. Armenian villages were bombarded and destroyed, soldiers who were protecting the peace as well as school-aged children were killed and wounded, peaceful and unarmed civilians were tortured, Armenpress reports His Holiness said. He added that the Armenian nation, despite of its own difficulties, feels empathy for the people in the Middle East. Britain's European Commissioner Jonathan Hill announced his resignation on June 25, 205, after the British vote to leave the European Union Britain's European Commissioner Jonathan Hill, a eurosceptic convert to the EU who announced his resignation Saturday, is a pragmatic dealmaker given a plum job as an olive branch to London by his boss Jean-Claude Juncker. A member of Britain's House of Lords, officially styled The Lord Hill of Oareford, the 55-year-old was sent to Brussels by David Cameron in 2014 where was given the financial services portfolio. The velvet-voiced Hill stepped down Saturday, the latest high-level casualty of Britain's vote Thursday to leave the EU, saying he now believed membership benefitted the country. "I came to Brussels as someone who had campaigned against Britain joining the euro and who was sceptical about Europe," Hill said in a statement. "I will leave it certain that, despite its frustrations, our membership was good for our place in the world and good for our economy." Juncker said he had tried to persuade Hill to stay -- even taking him to lunch to plead his case, a source told AFP -- as the EU and Britain squabbled over how and when to begin what promises to be torturous exit negotiations. "I consider him to be a true European and not just the British Commissioner," Juncker said. Hill, a close ally of Cameron, was bloodied by Britain's disastrous exit from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, the forerunner of the single euro currency that he famously mistrusts. - 'Really important' - In the following years Hill consistently opposed any increase in the powers handed over to Brussels but on his appointment two years ago went along with Cameron's position that Britain's interests were "best served by playing a leading role in the EU". Before joining the Commission Hill was leader of the Lords, the upper chamber of Britain's parliament. He was little known outside Westminster and in Brussels he kept a low profile even though he was in charge of portfolio crucial to the health of the City of London, one of the world's most important financial centres. Story continues European sources said Juncker gave him the "really important" job as a way of reaching out to Britain ahead of its membership negotiations and the subsequent referendum. Hill's first political job was as a junior Conservative party researcher in 1985. The Cambridge University graduate was soon promoted as special adviser to veteran pro-European Conservative MP Kenneth Clarke before taking a break from politics and spending two years in public relations. Impressed by John Major's rise to power from humble roots, Hill sought to re-enter politics and eventually became the Conservative prime minister's political secretary in 1992. After another spell in PR, Cameron appointed him to the House of Lords in 2010 as a junior minister in the education ministry. Hill rose to be Leader of the House of Lords in 2012, becoming a member of the cabinet. European powers demanded a quick divorce Saturday as Britain's seismic vote to abandon the EU sparked bitter break-up rows at home and abroad. Britons had cast aside warnings of isolation and economic disaster to vote 52 percent-48 percent in favour of quitting the European Union in the June 23 referendum. The historic vote, fought on the battlefronts of the economy and immigration, toppled Prime Minister David Cameron, pounded sterling and led Moody's to downgrade Britain's credit rating outlook to "negative". It exposed deep divisions in Britain too, where more than 1.7 million people called for a new vote, young people railed against the anti-EU older generation and Scotland revived independence calls. Spurned European powers meanwhile showed exasperation at Cameron's decision to stay on until as late as October before letting a successor take the helm and launch EU exit negotiations. The six original EU members -- Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg -- held an emergency meeting in Berlin to grapple with the first defection of the bloc's 60-year history. "We join together in saying that this process must begin as soon as possible so we don't end up in an extended limbo period," said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault went further, directly urging Cameron to go quickly. "A new prime minister must be designated, that will take a few days but there is a certain urgency," he told AFP. A new prime minister would be chosen by the ruling Conservative Party in a process that can last weeks or months. - 'Not a love affair' - Earlier, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker warned London against foot-dragging. "It is not an amicable divorce but it was also not an intimate love affair," he said. The British vote has stoked fears of a domino-effect of exit votes in eurosceptic member states that could imperil the integrity of the bloc. In an early sign of the Brexit fallout in Brussels, Britain's European commissioner for financial services, Jonathan Hill, said he would stand down. Story continues "I don't believe it is right that I should carry on as the British commissioner as though nothing had happened," he said. At home, more than 1.7 million Britons regretting the referendum result signed up to a rapidly-growing petition on an official government website pleading for a new vote. The unprecedented rush overwhelmed the site, forcing it to be suspended at one point, a spokesman said. It surpassed by 17 times the 100,000 signatures required for a proposal to be discussed in the lower house of parliament. A committee, which can put forward petitions for debate by lawmakers, will consider the proposal Tuesday. "I am worried, really sick for my children's prospects," said Lindsey Brett, a 57-year-old secretarial worker. "I was expecting a 'Remain' vote. I did not think we would come out," she said in central London. Scotland stood aghast at the prospect of being dragged out of the 28-nation European Union when more than 60 percent of its people voted to stay in. - 'Take a bow' - Scotland is seeking "immediate discussions" with its EU partners to try to protect its position in the bloc, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon declared after an emergency meeting of Scotland's cabinet. "A second independence referendum is clearly an option that requires to be on the table," she added. The cabinet agreed to start to draw up legislation that could enable such a vote once a decision is taken. Scots backed staying in Britain in their last referendum in 2014. It is unclear how the EU referendum may have changed that position. The often poisonous referendum campaign revealed a split between what The Independent newspaper called "those doing well from globalisation and those 'left behind' and not seeing the benefits in jobs or wages". Young people, graduates, and big cities tended to favour "Remain". Elder, less educated people and rural populations were more likely to back "Brexit". A 12,000-strong survey of referendum voters published by pollster Michael Ashcroft found that 73 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds and 62 percent of 25 to 34-year-olds had voted "Remain". Meanwhile 60 percent of people aged over 65 had voted "Leave". "I feel angry. Those who voted leave, they're not going to fight the future," said Mary Treinen, 23, a technological consultant who lives in London's trendy Shoreditch district. Britain's rejection of the EU is being seen as a victory for the anti-establishment rhetoric of the Brexit campaign, a feature of growing populism across Europe. Dutch far-right MP Geert Wilders and French National Front leader Marine Le Pen immediately called for referendums on EU membership in their own countries. "Take a bow, Britain!" eurosceptic newspaper the Daily Mail wrote across its front page on Saturday. "It was the day the quiet people of Britain rose up against an arrogant, out-of-touch political class and a contemptuous Brussels elite," it added. By Michael Holden and Paul Carrel LONDON/BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel sought on Saturday to temper pressure from Paris, Brussels and her own government to force Britain into negotiating a quick divorce from the EU, despite warnings that hesitation will let populism take hold. Eurosceptics in other member states applauded Britons' decision to leave the European Union in a referendum that sent shockwaves around the world, with far-right demands for a similar vote in Slovakia underlining the risk of a domino effect. With the referendum decision finally made on Thursday and Prime Minister David Cameron having announced his resignation, European politicians and institutions felt free to shower demands on Britain over its future outside the world's largest trading bloc. The European Central Bank said Britain's financial industry, which employs 2.2 million people, would lose the right to serve clients in the EU unless the country signed up to its single market - anathema to "Leave" campaigners, who are set to lead the next government in London. Almost alone in continental Europe, Merkel tried to slow the rush to get Britain out of the EU door. Europe's most powerful leader made clear she would not press Cameron after he indicated Britain would not seek formal exit negotiations until October at least. "Quite honestly, it should not take ages, that is true, but I would not fight now for a short time frame," Merkel told a news conference. "The negotiations must take place in a businesslike, good climate," she said. "Britain will remain a close partner, with which we are linked economically." OTHERS DEMAND URGENCY Britain's decision to leave the EU is the biggest blow since World War Two to the European project of forging greater unity. But Merkel appeared more conciliatory than others within her coalition government and elsewhere in Europe. The chief executive of Britain's "Vote Leave" campaign called for informal talks before London notifies the EU it wants to leave under the Lisbon Treaty, which provides for two years of divorce proceedings. But German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a member of Merkel's Social Democrat coalition partners, showed a greater sense of urgency. "This process should get under way as soon as possible so that we are not left in limbo but rather can concentrate on the future of Europe," he said after hosting a meeting with his colleagues from the other five founding members of the EU - France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault warned of the dangers of delay. "We have to give a new sense to Europe, otherwise populism will fill the gap," he said. They followed European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who said on Friday it made no sense to wait until October to negotiate the terms of a "Brexit". European Council President Donald Tusk made a start by appointing Belgian diplomat Didier Seeuws to coordinate negotiations with Britain. Britain's representative on the EU executive, Financial Services Commissioner Jonathan Hill, resigned on Saturday after campaigning against a British exit. EUROPEAN 'TITANIC' In Britain itself, divisions widened after the relatively close 52-48 percent vote. More than 2.4 million Britons signed a petition on parliament's website, posted before the vote, calling for a second EU referendum if the outcome was close on a turnout of less than 75 percent - three points above Thursday's figure. The petition will have to be considered for debate by lawmakers, but it has no legal force and its backers compare with the 17.4 million who voted "leave". Tens of thousands are also set to pack into Trafalgar Square in the British capital on Tuesday to show "London stands with Europe", the Evening Standard newspaper reported. Scotland's pro-EU first minister said she wanted to open negotiations directly with Brussels. The option of a second referendum on independence from the United Kingdom - after Scots rejected the idea two years ago - was "on the table", she said. South of the border in England, eurosceptic newspapers rejoiced but others pondered an uncertain future. "So what the hell happens now?" asked the Daily Mirror. Cameron announced on Friday he would resign as the outcome of the vote sent global stock markets plunging, and inflicted the biggest one-day drop on sterling in history. He promised to stay on as a caretaker until October while the Conservative Party chooses a new leader. Even before the British vote, anti-establishment parties were on the rise across the EU, not least in France, where far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen is expected to perform strongly in a presidential election next year. After talks with French President Francois Hollande, she said it was "clear that there are some who want the divorce to be as painful as possible to discourage other peoples from taking the same path as the British". As if to reinforce those fears Slovakia's far-right People's Party launched a petition for a referendum on the country's future in the EU. "Citizens of Great Britain have decided to refuse the diktat from Brussels. It is high time for Slovakia to leave the sinking European 'Titanic' as well," the party said. NO PASSPORT? The British pound fell as much as 10 percent against the dollar on Friday to levels last seen in 1985, on fears that the decision could hit investment, threaten London's role as a global financial capital, and cause months of political uncertainty. The ratings agency Moody's downgraded its outlook for Britain, saying its creditworthiness was now at greater risk. The uncertainty risks damaging economies far beyond Britain's shores, and European Central Bank policymaker Francois Villeroy de Galhau joined the clamor for haste. Villeroy delivered a warning over the City of London financial center, which handles trillions of euros of business even though it lies outside the ECB's jurisdiction. That status was at risk, he said, including the "passporting" arrangement under Europe's single market rules that allows London banks to do business with clients in the euro zone, even though Britain never joined the common currency. "If, tomorrow, Britain is not part of the single market, the City cannot keep this European passport, and clearing houses cannot be located in London either," he told France Inter radio. The only way around this was for Britain to follow Norway, which lies outside the EU but has joined the single market. This means signing up to the rules, including the free movement of workers - likely to be opposed in Britain, where the "Leave" camp promised to control immigration from the EU. "BIRTH OF NEW BRITAIN" Cameron's replacement could be his Conservative rival Boris Johnson, the former London mayor who became the most recognizable face of the Leave camp. There was euphoria over the vote in much of the British press. "Birth of a new Britain," the Daily Telegraph said, while the Daily Star tabloid borrowed from Donald Trump's campaigning message with its headline "Now Let's Make Britain Great Again". But those among the more than 16 million who voted to stay in the EU also raised their voices. The United Kingdom itself could also now break apart. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said her devolved government was preparing to present legislation allowing a second independence referendum while continuing discussions on its place within the EU. Scots rejected independence in 2014. But they voted to stay in the EU on Thursday, raising the possibility that they would be forced out against their will. However, questions about the economic viability of an independent Scotland have grown as the oil price has collapsed, slashing the revenues it could expect to get from North Sea oil. (Additional reporting by Alastair Macdonald, Andreas Rinke, John Irish, Tatiana Jancarikova, Ingrid Melander, Elisabeth O'Leary, Guy Faulconbridge, Ana Nicolaci da Costa, Kate Holton, Kylie MacLellan, Sarah Young, Alistair Smout, Costas Pitas, Andy Bruce, David Milliken, Steve Holland; Writing by David Stamp; Editing by Giles Elgood) As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ After 10 years teaching in middle school there is one thing that baffles Lee Soo-jung -- how many of the girls are wearing makeup. "Just 10 years ago only a couple of girls in a class wore makeup, but now more than half of them do," she says. The school tried to ban it, but to no avail. "Many girls put on makeup after coming to school, and we aren't sure where to draw the line," Lee says. "We can't simply tell students not to do something without explaining why, plus many girls are very sensitive about how they look." One manufacturer of school uniforms polled some 158 teenage girls in May and found that the vast majority had tried makeup at school. They got their tips from websites like YouTube, which has around 149,000 videos with makeup instructions for teens. The cosmetics industry estimates that the teenage market for makeup is worth around W300 billion (US$1=W1,176). Britain has made a historic decision to leave the European Union in a referendum that stoked passions on issues of immigration and sovereignty, and prompted the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron. "The British people have made a very clear decision to take a different path and as such I think the country requires fresh leadership to take it in this direction," Cameron told reporters outside 10 Downing Street Friday. Cameron said that transition should happen in October. Analysts say voters' stunning decision to quit the EU meant Cameron lost his mandate. The man who led the 'Leave' campaign, former London Mayor Boris Johnson -- also of Camerons Conservative Party -- is widely expected to replace Cameron as prime minister. With all counties reporting results Friday morning, the "Leave" cause won 51.9 percent of the vote. The news prompted a negative reaction in Asian markets and the British pound tumbled to a three-decade low. Turnout was high, at 72 percent -- the highest in a national poll in more than two decades -- despite torrential rainstorms on referendum day, reflecting the strong feelings that the debate evoked in a nation whose immigration rate has doubled in the past 16 years. The vote appeared to be driven by anti-establishment sentiments and the feeling the EU governing structure has taken too much control away from the common British citizen. "Let June 23 go down in our history as our independence day," anti-EU campaigner Nigel Farage told supporters in Westminster early Friday. Farage heads Britain's UK Independence Party, which favors implementing tough immigration restrictions. He said the election predictions would be "a victory for real people, a victory for ordinary people, a victory for decent people." West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has declared states of emergency in 44 counties after the worst flooding in the mid-Atlantic state in 100 years killed 20 people. "The damage is widespread and devastating," Tomblin said Friday. "Our focus remains on search and rescue." As much as 25 centimeters of rain fell on Thursday, sending numerous rivers in the southwestern and central parts of the state over their banks and into the streets of nearby towns. Greenbriar County Sheriff Jan Cahill said he is surrounded by "complete chaos." "Roads destroyed, bridges out, homes burned down, washed off foundations, multiple sections of highway just missing, pavement just peeled off like a banana," Cahill said. So, quick update on me. In the past 8 days I have neither: 1. Been picked in the first two rounds of the NBA Draft 2. Signed as a free agent with any team. Looks like another week as a political reporter for me! Let's do this. AFP News Rishi Sunak on Tuesday became Britain's third prime minister this year and the first person of colour to lead the former imperial power, vowing to overcome an economic crisis provoked by the "mistakes" of Liz Truss's calamitous 49-day tenure. In his first order of business, Sunak retained Jeremy Hunt as chancellor of the exchequer, bidding to keep financial markets on side after Truss's budget plans shocked investors, and also retained her foreign and defence ministers, among others. Sunak, a practising Hindu who at 42 is Britain's youngest leader since 1812, became the ruling Conservatives' new leader on Monday after a prior stint as chancellor himself. Addressing the nation in Downing Street Tuesday shortly after his appointment by King Charles III, Sunak said the country faced "profound economic crisis". "I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government's agenda," Sunak vowed, capping the latest extraordinary twist in UK politics following Boris Johnson's demise in July. - 'Mistakes' - Truss -- chosen by Tory members over Sunak in the summer to replace Johnson -- left office as the UK's shortest-serving premier in history. The 47-year-old wished the new leader "every success", noting she remained "more convinced than ever" that Britain needs to be "bold" in confronting the challenges it faces. Sunak countered that, though Truss was motivated by a well-intentioned desire to kick-start growth, her tax-cutting measures were "mistakes nonetheless". "And I have been elected as leader of my party and your prime minister in part to fix them," he said. "The government I lead will not leave the next generation... with a debt to settle that we were too weak to pay ourselves," he added, helping to drive the pound more than one percent higher against the dollar. Sunak, a wealthy descendant of immigrants from India and East Africa, secured the top job after rival contender Penny Mordaunt failed to garner enough nominations from Tory MPs and Johnson dramatically aborted a comeback attempt. Breaking his silence, Johnson offered his "full and wholehearted support" to Sunak -- having privately blamed his ex-minister for toppling him in July. Sunak in turn praised Johnson, but in a nod to the many scandals that brought Johnson down, vowed his own premiership would offer "integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level". - Cabinet continuity - In some of the other cabinet retentions aimed at stability, Sunak kept James Cleverly as foreign secretary, Ben Wallace in the defence brief and Kemi Badenoch in international trade. Just days after she left Truss's cabinet, hardline right-winger Suella Braverman was re-appointed as interior minister, in charge of policing and immigration control. Grant Shapps, who had briefly replaced Braverman, was named business secretary with partial oversight of climate policy, instead of Johnson loyalist Jacob Rees-Mogg. Sunak brought close ally Dominic Raab back as deputy prime minister and justice secretary, and veteran cabinet member Michael Gove to tackle the country's entrenched regional inequality. Mordaunt remains in a post overseeing government business in parliament, which may disappoint the ambitious centrist who had been tipped for a more senior role. The line-up "reflects a unified party and a cabinet with significant experience, ensuring that at this uncertain time there is continuity at the heart of government," a Downing Street source said. The new top team is set to meet early Wednesday, British media said, before Sunak faces his first weekly face-off with opposition parties at "Prime Minister's Questions" in parliament. - Foreign calls - In his first call with a foreign leader, Sunak told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Britain would continue its "steadfast support" following Russia's invasion. He also spoke to US President Joe Biden, who had earlier hailed his appointment as the first British-Indian prime minister as "groundbreaking" and "pretty outstanding". "President Biden said that the UK remains America's closest ally, and the Prime Minister agreed on the huge strength of the relationship," a Downing Street spokeswoman said. European leaders offered their own congratulations, while Irish premier Micheal Martin reminded Sunak of their "shared responsibility" to safeguard peace in Northern Ireland following tensions under Johnson and Truss. Domestically, Labour leader Keir Starmer praised Sunak on "making history as the first British-Asian PM". But he reiterated accusation the Tories "have crashed the economy" and that the public needs "a say on Britain's future". Sunak has rebuffed opposition calls for a snap general election after becoming the latest leader who lacks a direct mandate from the electorate. Pollster Ipsos said that 62 percent of British voters want an election by the end of the year. Voters in London Tuesday spelled out the scale of his challenge. "The whole country is in shambles at the moment, he has got to make a difference, if he doesn't there's going to be riots," insurance adviser Helen Gorman told AFP. bur-jj/ah - ODM deputy leader Wycliffe Oparanya has been tagged as the main problem for party members - He was accused of being a bully who frustrated others in their work - Oparanya however said that the Western Kenya MPs who were complaining about him in public were only doing so to cover up their political failures The decision made by eight Western Kenya ODM Members of Parliament to issue an ultimatum to the party for treating them with disrespect can now be attributed to a single source. Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya. Image: Citizen TV Kakamega Governor and ODM deputy leader Wycliffe Oparanya was accused of being a bully who frustrated them and wrongly profiled them as moles and disloyal to the party. READ ALSO: How DP Ruto plans to get Ababu Namwamba re-elected in 2017 On Tuesday, June 21, eight ODM Western Kenya MPs held a press conference and complained of the same. The eight members of parliament included Paul Otuoma (Funyula), Ababu Namwamba (Budalangi), John Waluke (Sirisia) and Andayi Andola (Khwisero). Others were Chris Omulele (Luanda), S. Kedogo (Vihiga county), Anami Lisamula (Shinyalu) and Wilbur Ottichilo (Emuhaya). According to them, they were being sidelined in activities involving their constituencies and were being treated with disrespect. READ ALSO:State intelligence agents deployed to closely monitor Raila Odinga The general message was that they wanted ODM to let them know if the party has ceded the western front to CORD so that they could determine their appropriate course of action. ODM party chairman John Mbadi ODM party chairman John Mbadi however refuted the claims saying that there was no cause for alarm in the party and that it was the first time he was hearing the allegations. Oparanya had even hit out at Namwamba and his colleagues for being an embarrassment to the community for their utterances that only sought to create divisions in ODM. Speaking on Wednesday, June 22, Oparanya added that the leaders were only making public statements to cover up their failures Image: Star Source: TUKO.co.ke - Communication between a Kenya Defense Force military camp in Mandera and the rest of the country has been cut off - This is after al-Shabaab detonated a number of bombs destroying communication and water sources in Damasa, Mandera - Security agents are now using a Somalia communication network to reach them A series of explosions at Damasa in Mandera county could be heard at 1 am on Friday, June 24. According to police in the county, intelligence reports said that about 100 al-Shabaab militia were seen on the Somalia side of Damasa, reportedly being transported in 13 lorries at night on the same day. READ ALSO: Police arrest six more al-Shabaab militants after attack Al-Shabaab militants have launched attacks in Kenya and Somalia. They were moving using two land cruisers and a number of motorcycles from El-Adde town towards Borache. They were also seen in the area as the explosions were being detonated. The explosions, believed to have meant for either a Kenya Defense Forces camp in the area of the Somalia National Army, however took out a communication mast two kilometers away from the camps. Kenya Defence Forces recruits undertaking Assault course training at the Recruits Training School, Eldoret. Image: MOD READ ALSO: The very latest from the Muslim man who shielded non-Muslims from al-Shabaab The downing of the Safaricom communication mast cut off communication beteen the Kenyan camp and officers who were investigating the explosions. A rare glimpse into the training of recruits at a Kenya Defense Forces camp. Photo: KDF Aside from the mast, the only source of water in the region was also destroyed. A security meeting that was scheduled to take place today, Saturday, June 25, 2016, was postponed. READ ALSO: US trained Kenya Air Force unit to protect KDF against al-Shabaab Al-Shabaab has been of late carrying out attacks on Kenyan soil to avenge the death of their commander who was killed in an AMISOM operation in Mogadishu, Somalia. They have attacked a police escort which saw five officers killed and seven others injured. They have also set up land mines across the region, in which one killed an ambulance driver and three others as they were rushing to a hospital in Mandera town. Source: TUKO.co.ke SANTIAGO, June 24 (Reuters) - Global mining company Anglo American Plc said on Friday that it is progressing with wage negotiations at its flagship Los Bronces copper mine in Chile (Stuttgart: 704599.SG - news) , and is looking to finalize talks with workers at other operations in the country. This year, Anglo American (LSE: AAL.L - news) needs to negotiate contracts with seven unions in Chile amid low prices for the red metal. "We're conversing within an early (wage negotiation) process with the two unions at our Los Bronces operation whose contracts expire at the end of August this year," a company spokesman said. "Agreements have already been reached and signed with the supervisors' union and with the two unions at the Chagres (smelter)," the spokesman added. Los Bronces produced 401,715 tonnes of copper last year. Anglo American is also in negotiations with workers at the smaller El Soldado mine, where workers said on Friday that they would vote on a strike next week after receiving an offer from the company that they deem insufficient. El Soldado produced 35,840 tonnes of the red metal in 2015. (Reporting by Fabian Cambero; Writing by Gram Slattery; Editing by Sandra Maler) Dominic Chappell Parliament.tv BHS owner Dominic Chappell tried to pay for holiday flights using company money just a few months before the struggling department store collapsed, according to evidence submitted to MPs by former BHS chief executive Darren Topp. Topp's letter, published by the joint select committee of MPs, states that Chappel "saw no distinction between the company's money and his own personal money; he saw them as one and the same. The level of financial governance shown by Chappell was very poor." It alleges that "Chappell attempted to buy a set of family holiday flights in December 2015 on the company travel budget; this was spotted by Darren Topp and stopped immediately much to the annoyance of Chappell." The letter adds that Chappell's Retail Acquisitions Limited (RAL) vehicle which he bought BHS through for 1 from Sir Philip Green had taken 17 million ($25 million) out of the BHS business, which contributed to its eventual collapse into administration earlier this month. Chappell has denied the allegation, according to the Telegraph, calling it "the most pathetic thing I've ever come across" and "complete rubbish" in separate evidence. He also said that "there was no intent whatsoever to have the company pay for my private travel," claiming that he did not have access to his credit cards at the time and it was an "issue of logistics." The saga of BHS has seen Chappell accused of receiving millions of pounds in payments before the department store collapsed. Former owner Philip Green, in his own MP hearing, further claimed that Chappell took 7 million from a property deal that should have gone to BHS. Topp also said at an earlier MP hearing that when he first confronted Chappell over a transfer an alleged of 1.5 million from BHS to another company, Chappell told him "if you kick-off about it I'm going to come down there and kill you." Story continues Topp added: "Then he threatened to kill me again and I know it sounds silly but apparently he says he was in the helicopter squad in the SAS and I know he's got a gun ... I said if you threaten me again I'm going to call the police." NOW WATCH: 7 amazing maps that show how important Canada is See Also: SEE ALSO: Ex-BHS owner Sir Philip Green attacks 'envy and jealousy' but insists: 'I have done nothing wrong' (Recasts, adds state media editorial, byline) By Ben Blanchard BEIJING, June 24 (Reuters) - The Chinese government called on Friday for Britain and the European Union to reach agreement as soon as possible after Britain voted to leave the bloc, as an influential state-run newspaper warned Britain is becoming a "small country". Britain's vote to leave dealt the biggest blow to the European project of greater unity since World War Two and global financial markets plunged as results from Thursday's referendum emerged. Prior to the referendum, China had not directly stated its opinion, viewing the vote as an internal matter and saying only that it wanted to see a strong and stable Europe. Diplomatic sources, however, said that was coded support for the now defeated "remain" camp, as the bloc, currently China's largest trading partner, will lose around a sixth of its economic output. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China respected the choice of the British people. "We hope Britain and the EU can reach a negotiated agreement at an early date. A prosperous and stable Europe is in all sides' interests," she told a daily news briefing. When asked about the impact on business ties between China and Britain, Hua (Taiwan OTC: T1201Y.TWO - news) said: "Of course there will be an impact from Britain choosing to leave the EU". "The impact will be on all levels, not only on relations between China and Britain. As to what kind of impact there will be, I believe all sides will calmly and conscientiously assess this," she said. "China supports the European integration process and would like to see Europe playing a proactive role in international affairs. We have full confidence in the outlook for the development of China-EU ties," Hua said. The Global Times, a widely-read tabloid published by the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily, was blunter in its assessment though. "This referendum will probably be a landmark event that proves Britain is heading in the direction of being a small country with few people, writing itself off as hopeless and acting recklessly," it said in an editorial on its website. Story continues Though China and Britain have a history of disputes over human rights and the future of the former British colony of Hong Kong, export-reliant China values Britain as a strong advocate for free trade within the EU and the bloc as an important counterweight to the United States. Relations between Britain and China have been warming over the past few years and economic links have multiplied in tandem in what both countries refer to as a "golden age" in ties. "We are willing to work hard with Britain to continue to properly maintain and develop Sino (Dusseldorf: 1205802.DU - news) -British ties," Hua said. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard Writing by Michael Martina; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) YEREVAN, JUNE 24, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador of Armenia to the Holy See Michael Minasyan is participating with positive emotions in the welcoming ceremony of Pope Francis in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin. To ARMENPRESS question What is the message of the Armenian people to the world with this visit, the Ambassador answered: We exist, we are happy and proud of our country. On June 24 Pope Francis arrived in Armenia on a three-day visit. The Pope was welcomed by President Serzh Sargsyan and His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II in the Zvartnots Airport. A welcoming ceremony took place in Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin. The Pope is scheduled to arrive in the Presidential Palace, where a private meeting with President Serzh Sargsyan is due to take place, followed by announcements for Armenian officials, foreign diplomats and representatives of the society. Pope Francis will visit the Armenian Genocide Memorial on June 25. Later on the same day, a mass will be held in Gyumris Vardanants Square. A number of other events are scheduled to take place in Gyumri, after which the Pope will return to Yerevan, where the most important and most open event for the society during his visit will take place in the Republic Square. A peace prayer will be delivered, which will be preceded and followed by a joint festive concert of the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra and the State Choir dedicated to Pope Francis visit to Armenia. In the morning of June 26, a mass will be held in Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin, which will be delivered by His Holiness Catholicos Garegin II with Pope Francis. Several events will be held in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin, after which Pope Francis and Catholicos Garegin II will visit one of the most important shrines of the Armenian people and the Armenian Apostolic Church Khor Virap- where they will pray together and release doves towards Ararat. Afterwards the Pope will head to the airport to return to Rome. Real Estate News What is it like to live in Hull? Judeth Van Hamm was integral to preserving Hulls past. Now shes trying to protect its future. Condos on Spinnaker Island in Hull Barry Chin/Globe Staff Judeth Van Hamm was integral to preserving Hulls past. Now shes trying to protect its future. Van Hamm was among the founders of the Hull Lifesaving Museum in 1978, a organization that honors this South Shore peninsulas long history of maritime rescues. She also led the effort to preserve the Paragon Carousel, the grand merry-go-round that welcomes visitors to Nantasket Beach and the last remnant of Paragon Park, the amusement park that stood here for most of the 20th century before closing in 1984. An artist and city planner, Van Hamm calls the carousel a work of art. This is art that you can sit on and ride on, but thats what it is: Its music and light and color all coming together in a special way, she said. It still is the same story, parents and grandparents waving to their kids. Advertisement: Her latest preservation target, though, is Hull itself. Set on a narrow peninsula that juts into the Atlantic, the town of about 10,000 is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. As co-president of Sustainable South Shore and founder of Bay State Sunway, Van Hamm is pushing to bring solar-powered personal rapid transit to the region. A 100-year storm like what happened in 1978, theres a 100 percent chance of that happening again by 2050, Van Hamm said. Hull after the Blizzard of 78 Globe File The Blizzard of 78 shaped Hull and Van Hamm in lasting ways. Before the Blizzard of 1978, there were more families living here; some of them just got flooded out and left, she said. Thinking it was just another snow day, Van Hamm let her kids go to a friends house to play. Later, when they didnt come home, we tried calling their friends house, tried calling to Memorial School. We didnt know where our kids were, she said. Did they make it? So we went out walking the streets, looking for our children. Van Hamm trails off tearfully, remembering the worry. Advertisement: Her children were safe, holed up at a shelter, but the storm, and that feeling of vulnerability, left a mark that still propels her efforts to combat climate change. BY THE NUMBERS 23 Length in minutes of the ride from Hulls Pemberton Point to Bostons Long Wharf aboard the MBTAs commuter ferry. The same trip by car would take about 49 minutes or up to twice that at rush hour, according to Google. Hull Lifesaving Museum Barry Chin/Globe Staff 1837 The year 10-year-old Joshua James witnessed his mother die in a shipwreck in Hull Gut. Resolved never to let someone suffer his mothers fate, James and his crews would later save more than 1,000 lives at sea serving in the Massachusetts Humane Society and US Life-Saving Service. Advertisement: 98 The height in feet at the tallest point of the Giant Coaster, among the tallest in the world when it opened at Hulls Paragon Park in 1917. While the beachside amusement park closed in 1984, the roller coaster lives on as the Wild One at Marylands Six Flags America. $250,000 The debt still owed on the Paragon Carousel. I wish people were a little more aware that we arent quite finished saving it, Van Hamm said. PROS & CONS Pro Oceanside living Every piece of Hull is either a few doors from or on the water or a couple of blocks from the water, Van Hamm said. I love being able to see the sky, the sunrise, the sunset. Its just a beautiful place to live. Con Vulnerability Hull is already exposed to the elements. If ocean levels continue to rise as climate scientists predict, there could be big trouble. A Paragon Park visitor takes a drive on the Turnpike ride in 1972. Globe file The roller coaster at Paragon Park in 1984, the year it closed. Globe file Paragon Park Museum Barry Chin/Globe Staff Paragon Carousel Barry Chin/Globe Staff An arcade on Nantasket Avenue Barry Chin/Globe Staff Bernie King Pavilion Barry Chin/Globe Staff Nantasket Beach Barry Chin/Globe Staff Nantasket Beach Barry Chin/Globe Staff A swimmer takes on the surf at Nantasket Beach. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Nantasket Kayaks Barry Chin/Globe Staff A perfect perch for taking in the coastline Barry Chin/Globe Staff Nantasket Avenue Barry Chin/Globe Staff Another view of Nantasket Avenue Barry Chin/Globe Staff Buoys adorn a porch in Hull. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Jakes Seafood Restaurant and Fish Market Barry Chin/Globe Staff Streetside Barry Chin/Globe Staff A veterans memorial in Hull Barry Chin/Globe Staff A wind turbine breaks the skyline Barry Chin/Globe Staff An MBTA commuter ferry arrives at Pemberton Point. Barry Chin/Globe Staff A statue outside Hulls public library. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Jon Gorey is a freelance writer in Quincy. Send comments to [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @jongorey. In the summer months, we tend to be pestered by all sorts of flies in and around our homes. Fruit flies are commonly found swarming around overly ripe fruit and vegetables. How to make a fruit fly trap University of Nebraska-Lincoln County Extension explains how to make your own fruit fly trap. Heres what youll need: 1 jar Plastic sandwich baggie cup of beer or soft drink (for bait) Rubberband Pencil Heres what to do: Pour cup of beer or soft drink into the jar. Place the plastic sandwich baggie over the mouth of the jar, with one of the corners pointed down into the center of the jar. Use the pencil to poke a hole in the corner of the baggie thats facing down into the jar. The bag will be used as a funnel in the jar. Place rubber band around the band of the jar to secure the baggie. The beer or soft drink will ferment, drawing the fruit flies to it. They will be able to go down through the small hole in the baggie, but wont be able to get back up through it. An alternative, from University of Nebraska-Lincoln County Extension, is to use yeast to attract the fruit flies. Replace the cup beer in the instructions above water, active dry yeast and sugar: Pour to cup warm water into the jar. Sprinkle a package of dry active yeast into the jar. Add 1 teaspoon sugar to the jar. Mix the ingredients together. The mixture will foam and produce CO2. Place the plastic sandwich baggie over the mouth of the jar, with one of the corners pointed down into the center of the jar. Use the pencil to poke a hole in the corner of the baggie thats facing down into the jar. The bag will be used as a funnel in the jar. Place rubber band around the band of the jar to secure the baggie. University of Nebraska-Lincoln County Extension recommends dumping the jar after a week. Additional ideas from Michigan State University Extension are to place a piece of rotting fruit in the jar, or using apple cider vinegar to attract flies. Tips for reducing fruit flies in your home To decrease the number of fruit flies and the level of annoyance in and around your home, follow these tips from University of Nebraska-Lincoln County Extension and Michigan State University Extension: Throw away overly-ripe or damaged fruit and vegetables. Wash cans and bottles before tossing in recycling bins. Dont keep recycling bins in your living space. Empty your kitchen garbage cans once a day. Make sure that garbage cans are clean and dry before adding another garbage bag. Clean up all food and drink spills. Clean drains and traps. Sterilize drains and traps with boiling water. The San Francisco held a press conference at City Hall to protest the US Supreme Court decision and to demand a halt to further deportations and the legalization of all immigrant workers in the United States. On June 24, 2016 a press conference was called in front of San Francisco city hall by the labor movement to protest the Supreme Court decision halting the legalization of 4 million workers. They also called for a halt to deportations and the eRegistry Process (PDF) Identity Verification Information program.Additionally, speakers pointed out that Obama could act to stop the deportations through administrative procedures act DAPA/DACA and stopped the deportation on the families and children who have been forced to emigrate due to wars and economic policies coming directly from the United States. Speakers also pointed out that already nearly 3 million undocumented workers have been deported breaking up families.San Francisco Supervisor David Campos also questioned why the US Congress members had not taken direct action on the deportation and terror campaign against the deportation raids in the United States as they are doing on gun violence.Speakers as t discussed the efforts to defend undocumented workers in San Francisco at theWe Rise San Francisco Labor Center for Immigrant Justice240 Golden Gate Avenue, Suite #302, San Francisco, CA 94102Office Hours are Mon-Fri 10AM to 5PMTel: (415) 440-8798 Email: cporras [at] werisesf.org Production of Labor Video Project This Week in Palestine, June 24th, 2016 by IMEMC Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, http://www.imemc.org , for June 18, to the 24, 2016. Listen now: Copy the code below to embed this audio into a web page: As Palestinian Leadership calls on EU to help establishing two stats; Israeli attacks this week leave two killed Palestinians. These stories, and more, coming up, stay tuned. The Nonviolence Report Lets begin our weekly report as usual with the nonviolent activities organized in the West Bank. scores of protesters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation on Friday as Israeli forces attacked nonviolent protests organized in West Bank villages. Many residents and their international and Israeli supporters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when soldiers attacked the weekly protest in the central West Bank village of al Nabi Saleh on Friday. Troops attacked the protest at the village entrance using live rounds, tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. Later troops stormed and fired tear gas at residents homes, many residents were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as a result. At the nearby villages of Bilin and Nilin, Israeli soldiers attacked the protesters as soon as they reached the gate in the wall that separates local farmers from their lands. Many protesters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation and were treated by field medics at both locations. In the meantime many civilians also were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as Israeli troops attacked the weekly protest organized by the villagers of Kufer Kadum in northern West Bank. The Political Report This week Palestinian Leadership extended calls on Europe to help realize a two-state solution. IMEMCs Rami Al Meghari with the details: Addressing the European Union Parliament, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, called on Europe to help realize a two-state solution between Palestinians and Israel and that a fair solution for the problem of Palestinian refugees is reached. The presidents call was met with an Israeli refusal, as Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Natanyahou, considered Abbass remarks as incitement against Israel. Abbas described the Israeli occupation of Palestine as a land theft and a massacre against the Palestinian people, due to Israeli displacement of hundreds of thousands of indigenous Palestinians, back in 1948. This comes following Israeli rejection of withdrawal beyond 1967 border lines, including the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem. Earlier, Arab states relaunched a peace initiative of their own that calls for the realization of a Palestinian statehood, in return for full normal relations between Arabs and Israel. Palestinian Authority had supported the Arab initiative and agreed to a French initiative for an international peace conference, in which contentious Palestinian-Israeli issues, be discussed. France calls for the resumption of peace talks between Israel and Palestinians. In the Gaza Strip, the ruling Islamist Hamas party called on the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah to cut off ties with Israel, considering peace talks as futile and aimless. Hamas says that peace talks can not work , while Israel continues illegal settlements construction, within the occupied Palestinian territories. For IMEMC News, I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza. The West Bank and Gaza Report Two Palestinian youth are died this week due to Israeli army gunfire, meanwhile in Gaza attacks on fishermen continues as left over Israeli bomb explode leaving one civilian injured. IMEMCs George Rishmawi Reports: The Palestinian Health Ministry has reported that a young Palestinian man died, on Sunday evening, from serious wounds he suffered on May 4th, after Israeli soldiers shot him during an invasion of Sair town, northeast of Hebron. Arif Jaradat, 22, was shot with live Israeli army fire, and died of his serious wounds at the al-Ahli hospital, in Hebron City. The slain boy suffered from Downs Syndrome. Later in the week, Israeli troops shot and killed Mahmoud Badran, 14, on Tuesday at down, meanwhile four other young Palestinians were injured, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah. Mahmoud was returning home, along with his friends, after swimming in a pool in Beit Sira nearby village when soldiers opened fire at them. The attack took place close to Beit Liqya nearby town. The Israeli army claimed that the soldiers opened fire on several Palestinians, who reportedly hurled stones on military vehicles and settlers cars, driving on a nearby bypass road. Later in the day the Israeli army admitted that the child was just a bystander. Also on Tuesday, two Palestinian civilians were wounded when Israeli forces invaded Nour Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarem in northern West Bank. A number of Palestinian civilians were engaged in a stone-throwing incident at the Israeli soldiers, who fired live ammunition, gas and sound bombs at the stone-throwers to disperse them. As a result, two civilians were wounded. During the week, Israeli forces conducted at least 61 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and in occupied East Jerusalem. During these invasions, Israeli troops kidnapped more than 54 Palestinian civilians, including 8 children. In Gaza, Mohammed Qreiqea23, from al-Shujaiyah neighborhood, east of Gaza City, was wounded, Saturday, after a bomb left by the Israeli army exploded near him. Moreover, Israeli navy ships attacked Palestinian fishing boats off Gaza city shoreline on Sunday and Monday of this week. Damage to boats was reported but no injuries. For IMEMC News this is George Rishmawi. Conclusion And thats all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for June 18, to the 24, 2016. From the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at www-dot-imemc-dot-org, This weeks report has been brought to you by Maher Qassiss and me Ghassan Bannoura. Orlando Omar Aimed to be Gay Leader Without Flag by Leonhard Ronkarz Sat, Jun 25, 2016 2:55AM Orlandos nightclub shooter took upon the gay community because he intended to become a gay leader without having to face peer pressure to wear a national flag, and was frustrated by a collective climate of fear poisoned by its own flunkeyism and appeasement, relatives say. When he realised that burning a flag at the entrance of the club would be a cry for love at deaf ears, he reached for his inheritance. The barrel ran over when he learned that some elements within the gay community are complicit in war crimes on the same level as military chaplains, by means of their contribution to personnel management as so-called equality ombudsmen enabling the enactment thereof under the acceptance of a gullible community. - A militant group that claimed to have replaced Niger Delta militants vowed to bomb major bridges in the country - It says the attack will be simultaneous on Saturday, July 2 - It insisted that the only condition is for oil companies to move their headquarters to the Niger Delta A new militant group, Asawana Deadly Force of Niger Delta has issued a definite date when it would carry out bombing operations in Bonga Field, Onitsha -Asaba Bridge, Third Mainland Bridge, and other major bridges across the southern of the country. The group which claimed to have taken over from the Niger Delta Avengers vowed to bomb the mentioned places on Saturday July 2. READ ALSO: Militants launch second attack on Lagos/Ogun community Vanguard reports that in a statement issued by its commander, Olomubini Kakarakokoro popularly known as No Mercy, he said the only reason the threat will not be carried out is if headquarters of major oil companies are moved to the Niger Delta region. The statement read: We are bombing Bonga field, Onitsha -Asaba bridge, Third Mainland bridge, and other major bridges across the southern of the country, on Saturday 2nd July,2016. This is not a mere threat. The only way out is for the Federal Government to relocate all headquarters of major oil companies to Niger Delta. They are built with our oil money. They must be moved back to the Niger Delta region. If the federal government fails before the said day, we shall surely carry out the attack. The companies which headquarters we want back now include; Chevron,Agip and Shell which has their headquarters in Lagos. READ ALSO: IPOB reiterates support for Niger Delta Avengers In addition, the federal government should move all refineries to the Niger Delta. This is without further delay as we shall meet further delay with corresponding colossal damage in the mentioned places on the said date. We wants to tell President Buhari that now that the going is getting tough, the tough has to get going, The group had earlier promised to cripple the oil industry across the nine Niger Delta states unless the federal government grants them, Niger Delta Republic in the next couple of days, It warned that the federal government should as a matter of urgency, withdraw all the military check points from the riverside areas of the Niger Delta, else we shall proceed to match against any baby military formation in the region without further notice. Source: Legit.ng Computed tomography (CT) scans are an invaluable diagnostic tool in modern medicine, but they do come at a price: exposing patients to potentially dangerous ionizing radiation. Doctors and other healthcare professionals may not be fully aware of a CT scan's effect on lifetime malignancy risk. A new study in the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences surveyed doctors, radiologists, and imaging technologists regarding their beliefs about radiation exposure from CT. The survey found that while most respondents recognized there is an increased risk of cancer from CT, many underestimated the actual radiation dose. Researchers from the University of Saskatchewan wanted to assess healthcare providers' knowledge regarding radiation dosing from CT scans. Using a survey of medical professionals in Saskatchewan, investigators found that 73% of physicians, 97% of radiologists, and 76% of technologists correctly identified that there is an increased cancer risk from one abdominal-pelvic CT. However, only 18% of physicians, 28% of radiologists, and 22% of technologists were able to correctly identify the dose in relation to chest x-rays. Although 48% of physicians, 78% of radiologists and 63% of technologists either accurately estimated or overestimated this dose, many respondents underestimated the dose level. "Underestimating radiation dose from a CT scan is more concerning than knowing the exact dose level, particularly when it is a vast underestimation, as this may lead to minimization of the risk estimate when considering a test," explained lead investigator David Leswick, MD, FRCPC, Department of Medical Imaging, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan). The issue of radiation exposure is significant as doctors continue to order CT scans with increasing frequency. In Canada alone, there were an estimated 4.4 million CT scans conducted in 2011-2012. Measured in millisieverts (mSv), the average radiation dose from an abdominal-pelvic CT is 10 mSv, compared to 0.02 to 0.2 mSv from one chest x-ray, meaning that a radiation dose from a CT scan is best approximated as between that from 100-250 chest radiographs. "Although risk from radiation dose levels in the range of medical imaging procedures is small, it is real as evidenced from atomic bomb survivors and nuclear industry workers showing significantly increased risk of malignancy after exposure to doses in the range of diagnostic CT," said Dr. Leswick. "The risk of fatal malignancy may be as high as 1 in 1000 for a 10-mSv exposure (approximate dose of an abdomen-pelvis CT). This risk is significant on a population basis, with up to 2% of cancers in the United States population possibly attributable to CT." With such a clear risk relationship between radiation exposure and cancer, it is imperative that healthcare providers understand the facts to ensure the benefits outweigh the possible danger when ordering a diagnostic CT. The survey indicated that 93% of respondents were interested in radiation dose feedback when considering ordering a CT scan. Automated dose calculation software and radiology information systems can be integrated into electronic ordering, which would give doctors immediate access to information when considering ordering a scan. Another interesting aspect highlighted by the survey was some confusion regarding radiation exposure from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound. MRIs and ultrasounds do not employ ionizing radiation and yet 20% of physicians, 6% of radiologists, and 7% of technologists attributed radiation exposure to MRIs and 11% of physicians, 0% of radiologists, and 7% of technologists believed an ultrasound used radiation. "Belief that ionizing radiation is utilized by ultrasound and MRI is troubling as it may result in underutilization of these imaging modalities because of unfounded radiation concerns," added Dr. Leswick. While CT scans can be a lifesaving diagnostic tool, they also present a potential danger if they are overused or incorrectly implemented. It is vital that doctors and other healthcare practitioners fully understand the implications of ordering a CT scan and that patients are counseled appropriately about all available forms of testing and the potential radiation exposure involved. "Unfortunately, healthcare providers including physicians, radiologists, and medical imaging technologists are often not aware of radiation doses for common CT scans," concluded Dr. Leswick. "It is important for healthcare professionals (including referring physicians, radiologists, and technologists) to be aware of radiation dose levels and risks from imaging tests for several reasons, including the ability to weigh the risks and benefits of tests, counsel patients on relevant risks, optimize protocols to minimize radiation dose, and select appropriate protocols to minimize radiation dose." Since 2004, archaeologists from the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) have systematically excavated and processed human remains from caves in northern Palawan Province. So far, this work has yielded numerous human skeletal materials ranging in age from the late Palaeolithic (9,000 Before Present), through the Neolithic (~4,000 BP) and Metal Periods (~1,000 BP), to the late millennium. Skeletal remains have been found in diverse burial modes. Human skeletons from the late millennium were buried as whole bodies, lying on their backs and directed towards the cave mouth. Remains from the Metal Periods were found dispersed within a layer, possibly because of disturbances by subsequent burials or re-burying performed at later stages. However, two complete skeletons dating to the Neolithic were found covered with large rocks. The remains found at the late Palaeolithic level were cremated and deposited as piles of bone fragments, says project leader Victor J. Paz of UPD's Archaeological Studies Program. Next on the team's agenda is to describe the human remains in more detail, including age-at-death, sex, disease, cultural modifications (such as intentional changes in the skeleton or dentition) and other parameters. "Describing these variables will help us understand the diversity of mortuary practices," says Dr Paz. This research will also provide data for comparison with findings from other archaeological sites in South-East Asia, thereby contributing to an understanding of cultural diffusion within the region. A researcher at the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) is studying the ancient Japanese culture of "ama" -- women who traditionally free-dive in the sea in search of seaweed, lobsters, snail "turbo" shells and, in the distant past, pearls -- and its potential connections to Philippine maritime cultures. Cynthia Neri Zayas from the Center for International Studies at UPD is exploring the ten-year diary of a contemporary Japanese ama named Yamashita-san, who lives in the village of Goza in south-western Japan. Still in the first phases of her work, Professor Zayas has found several similarities between Japan's ama culture and the Philippines' fishing culture. Families in both cultures tend to be led by a matriarch who plays a significant role in supporting the family's livelihood. Japan's sea women and Philippine fishers also tend to wander on a seasonal basis to find work away from home. Both cultures give prominence to the shells of "abalones," a kind of sea snail. The Japanese use them for offerings and in the Philippines they are used as good luck charms. Dr Zayas also found a connection between the architecture of the Ise Shrine in Japan, which is strongly linked to the ama culture and is built on top of pillars, and traditional raised homes along the coasts of the Philippines. Dr Zayas hopes her work will add to efforts calling for the ama culture to be listed in the registry of UNESCO World Heritage. The potential evolutionary link between hairs in mammals, feathers in birds and scales in reptiles has been debated for decades. Today, researchers of the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Switzerland, demonstrate that all these skin appendages are homologous: they share a common ancestry. On the basis of new analyses of embryonic development, the Swiss biologists evidenced molecular and micro-anatomical signatures that are identical between hairs, feathers and scales at their early developmental stages. These new observations, published in Science Advances, indicate that the three structures evolved from their common reptilian ancestor. Mammalian hairs and avian feathers develop from a similar primordial structure called a 'placode': a local thickening of the epidermis with columnar cells that reduce their rate of proliferation and express very specific genes. This observation has puzzled evolutionary and developmental biologists for many years because birds and mammals are not sister groups: they evolved from different reptilian lineages. According to previous studies, reptiles' scales however do not develop from an anatomical placode. This would imply that birds and mammals have independently 'invented' placodes during their evolution. The single evolutionary origin of placodes revealed In 2015, a team from Yale University (USA) published an article showing that scales, hairs and feathers share molecular signatures during their development. These results fueled an old debate between two schools. One defends that these molecular signatures suggest a common evolutionary origin of skin appendages, whereas the other proposes that the same genes are re-used for developing different skin appendages. Today, Nicolas Di-Poi and Michel C. Milinkovitch at the Department of Genetics and Evolution of the UNIGE Faculty of Science and at the SIB put this long controversy to rest by demonstrating that scales in reptiles develop from a placode with all the anatomical and molecular signatures of avian and mammalian placodes. The two scientists finely observed and analysed the skin morphological and molecular characteristics during embryonic development in crocodiles, snakes and lizards. 'Our study not only provides new molecular data that complement the work of the American team but also reveals key microanatomical facts, explains Michel Milinkovitch. Indeed, we have identified in reptiles new molecular signatures that are identical to those observed during the development of hairs and feathers, as well as the presence of the same anatomical placode as in mammals and birds. This indicates that the three types of skin appendages are homologous: the reptilian scales, the avian feathers and the mammalian hairs, despite their very different final shapes, evolved from the scales of their reptilian common ancestor.' A key gene for skin appendage development During their new study, the researchers from UNIGE and SIB also investigated the bearded dragon, a species of lizard that comes in three variants. The first is the normal wild-type form. The second has scales of reduced size because it bears one copy of a natural genetic mutation. The third has two copies of the mutation ... and lacks all scales. By comparing the genome of these three variants, Di-Poi and Milinkovitch have discovered the gene affected by this mutation. 'We identified that the peculiar look of these naked lizards is due to the disruption of the ectodysplasin-A (EDA), a gene whose mutations in humans and mice are known to generate substantial abnormalities in the development of teeth, glands, nails and hairs', says Michel Milinkovitch. The Swiss researchers have demonstrated that, when EDA is malfunctioning in lizards, they fail to develop a proper scale placode, exactly as mammals or birds affected with similar mutations in that same gene cannot develop proper hairs or feathers placodes. These data all coherently indicate the common ancestry between scales, feathers and hairs. The next challenge for the Swiss team, and many other researchers around the world, is to decipher the fine mechanisms explaining the diversity of forms of skin appendages. How has the ancestral scaly skin given rise to the very different morphologies of scales, feathers and hairs, as well as the astonishing variety of forms that these appendages can take? These future studies will hopefully fine-tune our understanding of the physical and molecular mechanisms generating the complexity and the diversity of life during evolution. A University of Exeter scientist has helped develop an innovative mathematical model for exploring why some individuals evolve to be genetically programmed to be nice, while others stay nasty. Dr Sasha Dall, Senior Lecturer in Mathematical Ecology, and a team of international colleagues have designed a new mathematical framework for examining social behaviour in a range of different species that will help advance our understanding of the evolution of sociality. The theory of kin selection has for some time allowed biologists to explain why some animals and other organisms adopt altruistic behaviour, at their own expense, for the benefit of their relatives- worker bees laying down their lives to promote the welfare of their mother, the Queen, for example. But up until now scientists have not been able to explain the role of genetic polymorphism, or why some individuals appear to be genetically programmed to help others whilst living side-by-side with others who tend to exploit their generosity. Using colony-living microbes as inspiration to explore why some individuals are by nature generous and others less so, the researchers produced an innovative model of social evolution that allows them to understand how far this is likely to be influenced by conditioning or the surrounding environment. They found that the behaviour of individuals can often evolve to be determined by a set of inherited genetic tendencies that accurately predict social relationships, including their likely relatedness to other members of their community, and their surroundings rather than in direct response to what they sense or experience. Dr Dall, a co-author on the paper, which is published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology, said: "As humans our behaviours are flexible and we base what we are meant to do on what we see after processing information about our world. However, some species rely on inherited instructions on what to do -- individuals behave differently according to which specific genetic variants they are born with. What we have been able to show is how you can get a situation where you end up with distinct levels of genetically determined niceness coexisting within populations." Lead author on the paper Professor Olof Leimar, of Stockholm University, said: "Social evolution theory hasn't previously addressed genetic polymorphism. We have developed a model that allows us to explore this within a general framework alongside other behavioural influences. Our hope and aim is to do further work in this area to test our model experimentally." Sparrows form pair bonds that are normally monogamous, but many females are unfaithful to their partner and have offspring with other males. Biologists believe that the male birds are unfaithful to ensure they father as many chicks as they can, while females are unfaithful with males of better 'genetic quality' -- ones that are fitter and could produce stronger offspring. However, the study involving researchers from the University of Sheffield, shows that cheating comes with a cost -- the cheating female's partner will provide less food for their nest of young. It has long been suspected that males know that not all the chicks in their nest are likely to be theirs, and so make a decision to provide less. But an alternative explanation is that cheating females and lazy males tend to pair up naturally. Researchers from the UK, Germany, and Australia have now revealed that males make the decision of how much to provide for their chicks based on the tendency of their partner to cheat. The study, published in The American Naturalist, followed the entire sparrow population of the island of Lundy in the Bristol Channel for 12 years. Lead researcher Dr Julia Schroeder of the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London said: "Males changed their behaviour based on their partner. When they switched from a faithful partner to one prone to infidelity, they provided less food for their brood." The research showed that males cannot actually identify whether all the chicks in their nest are theirs or not, and instead base their feeding decision on who their female partner is. "If chicks were switched into another nest where the female was faithful, then the male at that nest continued to feed the chicks, suggesting they have no mechanism, such as smell, to determine which chicks are theirs," said Dr Schroeder. "Instead, the males may use cues from the female's behaviour during her fertile period -- for example how long she spends away from the nest." The study followed 200 males and 194 females as they formed 313 unique monogamous pairs and hatched 863 broods on Lundy. Some sparrow 'divorces' occurred -- but most changes of life partner were due to a death. The team tested the DNA of every sparrow, allowing them to build up precise family trees, and find out which females were most unfaithful and which males they cheated with. "Lundy is a unique natural laboratory because it is almost a closed system -- very few birds leave the island or arrive from the mainland. In the entire 12 years only four birds immigrated to Lundy, possibly carried by boat, Dr Schroeder added." Dr Schroeder and her team are continuing to study the Lundy sparrows to uncover how and why social behaviours like monogamy arose. Being unfaithful may be a costly behaviour for females because they can only lay a limited number of eggs, and it may be a hangover from when their ancestors were not monogamous, rather than a useful strategy for getting the strongest offspring. Professor Terry Burke from the University of Sheffield's Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, who was also involved in the research, added: "Many previous studies have shown that male birds reduce their care to their brood if it includes chicks sired by other males -- which happens when their mate is promiscuous. This makes evolutionary sense. However, males cannot identify their own chicks and we did not know how they decided how to behave. "This unusually extensive study has revealed that males are apparently able to tell if their mate has a tendency to be unfaithful and then invest accordingly in her offspring. This rule of thumb saves the male from needing perfect genetic information. This does raise the question of how a male knows that a female is likely to be faithful." The road to recovery has never been cuter. Veterinarians recently came to the rescue of an adorable little wild cat who was found on the verge of death in the forests of Colombia. She'd suffered numerous fractures to her limbs during an attack by other animals. Local villagers saved her from drowning in a creek where she'd gone to escape. Though initially believed to be a baby jaguar, experts from the wildlife agency Corpoboyaca determined that the furry survivor is actually a margay - a small feline species native to the forests of Central and South America. Gone are the days when most tourists are scared off by Colombias reputation. In fact, the once-troubled country is now one of South Americas fastest growing destinations. Featuring a variety of beautiful landscapes and some of the most welcoming people on the planet, Colombia has gone from avoided to adored. Here are five stand-out places to visit. 1. Tayrona National Natural Park Along the coast abutting the Caribbean Sea, Tayrona National Natural Park is a secluded paradise. The park contains a number of sheltered beaches surrounded by rocky outcrops, with lush mountains serving as the backdrop. Forests within the park are wealthy in wildlife. Visitors can find dozens of bird species, as well as lizards, iguanas, monkeys, and more. Its also worth spending a couple of days at Cabo San Juan, which is spectacular. 2. Cartagena One of the oldest cities in the Americas, Cartagena is part colonial city, part beach destination. The old town is charming and full of character, and if the heat and humidity of midday gets to be too much while taking it all in, there are plenty of beautiful waters to tuck into and cool off. Moreover, within the vicinity of Cartagena there are lots of paradise island-like places to visit on a day trip, such as Playa Blanca. 3. Cocora Valley Perhaps the most picturesque region of Colombia is the Cocora Valley. Found within the heart of the coffee-growing region, this valley is simply awe-inspiring. The valleys grand feature is the wax palm, the worlds tallest palm tree. High in the hills of the valley visitors can also marvel at an overwhelming concentration of hummingbirds at the Acaime Hummingbird Sanctuary. 4. Medellin The hometown of the once notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar, Medellin has revived itself from its days as one of the most dangerous cities on the planet. Today, its a hub for expats, backpackers and business investment. In fact, by most accounts, its now the most prosperous city in Colombia. A smart transit system, high-end shopping malls, quality museums, and an abundance of parks make Medellin an incredibly livable city. 5. Las Lajas Sanctuary Of all the places on the list, the Las Lajas Sanctuary is definitely the most off-beat. This church, near the city of Ipiales and the Ecuadorian border, is perhaps the most fascinating in all of South America. Built on the edge of a steep valley, and with a bridge stretching out across the gap in front of it, the building almost looks more like a castle than it does a church. Brendan van Son is a Canadian digital nomad. SHARE: Canadian search rescue teams in the North Atlantic Ocean have rescued an ailing British sailor. Chris Drummond, 62, from High Wycombe, U.K., was complaining of severe chest pains during one of the final legs of this years Clipper Round the World Race when the decision was made to evacuate him. The daring rescue took place Friday aboard the ocean racing yacht IchorCoal, which was about 500 km southeast of Halifax when the distress call was made. The 70-foot boat is one of 12 identical Tony Castro-designed Clipper 70 yachts competing in the race. In an after-action report uploaded online, IchorCoal skipper Rich Gould called the challenging helicopter rescue very impressive stuff. Gould described the noise as unfathomable when the chopper appeared overhead. I could actually feel the throbbing of the rotor blades run straight through my chest. A Defence Department spokesperson confirmed the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax deployed two aircraft a CC-130 Hercules airplane and CH-149 Cormorant helicopter from Greenwood, N.S.-based 413 Transport and Rescue Squadron to perform the rescue. When weather conditions forced them to ditch their initial approach, two search-and-rescue technicians boarded the vessel and used a rescue basket to successfully hoist Drummond into the helicopter above. According to Gould, it took 14 minutes for the technicians to board, collect Drummond and then extract themselves. We commend the efforts made by the 413 rescue squadron for their professionalism and expertise to ensure that this individual received the care they required, said Sub-Lt. Jamie Tobin of Joint Task Force Atlantic in Halifax. According to race organizers, Drummond was then transferred to Queen Elizabeth II hospital in Halifax. A hospital spokesperson confirmed Friday evening that Drummond was still in hospital and receiving care. The races founder, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, said the crew was in good hands thanks to the joint efforts of the Canadian Coast Guard and Department of National Defence. This year marks the 10th edition of the worldwide competition that invites anyone to sail across the globes most challenging oceans, regardless of their experience. Knox-Johnston, the winner of the Sunday Times Golden Globe first solo race around the world in 1968-69, explained sailing across the ocean is never 100 per cent safe. It cant be. There is always a risk of being thrown around the boat, cracked ribs, broken bones, he told the Star in a telephone interview from Britain on Friday. But if it was easy, who would want to do it? A Halifax company that provides remote medical advice also played a role in the successful medevac. Praxes medical director and emergency medicine physician Dr. John Ross said a doctor on call responded to a satellite phone call from the IchorCoal. A skipper will tell us what they are seeing and we talk the patient through a range of questions, he said. In assessing Drummonds condition, his answers were making it all the more suspicious that this could be heart-related chest pain. The emergency calls Praxes doctors receive, Ross explained, are rarely boring and range from back pain, rashes to more critical issues like broken bones. A Clipper press release said doctors have remotely treated several injuries so far during this years race, from torn torsos to gallstones. In a post-rescue update posted on the races website, Rich said the entire crew is wishing Drummond a swift recovery as they continue onward to the final leg of their 74,000-km journey. The race concludes where it began as the teams sail into London on July 30. Read more about: SHARE: In June, the city of Toronto looks pretty gay. I dont mean this in the idiotic, pejorative, prepubescent way i.e. Did you see that dog with the cone on its head? I know, so gay, right? I mean it in the literal, homosexual sense. The CN Tower glows every colour of the LGBT rainbow; storefronts in and far beyond the Church and Wellesley village don the multi-hued flag. And come parade day, straight and otherwise straitlaced politicians men and women whose idea of a wild night out ordinarily involves a T-bone at Ruths Chris Steak House mount elaborate floats and smile for the camera as scantily clad revellers hose them down with squirt guns. In light of the recent massacre in Orlando, Fla., where a gunman murdered 49 people in an LGBT nightclub, Toronto is visibly prouder and gayer than ever. Even city residents who have faced and continue to face rejection or violence on account of their sexual orientation and gender identity, can take some solace in the fact that hundreds of local coffee shops, drug stores and liquor stores have embraced the Pride spirit and in many cases have announced support for the victims of the Orlando shooting. Next weekend, Justin Trudeau will become the first prime minister in our nations history to march in Torontos Pride parade. But downtown Toronto does not resemble the world at large. Downtown Toronto does not resemble Canada. Downtown Toronto does not resemble Steinbach, Man., a city of roughly 13,000 people, where some elected officials arent so keen on celebrating sexual diversity. Just ask Ted Falk, a Conservative member of Parliament and Steinbach resident who announced this month that he will not attend the citys first-ever LGBT Pride parade on July 9 because his values preclude him from doing so. Even without a scheduling conflict, my decision to not attend would be the same, Falk wrote in a statement to the Star. Ive been clear on this issue many times, and have made my position public on my values of faith, family and community. The scheduling conflict Falk refers to is the regions popular Frog Follies and Agricultural Fair, an annual frog-racing event where participants race northern leopard frogs and the amphibian that jumps the furthest wins the day. Ironically, the organizer of the frog-jumping fest (which, by the way, sounds awesome) urged Falk to attend the pride parade instead of the agriculture fair. This is the first Pride event (in Steinbach) Marie-Christine Bruce told the Winnipeg Free Press. It is historic and important. For Falk though, it appears frog solidarity reigns supreme. This is a shame, says Michelle McHale, a spokesperson for Steinbach Pride, because the small city could really benefit from government visibility and support at its first Pride event. Some people are closeted here and go to Winnipeg and are (only) out on the weekends, she says. Theres definitely this unspoken thing, if you are making those lifestyle choices keep it to yourself. Falks comment that his values, family and community prevent him from attending Pride suggest to McHale that the MP believes LGBT people are not part of the community and we do not count as families. Unfortunately the Steinbach city council may share that view, as it released a lukewarm statement about next months parade. Council has not officially endorsed the July 9 Pride March, it reads. Steinbach residents will decide for themselves whether they wish to attend this event. Thats a far cry from John Tory rocking rainbow beads and Olivia Chow dancing around in a feather boa. In other words, thats a far cry from Toronto, a city that is utterly spoiled, Pride wise; a city whose liberalism we shouldnt mistake for a national norm. It is very cool that Justin Trudeau will march in Torontos Pride parade next weekend. Its a milestone for Toronto. Its a milestone for good hair. But its not a milestone for LGBT rights. Because in a post-gay marriage, post-Kathleen Wynne Canada, a big star on a big gay stage no longer constitutes big change. A small star on a small stage does. Lets hope Ted Falk skips the amphibian race in favour of human rights. Because if he wanted to, if he cared to, he could bring about more change for LGBT people in his own community than the prime minister can on a national stage. (Though I must admit, Id be sore to miss the frog race, too). Read more about: SHARE: PETAWAWA, ONT. An assault by special forces troops is designed to deliver maximum shock value to disorient and overwhelm an enemy force. On this day, it doesnt disappoint. The sharp crack of the snipers rifle signals the start of the synchronized attack. In two shots, the camouflaged sniper invisible in the bushes and pine trees takes out the sentries. A Humvee looking like something borrowed from the famed Desert Rats of the Second World War with its mounted .50-cal. machine gun lays down covering fire. A helicopter pops up over a wooded ridge, swoops in and slows to a hover as seven special forces soldiers fast-rope to the ground. Theres a quick staccato of gunshots as the troops move from one building to the next. Other Humvees roll in to lay down additional fire. In mere minutes, the assault is over. I wouldnt want to be on the receiving end of these guys. Trust me, said Maj. Alain Matteau, a special forces helicopter pilot. The camp was a collection of plywood buildings, the enemy sentries were metal targets. But the ammunition was real, as it usually is, to enhance the realism. We have to be ready to go. In other words, we dont have one week, three weeks, two months to prepare. So training in as realistic an environment as possible is something that we must do, said Maj.-Gen. Mike Rouleau, commanding officer of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. In April, the Toronto Star and CTV News were given exclusive access to the special forces mission in northern Iraq where Canadians are training Kurdish peshmerga soldiers and, later, their facilities at Garrison Petawawa in eastern Ontario. On this June day, amid the landscape of hills and trees that make up the sprawling military base, these soldiers are in the final stages of training to become members of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment, one of the units that makes up Canadas special forces command. The command, which marks its 10th anniversary this year, was created in 2006 to add special forces capabilities around the one unit that existed at the time, Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2). Today, the command is comprised of JTF2; the special operations regiment; the Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit, trained to respond to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents; and 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron, whose pilots have the flying skills to deliver the soldiers by helicopter to a target, often at night. In total, it has just over 2,000 personnel and an annual budget for operations and maintenance of $85 million, not including capital expenditures. We are still growing, we are still maturing the capability ... Now we just need to flesh them out with more capacity, Rouleau said. A mystique has arisen around special forces, fuelled by Hollywood depictions of American missions, such as the one in 2011 that killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan and another that freed Richard Phillips, captain of a container ship, who was being held captive by Somali pirates. Canadian special forces have their own tales of heroism with bravery medals and mention in dispatches that all remain under wraps, at least for now. But the movie mythmaking hasnt all been good. Commanders grate under the depiction that special forces are rogue elements, operating with little oversight. Though many of its activities are out of the public eye and public debate Rouleau says there are exceptionally strong levels of governance. We dont do anything that is unsanctioned by the head of the Canadian Armed Forces and obviously the (chief of defence staff) operates firmly within the boundaries of Government of Canada policy choices, he said. The movies have also left many with stereotype notions about the role of special forces. When people think of special operations forces, they immediately think of rough and ready men running around in the night shooting people, Rouleau said. Its important to underscore the fact that a lot of the work that Canadian Special Forces Command does doesnt involve gunfire, he said. It is sending smart people into complex areas and being able to provide ground truth or information back so senior leadership can make better informed decisions. So its not all kinetic, Rouleau said. Special forces are an enticing force of choice for governments. They can be deployed quickly and dispatched in small numbers unlike the deployment of conventional army units, which often involves bigger and longer-term commitments. The operators who serve with Canadas special forces describe a hectic pace. Its a busy lifestyle ... Were constantly training or involved operationally in places around the world, one special forces major told the Star. Some of those deployments are known, like the current training mission in northern Iraq where special forces troops are assisting Kurdish peshmerga forces. There is also training with military and police in Jamaica and annual participation in the U.S.-led Exercise Flintlock, involving special forces units from across Africa. Yet other deployments are kept under wraps. We are in the crisis in Iraq, obviously. But beyond that we are trying to get ahead of problems by working with partner forces in different parts of the world, primarily in North Africa, Rouleau said. Much of that training work falls to the special operations regiment, led by Lt.-Col. Steve Hunter. And the training in these locales goes both ways. As Canadian soldiers teach military skills, they are also learning the local culture and customs. By getting engaged earlier ... were not only building partner capacity with those host nation forces, keeping threats at bay, were also developing our own situational awareness and understanding, Hunter said in an interview. The special forces has its own schoolhouse that sits behind a fence and guardhouse at the Petawawa military base. In a testament to the growth of the command, the training centre just four years ago is bursting at the seams. Theres a 45-day course to be a signaller, 55 days on mountaineering skills, even an 11-day course to learn how to move using pack animals for transport. In a nearby parking lot, special forces medics practice advanced medical skills, honing skills to treat traumatic injuries and tend to patients for the extended time it might take to get them to a medical facility. On this day, the scenario is an explosion on a bus. Patients many dressed up with realistic-looking wounds are carried off the bus. Injuries are triaged and treatment begins. In a nearby field, a group of CSOR soldiers is learning how to teach military tactics and techniques the very role they are doing in Iraq. Lt.-Col. Chris Allen is commanding officer of the Canadian Special Operations Training Centre. With 31 years of service, hes like the headmaster. The training puts an emphasis on problem solving, critical for soldiers serving in a small team far from the chain of command, he said. Thats impressed on the junior leaders going out the door, the importance of what you are doing and the decisions you are making, Allen said. Thats even more important in todays social media age when an incident on the far side of the globe can very quickly reverberate on Parliament Hill, he said. So those level tactical decisions made by a junior leader instantaneously have repercussions at the strategic level for government, he said. Allen, a veteran operator, said Canadas special forces soldiers are very good. With humility, I can say that. Ive seen many, many special forces around the world ... Person-to-person, we are easily on par with any of our key allies, Allen said. SHARE: OTTAWA Canadian truckers fear a planned new border security measure will steer them into a complicated maze of U.S. law that dents their pocketbooks or even creates immigration difficulties. The Liberal government recently introduced legislation that would step up the exchange of information with Washington about people crossing the Canada-U.S. border. The system involves swapping entry information collected from travellers at the land border, so that data on entry to one country serves as a record of exit from the other. The Canadian Trucking Alliance wants assurances U.S. authorities wont use the data to unduly argue that Canadian drivers are spending enough time south of the border to be considered American residents for tax purposes. This could cause some truckers to exit the market, creating potential capacity shortages in the transborder trucking space, alliance president David Bradley warned Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale in a letter. There already is a chronic shortage of truck drivers in Canada. Under the U.S. Internal Revenue Services substantial presence test, a person can be subject to U.S. tax on their worldwide income if they spend more than 120 days annually in the United States, Bradley noted in the November letter, released under the Access to Information Act. Someone who spends more than 180 days in the United States in any 12-month period could face sanctions for being unlawfully present, he added. The alliance, which represents some 150,000 workers, says a big part of the problem is that any portion of a 24-hour period spent on U.S. soil might be chalked up as a day. If we count a few minutes to drop off a load and go back as a day in the United States, that could lead to some issues, Bradley said in an interview. So its a matter of interpretation. And I think that we would like clarification. The new system could mean much more administration in terms of route planning for Canadian drivers wary of surpassing the time thresholds, Bradley said. These things are all subject to appeal and to review and interpretation. But once you get into those processes, even if youre right, its costly and time-consuming and really not productive. Canadians travelling to the United States have always been responsible for complying with local obligations, said Scott Bardsley, a spokesman for Goodale. The federal government continues to work with stakeholders to grow our economy and help Canadians do business, and is open to discussing issues of concern to them. Bradley hinted he has received some positive signals on the issue from Canadian officials. I think that, as a general rule, the government of Canada understands certainly much better than the U.S. federal government the economic imperative of trade facilitation versus security. But this is the world we live in, and were going to have to see how things play out. SHARE: Melonie Biddersinghs abuse and death at the hands of her father and stepmother was preventable, said Det. Sgt. Steve Ryan. She and her siblings were failed and failed again their horrific treatment continuing unchecked in the Parkdale highrise for years, even after the sudden death of her little brother Dwayne, the concern of her family in Jamaica and police officers seeing her injuries. After the children arrived in Canada in 1991, they were never sent to school. Instead they were mostly confined to the tiny apartment. Dwayne died in 1992 after falling off the balcony one day after he attempted to run away, his death ruled a suicide. Melonie died in 1994. Her grotesquely thin body with 21 healing fractures was found burning in a suitcase in a parking lot. Her older half-brother Cleon survived the abuse, eventually escaping and building a new life. The father, Everton Biddersingh, was convicted of first-degree murder earlier this year, Stepmother Elaine Biddersingh was convicted Monday of second-degree murder. When you think of how long it took for (Melonie) to die, it breaks my heart, said Ryan, the veteran homicide detective who reopened the case in 2012. And yet, two decades years later, immigrant children could still suffer the same fate, he said. Who knows how many other kids are in the same situation? We have to stop this from happening again. Shame on all of us if it does. Here are four suggestions to better protect immigrant children. Registration at port of entry After the horrifying circumstances of Melonie Biddersinghs death came to light, Councillor Michael Thompson proposed setting up a system for children immigrating to Canada to be documented upon arrival and for that information to be shared with local authorities, for instance the school board where the child would be expected to register. That would allow the school board to follow up if the child doesnt register after a certain length of time and to find out why. Under such a system, Cleon, Melonie and Dwayne not attending school would have raised red flags. We need to make sure these children are getting to school. Those are the eyes and ears of the community, Ryan said. The idea is to make sure the children are safe in their new homeland, Thompson said. It could function as an early-warning system for abuse, but also as a way of providing the children with better services. Agencies at the federal, provincial and local levels have been in talks, Thompson said, but they are still waiting for the federal and provincial governments to move forward. Citizenship and Immigration Canada referred questions about a registry to the Canadian Border Services Agency which said it was unaware of a plan for such a registry. Connecting newcomer children with community groups Paulette Senior, CEO of YWCA Canada, suggests newcomer children and families be connected with appropriate community groups for periodic follow-ups, with the aim of making sure children are safe and to support them adjusting to life in Canada. Its not a one-time connection. It can happen until whatever age is appropriate, until they are settled into their new life and new home, said Senior. Its also a way to make sure parents know their duties of care, understand the laws and can get advice and support, as well as make sure children know how to get help. Ryan said Cleon and Melonie once sat in the stairwell and discussed running away. But they didnt know where to go or who to call for help and they were wary of the police. Its crucial for children to know the police can help, Ryan said. Training to recognize abuse and how to intervene for people who work with children The Peel Childrens Aid Society which has Pearson Airport in its catchment area has a specialized immigration team that works with community groups to help them provide support for newcomer families and children. The society also helps train people who work and interact with children, including immigration authorities, to recognize signs of abuse. We do a lot of outreach to the community in educating them. We have 48 community educators who speak around 16 different languages, said Mary Beth Mollenkamp, Senior Service Manager at Peel CAS. The purpose of those sessions is to educate the community and family members about what Childrens Aid does, about the services we provide and how we can help because we rely on community members and professionals and family members to call us. Community responsibility When it comes to children, its everybodys business to try to keep them safe, said Pearl Rimer, Director of Operations at the Boost Child and Youth Advocacy Centre. How could those children be in that apartment, and no one hear screaming or crying? Its just not possible. Public education on when and how to report child abuse needs to deal with why people are hesitant to report, Rimer said. Part of that is changing negative perceptions of Childrens Aid Societies and building positive relationships between local authorities and communities. One of the big fears is what if Im wrong? But you want to be wrong. You want there to be another explanation, said Rimer. SHARE: Happy birthday, CN Tower! You look as futuristic and strange as when you opened to the public 40 years ago tomorrow, on June 26, 1976. A great 1976 view of the tower can be had today from Trinity-Bellwoods Park, where the tree line obscures the other downtown buildings so its alone on the horizon. When the tower opened it was isolated, many blocks away from the then-tiny cluster of downtown buildings at King and Bay Sts., and surrounded by industrial railway lands and a sea of parking lots. Since then the skyline has crept over to the tower and wrapped around it, and its peculiar 1970s future-strangeness is as familiar to us now as Victorian houses. It doesnt much matter that it isnt the worlds tallest anymore; some other city needs the ego boost more. Much of the public record of the CN Towers rise was captured by photographers such as the Stars own Boris Spremo, who snapped it as it grew from a concrete stump to when Olga, the Sikorsky helicopter crane, lifted the final piece of the antenna into place. The CN Tower story is usually about its superlatives, tallest free-standing and all that, but there are many more lesser known stories behind it, including those of the people who built it. One of Spremos most famous photographs is of two ironworkers sitting on a beam without a harness. Also doing this dangerous work were a large contingent of Iroquois ironworkers who helped build the Tower, as they did skyscrapers and bridges across North America. One man has made it his lifes work to compile more of the stories of the 1,537 people who built the tower, from the bean counters to the guys pouring cement at 1,000 feet. The engineering history of the CN Tower has been overlooked, unlike Londons Tower Bridge, the Eiffel Tower or the World Trade Center, says Robert Lansdale. As for the people who built it, their history has been swept under the rug. A self-proclaimed CN Tower kid who was always down there watching it go up in the early 1970s, Lansdale says he has spent 5,000 to 6,000 hours compiling and recreating a visual history of the Towers design and construction as if its being done today. By today he means the way so much of our world is documented from multiple angles by multiple people on various social media channels, often with high quality photographs. For Lansdale, its meant years of scouring both public and private archives for pictures, many of them rarely seen, behind the scenes views. Along the way, he collected many stories too for a project he calls the impossible dream. This is really about people, not the tower, he says. Thats just concrete. One of those stories is about the crane operator Winston Young who formed a Toronto folksinging duo with his wife Mary Jane in the late 1960s before arriving at his perch at the top of the tower. In 1974, Young helped an ironworker daredevil called Sweet William climb to the end of the crane and parachute off. Mary Jane even wrote a song called The Ballad of Sweet William about the event along with an animated video, now on YouTube. Another of Lansdales stories includes a quote from Franz Knoll, the towers structural engineer. It was built using slide rules, human drafting, no computers, no precedents, said Knoll to Lansdale. Altogether the photos and stories get at the enormous complexity of building the CN Tower in the early 1970s. Right now Lansdale has posted the first two feet of a 1,000-foot submerged iceberg of his photos on his flickr.com webpage. (Search for them by his username RCL9.) He thinks he has five to 10 more years work left to do, though hes unsure what to do with the project when hes done. It could be a book, but it also could be a Ken Burns-style documentary. Somebody who makes those kinds of things should ring him up. Maybe itll all be ready for the CN Towers 50th birthday. Shawn Micallef writes every Saturday about where and how we live in the GTA. Wander the streets with him on Twitter @shawnmicallef SHARE: Stafford Hope never goes to work without his reflective orange vest, stop sign and toothy smile. For 21 years, the jovial crossing guard has been shepherding students, parents and teachers across a busy Bloor West Village intersection near Runnymede Junior and Senior Public School. The modern-day Moses is known for blessing students and singing gospel while parting a sea of cars. After watching a generation of kids grow up before his eyes, Hope is hanging up his stop sign this week at age 74, making him the oldest honorary member of Runnymedes class of 2016. His efforts over the years havent gone unnoticed. Four years ago, he was named Canadas favourite crossing guard in a contest organized by FedEx and Safe Kids Canada. The nominees are judged on their safety record and involvement in the community. During one of Hopes last shifts at the end of a school day, students from kindergarten to Grade 8 stopped to give him a hug or pose for selfies. After the pedestrian chaos had subsided, Hope told the Star he was grateful for all the good people who have crossed his path or, more precisely, his street. Im going to miss the people, because the kids are so nice to me all the time, he said, in a Jamaican lilt. Although the kids can be impatient, Hope says he was able to keep the intersection accident-free for more than two decades by getting to know as many faces as possible at the school of 1,100 students. When I talk to them, they listen to me, he said. I recognize people, know people and do the best I can. He came to Canada from Manchester, Jamaica with his wife in the late 1970s. But he still hasnt gotten used to the frigid Canadian winters. He plans to spend the next cold season in Kingston, Jamaica with his family. When he returns, he may start singing again with his old gospel band, Jeremiah and the Vices, he said. Whoever replaces Hope next year will have big shoes to fill in addition to an orange vest, said Runnymede principal Amelia Dennis. He has such a big heart, she said. Every morning, were greeted with God bless you and, honestly, to me hes been the blessing. School staff, students and the parent council are organizing a big send-off for the beloved crossing guard at the end-of-year assembly next week. They plan to give him a framed varsity letter R, for Runnymede, and a class of 16 hoodie, among other going-away gifts. The school will also keep a portrait of Hope, which was painted by an art teacher and her Grade 8 class, hanging in the library. Hope rarely missed a day of work except for a year he was battling cancer. His absence was felt by the students and staff. Its just magical. He truly is a centre to this school, said Samantha Mangano, the mother of a student at Runnymede. If her 5 year old Benjamin is ever upset, Hope cheers him up by complimenting his Blue Jays hat or Superman shirt. I think he takes a lot of pride in his work and truly does care about each and every kid who is crossing, she said. He gets everyones day off to a great start. SHARE: Days away from Canada Day, with our 150th birthday just a year off, its time to ask: How much longer until we sever our last links to Mother England colonial and constitutional? Imagine posing a variation of that question today to Britons, post-Brexit: How might they respond if asked to swear allegiance to an overseas monarch, much less a Brussels-based bureaucracy? We now have our answer. Thanks to Thursdays vote cutting formal ties to the European Union, Britons have taken back their country. Or at least reclaimed their sovereignty, for better or for worse. Odd, then, that diehard monarchists in Canada still cling to the Queen and embrace the mother country both of them offshore. Perhaps it made sense once upon a time, mindful of American expansionism and British protection(ism), to transition from colonial offshoot to constitutional monarchy. But as Canada Day 2017 approaches 35 years after we got around to patriating our Constitution, 150 years after cobbling together Confederation there is the undeniably unfinished business of repatriating the anachronism that is our head of state. If not now, when? Not anytime soon to be sure. Modernizing the archaic construct that is the Crown, so that the Canadian people can enjoy true national sovereignty, is a long-term project. But as our birthday celebration beckons, and with the Queen having just celebrated her own 90th birthday, the succession question will be upon us sooner or later. For the moment, public opinion is weighed down by its own inertia (this is the province, after all, where the Beer Store held sway for decades). Our constitutional amending formula is constrained by the exigencies of unanimity. And the politics of referenda are utterly unpredictable as the British now know, as Quebecers discovered not long ago, and as the antimonarchy Australians learned when trying to unburden themselves of the Queen. Not just their Queen, of course, but our Queen. The Queen we share with the British, who guard their own sovereignty and identity so jealousy. The Queen also claimed by more than a dozen other countries, from Antigua to Tuvalu. That Queen Elizabeth can simultaneously yet separately be sovereign to so many supposedly sovereign lands is a convenient constitutional convention and legal fiction, with theological echoes of the Holy Trinity: Queen of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, Queen of Australia, Queen of Belize ... you get the picture. Ah, but she is ours, the monarchists cry, Queen of Canada! Just not ours alone. Which makes it awkward when sending a letter to friends in Britain, who might legitimately wonder, upon examining the postage stamp, whether it is airmail or domestic post. There is also the recurring indignity of foreign dignitaries toasting our overseas Queen ours, just not entirely ours. The imagery of American presidents offering reciprocal toasts to the Queen when on Australian soil was a recurring theme during the 1999 referendum to abolish the monarchy. Covering that campaign for the Star, just ahead of Australias own centenary celebrations, was an education for me and a lesson in how misinformation, emotion and anti-elitism can win the day. Back then, a strong majority of voters wanted to rid themselves of the Queen, but they emerged bitterly divided. Down in the polls, monarchists knew better than to evoke images of an increasingly unpopular British-based sovereign. Instead of divine rule, they opted for divide and rule shrewdly focusing on the tactical question of what would replace the Queen. Monarchists warned that a presidential system would engender a new elitism. They successfully split the republican vote between so-called elitists and populists, allowing the status quo to squeak through. Against that backdrop, there is little reason to believe Canadians are ready to shed the monarchy anytime soon. But if we are ever to grow up as a country and outgrow the motherland there is no better place to start the conversation than in Ontario. Yes, this is the historical homeland of United Empire Loyalists, whose official motto is: Loyal she began, loyal she remains. True, the Union Jack ensign endures in our provincial flag, a retort to the new Maple Leaf flag conjured up by renegade royalists in the mid-1960s. But who better than todays Ontarians, with our distinctive diversity, to lead the way in modernizing our national identity? If Ontario could break free from the yoke of its own outdated self-image white proto-monarchists showing their undying loyalty to the realm centuries ago Canadas biggest province could reshape the national debate. Whatever your views on Brexit, its hard to argue that a Canadexit from the House of Windsor would wreak havoc on our constitutional system. As our 150th birthday approaches, and as Canadians ponder the arrival of King Charles III and Camilla, the conversation about cutting the ties that bind is just beginning. Happy Canada Day in advance. Martin Regg Cohns political column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. mcohn@thestar.ca , Twitter: @reggcohn SHARE: LONDON A tsunami of uncertainty has engulfed Anna Woydyla, a Polish restaurant worker in London, since Britain voted to leave the European Union. Would her two teenage children, who grew up in the United Kingdom, still qualify for loans to study at British universities? Would she and her husband, after 11 years of working here, have to sell the home they just bought? Leave their jobs? Leave their new country? Try to apply for citizenship? The 41-year-old is among hundreds of thousands of European Union workers in Britain who are fearful and confused over what happens next as their adoptive country begins the long process of unwinding its many ties to continental Europe. If it were just me, I could even return to Poland, a visibly tense Woydyla said as she stocked a bar in an Italian restaurant in Londons Camden district. But my kids are more English than Polish. They dont even want to go to Poland for their holidays anymore. They even speak to each other in English. An entire class of cosmopolitan entrepreneurs, workers, students and strivers who have made the U.K. their home since Britain opened its borders to its EU neighbours now see their futures in limbo. The immigrants changed the face of Britain, turning Londons Kensington neighbourhood into a suburb of Paris, changing sleepy English towns like Boston into Baltic enclaves, filling supermarket shelves across the nation with Polish lager and Wiejska sausage. I personally cannot tell whats going to change for me, said Andrea Cardaro, a 21-year-old Italian student who compared the shock of hearing the referendums result to the punch-in-the-gut feeling of flunking an exam. Ill just have to keep my head up and hope for the best. Laurence Borel, a 36-year-old digital marketing consultant from France, isnt waiting to find out whats coming next. She asked for her British passport in May after more than 15 years living in the country. Ill bet a lot of people are applying, she said, explaining that shed been mulling the idea of a passport for years but the referendum prompted her to act. I dont want to go back to France, she said. My life is here. At workplaces and schools across the country, managers have sent out emails to worried foreign staffers and students, assuring them that for now nothing has changed. The formal process for leaving the European Union will take at least two years, Oxford University said in one such statement. Our staff and students can be assured that in the short term, we anticipate no disruption to employment or study. Over the long term though, the lives of the estimated 3 million EU citizens living in Britain may change in ways big and small. A survey commissioned by the Financial Times found that if Britains current immigration rules were applied to EU nationals, the overwhelming majority would lose their jobs and be forced to leave the country catastrophic news for Spanish barristas, Romanian strawberry pickers, German investment bankers and the industries that rely on them. The biggest impact may be on the Poles, the largest group of foreign EU workers in the U.K. An estimated 850,000 people have left Poland for the U.K. to seek wages and opportunities far beyond what they could ever expect in their ex-Communist homeland, a flow so dramatic that Polish is now Englands second-most-spoken language. The fate of the Poles in Britain is such an important domestic issue in Poland that President Andrzej Duda vowed after the British referendum that Polish leaders will do everything to keep the rights unchanged in upcoming negotiations with British leaders. I trust that the British government will appreciate the contribution the Poles are bringing into the development of the British Islands, into their social and cultural life, Duda said. Under British law, EU immigrants who have resided in the U.K. for more than five years can apply for permanent residency. In practice, however, few EU citizens have bothered as their passports already allow them to travel freely and easily access education, health care, pensions and other services in Britain. The Polish Institute of International Affairs, a Warsaw-based think-tank, has estimated that still leaves up to 400,000 Poles who arrived in Britain after 2012. Though the path forward is still unclear, its possible that they along with hundreds of thousands more from elsewhere in Europe may have to apply for work visas and, if rejected, have to leave the country. Aware of the EU workers anxiety, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who had backed the failed remain side, issued a special message Friday to the nearly one million European citizens living in London alone. As a city, we are grateful for the enormous contribution you make, and that will not change as a result of this referendum, he said. You are very welcome here. To be sure, not all European workers in Britain are panicking or fearful. I feel good. Leaving the EU is a good idea, said Gabriel Ionut, a 24-year-old from Bucharest, Romania, who works as a traffic marshal at a construction site in London. He has worked in the U.K. for four years and, with a residency permit, is confident about his chances of staying. He says he fully understands native British concerns that their island has been forced to absorb too many immigrants in recent years, with too little control over who can come in due to the EU rules ensuring the free movement of people and labour. Now they will have more control over allowing in only the really good people, he said. And they will also be able stop more refugees from the Middle East. I am afraid there could be terrorists with them. Another Romanian construction worker said he was mostly confused. Iosif Achim, a 32-year-old from Satu Mare, Romania, has been in Britain for six years but never bothered to apply for a residency permit. I dont know whats going to happen now, said Achim. But in my opinion this is going to be bad. The concern was mirrored across the Channel by the estimated 1.2 million U.K. citizens living in Europe. The referendum shouldnt affect me too much, but it could, said Herman Martin, a British composer who has lived in Brussels for the past 24 years. Overall, he said, the British vote to leave the EU would be a disaster for both parties. I find it quite disturbing, he said. Everyone with foreign ties appears shaken. Were all in shock and deeply saddened, said Christine Ullmann, a German who works in digital marketing in London, including on the Hug a Brit campaign that pleaded with the British to remain in the EU. Ullmann said she cried on the train Friday morning. Borel, the French consultant, agreed that emotions were still raw. I love London. I love the English. Im heartbroken, she said. Read more about: SHARE: JOHANNESBURG Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia are leaving Sunday for Africa, where they will promote girls education in Liberia and Morocco before going to Spain. Their first stop is Liberia, where the first lady will meet with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and have a discussion with local teenage girls, moderated by actress Freida Pinto. The recent Ebola outbreak in Liberia created even more challenges for girls education in the West African country, where just one-third of girls are enrolled in secondary education. Liberia ranked second only to South Sudan in the share of primary school-age girls who arent enrolled in school, a global report by UNESCO said earlier this year. Actress Meryl Streep then will accompany Mrs. Obama in Marrakech, Morocco, on Tuesday for another conversation with adolescent girls. The North African countrys rates for girls education are well below regional averages, U.S. officials told reporters Friday, with a high dropout rate for girls after primary school. In Madrid, the first lady on Thursday will speak about the Let Girls Learn initiative, launched by her and President Barack Obama last year to encourage developing nations to educate the more than 62 million girls worldwide who dont attend school. President Obama is also scheduled to visit Spain shortly after the first lady. His trip will focus on security co-operation, deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters Friday. Read more about: SHARE: Brexit has hit the British political landscape like a hurricane. And it is by no means certain who, or what, will be left standing when the dust settles over a country divided between shock and elation. While pro-Brexit Conservative leadership candidate Boris Johnson tried to reassure millions of young remain voters that leaving the European Union did not involve pulling up the drawbridge or any kind of isolationism, at least 2.5 million people signed a petition calling for a second referendum. It asked the government to implement a rule that a vote of less than 60 per cent to quit the EU, or a turnout of less than 75 per cent, would trigger another referendum. The backlash to the Brexit has reverberated through Britain, where leaving was backed by 51.9 per cent of voters with a 72.2 per cent turnout. Meanwhile, European officials have said that the deal worked out with retiring Prime Minister David Cameron to keep Britain in the EU is dead. The regionally split Brexit vote also threatens the U.K.s geographical unity. Scotlands government is preparing for a new referendum on independence, and Northern Irelands Catholic Sinn Fein party is calling for a vote on uniting with the Republic of Ireland, which is a member of the EU. Protestant politicians would likely oppose it. Throughout Britain, ethnic wounds have been torn open by the bitter campaign leading up to the vote. Ive spent the day reassuring my staff, said Mark Lattimer, director of the Minority Rights Group International in London. What has shocked minority representatives in the last few weeks is how low the tone of the debate has grown. They didnt expect the extent of the hurtful, xenophobic sentiments. Racism and anti-immigrant rhetoric were part of a deeply divisive debate, in which the leave camp whipped up nationalist emotions and the remain camp warned of economic collapse if the ties to Europe came undone. This was a referendum about immigration which was disguised as a referendum about the European Union, wrote Times columnist Philip Collins, a former speech writer for prime minister Tony Blair. But with the resignation of Cameron, who lost the bet of the century by asking the public to vote on a complex and multi-dimensional issue that few fully understood, the future of British politics is hazy. When Cameron steps down in October, his replacement is likely to be the flamboyant, polarizing Johnson, a former London mayor likened to an intellectual Donald Trump. It was to appease the anti-European and anti-immigration wing of the divided Tory party that Cameron called the referendum, unexpectedly handing Johnson a victory as the grinning public face of Brexit. I think its likely Johnson will be the leader, says political science professor Roger Scully of Cardiff University. Theres no obvious Stop Boris candidate around whom the party could unite. After the vote, Johnson was reportedly confident of his leadership bid, and is planning to team up with Justice Minister Michael Gove as his chancellor. Gove, a less-strident leaver, is also under consideration for the leadership, but denies that he wants the job. The leadership race could begin as early as next week. Candidates must be MPs, and once the list of nominees is finalized, a series of ballots will eliminate all but two hopefuls. The party membership has the final vote. Among the main contenders is Theresa May, a long-serving home secretary mooted as a unifier, but hampered by lukewarm support for the remain camp. Andrea Leadsom, a former junior minister, is also suggested as the Margaret Thatcher redux who comes up from behind in the home stretch. But the leadership is no prize in a country heading for a battering in the months ahead. The pound dropped dramatically after the referendum, with a 20 per cent plunge possible. The spectre of recession hangs over any Tory leader. That could benefit either the far right of the small U.K. Independence Partys Nigel Farage the most vocally xenophobic spokesman of Brexit or the weak Labour Party of Jeremy Corbyn. He is loved by lots of the membership, but viewed with disdain by MPs and not seen as credible by swing voters, says Scully. Whoever takes on the leadership role will have a difficult task convincing the older, poorer and less educated people who feel left behind by an economy that favours the fast-moving, mobile, Eurocentric young that they have benefited from leaving the EU. If a sliding economy threatens cuts to social programs, they may be the collateral damage of the Brexit they supported. Their anger could turn against the politicians of the major established parties to something more ominous. The deeper fear among Tory remainers now isnt just of a recession, writes Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff. Its about the rise of something new in British politics, unleashed when politicians with scant respect for truth meet desperate voters; and for the backlash to come, when it sinks in that Brexit hasnt ended immigration overnight or magically given depressed communities their futures back. The Conservatives will now have until 2020 to rule a Britannia increasingly isolated from Europe, and divided against itself. Read more about: SHARE: Jonathan Hill, sent to Brussels by U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron less than two years ago, resigned as the European Unions financial-services chief in the wake of Britains vote to secede from the bloc. As we move to a new phase, I dont believe it is right that I should carry on as the British commissioner as though nothing had happened, Hill said in an emailed statement on Saturday. Hill, who called for the U.K. to remain in the EU, said he would work in the weeks ahead to ensure an orderly handover. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he had put Hill in the finance post as a sign of my confidence in the United Kingdoms membership of the European Union, but the situation is now changing. Hills brief will be taken on by the Latvian Valdis Dombrovskis, currently a vice president of the commission. Juncker said hes ready to talk with Cameron about nominees to fill the U.K.s slot on the EUs executive body. On Hills watch, the commission opened up the entire financial rule book for review, including contentious issues such as the cap on bankers bonuses. Faced with weak banks and an anemic economy, he said global standards will be adapted to suit Europes needs. And he slowed to a crawl the legislative conveyor that had churned out more than 40 laws after the crisis. Consequences for Britain The European Parliament called for Hills removal within hours of the U.K. referendum result. Elmar Brok, a German member of the assembly, said on Friday that a British commissioner shouldnt be making the rules for financial services if Britain is leaving. Deciding to quit the EU has to have consequences, he said, and this is an area thats of particular interest to the U.K. The parliament was scheduled to vote early next week on a resolution seeking Hills reassignment, though not his resignation. Many in Brussels were initially suspicious of Hills ties to Londons financial services industry after his years in the public relations and lobbying industry. Sven Giegold, a German member of the European Parliament, said his nomination to the financial-services post amounted to putting a fox in charge of the hen house. Nigel Farage, a leading member of the Leave campaign and a European Parliament lawmaker, described Hills nomination at the time as a coup for Juncker, whom Cameron had opposed as head of the commission. Juncker has got an Englishman to be hangman for the British financial industry, a huge contributor to our national tax revenue, Farage said before Hills confirmation. I came to Brussels as someone who had campaigned against Britain joining the euro and who was skeptical about Europe, Hill said on Saturday. I will leave it certain that, despite its frustrations, our membership was good for our place in the world and good for our economy. But what is done cannot be undone and now we have to get on with making our new relationship with Europe work as well as possible. Read more about: SHARE: Parliament would never have let this happen. And yet, Britain is now in the process of leaving the European Union and, if a deal is not made otherwise, its trade agreements. This result comes out of Thursday nights Brexit referendum, where the British voters decided to part ways with the EU. It took the country by surprise; about 70 per cent of voters, and 54 per cent of pro-Brexit voters, expected the referendum to fail. And now, with the global markets shaken and Britons trying to move to Canada, its hard not to ask, what if this hadnt been a referendum? What if we didnt leave these incredibly complex decisions to the people? It turns out that theres some evidence that many people might not have known exactly what they were doing. Courtesy of Google, we know many Britons were searching for more information about what the EU is, hours after voting concluded. Meanwhile, on Twitter, a hashtag circulated, #regrexit, highlighting how some people in Britain decided they had made a mistake voting to leave. But perhaps the best evidence that people who voted for Brexit will come to regret it if they havent already came via this report from the Centre for European Reform, a think tank that favoured Britain remaining in the EU. By leaving, Britain is potentially also leaving its network of trade agreements within the region, pending negotiations. For areas that depend on exports for their economic sustenance, less favourable trade agreements could deal a serious blow. Polling showed the areas that had the most to lose and the least to gain from the Brexit are precisely those where the referendum saw the most support. In other words, the places the most export-heavy regions most hurt by the economic disruptions caused by Brexit could be the places that pushed hardest for it. The biggest economic effect is felt by regions whose economies depend on industries such as manufacturing, mining, agriculture and utilities. These sectors participate in a lot of trade within the EU market, as opposed to domestically or globally. London, on the other hand, feels the smallest effect of the Brexit. As one of the worlds primary financial centres, most of its trade occurs globally, outside of the EU, so new trade restrictions within Europe would not deal the economy a large blow. But beyond economics, these very regions dont have much to gain from Brexit. One of the primary drivers of the campaign was an attempt to control the influx of refugees from the Middle East and Eastern Europe. And yet, the areas with the most immigrants, such as London, tend to be much more in favour of remaining in the EU, according to the centres report. With the British pound tanking and bringing the global economy with it, these local economies might soon start to question what theyve done. Read more about: SHARE: Re: A rethink for Scarboroughs subway plans, June 21 Re: Increased cost should kill this project, June 20 A rethink for Scarboroughs subway plans, June 21 Has the Rob Ford Virus of subways, subways, subways, infected John Tory and members of city council? Will we be going the route of the white elephant Sheppard subway or the more sensible LRT plan backed by the citys chief planner Jennifer Keesmaaat, which would apparently serve tens of thousands more people at approximately the same cost? We shouldnt be wasting money on a one-stop subway that would once again relegate Scarborough residents to second-class as bus users. Lets hope that saner heads prevail when making this choice. Warren Dalton, Scarborough Only the people of Scarborough can now save Toronto from its worst spending and transit decision ever. Its obvious that spending $2.9 billion on a one-stop subway with limited ridership is (to put it kindly) misguided. Its equally obvious that the inevitable cost overruns to come will drive the final price tag much higher. Worst of all, this massive spending will do so little to actually improve transit for residents across Scarborough, where massive upgrades and investments are needed. City and provincial officials need to hear this message from Scarborough residents. Nothing else will now sway them back to reality. Good people of Scarborough, let your voices be heard. Contact government officials, organize community groups, hold rallies to get your message across. Lets make big transit investments in Scarborough that will actually serve Scarborough residents well. That rules out the proposed subway. Myer Siemiatycki, North York A Tesla Model 3 electric car is projected to cost about $40,000. The subway is projected to carry about 4,500 riders. John Tory can give each rider a Tesla, costing about $200 million. He could also buy another 1,000 as spares for casual riders. Total cost would be about $300 million about 10 per cent of the current projected subway cost. Since virtually every transit expansion project has come in late and over budget, the savings will likely be even greater. Michael Yaffe, Toronto If I understand correctly, the province agreed to fully fund a seven-stop LRT so that better transportation would be available to Scarborough/downtown travellers with a capacity of some 15,000 passengers. During the Ford administration, Toronto council fixated on the word subway as if it were a miracle about to transform public transportation and this fixation was adopted by Mayor Tory. The numbers suggest that instead of the province-paid seven-stop LRT serving some 15,000 passengers, Mayor Tory has declared that it somehow is a better deal to have a subway with one stop, serving only some 7,300 passengers and costing Toronto taxpayers an inflated $2.9 billion. The numbers dictate that Mayor Tory needs to face facts and stop pushing for the one-stop subway that will not provide needed transportation while costing taxpayers $2.9 billion (and counting). He must realize that initial promises of subways are word games that cost billions that taxpayers cannot afford; to serve paltry numbers of people when a more efficient and lower cost LRT stares him in the face. There is no shame in admitting your initial idea has proven to be wrong. T.A. Bryk, Toronto Lets rethink the rethink of the original plan. Didnt the Big Move propose all of these solutions a decade ago? There seem to be many ridership estimates, but does the TTC know where people really need to go? Not just the way they currently get there, given the existing public transit and road systems. Ive seen TTC data that show On and Off traffic at each subway/SRT station, but I dont see how it really captures where people need to go after the subway. How does the TTC measure bus transfer direction and destination, other than observation? Id be interested to see people plot their home, and typical daily destination on a digital map. Would patterns emerge that offer clear cut solutions for mass transit? Surely theres an app for that. Norm Girndt, Toronto Sadly, the rethink doesnt think about enough of the options and possibilities. One issue is if would make sense to use the same types of vehicles used for the Crosstown and for all the other LRTs, so that there is a network. The problem is that the Crosstowns vehicles are not the same as regular streetcars, but at the very least, the existing elevated SRT line could be converted to essentially be an extension of the Crosstown. It is unclear if the eventual Sheppard LRT will use streetcars or vehicles like the Crosstown, and this needs to be decided if there will be one type of LRT vehicle or two. The current subway up McCowan makes no sense, particularly if Scarborough Town Centre has an LRT as well. A subway up Markham Rd. makes more sense in the long run, because the subway should not turn north on McCowan but should continue east to the GO station just west of Markham Rd. The U of T Scarborough College Campus should be served by LRT, and so an LRT on Kingston going up Morningside makes perfect sense but why is no transit planned on Kingston west of the Eglinton intersection? The existing streetcars from downtown terminate at Kingston and Victoria Park, and there is an opportunity to extend the Kingston Road streetcar incrementally to Eglinton to allow Scarborough streetcars to have access to the Leslie Barns. We need to think long term an decide which technologies work best, and how to link in existing streetcars and GO service. Anything less makes no sense. Thomas Graff, Toronto Dear Mayor Tory: You say that people who are negative toward the Scarborough subway extension are driven by some sort of animus toward Scarborough. Well, this is Scarborough calling. I am negative to the subway extension. Sure, its a nice idea. In an ideal world, who wouldnt want a subway? But what we out here in Scarborough really want, and need desperately, is a rapid transit network. And we need it now, not 10 years from now. Weve already waited too long, and while our political leaders make one grand promise after another, we are stuck on slow and crowded buses and on an RT that is long past its best before date. Or, for the many of us who cant afford the price of a fare, we walk. We share with other Torontonians a desire to see our tax dollars spent wisely. We welcomed your reversal on the three-stop subway extension in favour of the one-stop subway extension as well as the extension of the Crosstown LRT to U of T Scarborough. Your decision was made on the basis of planning and the facts that were known at that time. We felt that the decision showed real integrity on your part. But now there is new evidence that shows that the subway extension is not the best plan. In fact, the best plan is an LRT system that links Scarborough. It could be built for a similar amount of money, could be built more quickly, could be built most effectively with the expertise and know-how of our own TTC, and, as the citys planning department has pointed out, an LRT system would result in significantly better economic and social development than would a subway extension. I implore you, Mr. Mayor, do the right thing. Shelve the subway extension and move ahead now with an LRT network for Scarborough. Moya Beall, Toronto There seems to be an obsession with an expanded network of high-priced LRTs for Scarborough. Lots of stops at high cost. Let me put forward a better alternative: buses. A combination of VBBs (very big buses) travelling in dedicated lanes for high volume routes and regular buses everywhere else. This could be delivered very fast and at a fraction of the cost for LRTs. It would also be more flexible and lower the cost of maintenance, by not needing garages close to the network. Who will be the first councillor to propose this? Lars Nordgren, Scarborough The fact that people voted for a three-stop subway and all theyre going to get is a one-stop should have been enough to stop this project never mind the billion dollar extra cost. End it now, Mr. Tory. Lets go back to that paid-for LRT. Ellen Bates, Scarborough Oh city councillors give your head a shake and look at the obvious. Grant a few thousand dollars to give the city of Toronto an iconic permanent fixture that has generated millions of social media hits or buy a few thousand votes and build a one- stop subway (sounds kind of funny when you say it out loud) at a cost of $2.9 billion (and counting) to service 7,300 riders? Oh my. J.R. Brown, Toronto Enough already about the mismanagement of transit planning and building. The simple solution is to take the transit file out the hands of Toronto councillors and let the people who are hired for their expertise do the job. TTC chief Andy Byford is a transit expert. Hire another expert to assist him and give him a staff to work with, and get on with it. As well, that group should be off limits to all Toronto politicians. Allan McPherson, Newmarket There is only one taxpayer but there are three governments. I am sure that most of the Toronto taxpayers are not behind city councils decision to continue spending money on the Scarborough subway extension. I am equally sure that there are many people in Scarborough who feel the same way. Its not as though there isnt a viable alternative. The decision was pure politics. If either the provincial government or the federal government decided to not give another cent to Toronto for transit until this project is cancelled they would gain tremendous credibility and be in position to get more seats and win back some of the skepticism so prevalent among all voters. Harry Coupland, Rexdale Increased cost should kill this project, June 20 Another excellent column by Edward Keenan on Torontos subway fiasco. I agree with him 100 per cent, except for the cost of $3 billion. From experience on previous projects, I could see that the cost will increase again before a shovel is even put in the ground. Then once it gets underway (if ever), there would be all those extras for unforeseen circumstances. I would guess $5 billion would be closer to the truth. Robert Herscovitch, Toronto Maybe we should get Ed Keenan to run for municipal office. At least we would have someone who could put forth a rational and economically feasible proposal to get our transit system moving in a timely manner. The continual flip flopping and highly politicized manoeuvring that Mayor Tory and the once highly touted Jennifer Keesmaat are forcing us to absorb appears to reflect their lack of understanding of the issues and their inability (or reluctance) to actually make a decision and move forward with it. Tory, Keesmaat and the rest of council need to understand that the people of Toronto are not going to put up with this bologna much longer. Steve Craine, Toronto After his election, Mayor Tory promised to base his decisions on evidence, not public opinion polls. Good. More accurate cost estimates for his favoured one-stop Scarborough subway have just increased by $1 billion to $3 billion. Where is our low-tax-obsessed mayor going to find the money? He continues to reject the earlier approved surface LRT with seven stops fully funded by the province at half the cost of the subway. Stig Harvor, Toronto Gee, this subway folly cost has risen a near-billion dollars even before they start digging. Wow. Keep It Simply Surface (KISS) should be a guide to us. And why not have those who vote in favour of billion-dollar-plus projects put all their net worth into it too? Hamish Wilson, Toronto Early in his campaign, John Tory talked about due diligence. Maybe he should do some of that diligence before trying to sell one of his transit plans. P.A. Reid, Toronto Mayor Tory and his cohorts on council have been provided with two options for serving the transit need of Scarborough. One is a seven-stop LRT, fully funded by Queens Park. The second is a three-stop subway to be funded by Toronto taxpayers to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. As time goes by, this cost keeps rising by millions and millions of dollars. The huge cost to taxpayers does not seem to deter Mayor Tory. He is determined to go ahead with the less useful, more expensive option. To paraphrase Mark Twain, In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made the Toronto City Council. Herb Alexander, Thornhill SHARE: Canadas new National Newsmedia Council has dismissed with reservation a complaint about the Toronto Stars March report of the Ford family event held at the Toronto Congress Centre to celebrate the life of Toronto mayor Rob Ford. The complaint concerned a question of the accuracy of the size of the crowd reported in the Stars article Hundreds celebrate legacy of ex-mayor. In that article, David Rider, the Stars city hall bureau chief, wrote that Doug Ford told several hundred people that the Ford family would carry on with the work of Rob Ford. The complainant, Doug Dixon of Toronto, subsequently told the Star and the NNC that he believed the crowd count of three thousand or more as stated by one of your competitors (the Toronto Sun) was more accurate and in line with his experience of attending the evening event. Dixon sought a correction from the Star. I told him the Star could not publish a correction based on the numbers published by another news organization. We told him (and the NNC) that, as the story indicated, the number reported in the Star reflected the reporters observations and estimation, based on his experience covering public events, of the size of the crowd during the time Ford was speaking. It was not an overall crowd count of the entire evening. Of course, all direct observation is subjective and it behooves reporters to strive for the utmost fairness in reporting their own observations, I told Dixon, adding that I had considerable confidence in Riders experience, credibility and record of fairness, as do his editors. Indeed, I told him, this reporter had no reason not to report accurately and fairly what he observed. I also made clear that the question of crowd counts is a perennial challenge for journalists. As I have written before, crowd counts in news reports are often not exact, nor stated with exactness. The estimated size of any crowd reported by most any news organization is likely always open for debate. Indeed, published reports of the crowd size of the Ford event ranged from the admittedly vague several hundred reported by the Star and other news organizations to the Suns high of more than 3,000. CBC News reported that dozens of people had begun lining up before the event began. Dixon told us that a Toronto police officer who attended told him the next day that eight to ten thousand people in all had been there throughout the night. As far as we know, police did not attend this event in any official capacity so that was not an official police estimate. In dismissing the complaint, the media council agreed a correction was not appropriate. Of course, I think that was the right call, given the challenge of stating any number with any certainty. What exactly would a correction say? But, in doing so, the NNC expressed valid reservations about this vexing matter of reporting attendance figures at public events. With many Pride events scheduled throughout this week, including next weekends Pride parade, these are points well worth pondering. The council called for particular caution from journalists in reporting on events with strong potential for controversy. Council further recognizes that crowd estimates are important, stated this weeks decision. In controversial or political contexts, they are significant for both supporters and opponents. Council notes that crowd size is an age-old problem in reporting, and media in general should be aware of the need for accuracy in this matter as in any other, the decision said. Better journalistic practice is to avoid reporting numbers and numerical estimates unless they can be verified. I am not sure where that leaves us. Editors and readers, too, I think consider crowd counts relevant context to understanding an event. But there is no way to verify the exact size of a crowd. Certainly most reporters have devised methods of trying to determine how many people make up a crowd. As Ive written in the past, these include counting out a group of 100 people then seeking to determine how many groups of 100 can be counted overall. Its not uncommon either for reporters from various news organizations to talk among themselves to determine some crowd size consensus based on groupthink and best guesstimates. And journalists should make clear to readers that any crowd count reported is an estimated number not a statement of fact. We might also consider providing a range of the number of estimated people in attendance based on the journalists own observations, what organizers report and what police overseeing the event tell journalists and attributing those numbers to appropriate sources. Keep in mind however, as I told Dixon, that journalists do not, and should not, consider police estimates the gold standard of crowd counts either. So how many people will attend Pride events this week? Who knows? Indeed, no one can know for certain. SHARE: The day has finally come. Britons are now casting their ballots in an historic referendum on whether the country should remain part of the European Union. People and markets the world over will be watching closely for the results. A final poll released today by Ipsos Mori for the Evening Standard newspaper put "remain" four percentage points ahead at 52% for "remain" and 48% "leave". The poll was carried out on June 21 and June 22. However, the poll comes with a huge caveat: 12% of the 1,592 respondents said they could change their minds. A Financial Times poll-of-polls released last night put "remain" two percentage points ahead at 47%, with "leave" at 45%. Unlike general elections in the U.K., which are determined by the constituency, the voting is done by local council and the outcome will be determined by the overall number of votes for "remain" or "leave." 10 p.m./5 p.m. Eastern time. Polls close across the U.K. Unlike general elections there will be no projections or exit polls. A YouGov poll for Sky News conducted prior to the today's vote will be released at this time. A close watch of the sterling derivatives market could give an indication of what may happen. It is said that some institutional investors may have conducted private exit polls for staff. 12:00 a.m./7 p.m. Eastern time. The Asian markets will be the first indicators of how markets are reacting to the vote. Tokyo opens at midnight London time, or 7 p.m. Eastern time. 12:30 a.m./7.30 p.m. Eastern time. The first results should start coming in. Sunderland, a council in the north east of England, is expected to be the first to report as it is always the first in general elections. Sunderland has been polling narrowly towards a "Brexit." Results from Wandsworth will also come in around this time. That would make it the first of London's 32 boroughs to report. This affluent part of London is expected to be a strong "remain". The City of London will also be among the first. This too will be a strong remain, however the number of people that live is the financial center known as the square mile is very small, at around 7,000 people. The results could give Asian traders a bit of food for thought as they brace for the result. 1:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m./8 p.m. - 10 p.m. Eastern time. More results are expected to trickle in, and start coming thick and fast around 2:00 a.m., which is 9 p.m. on the East coast. Remain is expected to be in the lead around this time as many London boroughs will be reporting. Oxford, a strong "remain" council, is also expected around this time. According to JP Morgan analysis cited by The Guardian, if leave has a 40% to 45% share of the total vote at this time it will likely be a "remain" victory. However, if "leave" is around 45%- 50%, it'll be very close, and if it is even higher than "leave" may be celebrating. 3:00 a.m - 6:00 a.m./10 p.m. - 1 a.m. Eastern time. There should be a strong indication of how the vote will go, with results of the majority of councils known. 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m./1 a.m. to 2 a.m. Eastern time. Barring any recounts the results should be known. The chief counting officer Jenny Watson is expected to officially announce the results in Manchester around this time. 8:00 a.m./3 a.m. Eastern time. Markets open in London and around Europe. Although Asia will have given indications, the true impact of the result will be seen. U.S. airlines shares were falling Friday due to the perceived impact of Great Britain's exit from the European Union, with American Airlines (AAL) showing the biggest decline. Fears relate to the devaluation of the British pound, although that could make Great Britain a more desirable travel destination. Investors are also worried about weakness in the British and European economies. Additionally, aviation agreements with Great Britain will have to be renegotiated, although little reason exists to assume they will be altered. In Friday trading, American shares were listed at $28.26, down $2.07 or 7%. United (UAL) shares were trading at $42.88, down $2.30 or 5%. Delta (DAL) shares traded at $36.71, down $1.60 or 4%. Of the three global carriers, American has the biggest presence in the United Kingdom. American and British Airways are founding partners of the Oneworld alliance and have antitrust immunity for their trans-Atlantic partnership. American operates an average of 25 daily summer departures to the United Kingdom. It serves London Heathrow from eight U.S. airports; as well as Manchester, England, from Chicago; Birmingham, England, from New York Kennedy and Philadelphia; and two Scottish airports. No immediate changes are planned. "Like the rest of the world, we will learn more as the exit process unfolds and as the effects of that exit become more clear," said American spokesman Matt Miller. In a recent report, Buckingham Research analyst Dan McKenzie said 6.2% of American capacity touches the U.K., compared with 5.3% of United capacity and 2.7% of Delta capacity. Delta also has an ownership stake in British airline Virgin Atlantic. Aviation consultant Bob Mann said he doubts that Brexit's impact on U.S.-U.K. commercial aviation will be as broad as some people imagine. "There will be some currency effect, and some rearrangement of demand," Mann said. "The U.K. just got cheaper as a destination, and I think there's going to have to be a reset of the air services arrangements between the U.S. and the U.K. But it's just a matter of mirroring those arrangements -- I can't imagine we would want something that looks different." Among the individual airlines, American "has the greatest exposure of the three U.S. carriers by dollar exposure and by capacity exposure, but they have British Airways on the other end of the arrangement," he said. "That should give them immunity from some of the effects." Like American, Delta issued a statement early Friday saying it is too soon to judge the impact of Brexit. Calling the U.K. "one of the world's leading air markets," Delta said, "It's business as usual for the foreseeable future for Delta's flights between the U.S. and Britain. Delta remains committed to the U.K. market." Delta offers 13 flights a day to the United Kingdom, including flights to London Heathrow from eight U.S. cities; a flight to Edinburgh from JFK; and a flight to Manchester from JFK. The busiest route, JFK-Heathrow, has three daily flights. United offers 26 flights a day to the United Kingdom from five U.S. airports. The busiest route, Newark-Heathrow, has five flights a day. In a report issued Friday morning, Raymond James analyst Savanthi Syth said she expected initial pressure on airline stocks in a "shoot first, ask questions later," market move. Syth said that the near-term Brexit impact on airline earnings would be diminished because tickets are sold in advance and because fuel prices may decline. However, a fuel price decline would mean that fare growth would likely slow, which would delay an expected recovery in the airlines' passenger revenue per available seat mile. In trading airline shares, investors tend to prioritize PRASM growth over profits. "The greatest near-term risk to earnings is from a stronger [dollar], primarily against sterling (GBP) and the euro (EUR)," Syth wrote. "In addition to translation risk, and similar to last summer, transatlantic demand to the U.S. is likely to suffer (partially offset by increased demand from the U.S.) and domestic European travel is likely to be boosted." This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned. Silicon Valley likes to thumb its nose at Washington. Tech executives have long derided the nations capital as a place where good ideas go to die by a thousand regulatory cuts. But increasingly, one quintessential Washington institution is taking hold: the chief of staff. (Oliver Munday /For The Washington Post) One evening in March, a group of tech industry elite sat around a table in the private dining room of a Michelin-star restaurant in San Francisco, listening to a talk about how to do their jobs. The people assembled wielded about as much power as anyone in Silicon Valley, but they werent the likes of Sheryl Sandberg, Marissa Mayer or Elon Musk. Instead, the evening marked the quarterly gathering for Silicon Valley chiefs of staff an under-the-radar group whose members are the right-hand men and women to techs biggest power players. Silicon Valley likes to thumb its nose at Washington. Tech executives have long derided the nations capital as a place where good ideas go to die by a thousand regulatory cuts. But increasingly, one quintessential Washington institution is taking hold: the chief of staff. Its growth in many companies is reflective of the evolution of the start-up boom: Companies have gotten bigger, often very quickly, and theyre seeking more organization and hierarchy as a result. Silicon Valley used to be more scrappy, said Brian Screnar, chief of staff to Nathan Myhrvold, formerly Microsofts chief technology officer. Myhrvold is chief executive of a company called Intellectual Ventures, which sells patents. As tech matures, things need a much more rigid structure. Chiefs of staff are the people who control access to the people every entrepreneur wants to meet. The relationship is highly intimate: Theyre the ones who brief the executives in the morning and are often the last people the leaders communicate with before going to sleep. In a town where theres a meetup group for growth hackers and big data aficionados, this club is by far the most obscure and perhaps the most exclusive. Needless to say, it has no Web page, and the groups members are largely unknown outside their own companies (most prefer it that way). In Washington, such a group wouldnt be necessary: Everyone knows who the chiefs of staff are, and the role is historically well-defined. But the job is still new in Silicon Valley, where everyone is frenemies, so its useful to compare notes on even run-of-the-mill topics, such as how to run efficient meetings, the best strategies for breaking into China and what makes the best administrative assistants. The membership list includes chiefs of staff to entrepreneur and executive Musk, investor Peter Thiel, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sandberg and Apple design chief Jony Ive, as well as the chief executives of LinkedIn, Salesforce, Hewlett-Packard and Yahoo. Chiefs of staff working for executives at archrival ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft are also represented, as are high-growth start-ups such as Dropbox and DocuSign. Some Silicon Valley chiefs of staff prefer to eschew the Washington-sounding title, preferring terms like technical lead (at Intel and Amazon) or director of the office of the CEO (for Musk). Chiefs of staff in Silicon Valley must frequently juggle the commitments of a cast of characters with larger-than-life personalities, ambitions and whims. Consider Sam Teller, the chief of staff to Musk. Teller spends his time managing the affairs of a man who is chief executive both of electric carmaker Tesla and the space exploration firm SpaceX, is chairman of energy company Solar City, and is chairman of a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting artificial intelligence for the good of humanity. Or Screnar, chief of staff to Myhrvold, whose side projects in addition to his patent company include building a next-generation nuclear reactor, publishing scientific papers on asteroids and dinosaur fossils, and writing a 2,438-page cookbook on molecular gastronomy. Just keeping up with Nathan is a large part of my day, Screnar says. Ryan Metcalf, a former Obama White House aide who organizes the group, is chief of staff to the serial entrepreneur Max Levchin. Levchin has founded or helped start seven companies, including PayPal, Yelp, online payments company Stripe, a financial-lending start-up called Affirm, and the fertility app Glow. Hes also an investor in some 100 start-ups and awards an annual cryptography prize. These guys have their hands in everything, Metcalf says. My job is to put out fires before they get to him. Between spoonfuls of caviar panna cotta and shots of liquid nitrogen gin and tonics, the evening began with everyone lauding SpaceXs recent big achievement: landing a rocket on a drone ship floating in the ocean. Then they went around the table, each guest sharing a quick personal update and a current work challenge. After the ice-breakers, the group listened to Tyler Parris, a U.S. Marine-turned-consultant who recently wrote a book on how to be a chief of staff in a corporation. Parris passed out an article about the water crisis in Flint, Mich. It depicted a beleaguered chief of staff to the states governor rebuffed by state agencies when he tried to raise red flags and so overloaded with tasks that the lead-poisoned water became an overlooked line item on his agenda. How does this predicament compare with your jobs, Parris asked. Was there something he could have done differently? Did he involve his boss too little or too much in big decisions? The attendees listened. Someone piped up to say that the job is less about managing outside expectations than about reeling in a charismatic, temperamental boss. Tessa Lyons, business lead for Facebooks Sandberg, noted that her boss was highly organized and adept at reeling in people herself. Everyone chuckled knowingly. An old tradition The job is a Washington staple. Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first president to have an official chief of staff, but the position extends back to the early republic. George Washington used chiefs of staff, known as aides-de-camp, when he commanded the Continental Army; as president, he had a private secretary whose salary he paid out of his own pocket, a practice that continued until the mid-nineteenth century. The position appears to have migrated to corporate America over the past 15 years; in Silicon Valley, the number of people with the title is growing. Intel has had chiefs of staff since the 1990s; Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin had them in the mid-2000s. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg dont have them. Increasingly, smaller start-ups are hiring chiefs of staff, said Nakul Mandan, partner at venture capital firm Lightspeed Venture Partners, in part because the latest start-up wave is growing up. Many people have been attracted to the recent tech boom, including Washington types, and once-small start-ups have raised a lot of capital and become hundred-person companies in short periods. Theyre starting to recognize that the hierarchies, management structures and bureaucracies of corporate America can make you more efficient, he said. Screnar, who was formerly the chief of staff to the deputy secretary of the interior, began working in tech in 2013. Today, a newer, bigger wave of Obama insiders is moving West in droves in search of positions. The role is also growing because the tech industry is in the public spotlight in a way its never been before. Companies such as Twitter, Facebook and Google, and even smaller companies such as Dropbox, have hired lobbyists on issues such as net neutrality, cybersecurity legislation and patent reform. Prominent venture capitalist Marc Andreessen can make an insensitive comment on Twitter that has ripple effects across the globe. Salesforce chief executive Marc Benioff has become perhaps the leading private-sector voice advocating for gay and transgender rights. To some extent, the chief of staff group provides a back channel to see where fellow executives stand on these public issues. And as Silicon Valley executives become bigger public figures, its useful for chiefs of staff to know people who have handled that kind of public scrutiny. In March, the group helped circulate and push out a letter, ultimately signed by about 100 U.S. companies, condemning the controversial legislation over transgender bathrooms in North Carolina. When President Obama went to Stanford University for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit last week, the chiefs of staff group played a role in selecting the companies highlighted for their efforts to promote diversity. Mostly though, the dinners are a chance to gossip, network and trade management tips. A couple of informal rules are observed: No one is allowed to poach anyone elses executive assistant, and no trade secrets are shared, said Michael Arrieta, chief of staff at electronic signature company Docusign. We keep it high-level, he said. Parris, who interviewed dozens of chiefs of staff in many industries for his book, said the Silicon Valley group was the only such club he found. Arrieta and other members said they werent surprised: They think the tech industry is collaborative by nature. In part, thats a function of it historically being clustered in a small area and driven by tight-knit relationships in which everyone is a potential investor, co-founder, purchaser of or contributor to your software. When Metcalf began working for Levchin in 2013, he knew only one other person with the same role, and he wanted to have a group to compare notes with and exchange war stories. So that October, he organized a low-key dinner in San Franciscos Jackson Square with the chiefs of staff to Musk, Sandberg, Mayer and Thiel. They played bocce ball and came up with a list of invitees. At the early dinners, most people were sizing up one another figuring out who had the closest relationship to their executive and more responsibility to craft strategy, and who was more like a glorified administrative assistant, members said. You quickly figured out who had a job that was like yours, Arrieta said. In many ways, the job is performed similarly in Silicon Valley as in Washington. Silicon Valley chiefs of staff described themselves as b.s. detectors and filters for their bosses. They try to take their bosses far-fetched ideas and get them across the finish line which means being an enforcer within an organization and saying no to a lot of projects. If theres a task that no one has responsibility for lets say a start-up needs new office space the chief of staff fills the gap. They try to make sure the executive is so prepared for every meeting that he or she seems like the smartest person in the room. Metcalf has even taken to producing classic Washington briefing books for Levchin. The books, which are standard in politics, detail his travel schedule at fifteen-minute intervals. Youre part campaign manager, part body guy, part adviser, and press person all in one, Metcalf said. Other aspects of the job are inherently different. At the dinners, people discuss strategies for raising cash, a perennial concern for start-ups. They talk about going global, particularly in China, and take lessons from other tech companies that made headway there. If a chief executive wants to talk to another one, the chiefs of staff will discuss the issue in advance so its greased on both ends, Screnar says. But unlike in Washington, most chiefs of staff said they aspire to be entrepreneurs themselves and some have already done so. Metcalf thinks thats a good thing. In an era in which Silicon Valley is cutting back on perks, former government officials might bring some needed discipline to free-wheeling start-ups. As much as Washington gets a lot of flak for bureaucracy, there was one thing I learned from the White House, he said. Efficiency. Bill Cunningham shoots on the street in New York City in a scene from the 2010 documentary "Bill Cunningham New York." (First Thought Films/Zeitgeist Films/First Thought Films/Zeitgeist Films) Bill Cunningham, who dropped out of Harvard to pursue a career making hats for high-society women and later became a roving street fashion photographer for the New York Times, documenting and at times influencing fashion trends with his keen eye for emerging styles, died June 25 in New York City. He was 87. His death was announced by the Times. The cause was complications from a stroke. For decades Mr. Cunningham photographed New Yorks social, philanthropic and fashion whirl for the Times. Zipping across the Big Apple on his bicycle, armored in his signature blue French workmans jacket, his Nikon camera dangling around his neck, he discreetly photographed the most fashion-forward people in one of the worlds most stylish cities. In addition to documenting street fashion, Mr. Cunningham also captured on camera the larger culture of the city and was one of the first photographers to document gay pride parades and AIDS awareness gatherings in the 1980s. [What Bill Cunningham taught us about ethical journalism] Physically unimposing and almost comically frugal, Mr. Cunningham was as much a character as anyone he photographed. The product of a devout Irish-Catholic family in Boston, he attended Harvard University only to confound expectations by quitting in 1948 after one term to focus on his interest in womens hats. He became a milliner and also worked at an exclusive dress shop in Manhattan whose clients included Marilyn Monroe, Katharine Hepburn and future first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. He befriended Kennedy, who turned to Mr. Cunningham after her husbands assassination in 1963 for help dyeing a red Dior or Balenciaga suit he never could remember which a more somber color for the presidents state funeral. There wasnt time to get another suit, so we dyed it black, he told Harpers Bazaar in 2014. Mr. Cunningham drifted into journalism at the behest of his society friends, writing about fashion for Womens Wear Daily and the Chicago Tribune, among other publications. A self-taught photographer, he began regularly contributing pictures to the Times in the 1970s. As far as the editors were concerned, his breakthrough apparently unintentional was his 1978 picture of the actress Greta Garbo, the enigmatic movie star of the 1920s and 1930s who famously abandoned the screen for life as a recluse. Enamored of Garbos nutria coat, Mr. Cunningham said he had barely noticed the woman herself when he took a photo of her on the streets of New York. I thought: Look at the cut of that shoulder. Its so beautiful, he later wrote. All I had noticed was the coat, and the shoulder. At the Times, which he joined full-time in 1993, Mr. Cunningham had two weekly photographic columns. Evening Hours focused on the citys social and philanthropic scene, and On the Street captured the self-made fashions of stylish New Yorkers strolling through the city. Mr. Cunninghams photography of unpredictable urban fashion trends earned him a loyal following and made him internationally renowned as a trend-spotter, long before new looks were identified by more renowned fashion editors. I realized that you didnt know anything unless you photographed the shows and the street, to see how people interpreted what designers hoped they would buy, Mr. Cunningham said in the 2010 documentary film Bill Cunningham New York. He said his favorite time to capture New Yorkers was when they were off guard, particularly in the rain or during a blizzard. He also enjoyed photographing unsuspecting fashionistas on their way to work early in the morning. You see how people really live and how they really dress, he said. William John Cunningham Jr. was born in Boston on March 13, 1929. He described his Irish-Catholic family as deeply religious and said his interest in fashion developed at church. I could never concentrate on Sunday church services because Id be concentrating on womens hats, he wrote in an autobiographical column in the Times in 2002. He left Harvard at 19 and moved to New York to work as a hat designer, then as a fashion consultant at a custom dress boutique. He later opened a millinery shop under the name William J. to save his family from embarrassment, he said. He specialized in whimsical, avant-garde hat wear from a giant clamshell hat to feathery headpieces to turban-inspired toppers. The store drew praise from the Times, where a critic in 1958 noted that Mr. Cunningham had cornered the face-framing market with some of the most extraordinarily pretty cocktail hats ever imagined. After closing his shop in 1962, Mr. Cunningham began working in journalism, gradually switching from newspaper columns to photo spreads. His work was featured in Womens Wear Daily, Vogue and the original Details magazine, which once devoted more than 40 pages to his pictures. Between 1968 and 1976, he worked on a historical project called Facades that linked fashion to architecture. He captured models in period clothing to match the eras of Manhattan structural landmarks dating from the 18th century to the 1950s. Among his models was photographer Editta Sherman, whom he once called the kind of woman who performed The Dying Swan as a hobby. The visual project was turned into a book in 1978 and a celebrated photo exhibition at the New-York Historical Society in 2014. He was profiled in the New Yorker in 2009 and was named a living landmark of New York by the New York Landmarks Conservancy. In the documentary on his life, Mr. Cunningham was portrayed as old-fashioned, frugal and resistant to advances in technology. He refused to own a cellphone, a computer or a television. He insisted on having his film developed at a one-hour photo store in Manhattan, taking a fresh batch of negatives to his office at the Times each week. For six decades, he lived in a rent-controlled artists space in Carnegie Hall with no kitchen. He used a communal bathroom and slept in a cramped single bed that rested on filing cabinets filled with old negatives. In 2007, the Carnegie Hall Corp. announced plans to demolish the studios for rehearsal spaces, and Mr. Cunningham left for an apartment in Midtown. He had no immediate survivors. In 2008, Mr. Cunningham was honored by the French culture ministry for his career in fashion photography and was awarded the Legion of Honor. As he stepped to the podium to accept his award, he was actively photographing the crowd of fashion industry officials. Its as true today as it ever was, he said in his acceptance speech, his voice breaking. He who seeks beauty will find it. Dear Amy: Toward the end of my junior year of college, I met a man who I thought was going to be Mr. Right and Forever. We got engaged a week before my college graduation, and I was over the moon. This was going to be my modern-day fairy tale. We moved in together after I graduated from college. We broke up three months before the wedding. He broke my heart and crushed any hope I had for fairy-tale love at that time. I moved out the very next morning. Over time, we would continue to see each other, even though I knew he was dating a co-worker (shame on me, I know). Almost two years to the date after our supposed-to-be wedding, we had a conversation on the phone, which led to a fight and him driving to my apartment. After having sex that night, a friend told me that she saw his engagement announcement in the local newspaper. I didnt know that they were engaged; otherwise I wouldnt have allowed him past my front door! I know that I shouldnt have continued to see him when they were dating, but I ended it after I found out they were engaged. Theyve been together eight years now and have a child. On the other hand, I have not been in a relationship since the breakup. Is this karmas way of saying Im cursed because of our indiscretions? Im open to being in love again, but just havent found that same kind of spark or feeling that I did initially with him. Karma Cursed? Karma Cursed: I know its tempting to blame karma for delivering what you see as your just deserts for participating in this cheating episode, but if that is the case, then why hasnt karma punished your ex? What he did was worse than what you did. I think you should assume that karma has bigger fish to fry than to continue to punish you for your behavior of long ago. And now perhaps you should stop punishing yourself. My take on your situation is more pedestrian. Are you out there, looking to meet Mr. Right? Are you willing to date a bunch of Mr. Not Quites in order to find him? It is easy to wallow in your alone state and dwell on ancient hurts. It is hard to put yourself out there and risk getting hurt again. I hope you are brave enough to try. Dear Amy: I was married at the age of 18. I had a baby boy at 19 and divorced quickly. My son never met his biological father. He was raised and adopted by my current husband (of 42 years). Their relationship has at times been rocky. Over the years, I have often asked my son if he would ever want to meet his biological dad, and he always said the same thing: He didnt want me, so why should I want him? My sons wife wanted him to find his dad (the main reason being that she and my husband hate each other). Recently, the biological dad passed away without them ever meeting. Now my daughter-in-law wants to reach out to his widow. My son is 50 years old. Shouldnt we just leave it alone? Upset Upset: Your son should do what he wants to do. You imply that your daughter-in-law is influencing him negatively to seek out a vestige of his biological fathers family. However, we are all influenced by the people around us to varying degrees. He might feel secure enough to face the painful process of trying to connect with someone he will never know. Midlife is typically a time of self-reflection and discovery; he should be encouraged. I realize this might be painful or threatening to you and your husband, but if this is what he wants, you should try to be supportive and helpful not urge him to leave it alone. Dear Amy: This is for Conflicted in CT, the agnostic who cringed at the thought of attending the renewal of his sisters wedding vows because it would be in a church. I am also an agnostic and had a similar problem when one of my grandsons became a Pentecostal preacher. I attend his church services, occasionally, without participating. When others rise, I remain seated. In this way, I honor my grandson by my presence without compromising my beliefs. Not Conflicted in FL Not Conflicted in FL: There is a strong human pull toward witnessing. You have found a way to do that. 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 young child reads in Washington, D.C. The District is currently under court order to increase the proportion of 3- to 5-year-olds it serves with special-needs services. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post) The D.C. government is appealing a federal court ruling that said the city is providing inadequate services to young children with special needs who have yet to enter the school system. The appeal is the latest turn in a long-running legal battle over whether the District government is complying with federal education laws and doing enough to address disabilities and developmental delays among preschoolers. If the decision stands, the city will be required to identify and evaluate more children between the ages of 3 and 5 in need of special-education services, according to the U.S. District Courts May ruling. The District appealed the decision last week. Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, all the states and the District are required to provide services either privately or in group settings to preschool-age children with social, learning or physical disabilities. But because children that young are not required to be enrolled in the school system, the law says its the states responsibility to identify these children and provide them with the services they need. This identification process is known nationally as Child Find. By the time they enter kindergarten, the children enrolled in these services should already have an established individualized education program, or a specialized learning plan tailored to their individual needs. The courts decision calls on the city to ensure that at least 8.5 percent of District residents between the ages of 3 and 5 are receiving special-education services. The law states that once identified, each child must be fully evaluated within 120 days. In the 2014-2015 school year, the city provided special education and related services to 6.2 percent of the citys 3- to 5-year-olds, District officials reported. The Districts lack of effective Child Find and transition policies is particularly troubling in light of the intense scrutiny and seemingly constant admonishment it has received over the last decade, Judge Royce C. Lamberth wrote in his May opinion. This lawsuit, D.L. v. District of Columbia, has dragged on for more than a decade, pinging between trial and appeals courts. A judge initially ruled in favor of the families, and the city was ordered to make improvements. The city appealed, and the case was returned to the lower court on a technicality. Last month, the lower court again ruled in favor of the families, with the judge ruling that the city still is not in compliance with federal law. The city has not said on what grounds it is appealing the decision. The citys Office of the State Superintendent of Education, which oversees federal education programs, and the D.C. attorney generals office, which is handling the case for the city, both said Friday they could not comment on an ongoing lawsuit. When the lawsuit was filed in 2005, the District was only providing services for about 3 percent of children in this age group. That was below the national average of about 5 percent, according to Margaret Kohn, a lawyer for the plaintiffs since 2010. On top of that, experts testified, the District has a number of factors, including high poverty and teenage pregnancy rates, that would contribute to the citys actually having a higher percentage of young children with developmental delays than the average state has. The judge acknowledged in his most recent ruling that the city has made significant improvements since 2005. When Michelle Rhee became chancellor of D.C. Public Schools in 2007, she opened a revamped diagnostic center and hired a developmental pediatrician to lead efforts to identify and evaluate children. The nations capital is one of a handful of cities that offers universal and free preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, which puts more children in the school system at an earlier age. The District has come a long way since 2005 when this lawsuit was initiated, but it has not come far enough, Lamberth wrote. Indeed, while its progress has been in some ways impressive, the District started at such a low base that the advances it has made are insufficient to bring it into compliance with its legal obligations. If the city does not comply, the judge wrote, he will call for significantly more court oversight and monitoring than his current opinion ordered. Judith Sandalow, the executive director of the Childrens Law Center, celebrated the decision and said she constantly sees children who are several grades behind in school whom the city has not yet identified as having a learning disability. The city is too quick to blame the child or the family for the childs ability to learn, Sandalow said. ANNAPOLIS, MD - APRIL 11: Sen. Bobby Zirkin(D-Baltimore), foreground, meets with supporters of Noah's Law on the last day of the Maryland state legislature, on April, 11, 2016 in Annapolis, MD. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post) Maryland regulators are paving the way for energy companies to begin fracking in the state once its moratorium on the controversial gas-extraction process ends in the fall of 2017. Meanwhile, state lawmakers opposed to the drilling method, technically called hydraulic fracturing, have begun making plans to permanently ban it during the next legislative session. Marylands Department of the Environment this month outlined proposals that closely align with rules the administration of former Democratic governor Martin OMalley pitched several years ago, but with faster permitting and looser requirements for buffers to protect areas near the sites. The department briefed the public on its proposals this week in Allegany County, and it has scheduled meetings in Baltimore on Monday and Garrett County on Wednesday. Environmental watchdogs plan to protest at the Baltimore event with former gas-industry workers and Pennsylvania residents who say they were harmed by hydraulic fracturing. Some are taking a zero-tolerance approach to the drilling method, which has raised concerns about groundwater contamination, air pollution and earthquakes. Theres no evidence that regulations of any kind can protect the environment from fracking, said Thomas Meyer, a senior organizer with the advocacy group Food and Water Watch. This underscores the need for the legislature to pass a ban. Several Maryland lawmakers plan to propose prohibitions during the 2017 legislative session. Sen. Robert A. Zirkin (D-Baltimore County), who sponsored a bill to ban fracking in 2014, said he will introduce a similar measure next year, which he sees as the last chance to block drilling before the states moratorium expires in October 2017. We have one shot to prevent this, he said. Its our responsibility to stop this. Del. A. Shane Robinson (D-Montgomery), who sponsored bills to ban fracking in 2013 and 2014, said he might introduce such legislation in the House next year. If somebody else doesnt do it, I will plan on cross-filing Zirkins legislation, he said. Fracking supporters say the extraction method, which involves pumping water, sand and chemicals into deep wells to break up rock and release natural gas, could provide economic benefits for Western Maryland. A 2014 study by Towson Universitys Regional Economic Studies Institute found hydraulic fracturing in that area of the state could generate more than 3,000 jobs and at least $5 million in tax revenue each year during peak drilling. It could help our economy considerably, said Sen. George C. Edwards (R-Garrett). This is one of the poorest parts of Maryland. The key is to monitor it and make sure people are doing what the department says they should do. The states new plans are a slightly revised version of regulations released during the final weeks of OMalleys second term. Instead of requiring setbacks of 1,000 feet between the overall fracking operations and places where people live and work, the buffer would extend from the gas wells themselves. The permit-review process also would be simplified to shorten it from the expected seven months the OMalley plans would have required. Regulators also have proposed moving air-quality testing from the fracking sites to a monitoring station in Frostburg. Maryland Environment Secretary Benjamin H. Grumbles defended the states proposals, saying his department must be doing something right if both sides of the debate are unsatisfied. Were working toward the middle, trying to find a sweet spot between stringent regulations and workable, achievable requirements, he said. We want to protect public health and the environment, and recognize that the market is going to determine whether we get applicants for fracking down the road. Industry groups say opponents have little to complain about with the proposed rules. Theyll still be the toughest, strongest hydraulic-fracturing regulations in the country, said Drew Cobbs, executive director of the Maryland Petroleum Council. But opponents say the state will suffer in the long term if it allows fracking to take place. The type of damage done by the fracking industry is hard to undo, Zirkin said. Its an inherently dangerous industry. Rabbi Jeffrey Kahn, owner of the Takoma Wellness Center, dispenses medical marijuana in the Districts Takloma neighborhood. (Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post) Heard the one about the rabbi and the pastor who want to sell medical pot? The vast list of applicants for one of up to 15 licenses to grow marijuana for medical purposes in Maryland includes at least two religious leaders, Rabbi Jeffrey Kahn and Pastor Gareth E. Murray. Kahn is a longtime fixture in the Districts medical cannabis community, serving about 1,000 patients at the Takoma Wellness Center dispensary in the citys northern tip. Just about every day, he said, he has to turn away residents from nearby Maryland who are barred from the D.C. program. He has invested in a prospective Maryland growery called Rosebud Organics and has applied to open a second shop just across the border in Takoma Park. Its too sad not being able to help, Kahn said. Gareth E. Murray, a pastor and former state delegate, believes in marijuanas medicinal uses. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post) [Medical pot could be big business in Md. Heres who wants in] First ordained in 1981, Kahn left his active religious role to open the dispensary in the District after serving four Reform congregations in places including Australia and New Jersey. His early opinions on medical marijuana were shaped by watching congregants manage AIDS symptoms by illegally using the drug. Kahn is used to coming across people who are puzzled to find a rabbi in the medical marijuana business. But, he says, it should be no surprise. Reform Judaism was among the first religious denominations to champion medical marijuana, in 2003. Today, the leader of Israels ultra-Orthodox Agudath Yisrael political party serves as the countrys minister of health, overseeing a robust and well-established medical cannabis program. In the first chapter of the Bible, God creates plants and tells us that they are very good, and they are for our use, Kahn said. God has created these things for our benefit. Murray, an associate pastor at the First Baptist Church of Silver Spring who served as a Democratic state lawmaker between 2003 and 2007, is a newcomer to the medical-marijuana industry. He says his sermons have included modern-day takes on the tale of the prodigal son replete with teetotaler warnings about young adults who befriend Jim Beam and Mary Juana. [Ex-Raven puts his money where his mouth is on medical pot] But Murray also believes in the medicinal value of cannabis. After watching documentaries and hearing stories from friends about cancer patients using the drug to relieve the side effects of chemotherapy, he joined a bid by a farmer from Southern Maryland to land a marijuana cultivation license on the condition that the company was strictly medical. People look at medical marijuana a lot of times as the guy standing in the corner smoking a joint or getting high, Murray said. We need to educate people about the facts. And its not about getting high; its medical. Murray says the company, PhytaGenesis, had an amicable split with team members who hope to expand to recreational sales if Maryland lawmakers move to fully legalize the drug. As the director of government and community affairs for PhytaGenesis, Murray helped arrange meetings with influential state lawmakers, including Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert). He has stayed active in politics since leaving the General Assembly, serving as legislative affairs director for the state higher education commission and working in government consulting. You got all these big folks coming in from out of state, Murray said. I want to help the small-business owners. MARYLAND Troopers car struck during stop on I-270 Charges are pending against a motorist suspected of driving under the influence Saturday morning when she allegedly swerved across three lanes of traffic on Interstate 270 in Gaithersburg and struck an unmarked police cruiser, injuring a Maryland State Police trooper and a family of four. Just before the crash, Trooper John Dressel was sitting in his cruiser on the left shoulder of the northbound lanes of Interstate 270 after pulling over a car occupied by a family of four. About 6:52 a.m., a woman driving a tan Lexus SUV crossed three lanes and struck the back of the troopers patrol car, slamming it into the familys Acura, state police Cpl. Roy Preau said. Dressel was trapped in his car for 10 minutes before responders extricated him. He was airlifted to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore with serious internal injuries that were not considered life-threatening. The driver of the Lexus car also suffered serious, non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda. Both remained in the hospital in stable condition Saturday evening, Preau said. Emergency responders shut down all lanes of Interstate 270 until 7:45 a.m. so that a helicopter could land on the interstate to transport Dressel. Southbound lanes were reopened before 8 a.m., and all lanes were reopened by 10 a.m., Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer said. The family members in the stopped vehicle two adults and two children was released from Shady Grove Hospital after being treated for minor injuries. Charges were pending against the driver of the Lexus as Maryland State Police continued to investigate the crash Saturday evening. Elise Schmelzer Virginia Two hospitalized after shooting in Dumfries No arrests had been made as of Saturday morning after a shooting in a Dumfries townhouse that injured two people. Two male victims were in Inova Fairfax Hospital with serious gunshot wounds that were not considered life-threatening, Prince William County Police said. Officers responded to a call at a townhouse in the 1600 block of Fort Fisher Court at 9:06 p.m. Friday. Officers found one victim, a juvenile male, in the residence, police spokesman Mark Merriman said. The other victim, an adult male, checked himself into the Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Centers emergency room, where he was later located by police. Both victims were airlifted to Inova Fairfax Hospital. No description of the shooter was available, Merriman said. Police ask that anyone with information about the shooting call the Prince William Police Department at 703-792-6500. In this recorded interview with detectives, Michael A. Clinton admits to killing Jesse Campos in Montgomery County in 2012. Clinton told detectives he perceived Campos as a threat to his kids. Clinton was sentenced for the murder on Friday. (Montgomery State's Attorney's Office) In this recorded interview with detectives, Michael A. Clinton admits to killing Jesse Campos in Montgomery County in 2012. Clinton told detectives he perceived Campos as a threat to his kids. Clinton was sentenced for the murder on Friday. (Montgomery State's Attorney's Office) Michael Clinton stood in a Montgomery County courtroom, seemingly at peace with what hed done. The 30-year-old already serving time for a 2014 murder in Virginia in which he duct-taped a man before shooting him was about to be sentenced for another killing. In the 2012 murder in Montgomery, Clinton shot a young man five times at close range before firing a final round into his mans head. In court Friday, Clinton turned to his mother, wife and 4-year-old daughter and told them he loved them. He took two minutes to repeat his claim that hed killed the Montgomery County man in a broader scheme to protect the little girl, an explanation discredited at his trial. Other than that, Im good, Clinton said. Im ready for the sentence. Im ready to go back to prison. And thats it. Moments later, Montgomery Circuit Judge Marielsa A. Bernard sentenced Clinton to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Thats atop the 45 years hes serving in Virginia. Jesse Campos, before he was killed in 2012, with his wife, Starr, who later died of cancer. (Photo from Ana Campos) The high-ranking gang member was led away in handcuffs in front of his daughter. She wore a pink Peanuts cartoon T-shirt, a pink skirt and the wide smile of an innocent. She got as close as she could to her dad, leaning over the corner of a short wall that separated the gallery from the well of the courtroom. Bye, daddy, she said, blowing him a kiss. It appeared at once heartbreaking and cruel. As Bernard had told Clinton minutes earlier: I kind of wish she wasnt here. The judges sentence put an end to the long-winding case, which involved a land-records court clerk, a co-defendant nicknamed Slink, and Clintons failed efforts to be his own lawyer. This man is a monster who has no soul or conscience, the victims sister, Ana Campos, said in court Friday. Earlier: The murder victim, Jesse Campos, recalled as wonderful person. In late 2012, her brother, Jesse Campos, 21, was living in an apartment in the White Oak section of Silver Spring. Two floors down lived a woman named Imani Cook, now 27, who authorities said regularly purchased marijuana from Campos. At some point, they said, Cook loaned Campos $200. Prosecutors said Cook, who at the time worked as a land-records clerk at the county courthouse, told Clinton about the debt and also told him that when she asked about repayment, Campos threatened her and the young daughter she and Clinton have. Joined by a friend Steven Slink Webster Clinton lay in wait at the apartment building and quietly followed Camposs roommate upstairs, donned a mask and forced the roommate at gunpoint to open the apartment and let them inside, court testimony showed. In a back bedroom, according to prosecutors Hannah Gleason and Mary Herdman, Clinton grabbed Campos by the hair and pushed him to the ground. What you say about my baby momma?! Clinton yelled, according to a witness. Six shots were fired at Campos. Detectives struggled for 17 months on the case. They finally got a major break on April 30, 2014, when a car rental office in Oxon Hill, Md., was robbed. One bandit ran off, but the getaway driver Clinton remained out front and was arrested. Clinton fingered the man who had escaped. Detectives found him. The man was surprised, according to prosecutors, insisting there was no way Clinton would have identified him because he could implicate Clinton in murders. And he then did so. One was the killing of a man who had owed Imani Cook money, detectives said. He kept talking. He offered to take detectives to the murder weapon hidden in a residential air duct. The detectives talked to other sources and witnesses andfocused on Clinton. On March 3, 2015, in the presence of his attorney, Clinton provided what prosecutors described as a full confession. He said he had killed Campos because he was worried Campos was going to hurt his daughter and another child of Cooks. Clinton told detectives that the scene inside Camposs apartment was chaotic, with the roommate and Webster present. Cook has pleaded guilty to accessory after a murder in Camposs death and has been sentenced to five years in prison, according to court records. Webster has pleaded guilty to armed robbery and use of a firearm during a felony and has been sentenced to five years, the records say. And in a recorded statement aired in court at trial, Clinton described the role that earned him a life sentence. I ran past them, got to the room, seen Jesse walking from the closet, Clinton said. I pulled the trigger once, twice, three times, four times, five. Might have been six. I dont know. Read more: Letting Noah go: Md. officers parents channel grief to fight drunken driving Anesthesiologist trashes sedated patient and it ends up costing her A 12-year-old girl is facing criminal charges for using certain emoji. Shes not alone. GPS tracker was attached to suspects leg. But the leg wasnt attached to the suspect. One of Scalias final opinions will shorten some prison sentences Three people were shot fatally and two others were wounded Friday night at a house in Prince Georges County, police said. The dead a man and two women and wounded were found at a house in the 3100 block of Orleans Avenue in the Forestville-District Heights, according to police. Of the wounded, police said, one was in critical condition. The others condition was described as not life-threatening. Based on their initial investigation, police said the shooting does not appear random. Police said late Friday that a search for the shooter or shooters was underway. It was not clear whether police had a description of possible assailants or a motive. Officers were sent to the scene about 9:35 p.m. after authorities received a report of a shooting there, police said. Orleans Avenue is a two-block street that intersects Marlboro Pike a short distance inside the Capitol Beltway. It is a few hundred yards from Longfields Elementary School. A neighbor, who declined to give his name largely because no one had been apprehended, described his area as an older neighborhood of mainly single-family homes. It is generally quiet, the neighbor said, and he could not recall previous visits to the street by police. To his knowledge, the man said, two people were renting the house after moving in three or four months ago. He said that he knew nothing about them but that it appeared they had many visitors at various hours. The man said he did not hear any shots before police cars and ambulances began arriving on the street. Scott Windham, left, and Jason Delk work at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, where scientists plan to use the worlds most powerful electron beam to find signs of a particle that interacts with both dark and light matter. (Judith Lowery/Newport News Daily Press via AP) Look around what do you see? A paltry 5 percent of what the universe is made of, thats what. All the rest is what scientists call the dark sector, composed of things we cant see directly, things we can observe only by their impacts on other objects. This summer at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News, a team headed by MIT physicists will begin a multiyear effort to try to glean evidence of at least one tiny theoretical piece of all that darkness: a dark photon a particle that interacts with both dark and light matter. Called the DarkLight experiment, it could unearth the first evidence of what one researcher calls a bridge between the universes visible and invisible sectors. So far, bare hints of the existence of dark photons have been teased out from nuclear and particle physics experiments and from astrophysical observations. When you look out into the universe, you see galaxies spiraling, rotating, said Richard Milner, a former director of MITs Laboratory of Nuclear Science. And, of course, what you see are objects that emit light the so-called visible matter. If you look at how the matter in a galaxy behaves as you go out from the center of the galaxy, you can only explain the motion if theres a lot of matter that you do not see but which interacts gravitationally with the matter that you do see. Hence, its called dark matter. Dark matter Physicists believe dark matter comprises about 27 percent of the total matter in the universe. Theres also dark energy, which is even less understood, comprising 68 percent of total matter and based on observations that the universe is accelerating and expanding. Milner and his colleague Peter Fisher hope to gain harder evidence of a dark photon by using the Jefferson labs free-electron laser, the most powerful electron beam in the world. Its going to be very pioneering, Milner said. Jefferson Lab has absolutely unique accelerator facilities its the only place in the world where you could imagine doing this experiment. But a dark photon isnt the only thing theyll be hunting. The physics world is buzzing over speculation that a Hungarian experiment may have found evidence of a new particle that could constitute an elusive fifth fundamental force of nature. A big if If the 17-MeV particle, as it is called, exists and physicists say thats a big if it would go a long way toward reconciling the standard model of physics to explain dark matter. It would be incredible, said Chris Carone, a theoretical physicist at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg. Carone said hes skeptical that the 17-MeV particle exists. But if DarkLight should find it, this would be the first conclusive evidence of physics beyond the standard model, the accepted theory of known elementary particles and their interactions. And the Holy Grail is to find something that goes beyond it, Carone said. Some new particle which could be a force-carrier or otherwise that will give some hints about what physics explains sort of the unanswered questions about the standard model. The Jefferson lab is ideal for the DarkLight experiment because its megawatt-power electron beam is extremely bright, extremely clean and halo-free, Milner said. Dark photons are believed to interact with visible matter, but only very rarely and elusively. Often, theyre only hinted at by unexplained anomalies. For instance, said Kandice Carter, a science writer at Jefferson Lab, a measurement of high-energy electron-positron pairs in outer space found more pairs than could be explained by typical cosmic-ray production, suggesting that dark photons produced the extra pairs. Milner and his team say they believe a charged particle beam such as the free-electron laser could coax a dark photon out of hiding. Each of these experiments looks at different energies, different locations to find these dark photons, Carter said. DarkLight is going to look in an area that no one else has ever looked in. DarkLight will focus on particles with mass energies from 10-MeV to 100-MeV, or mega (million) electron-volts, Milner said. 10-MeV is 1 percent of the mass of a proton, while 100-MeV is 10 percent of the mass. The team will shoot beams through a target of hydrogen gas, whose atoms consist of a proton and an orbiting electron. When the beams electrons hit the hydrogen, theyll blast away the protons, leaving a scattered electron, a proton and an electron-positron pair that may come from the decay of a dark photon. Were looking in a different place, Milner said. Maybe well learn something. Maybe well find something. Haystack needle Robert McKeown, the labs deputy director for science, likened it to looking for a needle in a haystack. But such a discovery, McKeown said, would represent a historic breakthrough in fundamental particle physics worthy of a Nobel Prize. DarkLight is also well positioned to find evidence of the 17-MeV particle, Milner said, although, like Carone, he is skeptical about doing so. Im a physicist, so were careful, Milner said. You cant predict it, because youre at the frontier. We have to worry about doing the highest-quality experiment we can. And, obviously, not miss it, if its there. I think DarkLight is as suitable an experiment to look for it as any other experiment, he added. Its probably the most suitable. If the particle is found, it would become the fifth fundamental force of nature, joining the particles associated with gravity, electromagnetism and the strong and weak nuclear forces. Milner said the researchers expect to start the beam by the end of July and take measurements in August. But DarkLight will take time: The team expects to run the experiment for at least three years. WHEN MEMBERS of the armed forces return to civilian life as veterans, the United States tries to give them something in return for their service. One such reward is federal hiring preference: Veterans get an advantage over civilian applicants not just when they are applying for their first government post but also when they move between agencies or seek promotion. The Senate version of a major military policy bill would take away that second bite of the apple. There are plenty of good reasons to give veterans a leg up at the start of their civil service careers, in addition to gratitude. Some veterans have difficulty adjusting to civilian life, and many job-seekers may find themselves at a disadvantage after years away from the workplace. But it is harder to understand why veterans who have already made their way into federal posts should get preference over people who may be performing better in comparable positions. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee and a longtime advocate for veterans, seems to agree. So do the officials in the Defense Department who encouraged Mr. McCain to change the preference policy in this years defense authorization bill, now in conference with the House. Advocates of the change say bumping veterans to the top of hiring lists can discourage the most qualified candidates from taking government jobs at all. Opponents of change claim the preferences come into play only as a tiebreaker between equally qualified candidates. The reality is more complicated. Hiring managers must draw from lists of the most qualified candidates for a position. Veterans receive point bonuses that put them higher on those lists, and sometimes the result is a crowding out of qualified candidates who havent served. It doesnt help that the lists are drawn up using too-simple criteria requiring a bachelors degree, for example, but failing to distinguish between programs or areas of study. Not only do some qualified candidates not make it to the interview room, but others may also feel discouraged from applying at all. Almost half of new federal hires to full-time positions in 2014 were veterans; its not hard to see how non-vets might feel they have little chance of success. The Senates changes would not fully solve these problems. Preference policy might need tweaking on a larger scale: Actively recruiting especially qualified veterans instead of relying on online postings, for example, could ensure both that veterans get hired and that theyre the right people for the job. Updating qualification criteria would also make a difference. For now, though, the Senate has struck a smart balance between taking care of veterans and taking care of the federal workforce. Painted image of former London Mayor Boris Johnson (R) and U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (L) last month. (Neil Munns/EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY) With Britains vote to leave the European Union, did Donald Trump just win the presidential election? On the surface, this may seem an odd question, but the concerns that led a majority of Brits to vote leave on Thursday are similar to those that have catapulted Trump to the Republican nomination immigration, refugees, underemployment. Also similar have been reactions to Brexit and to Trumps political rise. Analysts and market speculators were shocked that the prediction models they used were wrong. Overnight, the political playbook seemed to have become a relic of some distant past. The biggest gambler of all was Prime Minister David Cameron, who held the referendum despite his preference to remain. His resignation essentially marked the death of the establishment and a rebirth of people who have risen in protest of a world they refuse to accept. The populist, anti-establishment movement weve been witnessing in the United States isnt purely local. Other countries, especially in Europe, are feeling similar stresses to their psyche as well as their material infrastructure, leading to renewed calls for nationalism. Already, other nations are queuing up to join merry old England on the exit ramp. Here are three big ways that Britain leaving the E.U. might affect Americans. (Daron Taylor,Jhaan Elker/The Washington Post) The ground has shifted and, with it, global markets. Immediately, the pound plunged along with stock values. Rattled investors tried to regain their equilibrium. The world gaped in breathless wonderment as a new, upside-down landscape took shape. All, that is, except for Donald Trump. Conveniently in Scotland to visit his Turnberry resort, the brand-brandishing baron of bombast opined that Brexit was a great thing. Never mind that the Scotch, as Trump recently referred to his Scots heritage, voted overwhelmingly to remain in the E.U. and likely will hold a referendum soon to separate from Britain. What matters is that Trump saw in Brexit an opportunity to profit. Because thats what Trump does. One impoverished fellows home foreclosure is Trumps business opportunity. One nations lost cause is his tourist bonanza. You probably thought Brexit was about national independence, didnt you? Trump thought it was about him. The pounds decline, he explained, could mean more travelers to his resorts and what could be better than that? Trump further explained that it was great the British people were taking their country back, just as Trump supporters are hoping to do in November. Indeed, in many respects, Trump is the U.S.s Trexit a ticket to leave the establishment and entrenched bureaucrats whom Trumps admirers, and Britains leavers, see as responsible for their respective nations problems. This message, though weve heard it a thousand times, has taken time to penetrate the minds of commentators and analysts who now humbly acknowledge that they didnt see it coming neither Brexit nor Trump. It was easier to name the manifestations xenophobia, racism, sexism, fear of the other than it was to recognize the root causes, which, distilled, amount to a looming sense of lost identity. 1 of 56 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Britons react to cutting ties with the European Union View Photos Many celebrated the referendum results Friday and British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that he will resign after Britons went to the polls the day before. Caption In late June, many celebrated the referendum results, and British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that he will resign after Britons went to the polls. June 26, 2016 People walk over Westminster Bridge wrapped in Union Jacks, toward the Queen Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) and the Houses of Parliament in central London. Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images Wait 1 second to continue. The smartest thing Trump has said during his campaign was in a speech last week. Citing Hillary Clintons slogan Im with her, he said his slogan is Im with you, the American people. Brilliant. When Trump frames things this way, he wins. When his critics point to his xenophobia and racism, legitimate though these observations may be, he wins again. To his fans, the critics dont get it. When Trump supporters hear post-Brexit analysts say the leavers suffered fear of the other, they hear fools ignoring the realities of unsecured borders, possible terrorists posing as refugees and illegal immigrants demanding entitlements. A majority of Brits apparently heard the same thing. Their retreat isnt only away from the European Union and, inferentially, from globalization, concubine of the New World Order. It is rather a turning back toward home, the idea as well as the place. Home is who we are, the values we share, the traditions we practice and the one flag to which we all pledge allegiance. This is the red meat of the matter. Those who miscalled Brexit havent or hadnt fully grasped the gravity and intensity of the identity imperative. Trump, love him or hate him, grasped it, embraced it, gave it a helicopter ride and promised to respect it in the morning. He placed all bets on the power of nationhood and on his unique power to harness and reinvent globalization in his own image. Clinton would do well to heed these identity concerns lest she become Americas Cameron to Trumps Trexit. Read more from Kathleen Parkers archive, follow her on Twitter or find her on Facebook. WHEN BAHRAIN announced a decision Monday to strip the citizenship of a leading Shiite cleric, Sheik Isa Qassim, it accused him of creating an extremist sectarian environment and claimed he had encouraged sectarianism and violence. In fact, Bahrains ruling monarchy and government are the ones fomenting division. In recent weeks, they also dissolved the main Shiite opposition group, al-Wefaq, of which Sheik Qassim was the spiritual leader. These and other repressive measures taken lately are likely to backfire. Bahrain, a Sunni monarchy in the Persian Gulf that hosts the U.S. 5th Fleet, has been cracking heads of the opposition ever since the Arab Spring broke out five years ago and has harshly repressed those who sought a greater political voice for the countrys Shiite majority. The latest actions take the ruling al-Khalifa family still farther down the road of despotism and could trigger new waves of protest. The leader of Irans elite Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard Corps immediately vowed to stir up an armed revolt. Bahrains decision means that Sheik Qassim could be deported. Human Rights Watch said the authorities have produced no evidence to support the charges against him. Since July 2014, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Bahrain has stripped more than 250 people of their citizenship, a pernicious form of punishment. At the same time, on May 30, a court in Bahrain more than doubled the prison sentence imposed by a lower court on opposition leader Sheik Ali Salman, from four to nine years. As secretary general of the now-defunct al-Wefaq, which was the countrys largest legally recognized opposition political group, he had given speeches explicitly repudiating the use of force and calling for nonviolence, but he was nonetheless found guilty of having justified acts of violence and sabotage, provoking regime change and calling for Jihad as a form of religious duty. Human Rights Watch said the court ignored videos of his speeches and may have relied instead on a government report that misrepresented what he said. Also alarming, the authorities on June 13 detained the prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab and on June 21 extended his imprisonment for eight days, on charges of spreading false news . . . in a bid to discredit Bahrain. The kingdom had promised reforms after the crackdown of 2011 but largely failed to deliver. A report by the State Department just sent to Congress says that Bahrain did establish some institutions of accountability and oversight but has fallen down on the vital issues of allowing free speech and assembly, and establishing due process. Last year, the Obama administration lifted some holds on military sales to Bahrain. Perhaps this sent a signal to the king and his regime that there would be no further consequences from Washington if they pummeled the opposition again. At the very least, it is time to send a different signal if necessary by holding up U.S. military sales that Bahrains contempt for dissent and basic human rights is intolerable. Activist Danna Miller Pyke protests near the Dallas site where the ExxonMobil annual shareholder meeting is taking place in May. (Jae S. Lee/The Dallas Morning News via Associated Press) Robert Post is the dean and a professor of law at Yale Law School. Global warming is perhaps the single most significant threat facing the future of humanity on this planet. It is likely to wreak havoc on the economy, including, most especially, on the stocks of companies that sell hydrocarbon energy products. If large oil companies have deliberately misinformed investors about their knowledge of global warming, they may have committed serious commercial fraud. A potentially analogous instance of fraud occurred when tobacco companies were found to have deliberately misled their customers about the dangers of smoking. The safety of nicotine was at the time fiercely debated, just as the threat of global warming is now vigorously contested. Because tobacco companies were found to have known about the risks of smoking, even as they sought to convince their customers otherwise, they were held liable for fraud. Despite the efforts of tobacco companies to invoke First Amendment protections for their contributions to public debate, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit found: Of course it is well settled that the First Amendment does not protect fraud. The point is a simple one. If large corporations were free to mislead deliberately the consuming public, we would live in a jungle rather than in an orderly and stable market. ExxonMobil and its supporters are now eliding the essential difference between fraud and public debate. Raising the revered flag of the First Amendment, they loudly object to investigations recently announced by attorneys general of several states into whether ExxonMobil has publicly misrepresented what it knew about global warming. The National Review has accused the attorneys general of trampling the First Amendment. Post columnist George F. Will has written that the investigations illustrate the authoritarianism implicit in progressivism, which seeks to criminalize debate about science. And Hans A. von Spakovsky, speaking for the Heritage Foundation, compared the attorneys general to the Spanish Inquisition. Despite their vitriol, these denunciations are wide of the mark. If your pharmacist sells you patent medicine on the basis of his scientific theory that it will cure your cancer, the government does not act like the Spanish Inquisition when it holds the pharmacist accountable for fraud. The obvious point, which remarkably bears repeating, is that there are circumstances when scientific theories must remain open and subject to challenge, and there are circumstances when the government must act to protect the integrity of the market, even if it requires determining the truth or falsity of those theories. Public debate must be protected, but fraud must also be suppressed. Fraud is especially egregious because it is committed when a seller does not himself believe the hokum he foists on an unwitting public. One would think conservative intellectuals would be the first to recognize the necessity of prohibiting fraud so as to ensure the integrity of otherwise free markets. Prohibitions on fraud go back to Roman times; no sane market could exist without them. It may be that after investigation the attorneys general do not find evidence that ExxonMobil has committed fraud. I do not prejudge the question. The investigation is now entering its discovery phase, which means it is gathering evidence to determine whether fraud has actually been committed. Nevertheless, ExxonMobil and its defenders are already objecting to the subpoena by the attorneys general, on the grounds that it amounts to an impermissible content-based restriction on speech because its effect is to deter ExxonMobil from participating in the public debate over climate change now and in the future. It is hard to exaggerate the brazen audacity of this argument. If ExxonMobil has committed fraud, its speech would not merit First Amendment protection. But the company nevertheless invokes the First Amendment to suppress a subpoena designed to produce the information necessary to determine whether ExxonMobil has committed fraud. It thus seeks to foreclose the very process by which our legal system acquires the evidence necessary to determine whether fraud has been committed. In effect, the company seeks to use the First Amendment to prevent any informed lawsuit for fraud. But if the First Amendment does not prevent lawsuits for fraud, it does not prevent subpoenas designed to provide evidence necessary to establish fraud. That is why when a libel plaintiff sought to inquire into the editorial processes of CBS News and CBS raised First Amendment objections analogous to those of ExxonMobil, the Supreme Court in the 1979 case Herbert v. Lando unequivocally held that the Constitution does not preclude ordinary discovery of information relevant to a lawsuit, even with respect to a defendant news organization. The attorneys general are not private plaintiffs. They represent governments, and the Supreme Court has always and rightfully been extremely reluctant to question the good faith of prosecutors when they seek to acquire information necessary to pursue their official obligations. If every prosecutorial request for information could be transformed into a constitutional attack on a defendants point of view, law enforcement in this country would grind to a halt. Imagine the consequences in prosecutions against terrorists, who explicitly seek to advance a political ideology. It is grossly irresponsible to invoke the First Amendment in such contexts. But we are witnessing an increasing tendency to use the First Amendment to unravel ordinary business regulations. This is heartbreaking at a time when we need a strong First Amendment for more important democratic purposes than using a constitutional noose to strangle basic economic regulation. In a stunning victory for the "Leave" campaign, Britain has voted to exit the European Union. Here's what happens next. (Jason Aldag,Adam Taylor/The Washington Post) In a stunning victory for the "Leave" campaign, Britain has voted to exit the European Union. Here's what happens next. (Jason Aldag,Adam Taylor/The Washington Post) The leave campaign won the referendum on withdrawing Britain from the European Union because the arguments on which the remain side relied made leaves case. The remain campaign began with a sham, was monomaniacal with its Project Fear and ended in governmental thuggishness. The sham was Prime Minister David Camerons attempt to justify remain by negotiating E.U. concessions regarding Britains subservience to the E.U. This dickering for scraps of lost sovereignty underscored Britains servitude and achieved so little that Remainers rarely mentioned it during their campaign. Project Fear was the relentless and ultimately ludicrous parade of Cassandras, experts all, warning that Britain, after more than a millennium of sovereign existence, and now with the worlds fifth-largest economy, would endure myriad calamities were it to end its 23-year membership in the E.U. Remain advocates rarely even feigned enthusiasm for the ramshackle, sclerotic E.U. Instead, they implausibly promised that if Brexit were rejected, Britain although it would then be without the leverage of the threat to leave would nevertheless somehow negotiate substantially better membership terms than Cameron managed when Brexit was an option. Voters were not amused by the Cameron governments threat of what critics called a Punishment Budget to inflict pain on pensioners (e.g., no more free bus passes) and others because Brexit might cause the gross domestic product to contract 9.5 percent and home prices might plummet 18 percent. Voters did not like being told that they really had no choice. And that it was too late to escape from entanglement in the E.U.s ever-multiplying tentacles. And that the very viscosity of the E.U.s statism guarantees its immortality. Voters chose the optimism of Brexit. Sixty years after Britains humiliation in the Suez debacle, Britain has a spring in its step, confident that it will flourish when Brussels no longer controls 60 to 70 percent of the British governments actions. Britain was last conquered by an invading army in 1066. In 2016, it repelled an attempted conquest by the E.U.s nomenklatura . By breaking the leftward-clicking ratchet that moves steadily, and only, toward more pooled sovereignty and centralization of power, Brexit refutes the progressive narrative that history has an inexorable trajectory that experts discern and before which all must bow. The E.U.s contribution to this fable is its vow to pursue ever-closer union. Yes, ever . To understand why Brexit could and should be the beginning of an existential crisis for the E.U., look across the English Channel, to France. There, King Clovis recently was invoked 1505 years after his death in 511. Before a particular battle, Clovis promised that if the God to whom his Christian wife prayed would grant him victory, he would become a Christian. He won the battle and converted. Recently, Nicolas Sarkozy, Frances once and perhaps future president, said France was born of the baptism of Clovis, it has a Christian tradition and remains a country of churches, cathedrals, abbeys and shrines. Actually, 71 percent of the French say religion is unimportant to them and fewer than 4.5 percent attend weekly church services. But Sarkozy was aligning himself with the palpable desire in France and elsewhere in Europe to resist the cultural homogenization that is an intended consequence of the E.U.s pressure for the harmonization of the laws and policies of its 28 disparate member nations. In Paris these days there are marches by a group called Generation Identitaire, described as the hipster right. It aims to rally young French and Europeans who are proud of their . . . heritage. A recent statement on its website declared that Islamist attacks and the migrant invasion made 2015 a turning point in the history of our country. The statement continued: The French have been silent for too long. . . . It is time to show our determination to live on our land, under our laws, our values and with respect to our identity. Sarkozy, the son of Greek and Hungarian immigrants, sympathizes. Euroskepticism is rising dramatically in many E.U. nations. There might be other referendums. Or the E.U. might seek to extinguish this escape mechanism. A poll in Sweden indicated that it might follow Britain out. In France, there could be a campaign for Frexit. Such was the remain sides intellectual sloth, it wielded the threadbare aspersion that advocating withdrawal amounted to embracing isolationism. Actually, Brexit was the choice for Britains international engagement as a nation . The revival of nationhood is a prerequisite for the reinvigoration of self-government through reclaimed national sovereignty. Hence June 23, 2016, is now among the most important dates in postwar European history. 1 of 56 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Britons react to cutting ties with the European Union View Photos Many celebrated the referendum results Friday and British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that he will resign after Britons went to the polls the day before. Caption In late June, many celebrated the referendum results, and British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that he will resign after Britons went to the polls. June 26, 2016 People walk over Westminster Bridge wrapped in Union Jacks, toward the Queen Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) and the Houses of Parliament in central London. Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images Wait 1 second to continue. Read more from George F. Wills archive or follow him on Facebook. Constanze Stelzenmuller is Robert Bosch senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. For me as a German, the Brexit vote is the second great seismic shift of my lifetime. The first was the miraculous gift of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which led to a quarter-century of expanded freedom, prosperity, democracy and security in Europe. The question before us now is: Does Brexit mark the beginning of the end for this era of peace? Or can the European project be salvaged? The key thing to understand now is that this referendum was not just about policy questions such as immigration, regulation or defense cooperation. There are sensible debates to be had about these issues; the United Kingdom and the European Union argued about them over four decades. David Camerons government successfully negotiated exceptions for the U.K. on almost all the topics it cared about. Todays E.U. was shaped by British goals, such as enlargement, and Turkeys candidacy. Tragically, all this made no difference to the leavers, and it did nothing for the remain camp. The rest of the E.U. supported these concessions, because we were appalled at the prospect of the U.K. leaving Europe. We saw Britain as a force for reason and good an ancient and resilient democracy, with a history of deep engagement with the continent and the world. It was a power to be reckoned with, even after it had lost its empire. It was a pillar of the West, a guardian of global order, with its supremely capable diplomats and armed forces, and an important voice for free trade and an active foreign and security policy in the E.U. Postwar Germany sought atonement and reconciliation with Israel, with France and with Poland. But the countries we wanted to be like were the United States and Great Britain: open, liberal, outward-looking, defenders of civility and peace. As for me, London was my diplomat fathers first posting, so I had the lucky fortune of an English childhood: roaming the history of the world in the British Museum on rainy Sundays, and endless summers in Cornwall, where nobody ever locked their doors, and the kindly grocer to the delight of my mother would not just deliver your shopping, but also put it on the kitchen table, or in the fridge if you were at the beach. But this vote was not about policy, or concessions: It was about feelings, and fear. And in that sense, it has revealed Britons to themselves (and to us) in truly shocking ways. Britain, it turns out, is bitterly and nearly equally divided into what Daniel Finkelstein of the Times has called Leavia and Remainia: Older citizens, workers and people living outside the large cities are terrified of what they see as a German-dominated European juggernaut, and voted Out. Urban dwellers, younger Britons and it seems all of Scotland voted In, and are now angry at what they see as an irresponsible and irreparable act of self-harm. Clearly, these divisions will endure. It is hard to imagine how the next government can heal them. We other Europeans were dismayed to learn that the majority of our British neighbors (whom we thought we knew, and got along with) have harbored a toxic wellspring of animosity toward us. Be our guest and criticize the E.U., or German dominance; we worry about all that, too. But the memory of the lies and the dogwhistle allusions to Nazis will not soon recede. For most of us in the Other 27, Britain has severed its ties with the E.U. for a delusion of sovereignty and control. For the average German we share borders with 10 other countries, and our prosperity rests on world trade this is just bizarre. But we know that there are Leavian camps in all our countries. We have seen elsewhere (not least in the U.S. election campaign) how easy it is for the unthinkable to happen. And so we have to ask ourselves: Are the events of today in Britain a harbinger of what awaits us at home? The task for my generation now is to make sure that does not happen. When Vladimir Putin worked in Dresden, he watched helplessly as Soviet ally East Germany slipped out of Moscows orbit, united with West Germany, and joined the democratic side of Europe. Soviet-dominated multilateral institutions in Europe the Warsaw Pact and the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (Comecon), the Soviet command economy trade organization also disappeared. Putin then witnessed the dissolution of the Soviet Union, an event that he later described as one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century. Former Soviet allies and parts of the Soviet empire peeled away, also joined the democratic side of Europe and eventually became members of NATO and the European Union. For nearly three decades, the West was consolidating as the East was disintegrating. The momentum toward a Europe whole and free was so powerful that earlier Russian leaders even flirted with joining as well. That trend has now reversed. The decision by a majority of British voters to exit the European Union was not the first event in this reversal but maybe the most dramatic. Europe is now weakening as Russia, its allies and its multilateral organizations are consolidating, even adding new members. Putin, of course, did not cause the Brexit vote, but he and his foreign policy objectives stand to gain enormously from it. Most importantly, one of the European Unions most principled critics of Russian aggression in Europe will no longer have a vote in Brussels. Thats good for Putins interests and bad for U.S. national interests. Boris Titov, Russias commissioner for entrepreneurs rights, who is hardly a militant nationalist by Russian standards, made the argument most clearly when he cheered on Facebook, UK out!!! In my opinion, the most important long-term consequence of all this is that the exit will take Europe away from the Anglo-Saxons, that is, from the USA. This is not the independence of Britain from Europe, but the independence of Europe from the USA. London also helped advance our common interests inside the E.U. on non-European security issues from Iran to Libya to as far away as the Pacific. That Anglo-Saxon perspective is now lost within this most important international organization. The U.K. exit also removes one of the E.U.s most capable members. Whether it was Britains world-class military or its skilled diplomatic corps, the U.K. contributed greatly to an array of E.U. missions over the years, despite its complicated relationship with Brussels. Removing those resources, personnel and assets from the E.U. will ultimately weaken the organization, an outcome that serves Putins political purposes. To be sure, the British government will continue to engage the E.U. and European capitals on foreign policy matters of mutual interest, just as the United States does now. But having a seat at the table with a vote and a veto is different from trying to influence those sitting at the table. The jobs of diplomats from E.U. countries seeking greater accommodation with Moscow just got easier. The job of E.U. diplomats fighting to resist Russian aggression, especially those from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, just got harder. The first test will come over sanctions against Russia for annexing Crimea and intervening in eastern Ukraine in support of separatists. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin made clear his prediction: Without Great Britain in the E.U., no one will so zealously defend the sanctions against us. Lets hope he is wrong. Second, other pro-Putin, anti-E.U. politicians and movements throughout Europe just became a little stronger. Marine Le Pen, whose National Front party is partially financed by a Kremlin-friendly Russian bank, celebrated the U.K. referendum result. Other nationalist, xenophobic, isolationist leaders and parties on the continent who share her views already have begun to call for E.U. exit referendums in their countries. Even the process of debating these initiatives will weaken European unity. And here in the United States, it is no coincidence that presumptive Republican presidential nominee and Kremlin favorite Donald Trump has lined up with Le Pen and her ideological allies in praising the U.K. referendum result. Third, new doubts about the utility of E.U. membership also weaken Putins opponents in Ukraine. Those who amassed on the Maidan in fall 2013 were demanding the very thing that British voters rejected closer ties to the European Union. The ideas of these pro-European voices inside Ukraine now will face increasing scrutiny from E.U. skeptics, who will ask why Ukraine should seek to join a club that others are leaving. This same debate will play out in other countries contemplating E.U. membership. Fourth, Americas closest ally when voting in multilateral forums, pressing diplomatically on global security issues and championing democratic values just became a little weaker. Thats a win for Putin. And who knows when the damage will end. The British economy will contract in the short term, and maybe longer. Scotland could split away. Even the future of Northern Ireland is unknown. At a minimum, our special partner will be distracted for years in managing these internal challenges and the negotiations with Brussels over its exit. More dangerously, the United Kingdom could end, as Scotland ponders another referendum. Such a dismantling would dramatically reduce the power and stature of one of our closest allies. Former prime minister Margaret Thatcher correctly observed, The Anglo-American relationship has done more for the defense and future of freedom than any other alliance in the world. But the best days of our special relationship might be behind us. In parallel to European fissures, Putin is consolidating strength. He has restored autocratic rule at home, crushing all serious dissent and mobilizing popular support through foreign war. He stopped NATOs expansion by invading Georgia in 2008 and slowed E.U. expansion by invading Ukraine in 2014. He has increased Russias economic hegemony in large parts of the former Soviet Union by building the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). As a result of his military intervention in Syria, Putin is expanding Russias presence in the Middle East, as Europe and the United States pull back. Most amazingly, his model of government and style of leadership now inspire European admirers, both in a handful of governments and in some societies. Will these dual trends of European disintegration and EEU integration continue for another 30 years, just as the opposite two trends endured for three decades? Probably not. In the long run, Russia remains plagued by too many internal challenges and skittish EEU partners, while we in the West will find ways to recalibrate our cooperation. But the short-term shift in the balance of power between a united democratic Europe and an illiberal Russia is obvious, and troubling. Julie Downey, 18, working at a Mediterranean bistro in St. Clair Shores, Mich., plans to vote for Donald Trump but said choosing between him and Hillary Clinton is like finding the shiniest turd. (Nick Hagen/For The Washington Post) Hillary Clintons campaign strategists look at the general-election map and see a bounty of electoral college votes that are hers for the taking: in Florida and Virginia, Colorado and Nevada all places where Donald Trump has badly damaged his standing with nonwhites and women. Yet as Clinton plots her march to the White House, there are warning signs elsewhere in states where her campaign is not yet making a full investment. And that has sparked concern from allies who say Trump must not be underestimated. In Michigan, Pennsylvania and, to a lesser extent, Wisconsin, an affinity for Trumps message of economic populism and nationalism has surprised many Democrats. These are big, industrial states they have carried for the past three decades and where Clinton, so far, has not fully focused. Listen to the happy-hour conversation around the bar at Waves in this politically up-for-grabs suburb of Detroit, or to young parents taking their children for a stroll along the lakefront, or to factory workers picking up a 12-pack of Budweiser at the liquor store, and you hear danger for Clinton. Particularly striking is how many voters have reservations about Trump yet are still thinking of giving him their vote. Trump is just insane, said Joe Place, 57, a retired autoworker who is undecided. I vote Democrat, but I cant vote for Hillary. . . . I think shes beholden to interests other than mine or the middle class. Four years ago, residents of St. Clair Shores narrowly voted to reelect President Obama. Now, people here want change. In the primaries, they went decisively for Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. And in conversations last week, they espoused many of the same sentiments as British voters who defied their countrys political and business leaders Thursday by choosing to exit the European Union. [Brexit vote sends a message to politicians everywhere: It can happen here] People here said they feel left behind in the economy and wronged by politicians. They are anxious about immigration and terrorism. They see corporations rebounding from the recession, but they wonder why their families arent better off. They villainize globalization, fear losing their national identity, and distrust elites and institutions. These attitudes are shaping a rollicking presidential campaign defined by two historically unpopular nominees. We just have garbage candidates, said Joe Fish, 33. Or, as 18-year-old Julie Downey put it, picking between Clinton and Trump is like finding the shiniest turd. With a flashy real estate mogul for an opponent, whose incendiary rhetoric and divisive policies have turned off huge swaths of the countrys electorate, Clinton has been given a seemingly enormous opportunity. Yet she carries her own burdens primarily that the public does not trust her, according to many polls. And as a Washington fixture for a quarter-century, she is struggling to credibly present herself as a change agent. Trump kind of scares you, like he might do something goofy, something bad, said Scott Vezinau, 51, the owner of Waves. Like push the red button when he doesnt know what hes doing, his wife, Denys, 49, a waitress here, chimed in. Denys Vezinau, 49, photographed at Waves bar and restaurant in St. Clair Shores, Mich., said Trump makes her nervous but that she is leaning toward him because she wants a change. (Nick Hagen/For The Washington Post) But Im for change, Scott said. Were looking for something different. Denys explained: Weve been born and raised Democrat. My father worked at Chrysler, his father for General Motors. We voted for Obama. But were leaning towards Trump. Where else do you go? If Clinton is not the answer for the Vezinaus and voters like them across Michigan, as well as in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, her campaign may be miscalculating where she should invest. Clintons campaign is advertising heavily in eight swing states with soft-focus spots designed to rehabilitate her image. These three Rust Belt states are not on the list, despite the campaigns organizing presence on the ground here, raising concerns among allies who fret that she cannot afford to take any of them for granted. I have been stunned at the number of sane people who have said they know what Donald Trump is, they know what he stands for, but they want to shake up the system, said Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), a Clinton backer. Reflecting on the Brexit vote, Dingell added: Its a forewarning of how people are fed up. I listen and hear them every day. And its why I am worried and why I am paying attention. Clinton aides said their candidate is attuned to these anxieties. She gave back-to-back economic speeches this week the first painting Trump as unfit to steer the nations economy and the second detailing her policy prescriptions. Far from underestimating whats happening out there, Secretary Clinton is seeing it and feeling it every day with her engagement with the American people, Jake Sullivan, Clintons top policy adviser, told reporters on Friday, hours after the Brexit vote. She will be offering specific solutions, not slogans, not anger. [As markets roil from Brexit, Trump holds a ribbon-cutting at his golf resort] The key for Clinton in the Rust Belt, her allies say, is to discredit Trump and to demonstrate that she has concrete proposals to better their lives all while connecting emotionally with peoples anger. Theres no doubt that workers in Michigan feel the impact of manufacturing job loss, former Michigan Democratic governor Jennifer Granholm said. Theres also no doubt that Trumps words about trade resonate. But besides his words, what else is there? Clintons advisers think Sanders could help Clinton with rural whites, young people and other groups that backed him in the primaries, though he has refused so far to suspend his campaign. In the Michigan primary, Sanders hammered Clinton for her past support of disastrous trade deals a salient issue here that helped propel him to an upset win. The secretary was a little bit flat-footed, Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver said of Clinton. Since then, Trump has been making the same argument, but Clinton has been vowing to say no to bad trade deals, including the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership. Republicans boast that Trump is awakening Reagan Democrats whites who crossed over for Ronald Reagan in the 1980s but now vote only irregularly. However, many Reagan Democrats by now are either dead or have become reliable Republicans. The map is problematic for any Republican going into this election. Its even worse substantially worse for Donald Trump, Democratic pollster Mark Mellman said, citing Trumps low favorability ratings. Obviously, hes looking at fantasy land if he thinks he can put places like California and Michigan into play. This thinking explains why Clinton is not on the air in Michigan, Pennsylvania or Wisconsin, at least as of now. Clinton spokeswoman Lily Adams said, Well continue to monitor states throughout the general election to consider changes in future ad buys. By comparison, Trump is not airing any ads, meaning Clinton has no pressure to match him. Of the three states, Pennsylvania appears the most competitive; a Quinnipiac University poll last week showed a virtual tie. Priorities USA, a pro-Clinton super PAC, announced Friday it would purchase $10.5 million worth of ad time in Pennsylvania between July and November. Clinton aides express a steely confidence about all three states. They think the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia next month will generate positive attention across Pennsylvania. In Michigan, they are doubtful that Trump could outperform Mitt Romney, who was born here and whose father was a popular governor; Romney lost to Obama by nearly 10 percentage points in 2012. And in Wisconsin, Clinton allies are heartened by the reservations many prominent conservatives there have voiced about Trump. On the ground, Clintons campaign has been working with the Democratic Party to deploy scores of staffers though they are getting a later start than in higher-priority states such as Ohio. In Pennsylvania, which also has a competitive Senate race, the Democratic Party said it has a field staff of more than 100. In addition, outside groups are spending millions of dollars to augment the partys voter registration, persuasion and turnout activities. You take what the Clinton campaign is doing, you layer that on top what labor is doing, then you take these affiliated groups, and you compare it to the other side of the ledger which for all intents and purposes is a goose egg and that lays a foundation for a very positive outcome, said T.J. Rooney, a former Pennsylvania Democratic Party chairman. Trumps campaign is so underfunded that it has outsourced its ground game to the Republican National Committee, which said it has 54 staffers in Pennsylvania and 34 in Michigan. Winning these two states would definitely put us on the path to 270 electoral votes, said Jon Black, the RNCs director of turnout and targeting. In both states, organized labor is critical for Democrats. The biggest unions are endorsing Clinton, but some Democratic officials said they are nervous that private polling of the memberships of some Michigan unions shows as much as one-half preferring Trump. A closed-door strategy meeting this spring of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, campaign manager Robby Mook and Michigans Democratic congressional delegation grew somewhat tense when lawmakers challenged the aides on their commitment to the state, according to three people with knowledge of the session. The aides acknowledged that Clinton got out-hustled in the primary and said they would be focused on trade as a hot issue, though offered no specific plan to woo working-class white men from Trump, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the meeting was private. Still, the lawmakers and campaign aides left in general agreement about Clintons strategy for the fall. Clinton led Trump 43 percent to 39 percent in the most recent Michigan poll, a May survey by the Detroit News.Democratic strategists think Clintons huge advantage among black voters in Detroit, coupled with the opposition to Trump from some mainstream Republicans, will prove difficult for Trump to overcome. But Ronna Romney McDaniel, the state Republican Party chair, thinks otherwise. She recalled seeing a few thousand people at Trumps first Michigan rally, last August in Birch Run, and realizing that he could turn her state red for the first time since 1988. I remember thinking, this is not a typical Republican audience, she said. There are people here who are coming out for Donald Trump that I have never seen at a Republican rally before in our state. They were union Democrat voters . . . and they believe that he is going to be a champion for them in the White House. Brandon Dillon, chairman of Michigans Democratic Party, acknowledged the threat but said Clinton is responding by building out a team led by Walt Herzig, a well-respected operative here. They know that a Democrat cant win the presidency without Michigan, Dillon said. Wagner reported from New York. George Will isnt the first conservative to exit the Republican Party over Donald Trump this year. (Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images) Conservative columnist George Will has left the Republican Party over its presumptive nomination of Donald Trump. Will, who writes a column for The Washington Post, spoke about his decision Friday at an event for the Federalist Society in Washington. This is not my party, he told the audience, the news site PJ Media first reported. Speaking with The Post, Will said that he changed his voter registration from Republican to unaffiliated several weeks ago, the day after House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) endorsed Trump. Will did not say which presidential candidate he will be supporting instead. Now that Donald Trump looks to be the Republican nominee for president, some of the men who attacked him most fiercely at the start of his campaign are throwing their support behind him or at least vowing to stop insulting him. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post) I just know who I wont be voting for, he said. Will has been an outspoken critic of Trump for months and a major proponent of the Never Trump movement. In April, he wrote a column with the headline, If Trump is nominated, the GOP must keep him out of the White House. In response, Trump called Will a major loser. Will is one of several influential Republicans who have left the party since Trump clinched the nomination. Republican strategist Mary Matalin changed her affiliation to Libertarian the day after the Indiana primary, though she said the decision was not connected to Trumps primary-season victory. In an interview with Bloomberg Politics at the time, Matalin said she was still never Hillary. Speaking with PJ Media Friday, Will said a President Trump who was unopposed by Congress would be worse for the country than a Clinton presidency paired with a Republican-led Congress. He added that it was too late for the GOP to nominate someone other than Trump. Instead, he said, Republican voters should just make sure he loses, then grit their teeth for four years and win the White House. It has been a tough week for President Obamas politics of inclusion and were all in it together globalization. First came the Supreme Courts deadlock that blocked his plan to protect millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation. Then, just hours later, Britain voted to withdraw from the European Union, a move that Obama had worked hard to stop. The two events provided the backdrop as Obama appeared Friday at a White House-sponsored global technology and entrepreneur summit here that was intended to tout the merits of an interconnected world. Instead, Obama began his remarks to an auditorium packed with 1,700 business leaders by acknowledging some of the forces pulling that world apart. I do think yesterdays vote speaks to the ongoing changes and challenges raised by globalization, Obama said to an audience representing 170 countries. View Graphic Meet the European leaders hoping to cause the next Brexit I believe we are better off in a world in which we are trading and networking and communicating and sharing ideas, he continued. But that also means that cultures are colliding, and sometimes it is disruptive, and people get worried. At least for the moment, worry, disruption and fear seemed to have the upper hand. [Obama loses reliable partner, faces uncertainty after Brexit] Obama has been preaching for months now both at home and abroad that the United States and its allies must resist the impulse to pull up the drawbridge on the rest of the world. That belief led him to push for big, multilateral trade deals, reforms to the nations broken immigration system, and to advocate that the United States provide a haven for refugees fleeing war-torn Iraq and Syria. Such policies not only reflect Americas values but also are critical to the nations success and the success of its allies in a world that is being remade by automation and advances in technology, the president has argued. These past few weeks provided some strong evidence that the current might be running against his progressive and inclusive vision. The post-World War II liberal project is under siege right now. Its under siege here and in Europe, said Simon Rosenberg, founder of NDN , a liberal think tank. For those of us who believe in it, the stakes in this fight are very high. We have to recognize this election is going to be about a lot of things in the U.S., but one of things it will be about is . . . whether or not we are entering a different age. In a stunning victory for the "Leave" campaign, Britain has voted to exit the European Union. Here's what happens next. (Jason Aldag,Adam Taylor/The Washington Post) Even Hillary Clinton, a staunch defender of such internationalism, has felt the need to edge away from some aspects of it on the campaign trail, disavowing a major Pacific trade deal that Obama is pushing and that she helped negotiate when serving as his secretary of state. Meanwhile, in one forum after another covering a variety of issues, Obama has felt compelled over the past few weeks to take on challenges to that liberal order. He addressed them in the aftermath of the Orlando shooting, when Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, reiterated his calls for a temporary ban on Muslim immigrants to the United States. We are now seeing how dangerous this kind of mind-set and this kind of thinking can be, Obama railed following a meeting with his national security team. Are we going to start treating all Muslim Americans differently? . . . Do Republican officials actually agree with this? He took a similar tone after the Supreme Courts nondecision on immigration Thursday, the biggest legal defeat of his presidency. Immigration is not something to fear, he told reporters. We dont have to wall ourselves off from those who may not look like us right now, or pray like we do, or have a different last name. Because being an American is about something more than that. And he returned to the subject on Friday at Stanford University following Britains vote, fueled by immigration worries and anti-trade sentiment, to leave the European Union. Before he took the stage, Obama spoke on the phone with two like-minded allies. He and British Prime Minister David Cameron talked about the need for an orderly transition out of the E.U. for Britain and Camerons soon-to-come transition out of office. Obama expressed regret at Camerons decision to step aside following the leave referendum, aides said. The British prime minister had fought hard to make the case for staying in the E.U. and had concluded that he was out of step with the country he was leading. Obama then called embattled German Chancellor Angela Merkel, his closest ally on the European continent, who has faced heavy criticism at home for her decision to take in large numbers of Iraqi and Syrian refugees. All three leaders have been buffeted by the same forces: growing income inequality, the aftershocks of the Great Recession, refugee flows, terrorism fears and a rising nationalism that has eroded the liberal international order. The trends have turned the United States into increasingly a marginal player on the world stage, said Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, a global political-risk consulting firm. This spring Obama traveled to Europe to rally support for an expansive transatlantic free-trade pact and to urge British voters to stay in the E.U It had absolutely zero impact on the polls, Bremmer said. The United States is not the global leader, but nobody else is either. Such a state of affairs leads to geopolitical destruction, Bremmer said. Everyone is upset with the establishment, and out they go. Obama, by contrast, views the anger, fear and anti-immigrant sentiments as a temporary blip. For him, Fridays White House-backed Global Entrepreneurship Summit offered a glimpse of the future he had spent the past seven years working to build. The president shared the stage with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and three young technology entrepreneurs from Egypt, Rwanda and Peru. In the audience were 11 budding business leaders from Cuba, the long-isolated communist nation that has been a major foreign policy focus for the president in his second term. Hola! Mucho gusto, Obama called out in Spanish to the Cubans. Theyre ready to help create new opportunities for the Cuban people. The young leaders from Cuba, Asia, Africa and the Middle East represented the antithesis of the anti-globalization and nationalist sentiments that had propelled Britain to leave the E.U. Youre the bridge, youre the glue who can help lead towards a more peaceful and more prosperous future that provides opportunity for everybody, Obama told the crowd. This week, though, even Obama acknowledged that future seemed a little more distant. A Somali government soldier takes position during the gun battle that ensued after a car bomb exploded outside Nasa Hablood hotel in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, on Saturday. (Feisal Omar/Reuters) NAIROBI At least 11 people were killed and several others wounded Saturday in an attack carried out by al-Qaeda-affiliated militants on a well-known hotel in the Somali capital, officials said. The assault on the Nasa Hablood hotel, near a busy intersection in southern Mogadishu, occurred in late afternoon. The hotel is frequented by politicians, lawmakers and Somali businessmen. According to witnesses and security officials, attackers detonated a car loaded with explosives at the main entrance of the hotel before a number of gunmen stormed the building. Attacks on Mogadishu hotels have been common in recent months, as al-Shabab, a Somali Islamist extremist group, has targeted the places where high-profile government officials live and work. Some of those hotels have grown increasingly fortified, but many remain vulnerable in a city where security forces are still fighting to establish full control. Earlier this month, the militant group attacked the Ambassador Hotel, killing about 15 people. Two Somali lawmakers were among the dead in that assault, according to Reuters. People and Somali security forces walk across the scene of a car bomb attack claimed by al-Qaeda-affiliated Shabaab militants which killed at least 5 people in Mogadishu. (Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP/Getty Images) After Saturday's attack, al-Shabab quickly claimed responsibility once again. Members from the raiding brigades carried out a pre-planned attack on Nasa Hablood hotel in Mogadishu, and the mujahideen fighters have managed to fully take control of the hotel, said an al-Shabab statement read on the local Radio Andalus station. In the statement, al-Shabab referred to the hotel as a "haven for the heads and commanders of the apostate group of Somalia, referring to the Somali government. Somali special forces entered the building some time after the attack, and witnesses said they later heard a long exchange of gunfire. The Associated Press reported that the attackers had been confined to the upper floors of the Nasa Hablood hotel, from which they tossed grenades. Abdi Kamil Shukri, a spokesman for the Somali security ministry, told reporters late Saturday that the situation was back to normal. The attack was ended by the special forces. Three gunmen were killed and 11 civilians, two of them doctors, he said. Witnesses said they saw the bodies of five people slain in the attack but acknowledged that there could be more. Media outlets, quoting unidentified security officials, said that as many as 15 were killed Somalia has been racked by conflict for the past quarter-century, and the rise of al-Shabab in 2005 signaled the start of another deadly chapter. An African Union military force and billions in foreign assistance helped push back the group from the capital and other parts of the country, but al-Shabab has been resurgent in recent months, according to top Somali officials. Read more U.S.-funded Somali intelligence agency has been using kids as spies He once tried to fix failing D.C. schools. Now hes trying to fix Somalia. Somalias president says al-Qaeda-backed rebels are resurgent Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world Alejandro Majnoler, a 28-year-old from Italy, has been getting messages from friends back home following the E.U. referendum saying, Come back, friend. (Karla Adam/For The Washington Post) Like millions of people around the world, Alejandro Majnoler was trying to make sense of a British exit from the European Union. He concluded that the ramifications of Britains shocking decision may be especially complicated for immigrants. Britain is saying, We dont want to go to the party anymore, said the 28-year-old Italian immigrant, who moved to the United Kingdom two years ago. Majnoler was working at Londons Borough Market on Saturday, a food lovers paradise that attracts grazers from around the globe. Will I need a visa? Will it cost more? Immigrants will be disadvantaged, for sure, he said, as he served customers raspberry licorice from Sweden and caramel twists from Denmark. My friends in Italy are messaging me, Come back, friend. Immigration was one of the key battlegrounds in the E.U. referendum, with those campaigning to leave arguing that it was the only way to slash migration. As a member of the E.U., Britain has to allow free movement of people from 27 other member states. Guillermo Jose, a 39-year-old farmer from Spain, says that many E.U. citizens moved to the U.K. for better paying jobs, but would leave if the economy tanked. (Karla Adam/For The Washington Post) Those campaigning for Brexit, or British exit from the E.U., offered clear assurances that a new immigration system would not affect E.U. citizens already living in Britain: There will be no change for EU citizens already lawfully resident in the UK, the campaign noted on its website. But the exact terms of the U.K.s divorce from the E.U. will not be known for some time. And in the meantime, there is concern among the U.K.s 7.5 million foreign-born residents about their future in a country where not all of them feel welcome. That nervousness was palpable Saturday at the bustling Borough Market, nestled under railway lines where traders from around the world sell fruits and vegetables and artisanal food. Immigrants are treated as scum, even though no one wants to do their jobs, said Lucas, a 32-year-old from Poland running a coffee stall. (He did not want to give his surname but was happy to talk about the implications of the referendum with journalists and customers.) Returning change to a woman who bought a flat white coffee, he said, Here are your English pounds. Tomorrow, we will have Welsh pounds, Scottish pounds and Irish euros. Lucas came to the U.K. shortly after the expansion of the E.U. in 2004, which brought many Eastern Europeans to the U.K. for better-paying jobs, but he is now considering moving to another European city. I feel European and enjoy freedom of movement, he said. Poles are the biggest group of foreigners in the U.K., but Jakub Krupa, a Polish activist and journalist, said he does not expect a massive emigration of Poles returning home because of the vote. But he said the hate speech towards migrants that weve seen brewing for years now seems to be acceptable. Lucas Roberto Giuliani, a 36-year-old Italian who sells sweets imported from the continent, is concerned that his costs will go up with the pound plummeting. (Karla Adam/For The Washington Post) On Saturday, London Mayor Sadiq Khan sought to reassure Londons Europeans about 1 million call the British capital home with a speech at a gay pride event in central London. You are welcome here, he told a crowd of thousands, adding that he wanted London, which voted overwhelmingly to stay in the E.U., at the negotiating tables with the E.U. That was good news for Chris Stewart, who runs a stall at Borough Market with products imported exclusively from Croatia, which became the E.U.s newest member state in 2013. Stewart talked enthusiastically about Croatia but was less upbeat about the future of the U.K. and Europe. Its the uncertainty thats worrying. What about the pound? Prices? Tariffs? What about my staff? Many of the immigrants interviewed said they were worried about the ramifications of the xenophobic rhetoric that surfaced during the campaign. People are shaken to their core; they are wondering, Is this place our home anymore? said Sayful Islam, a 23-year-old standing behind a stall with products from Mexico. He moved to the U.K. from Bangladesh when he was 9 and said that minority communities are now afraid that a British exit from the E.U. could see the rise of the far right. You meet people, especially the elder generation, they are blunt, and honest. I like that, but they say, Youre not British because you have a different skin color, and you think, What does one need to do to be British? Brexit sends out a signal saying, Nobody is welcome anymore, he said, pausing to serve a customer a bag of black beans. It says, Its about us and our ways, and weve had enough, and we want everybody out. Its a gloomy situation. While Brexit was the hot topic at the market, not everyone was downbeat. People who shout, There will be tanks in the streets of Europe, its not going to be like that; thats foolish talk, said Lucas Roberto Giuliani, a 36-year-old Italian who sells sweets imported from the continent. Guillermo Jose, a 39-year-old from Spain who was standing behind a large stack of fluffy meringues, said that most of the Europeans who moved here came because of the chance to earn more money. Seven years ago, there were no French here. Now, its full of French. They may not enjoy the heavy traffic, the weather, the three-hour commute . . . but they are here because of the pound. If the economy tanked, he said, E.U. citizens here would move on to one of the other 27 member states. This island may not always be full. James McAuley in Oxford, England, contributed to this report. Read more Heartbroken Brits react to Brexit result with #NotMyVote hashtag With David Cameron stepping down, all eyes are on Boris Johnson Immigration backlash at the heart of British push to leave the E.U. Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world A burned forest under fire in Buryatia, Russia. (Max Avdeev/For The Washington Post) Half a world away from the wildfires that have devastated the Southwestern United States this summer, Andrey Borodin was waging his own battle against the elements, directing a team of a dozen volunteers blasting water into the smoldering Siberian soil. The cloying stench of burning peat filled the air. His team, ankle-deep in the muck, methodically flipped mounds of soggy earth with shovels, occasionally batting out open flames. Nearby stood a forest of burnt birch. It was a taste of what will be another Herculean effort to contain Siberias vast wildfires this year. A loose partnership of hundreds of emergency workers, smoke jumpers and villagers are defending a vast territory of largely impenetrable evergreen forest, the legendary Siberian taiga, along Lake Baikal. And as the fire season here grows longer, hotter and drier by the year, Borodin hopes that conditions will persuade officials to accept and expand a volunteer movement that they have never quite embraced. For years, the government had said, Well take care of you; stay at home, and we will handle everything, and people learned to be inert, said Borodin, a former tourism official and founder of a volunteer group called Baikal SOS, as he bumped down a dirt lane in a minibus that resembled a giant toolbox with wheels. But that started to change last year, when people saw that Baikal and the cities were filled with smoke and there was no information. Nothing about what they could do to help. Volunteers fighting peat fires in Buryatia, Russia. (Max Avdeev/For The Washington Post) The Russian government has a long history of ambivalence toward unofficial volunteer groups and other forms of self-organization, but record fires and choking smog in 2015 brought out hundreds of volunteers in Buryatia, Irkutsk and elsewhere in Siberia. Twenty-nine people were killed that April in wild grassfires in the region of Khakassia, prompting several visits by Russian President Vladimir Putin and a ban on the burning of wild grass, a Russian agricultural tradition that causes the vast majority of wildfires in the country. Forestry and emergency officials say the fires are smaller this year. But Greenpeace Russia pointed to satellite data earlier this month showing that forest fires covered more than 8.5 million acres of Russian land, accusing government officials of underreporting the fires by as much as 80 percent. Much of it was unrecorded because it was located in zones of control, areas of forest that are remote enough that they are deemed low-priority for firefighters and not included in official figures. Greenpeace said that the Forestry Ministry underreported the fires to show that the situation was under control. But temperatures are rising again in Buryatia, where more than 100,000 hectares or 250,000 acres have already burned, according to the official count, and the region is under a state of emergency until the end of the fire season in October. The authorities assured us that theyd learned their lesson from last year, everything would be normal and there wont be any need for volunteers, said Borodin. But when the fires flared after the May 9 celebrations, we had to call in parachutists from other regions. Earlier this week, Buryatias parliament issued an official call for quick-response teams of volunteer firefighters. The professionals are good, Borodin said, but theyre also very expensive. In a period of economic crisis and budget deficits, the region owes $3,660,000 to firefighters for last years work and has asked Moscow to cover the debt. If we had the money, we could come early to the fires and put them out, he explained, noting that at the moment they have just enough for gas, a few vans for off-road travel, and some donated fire hoses. But once its hundreds of hectares and the wind is blowing, you have less of a chance. A forest under fire in Buryatia, Russia. (Max Avdeev/For The Washington Post) Officials, activists and academics here largely agreed that the fires are growing worse because of the environment. Oleg Anenkhonov, a botanist at Buryatias Institute of General and Experimental Biology, said that he has charted lakes drying up and unusual migration patterns among animals as temperatures slowly rise in the region. We see real change in the climate here, and that is having a sizable influence on the growth of forest fires in recent years, he said. The handling of last years fires has sparked a bureaucratic battle. While Russias well-funded and generally well-regarded Emergencies Ministry is responsible for protecting population centers, protection of the regions forests falls to both the regions and the federal forestry agency, which regularly accuse one another of negligence. Buryatias parliament has fired two regional heads from the Forestry Agency in the past year for failing to manage their tasks. When an official from the agency said in a report that it was 100 percent ready to deal with the fires this year, a senator from Buryatia exclaimed: What is this nonsense? The Forestry Agency unleashed a barrage of criticism at the regions on Thursday. Irkutsk and Buryatia are not taking the necessary steps to organize the fight against forest fires, the Forestry Agency said. Despite the complicated situation, an extremely low level of action and investment has been noted. The Forestry Agency, which oversees teams of highly skilled smokejumpers and paid firefighters, runs a lean operation. Asked about the main challenges for the job, Alexandra Yegorova, a spokeswoman in Buryatia, said that the region was over 80 percent taiga with high winds. There is not enough money, and there are not enough people, she said. Volunteers are fight peat fires in Buryatia, Russia. (Max Avdeev/For The Washington Post) Andrey Borodin is the leader of the volunteer fire fighting movement in Buryatia. (Max Avdeev/For The Washington Post) Sveta, 23, a volunteer fireifighter is a maid at in a hotel in Ulan-Ude. (Max Avdeev/For The Washington Post) In neighboring Irkutsk region, Alexander Deev, a roof salesman who founded a volunteer firefighting organization called Squad 15.08, was patrolling for forest fires on the outskirts of the city on a recent afternoon. We dont want to say that were unhappy with what the government's performance, he said when asked about volunteering. We think that they are doing a good job; we support the government and just want to help. Deev, like Borodin, began traveling to fight fires during summer 2015 (his organization, Squad 15.08, is named for the first day that they traveled on patrol, Aug. 15). When the fires were at their peak, more than 120 volunteers had traveled into the forest with them. For the past year, he had worked his relationships with local emergency officials so that they would call him when they needed extra manpower. It had been difficult to be taken seriously, he admitted. And joining training sessions conducted by Greenpeace in Irkutsk had also caused some concerns, he said, because of the organizations history of run-ins with Russian law enforcement. After half an hour on patrol, the call from the emergency ministry came in. Deevs voice dropped an octave and adopted a martial edge as he told an official he would be ready to travel the next morning. First call of the summer! he exclaimed giddily once off the phone, and set to rallying support for the weekend trip. Pickup trucks and jeeps were allotted. Close to a dozen volunteers were told to bring sleeping bags and canned meat called tushenka, eating utensils and plenty of bug spray. But in the interest of appearing professional, it was thought better not to bring a Western reporter. I have received signals from influential people that it would be bad for me to have anything to do with you, he said by phone that evening, and apologized. He would not say who had spoken with him. Read more: [In Russia, volunteers step up ] [56 hours with the Russian army in Syria] Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Following the landmark vote in Britain to withdraw from the European Union, foreign ministers from the blocs six founding nations urged London on Saturday to move toward the exit door as quickly as possible. Meeting in Berlin, the top diplomats of Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg collectively called for fast follow-through on the stunning British decision, putting pressure on Prime Minister David Cameron, who has sought a slower pace of extraction. On Friday, Cameron said he would step down after several months but has not immediately sought to trigger the European Unions Article 50, which would set up a two-year negotiating period ending with withdrawal. Cameron indicated that he would leave the exit decisions to his successor. But the top diplomats meeting Saturday suggested the European Union was not prepared to wait for domestic politics to play out in Britain, suggesting that Cameron would face intense pressure on Tuesday during a summit in Brussels of 28 national leaders and European officials. We start now, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told reporters. We must be clear. The British people have decided after an initiative that was taken by Mr. Cameron. That was, is his responsibly. In a stunning victory for the "Leave" campaign, Britain has voted to exit the European Union. Here's what happens next. (Jason Aldag,Adam Taylor/The Washington Post) German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier echoed calls for talks to start as soon as possible. We understand and respect the result and understand that Great Britain now concentrates on Great Britain, Steinmeier said. But, he said, this process should begin as soon as possible, so that we dont end up in a long stalemate but are able to concentrate on the future of Europe and work on it. Jean Asselborn, foreign minister of Luxembourg, said the problem now is that only the British government and its parliament could activate Article 50. Nobody in the European Union can force Article 50 on Britain. I hope this wont turn into a cat-and-mouse game. . . . There must be clarity here. The people have spoken. [What is Article 50?] Top E.U. officials and leaders have been scrambling to draft a blueprint for what has never before happened: the withdrawal of an E.U. member state. Some are calling for tough and speedy talks with Britain while others have been more mollifying, urging flexibility. Steinmeier told reporters he was confident the remaining states would stick together, sending a message that we wont let anyone take Europe from us. Earlier, he also sounded a conciliatory note toward Britain, telling ZDF television that Europe should not go looking for revenge. The Saturday meeting came as governments from Dublin to Paris to Berlin confronted their worst-case scenarios. On Friday, top leaders of the unions executive and legislative branches met in Brussels while E.U. ambassadors all 28 of them, for now convened in the afternoon in Luxembourg. 1 of 56 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Britons react to cutting ties with the European Union View Photos Many celebrated the referendum results Friday and British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that he will resign after Britons went to the polls the day before. Caption In late June, many celebrated the referendum results, and British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that he will resign after Britons went to the polls. June 26, 2016 People walk over Westminster Bridge wrapped in Union Jacks, toward the Queen Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) and the Houses of Parliament in central London. Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images Wait 1 second to continue. The rounds of diplomacy were laying the groundwork for a previously planned E.U. summit Tuesday, when the highest-level talks by national leaders will begin on how to handle what could be a painful, messy process of a British exit. Yet many leaders, including the key foreign ministers meeting Saturday, have also conceded that the union needs to be respond to widespread public criticism and antipathy among European voters who think it has become too remote and too controlling of their lives. On Saturday, Steinmeier told reporters that E.U. politicians needed to further consider the expectations of the people. Read more Britain shocks world, breaks with European Union, British leader to step down These countries could be next now that Britain has left the E.U. Pound takes Brexit battering; markets down Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Makeup artist Mai Quynh demonstrates the perfect 70s-inspired purple eyeshadow look, as seen on LA model Kenya Kinski-Jones. Photography By GUY AROCH Hair By JOHN RUGGIERO Written By ERICA LOPEZ Nails By ASHLIE JOHNSON Makeup By MAI QUYNH Styled By WILLIAM GRAPER In Hollywood, as in beauty, anyone can be anything. Makeup artistMai Quynh proves the point in her new story for The Violet Files, wherein she transforms a quartet of models and shares the secrets behind their dramatic looks. Follow along as Quynh creates a disco-decadent violet eye for Los Angelesbased model Kenya Kinski-Jones, below. Then study the inventive makeup tutorials she crafted for three equally inspiring LA ladies: Lindsey Wixson,Ayako Comte, and Jane Moseley. THE ARTIST Mai Quynh | @storyofmailife THE INSPIRATION Bianca Jagger attending a party at Studio 54. WHERE TO WEAR Giorgios Saturday Disco party at The Standard in Hollywood. MEET THE FACE Kenya Kinski-Jones | @kenyakinskij THE LAVENDER SMOKY EYE BY MAI QUYNH 1/5 CALIFORNIA COMPLEXION Kenya is sunny in both her personality and her look. To accentuate her brightness, I usedCharlotte Tilburys Wonderglow primer, which kept her skin looking fresh and luminous even under foundation. CHARLOTTE TILBURY WONDERGLOW INSTANT SOFT-FOCUS BEAUTY FLASH PRIMER SHOP NOW 2/5 MEGAWATT GLOW To add even more sheen to her skin, I lightly dusted the Ambient Lighting powder in Luminous Light to the tops of her cheekbones and underneath her brow bone using a fluffy brush for a natural-looking, sheer luminescence. HOURGLASS AMBIENT LIGHTING POWDER LUMINOUS LIGHT VIEW NOW 3/5 EYES THAT POP I used Charlotte Tilburys Luxury Eyeshadow Palette in The Vintage Vamp to create this glamorous smoky eye. I knew its plum shades were the way to go because of how great they looked against Kenyas skin tone. Using the domed end of Stilas double-ended brush, I applied Enhance (top right) into her crease, followed by Smoke (bottom right) in the outer corner of her lid, and blended them together with the MAC Blending Brush. Story continues CHARLOTTE TILBURY LUXURY EYESHADOW PALETTE THE VINTAGE VAMP SHOP NOW 4/5 BABY BLUES I wanted the eyes to be a true purple versus an eggplant shade. To achieve that brilliance, I used a cool-toned blue over the crease, which brightened the purple hue and made her eyes pop. I then combined the blue shadow with Smoke from the Charlotte Tilbury palette (above) and applied the color along her lower lashline using Laura Merciers Smudge Brush. KJAER WEISEYE SHADOW COMPACT BLUE WONDER SHOP NOW 5/5 POLISHED NUDE I layered Chanel Lip Colour in Pensive over the shade Kenya was already wearing (Chanel Lip Colour in Adrienne). The result was a perfect nude shade that complemented her smoky eye beautifully. CHANEL ROUGE ALLURE INTENSE LONG-WEAR LIP COLOUR 162 PENSIVE SHOP NOW ARTIST PROFILE MAI QUYNH ARTIST STATS Name: Mai Quynh Known For: Dramatic eyes and dewy skin Where to Find Her: Los Angeles Clients: Saoirse Ronan, Daisy Ridley, Chloe Grace Moretz Years in the Industry: 18 Instagram: @storyofmailife Beauty Essential: BeautyBlender Pro Sponge Mentions in The Violet Files: All Things Eyeliner, The 90s Neutrals, The Artists Cat Eye, The Modern Mod Agent: Samantha Jeudy @ Starworks Makeup artist Mai Quynh is a thoroughly 90s girl. She grew up watching Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford sing with George Michael in Freedom! while flipping through issues of Vogue covered by Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer. They were everywhere, says Quynh of the models who inspired her to pursue a career in beauty. There was a way that they were painted, a presence they had. They looked so powerful and strong and beautiful and confident. Thusly transfixed, the California native enrolled at Studio Makeup Academy in 1998 and established her craft assisting makeup artists Stephane Marais, Paul Starr, and Frank B. on music videos, commercials, and photo shoots. In 2006, Quynh got her big break when she landed her first Harpers BAZAAR cover with a brunette and pregnant Britney Spears. It is quite a memory, Quynh says. Since then, Quynh has become a red carpet regular. Her work is readily on display at premieres and awards shows via the glowing faces of celebrity clients such as Saoirse Ronan and Chloe Grace Moretz. I take everything into considerationher hair, her dress, her accessoriesand I apply makeup that is specific to that moment, Quynh explains of her approach. But some things never change. When asked who she would love to get in her makeup chair for a dream appointment, Quynhs answer harkens back to her 90s fangirl days. Naomi Campbell, the artist says. Shes so fierce. MAI QUYNHS KIT ESSENTIALS VELOUR LASHES WHISPIE ME AWAY MINK LASHES SHOP NOW NARS VELVET MATTE LIP PENCIL CRUELLA SHOP NOW LA PRAIRIE SKIN CAVIAR LUXE CREAM SHOP NOW Read about Mai Quynhs Lavender Smoky Eye with Kenya Kinski-Jones & more at VIOLETGREY.COM When Chrissy Rutherford of New York City began having "weird muscle pain" in her legs after a Caribbean vacation, her mind didn't immediately go to the mosquito-borne Zika virus. The 30-year-old senior digital editor for Harper's Bazaar returned to N.Y.C. on June 1 after a trip to Kingston, Jamaica, and immediately began experiencing what she describes as "a charley horse pain" in her left thigh. But then a lump formed behind her ear and a rash broke out on her face. "[Zika] definitely had not crossed my mind until I started breaking out in a rasha That's when I was like 'Okay, there's definitely something wrong with me,' " Rutherford tells PEOPLE. "I was feeling really tired. I had plans to go out with a friend, but I had to cancel on her. "I told her it's hard to explain what's going on with my bodya I have no idea." New York Woman Diagnosed with Zika Virus Says Illness Is 'Very Frightening'| Medical Conditions, Real People Stories Rutherford says it first dawned on her that she might have Zika, while on a train ride to a wedding in Westchester, New York. In an op-ed she penned for Harper's Bazaar, the editor says she was taking a selfie when she noticed that her skin looked "unusually bumpy." "I was like 'Oh my God, there's really something wrong with me,' " she says. "I don't ever get rashes." Rutherford confided in her friends about her hunch but was met with laughter from pals who told her "not to be ridiculous!" A photo posted by Chrissy Rutherford (@chrissyford) on May 31, 2016 at 11:09am PDT Rutherford called her mother, a nurse, who advised her to drink lots of water and get tested for Zika. "When I was [in Jamaica], I was like, 'What are the chances I would actually get [Zika],' " she says. "I had put bug spray on once or twice, but I wasn't super vigilant about it, and I didn't put any on during the daytime." Rutherford heeded her mother's advice and sought immediate medical attention. "They took a urine sample and two vials of blood to be tested," she explains. "I spent a lot of that time reading information on the Internet. I was home and in bed for days. I was pretty certain that [Zika] was what I had." She adds, "I looked up the symptoms for other mosquito viruses that I could have. I knew that none of them were fatal and that there wasn't even anything that I could take, so I just gave into the fact that I was going to be sick for a while." RELATED: Zika Virus: What You Need to know A week later, Rutherford heard back from the doctors she tested positive for Zika. "In a way, I felt like, 'Oh, okay, I wasn't crazy!' " I did have this even though some of my friends thought it was something else," she says. "I wasn't too worried, because I'm not planning on having a baby anytime soon, so I know that the effects are a lot less scary for me." She pauses and adds, "There's a lot they still don't know." So much love for this lil island A photo posted by Chrissy Rutherford (@chrissyford) on Jun 1, 2016 at 11:50am PDT Rutherford's symptoms have receded and she has returned to work. "They say it only stays in your system for up to a week, so I technically don't have it anymore," she says. "It does suck and you feel terrible for a couple of days, but I think you just have to ride it out. "It's very frightening for those who are trying to get pregnant. There needs to be more education about what is going on." She advises anyone traveling outside of the United States to "read up" on the Zika virus. "Everyone really needs to understand what [Zika] is," she says. "That's all you can do is really wear bug spray and make sure you are wearing the right one that can protect you from the mosquitos that spread the virus. I think it's important to be informed. For more information on effective bug sprays to protect you from Zika, click here. American Idol season 10 alum Casey Abrams' pilgrimage to Ethiopia is set to debut Friday night (June 24) on the Africa Channel as part of the First Time Africa series. Abrams was invited by his old high school friend Sean Stromsoe, who was journeying to the country to film a project for Ethiopia Skate, a nonprofit dedicated to raise money to purchase skateboards for Ethiopian children. "He was filming kids and helping out with getting kids on the streets skateboards," he said. See 'American Idol' Alums Casey Abrams & Haley Reinhart Duet on 'Never Knew What Love Can Do' Stromsoe and Abrams met when they were both students at Idyllwild Arts Academy in Idyllwild, California. Abrams was in the jazz program and Stromsoe studied film. Stromsoe got in touch with Abrams and asked him to fly out and meet him in Ethiopia and check out the "cool music scene." Abrams had just gotten out of his label deal with Concord Records and had some time on his hands, so he hopped on a plane and arrived in Africa on Jan. 3, 2014. The journey, he said, was not only spiritual but educational, as the musician made it his mission to "explore the musical realm." From the second Abrams touched down at the airport, Stromsoe was there to film his arrival. The cameras kept rolling, and a documentary was born. "Sean had done a couple of things for the Africa Channel in the past, and they have a show where people explore Africa for the first time," he said. "We just took the footage, edited it and made a story out of it." Watch 'American Idol' Alum Casey Reinhart Host a Backyard Jam Being so far away from home in a country with limited Internet access meant the locals had no idea who the musician was, as most hadn't seen American Idol. "I think I went to a club only one time and one person recognized me, and she was from Nigeria," he said. Still, Abrams persisted in his mission to expand his musical horizons and quickly found success. "I went to random clubs and asked people, 'Hey, can I sit in?'" he said. "Sometimes they said no, but most times they said yes." Story continues As a result, Abrams extended his trip through Feb. 15, when he was invited to participate in a music festival. "I got invited to do this festival, which was Feb. 10, so I decided to stay," he said. "I went there to pursue something with music, and that was a perfect opportunity." Another bonus: the Idol's birthday is Feb. 12. "I spent my birthday in Africa, so that was really awesome," he said. The 25-year-old troubadour's hunger to explore new musical horizons is continuing through his travels touring with PostModern Jukebox and "wandering around L.A., sitting in and playing with my bass, getting my bass skills up," he said. Later this year, he is planning to record a live show in Los Angeles, as well as gathering an "orchestra of people" to "sit around a campfire and sing one of my songs." "Just fun times," he said. First Time Africa will air Friday at 10 p.m. ET on the Africa Channel, as well as on YouTube. Watch a preview of the episode above. Bernie Worrell, the monumentally influential longtime keyboardist for Parliament-Funkadelic, died Friday (June 24) at age 72. His whirring, buzzing synthesizer lines not only influenced keyboardists of all genres, they became a hallmark of 70s funk and, 20 years later, formed the foundation of Dr. Dres G-funk. Bernie Worrells Biggest Billboard Hits Here are 10 defining moments from his career, with P-Funk and beyond. Funkadelic, A Joyful Process (America Eats Its Young, 1972): Bernie Worrell was thick in the P-Funk soup well before there was even a P-Funk: As an 11-year-old hanging out at the local barbershop run by George Clinton, Worrell was drafted into writing the musicians lead sheets. This Clavinet-led orchestral-funk showpiece from Funkadelics fourth album is one of the periods most evocative R&B numbers with the title a subtle nod back to Georges old hairdressing specialty (specifically, finger waves). Funkadelic, Cosmic Slop (Cosmic Slop, 1973): One of Clinton & Co.s indisputable masterpieces, a harrowing depiction of a single mother prostituting herself to feed her kids whose bubbling groove paradoxically airlifts the song into a better, more peaceful place. Bernies organ is the undertow, not the instrumental focus, which here is the great guitarist Eddie Hazel, one of Worrells favorite collaborators. Funkadelic, Atmosphere (Lets Take It to the Stage, 1975): Having trained at Juilliard at age 14 and attended the New England Conservatory of Music, Worrell was more than justified in telling Musician, I'm labeled as a funk musician, but thats because of the success with Parliament-Funkadelic. I play everything. This classically steeped seven-minute mostly solo organ number (Clinton is buried in the mix, muttering as only he can: I hate the word pussy/ It sounds awful squishy/ So I guess Ill call it clit) is like a more restrained version of another big synthesizer player of the time that Worrell admired: Keith Emerson. Story continues Parliament, Flash Light (Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome, 1977): Funny to consider that arguably the most important bass line in R&B history was invented not by Bootsy Collins, who plays drums on this track (!), but by Worrell who still plays keyboards. In this case, a Moog that, as Rickey Vincent writes in Funk: The Music, the People, and the Rhythm of the One, was capable of not only playing low notes, but of stacking a number of bass tones onto one key creating the fullest bass sound ever played. Worrells canny, playful, and ever-so-on-the-one pitch-bends and squiggles just add to the groove and helped put the song atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for three weeks. Funkadelic, (Not Just) Knee Deep (Uncle Jam Wants You, 1979): One of Worrells keenest riffs so sharp it could cut through linoleum meets one of P-Funks sleekest grooves, one fully capable of sustaining a 15-minute album cut, a much shorter single (another Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs No. 1 in the summer of 79), and any number of samples from De La Souls definitive Me, Myself & I to Black Eyed Peas Shut the Phunk Up 20 years later. For Worrell, the song brought back memories of working with ex-Spinners vocalist Phillipe Wynne: The track was done, Worrell told Red Bull Music Academy. Hes ad-libbing. Hed just roll tape Man. That almost brought tears. George Clinton, Atomic Dog (Computer Games, 1982): Speaking of sampling, quite possibly the most ransacked groove in P-Funks history wasnt even supposed to be the big hit. Loopzilla was the first single from Computer Games, Clintons solo bow after P-Funks early-'80s dissolution; but the follow-up was, as they say, the bomb. And aside from the vocal, theres no part of it that Worrells sparkling, stuttering synths dont touch even (or especially) when Clinton runs them, and the beat, backward. Stephanie Mills, You Cant Run From My Love (Tantalizingly Hot, 1982): The demise of P-Funk meant a big rise in session playing for Worrell in particular, he began doing a lot of work for the writer-producer team of James Mtume and Reggie Lucas. Mtume and Lucas had met while playing with Miles Davis '70s fusion/fission units. (Lucas told Complex that Miles invited him in by asking, You wanna be in my band, mother-er?) This track from Mills fourth Mtume-Lucas album wasnt a hit (it only made No. 59 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart), but its irresistible boogie-funk gets its weight and accent from Worrells sharp-angled synth stabs. Mtume, Juicy Fruit (Juicy Fruit, 1983): Stepping out from behind the boards, Mtume scored a big hit (No. 45) with this risque number (its about eating something, all right) featuring Worrell on the Fender Rhodes and singing backup. They kind of forced me to do it, he told RBMA with an embarrassed laugh. I didnt wanna sing on it. Nevertheless, its airy groove made this yet another Worrell-featured track that became the backbone of a major hip-hop hit, namely the Notorious B.I.G.s Juicy (1994). Talking Heads, Girlfriend Is Better (Live) (Stop Making Sense, 1984): When Talking Heads recorded Remain in Light in 1980, they knew they couldnt reproduce it onstage without some help. So Jerry Harrison brought in some people he knew including Worrell, who would play on Harrisons 1981 solo debut The Red and the Black, and continued playing with the band live through the December 1983 shows in L.A. that were filmed for the classic 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense. His attitude, his take on things complements ours really well, David Byrne told Musician magazine of Worrell. Its different than the usual way a musician thinks [hes] hearing things in interesting ways. On the song that lends the Heads movie its title, Worrell take an already P-Funky synth part to the outer limits. Bernie Worrell, Dissinfodollars (Blacktronic Science, 1993): After George Clinton and the Mtume-Lucas team, Worrells third great producer-collaborator was Bill Laswell, who brought Worrell onboard for a slew of projects beginning in the mid-'80s, from Gil Scott-Herons anti-Reagan single Re-Ron (1984), to the Afro-fusions of Manu Dibangos Electric Africa and Fela Kutis Army Arrangement (both 1985), to the heavy funk all-star team-up of Axiom Funks Funkcronomicon (1995). Worrells third solo album, Blacktronic Science, came right as Dr. Dres The Chronic was blanketing the airwaves, so naturally Dissinfodollars highlights Worrells neon-toned MiniMoog. Not to mention that this track is, in fact, a joyous P-Funk reunion, featuring Clinton, Bootsy, Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, vocalist Gary Mudbone Cooper and a title chant that, in grand P-Funk style, embedded a handful of meanings. The New York Times HOUSTON Tony Earls hung his head before a row of television cameras, staring down, his life upended. Days before, Earls had pulled out his handgun and opened fire, hoping to strike a man who had just robbed him and his wife at an ATM in Houston. Instead, he struck Arlene Alvarez, a 9-year-old girl seated in a passing pickup, killing her. Is Mr. Earls licensed to carry? a reporter asked during the February news conference, in which his lawyer spoke for him. Sign up for The Morning newsletter It would be fun to think that Independence Day: Resurgence is as godawful as a lot of people want to say it is that its the John Carter of bombastically overscaled paramilitary 90s-nostalgia alien disaster flicks. But seriously, it aint that bad. (And lets be honest: The 1996 original isnt that good.) Its a greasy high-cheese blockbuster served up by people who know (mostly) what theyre doing which is to say, director Roland Emmerich, in the 20 years since ID4, has not lost his touch for shamelessly grandiose and derivative sci-fi schlock spectacle. That said, a movie like this one wouldnt be a movie like this one if it didnt offer at least a few invitations to giggle at it. Viewers, of course, are free to choose their own, but just to get you started, here are the 5 most ridiculous things about ID4: Resurgence. The Most Ridiculous Character. His name is Dikembe Umbutu (Diobia Oparei), but then, whats in a name? You will know him simply as the warlord (we meet him in the Central African desert where the carcass of the old alien spaceship is docked), and he has his own special technique for combating the deadly extraterrestrial menace. The other characters use machine guns, military jet fighters, cold-fusion bombs, and other stuff like that, but not our warlord: Hes sticking with what he knows best the two machetes he carries around, criss-crossed on his back, for the entire film. (I dont even think he takes them off to go to the bathroom.) Dont get in the way of his blades, alien people! You kill them from behind, he gruntingly explains, and he means it, literally. Theres a great moment when a science nerd places his hands on an alien sphere, and suddenly hes glued to it, and its sucking him in and as everyone in the room rises up in alarm, you can glimpse the warlord in the backgroundreaching for that machete! Hes the closest thing the movie has to a character out of Airplane! The Most Ridiculously Timely Political Allusion. The ID4 films are not exactly big on topical relevance. How could they be, when the original film was so busy raiding the 1970s with its mash-up of Close Encounters and a two-dozen-characters-you-could-hardly-care-less-about disaster film? But in Resurgence, theres one character who rings an unmistakably timely bell, and thats the President of the United States played by Sela Ward with a steely grin and a studiously tenacious I am woman, hear me project my strong-on-defense military bona fides resolve thats a little too reminiscent of a certain presumptive Democratic presidential nominee to be coincidence. As much as the film would like to pretend that the casting is gender neutral, its not: Moments after she issues a terse command like Take em out, commander! the president then says, Lets hope to God we did the right thing! in a way that no Morgan Freeman president would ever need to do. And the surest (unconscious) sign that the filmmakers may be a little nervous about the prospect of a Hillary presidency is the fact thatwell, lets just say that no one stays president forever. (But really, Willliam Fichtner?) The Most Ridiculously Sincere Bromantic Line. ID4, of course, had Will Smith, and it made him a megaplex ultrastar, just as he made the movie an ultrasmash. In lieu of the late great Capt. Hiller, Resurgence has two joystick fighter jocks: Hillers military-hero son, Dylan (Jessie T. Usher), and his rival, Jake Morrison (Liam Hemsworth), who was nearly responsible for Dylans death. Attempting to mend fences, Jake says (in reference to the loss of Dylans parents), Ive been where you are. And I know how deep it hurts. It takes about 20 minutes for the movie to recover from that line and regain its proper attitude of folks-gettin-blowed-up-real-good nonchalance. What the movie never quite defeats is the cruise-control innocuousness of this Top Gun Lite pair, with Hemsworth and Usher as such smooth, bland, unruffled bros that even their dive-bombing scenes feel like theyre happening on autopilot. The Most Ridiculous Person Carried Over From ID4. If the new movie theoretically is built around nostalgia for 1996, and the Top Gun-vs.-alien dogfights take us back to 1986, then what can you say about a character who makes us feel like its 1976? That would be Judd Hirschs Julius Levinson, who in the films deadliest scenes drives a school bus full of children across the desert, all so that he can drop words like schmuck and putz (are you laughing yet?) and then rendezvous with his son David (Jeff Goldblum), which allows him to deliver the rim-shot line, We had to wait until the end of the world to get together? (Okay, you can laugh now.) That Hirsch says all of this in a showbiz-Yiddish accent makes you think that he isnt so much playing the leftover knish in an alien tentpole movie as auditioning for his very own Normal Lear sitcom. The Ridiculous One-Size-Fits-All Design of Every Damn Alien Since Alien. Even if you havent seen Resurgence yet, you already know exactly what they look like: the jaws, the H.R. Giger skull head, the rasta tentacles that seem to have come out of a Predator sequel. Just as every description of an alien by anyone who was ever abducted used to have to look exactly like that slit-eyed, Charm Pop-headed prototype immortalized in 1977 by Close Encounters of the Third Kind, theres an unstated law in Hollywood that every hostile alien invader has to be a direct variation on the ones in the Alien films. Admittedly, the queen alien in Resurgence does make for an impressive image, mostly through the sheer size of the thing. Which makes you realize that it may be about time to put this creature into the Macys Thanksgiving Parade. Related stories Box Office: 'Finding Dory' Dominates 'Independence Day' at $75 Million Box Office: 'Finding Dory' Swims Past 'Independence Day: Resurgence' Opening 'Independence Day: Resurgence' Invades With $4 Million on Thursday Night Need a mood boost at the end of a busy week? We've got you covered. To celebrate PEOPLE and ABC's new series People's List, we've rounded up seven stories that instantly made everything a bit brighter this week. Eighth grader delivers hilarious graduation roast of presidential candidates Chicago-area middle schooler Jack Aiello brought a much-needed touch of humor to the presidential election when he impersonated politicians in his graduation speech. The tween nailed imitations of Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, Ted Cruz and President Barack Obama during his nearly nine minutes at the podium. "Politics has been something he's been interested in for several years," Aiello's father, John, said in an interview with ABC News. "He's always been good with impressions, so while watching along with his mom and I, he picked up phrases and mannerisms of the candidates." Bear sneaks into a backyard for a pool party A bear beat the heat wave in Bradbury, California, by taking a quick dip in a family's pool. A video of the furry trespassers shows him gleefully enjoying his neighbor's pool noodles and floats. "He continued to play around for about 20 minutes. We watched him play with the different rafts and my baby's pool toys," Shannon Lievense, whose father owns the pool, told KABC. Katherine Heigl announces pregnancy The actress and husband Josh Kelley, along with daughters Adalaide Marie Hope, 4, and Naleigh Moon, 7, will soon welcome a baby boy to the family. "This is an incredibly exciting time for us filled with hope, anticipation, and hormones. Well, only I'm filled with hormones, but everyone in the family gets to enjoy them," Heigl joked in a statement to PEOPLE. @joshbkelley and I have some news...go to thoseheavenlydays.com and I'll tell you alllllll about it! A photo posted by Katherine Heigl (@katherineheigl) on Jun 23, 2016 at 9:24am PDT "We were considering adoption again, fostering, or pregnancy if possible," she later shared on her blog. "Seeing as I have never been pregnant and as my OB/GYN reminded me last year, Iam of advanced maternal age, I wasn't sure pregnancy was even in the cards for us. Turns out it was very much in the cards!" "Naleigh and Adalaide are over the moon and [cannot] wait to spoil their new sibling rotten," the actress added. Girl Scouts unveil baking mixes inspired by their famous cookies Girl Scout Cookie junkies be warned: Your favorite vice now comes in a whole new form, and it's available all yearlong. This week, Pillsbury announced the release of Girl Scout Cookie baking mixes. The new products include Thin Mints and Caramel & Coconut (Samoas) cupcake, brownie and blondie mixes. Fans pretty much lost all composure on Twitter while celebrating the momentous day. Story continues Warm up the oven and celebrate: Girl Scout cookie baking mixes are here -> https://t.co/AZgQkemm0y #KHOU11 pic.twitter.com/YtYIGp9B6h a Doug Delony (@DougDelonyKHOU) June 22, 2016 Don't let anyone ever tell you that we're not living in a better time. #girlscoutcookies https://t.co/PvP9lsqJYl a Elizabeth Sowers (@easowers) June 22, 2016 And the best part about the new twist on the classic cookies? They retail for only $3.29 each, which is almost $2 less than a box of the original treats cost. Lifelong friends celebrate their 100th birthdays Friends forever has a whole new meaning. Washington, D.C., residents Gladys Butler, Ruth Hammett and Bernice Underwood gathered for a party at Zion Baptist Church to celebrate the big 1-0-0, which all of them are reaching this June and July. 7 Stories That Made Us Smile This Week| Katherine Heigl, Matthew McConaughey The Washington Post reports that the three women have been friends since they were kids. The trio's children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren and hundreds of other well-wishers gathered to share personal memories, photos and videos at the celebration. Oprah Winfrey even sent the birthday gals a video to congratulate them on the milestone. "The things you must have seen over the last century," the star said before wishing them "the grandest and greatest" birthday. Matthew McConaughey dishes on falling in love with wife Camila The Oscar winner recounted his first meeting with his now-wife in this week's PEOPLE cover story. "I was very happily single and healthily single," he said. "I was not looking. I was sleeping well, I was spiritually sound, I was good hanging with me." That all changed when he spotted Camila. "Out of the corner of my eye, this sort of aqua-green figure went floating across the frame about 20 feet in front of me," he recalled. ""My eye went up and I remember what came out of my mouth. I didn't say 'Who is that?' I went, 'What is that?' As l was trying to get that's attention across the room, I went in my head, 'This is not the kind of woman you call over across the room, McConaughey. Get your ass out of your chair and go get her.' Which I did." 7 Stories That Made Us Smile This Week| Katherine Heigl, Matthew McConaughey The couple has been together for almost a decade since and now has three children together. "The self-respect she had, the way I understood her and her relationship with family, the way she respected me but never took anything for granted, not putting on any airs whatsoever," McConaughey added about how he knew she was the one. "We went on our first date three nights later and I knew then a I've been wanting to go on a date with her for the last nine years and not with anybody else." The Gilmore Girls cookbook is officially happening We're all one step closer to becoming Rory and/or Lorelai. Thanks to her successful Kickstarter campaign, super-fan Kristi Carlson is helping Gilmore diehards everywhere get a true Stars Hollow experience with Eat Like a Gilmore, which is slated for a December release. "I thought of the first five recipes, and then that became 10 recipes, and then that became 25 recipes and it just grew," Carlson told PEOPLE about how the new kitchen must-have came about. Tune into People's List Saturday night, June 25, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Saturday he opposed "any attack on any religion" after Israel accused him of libelling the Jewish people in an address to the European Parliament. "Palestine is the cradle of the three monotheistic faiths. We stand strongly against any attack on any religion," Abbas said in a statement. In apparently unscripted Arabic remarks to the European Parliament on Thursday, Abbas said that recently "a number of rabbis in Israel made a clear declaration and asked their government to poison water to kill the Palestinians". He gave no source for the accusation, but said it was part of wider Israeli campaign of incitement against the Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office responded by accusing Abbas of disseminating "a blood libel in front of the European Parliament". Abbas's office acknowledged on Saturday that the reports on which his comments had been based had proved without foundation. "It has become evident that the alleged statements by a rabbi on poisoning Palestinian wells, which were reported by various media outlets, are baseless," it said. Abbas "didn't intend to do harm to Judaism or to offend Jewish people around the world". The accusation that Jews were poisoning the wells of Christians gained traction in 14th century Europe as a plague swept across the continent. Another allegation from the Middle Ages -- that Jews murdered Christian children to use their blood for ritual purposes -- gave rise to the term "blood libel". The Jerusalem Post newspaper reported on Tuesday that the well-poisoning story had resurfaced in a statement by the Palestinian foreign ministry naming a "rabbi Mlad" as authorising contamination of Palestinian water. The Post and other Israeli media said they had failed to locate any such person or edict. Rory Gilmore, the iconic bookworm played by Alexis Bledel, stopped by the White House this week to lend first lady Michelle Obama some of her literary expertise. In a video posted Friday to the official Gilmore Girls Twitter account, Gilmore met up with Obama to suggest some reading material while she travels for her Let Girls Learn initiative. As several White House staffers filed into the room carrying towering stacks of books, Gilmore listed off her recommendations: Shakespeare "because you can't go wrong with the Bard" Marilyn Robinson, Graham Green, "a little Proust" and Jane Austen. ("I mean, come on, Jane Austen!) She also recommended "some classic beach reads" like Moby Dick, Anna Karenina and, of course, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire all rattled off with Gilmore Girls' signature speed. (And she brought Obama a box of Pop-Tarts as a gift from her mom, Lorelai.) Related Video: Sookie is back! 'Gilmore Girls' fans rejoice that Melissa McCarthy is reviving her role Gilmore Girls Fans Rejoice That Melissa McCarthy is Reviving Her Role" data-ad-channel="peoplenow" data-ad-subchannel="peoplenownews" data-auto-play="no"> Of course, Gilmore made some time to learn more about Obama's trip to Liberia, Morocco and Spain. "We're going to focus on some of the challenges that girls are facing in getting an education around the world,'So hopefully it'll be informative and interesting." And although the Secret Service declined Gilmore's request to tag along on the trip (something about "Who are you?"), Obama told Gilmore she can follow along on her newly launched Snapchat account, where she'll be sharing "some behind-the-scenes action" from her travels. Gilmore's trip to the White House was a success, too: Obama left with a book in hand but just one. Not like that ever stopped Gilmore, who quickly shoved three more books into the arms of a staffer. "It's a four-part series. Trust me, she'll want them," she said. "Go, go, go!" DailyFX.com - Talking Points Spain will be conducting its second general election in six months over the weekend The Podemos party is viewed as a EU stability threat for its anti-austerity campaign The Brexit vote could give more support for eurosceptic parties Having trouble trading in such volatile market conditions? This may be why. In December 2015, Spain conducted a general election. The outcome saw the Peoples Party (PP) lose its majority and subsequently slow political progress. Prime Minister Rajoys campaign failed to secure the 176 seat threshold needed for a ruling majority in the 350-member parliament. In addition to the Euro gapping lower across the board following the results, Spains parliament was left fragmented and a new election was called to be held on Sunday the 26th, 2016. The timing of this event so happens to fall in the aftermath of a United Kingdom referendum vote in which the country decided to leave the European Union. This is the first member to ever leave the European Union since its inception, though last years Grexit situation - in which the anti-austerity Syriza party rose to power in Greece and nearly fulfilled its campaign to quit the EU - came close. Since then, there has been a rise in Eurosceptic sentiment within Spain and throughout Europe. Known as Podemos, the left-wing political party considers its mission is to address economic malaise by renegotiating austerity measures. In December, Podemos ended up with 69 electoral seats in parliament while the Peoples Party had 123. Leading up to this years election, the anti-EU party merged with several other factions forming the Unidos Podemos alliance. According to The Economist, Podemos will overtake the Socialist party to become the main force on the Spanish left if polls are correct. Now that the United Kingdom has taken its first step in breaking away from the European Union, concern will build that more anti-EU campaigns will gain traction. As Currency Strategist Ilya Spivak pointed out, Brexits success may embolden Eurosceptic forces elsewhere such as in Spain and France. Much like last time, the rising threat of a leftist coalition in Spain could lead to further austerity uncertainties down the road for the EUs now fourth largest economy (fifth if the outgoing U.K. were included). Story continues Anti-EU Sentiment in Brexit to Hang Over Weekend Spanish Election original source DailyFX provides forex news and technical analysis on the trends that influence the global currency markets. Learn forex trading with a free practice account and trading charts from FXCM. Ariel Winter continues to look fierce and fab! On Friday, the 18-year-old actress sported a very tiny pair of daisy dukes and a crop top that featured the face of Burt Reynolds, her co-star in the new movie, Dog Years. WATCH: Ariel Winter Explains Why She's 'Not Ashamed' of Her Breast Reduction Surgery Scars "I have a Burt shirt and you don't #throwinshade," she captioned a black-and-white selfie of herself on Instagram. The Modern Family star began shooting the dark comedy in Knoxville, Tennessee, two weeks ago. The new pic comes just a few days after Winter defended herself against body shamers who had criticized her after she wore a skin-baring gown to her graduation party on June 18. "Dear sorry body-shamers, I looked HOT in that dress. And if you hate it, don't buy it. But please get a hobby. XOXO Ariel #EmbraceYourBody," Winter tweeted on Wednesday. Dear sorry body-shamers, I looked HOT in that dress. And if you hate it, don't buy it. But please get a hobby. XOXO Ariel #EmbraceYourBody Ariel Winter (@arielwinter1) June 23, 2016 She later posted a quote on Instagram that read, "Own who you are." WATCH: Ariel Winter Shares a Racy, Cleavage-Baring Easter Photo This isn't the first time the actress has had to shut down body shamers and critics. Winter spoke with ET in March where she defended the gown she wore at the SAG Awards in January, which showed off her scars from the breast reduction surgery she underwent last year. "If I didn't think about them myself, clearly I'm not ashamed of them. I don't know why anybody would be. They're not going away," Winter explained. Check out the video below to hear more from the outspoken star. Related Articles By Ian Simpson June 24 (Reuters) - Arizona has run out of execution drugs, including a sedative implicated in botched lethal injections, according to a filing on Friday in a court case challenging the U.S. state's execution methods. The Arizona Department of Corrections' supply of midazolam, a sedative, expired on May 31 and it has not been able to replace it, state lawyers said in the filing in Phoenix's U.S. District Court. "What is more, the Department's source of midazolam has vanished under pressure from death penalty opponents," the court document said. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of seven death-row inmates who allege that Arizona's use of midazolam and two other drugs violate the U.S. Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Since midazolam was at the heart of the lawsuit, the filing asked the judge hearing the case, Neil Wake, to decide whether the suit was moot. The document said the Department of Corrections also lacked the execution drugs pentobarbital and sodium thiopental. Arizona has not carried out an execution since the July 2014 execution of Joseph Wood. He was administered 14 times the allowed doses of midazolam and a narcotic, hydromorphone, and took almost two hours to die. Midazolam, a relative of Valium, has also been cited in a troubled 2014 execution in Oklahoma. It was at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year where the court upheld its use in Oklahoma. After the high court's ruling, Arizona switched to a three-step protocol of midazolam, a paralytic drug and potassium chloride, which stops the heart. The protocol was the same as that decided in the Supreme Court case, and state lawyers have argued that midazolam thus was acceptable for use in Arizona. But Wake has ruled that Supreme Court decisions in the Oklahoma case and another involving midazolam were based only on the facts specific to them. Drug company Pfizer Inc said last month it had banned the sale of execution drugs, including midazolam. The move cut off the last major U.S. source for drugs in the deadly mixes. The number of inmates executed in the United State has plummeted since the 1990s, with 14 executions so far this year, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. (Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Mary Milliken) The Trumps may brag about their business acumen, but it doesn't look like they've mastered the fashion sector just yet. From Ivanka Trump allegedly copying luxury footwear label Aquazzura to Melania Trump getting (politely) dropped from QVC, the potential first family seems to get into more trouble than they bargain for with their fashion brands, so much so that it's landed them in the courtroom and gotten their brands hastily removed from store shelves. Below, check out a curated list of the Trumps' (legal) fashion faux pas. Be Original Footwear brand Aquazzura filed a lawsuit in federal court against Ivanka Trump and Marc Fisher, the company that produces her footwear line, for allegedly copying the "Wild Thing" sandal. There are so many similarities between Aquazzura's fringe suede sandals and Ivanka's "Hettie" sample that designer Edgardo Osorio called out Ivanka on Instagram nearly three months ago. Jean-Michel Vigneau, chief executive officer of Aquazzura, released this statement: "Aquazzura is a young company that puts our heart and soul into our designs [...] We are confident that the law will not allow the type of copying that we have seen here." One of the most disturbing things in the fashion industry is when someone blatantly steals your copyright designs and doesn't care. You should know better. Shame on you @ivankatrump! Imitation is NOT the most sincere form of flattery. #aquazzura #ivankatrump Proud of mine #madeinitaly #italiansdoitbetter /a> A photo posted by Aquazzura by Edgardo Osorio (@aquazzura) on Mar 4, 2016 at 5:30am PST Pay Your Bills KCK Group won a $3.05 million judgment against Madison Avenue Diamonds LLC (which does business as Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry) in a breach of contract dispute. The Trump jewelry brand failed to make payments to the supplier for a total of $3 million of jewelry, according to a KCK Group press release. A first initial payment was made, with no subsequent payments. Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry's argument was that they received low-quality jewels - to which Sanjay Kothari, vice chair of the KGK Group, stated in the release: "As KGK has maintained throughout the course of this unfortunate lawsuit, Madison never had any basis for withholding the contractual payments to which it had agreed." Madison Avenue Diamonds is appealing the Supreme Court of the State of New York's ruling. Story continues Ivanka Trump shows her new jewelry collection at the Trump Taj Mahal October 11, 2007 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Photo: Nick Valinote/FilmMagic/Getty Images) Make a High-Quality Product Roughly 20,000 scarves from Ivanka Trump's fashion label were recalled in April due to a violation of federal flammability standards. Produced in China, the "Beach Wave Scarf," was made out of 100 percent highly flammable rayon, posing a burn risk to consumers - another burn to Ivanka's fledgling fashion empire - according to a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission document. Though no injuries were reported, the commission advises customers to return the scarf for a full refund. Ivanka Trump headed to 'Live! With Regis and Kelly' at ABC Studios on the Upper West Side on March 4, 2008, in New York City, New York. (Photo: Christopher Peterson/BuzzFoto.com/ Getty Images) Be an Inspiring Voice for Your Brand Retailer Macy's dumped Donald Trump after an 11-year menswear collection partnership when the Republican businessman made insulting comments about Mexicans during the speech he gave announcing his candidacy, according to statements made by the retailer to MSNBC. Two weeks after Trump made this controversial statement: "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people," the retailer severed the relationship. Trump fired back and said it was his decision to cut ties and the deal was only a small part of his portfolio. After calling for a Macy's boycott on Twitter, Trump promised to relaunch the line and manufacture it in the United States after receiving a barrage of tweets asking why his clothing was made in China if he's trying to "Make America Great Again." For all of those who want to #MakeAmericaGreatAgain, boycott @Macys. They are weak on border security & stopping illegal immigration. - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 1, 2015 Reputation Is Everything Phillips-Van Heusen (PVH Corp.), the manufacturer of The Donald Trump Collection of suits, ties, dress shirts, cufflinks and small leather goods, quickly followed in Macy's footsteps, prematurely ending a licensing agreement that was set to end in 2018. PVH Corp. also backs fashion giants such as Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger. Trump.com still links to the product, directing users to Trump's Amazon store. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to guest gathered at Fountain Park during a campaign rally on March 19, 2016 in Fountain Hills, Arizona. (Photo: Ralph Freso/Getty Images) Have A Sharp Digital Strategy Potential First Lady Melania Trump has been quietly dropped from QVC this year after selling her costume jewelry with the network since 2010. Melania made no appearances on the network after the fire sale began. MelaniaTrump.com still directs users to QVC.com, but no product was available on the site as of June 24, 2016. Brussels (AFP) - It consists of just five short, vaguely worded paragraphs, but Article 50 of the European Union's 2007 Lisbon Treaty will decide how Britain leaves -- and it is already causing problems. The short section buried in the laws that govern the EU has never been used and was written at a time when the prospect of any member state leaving seemed very unlikely. The key opening phrase -- "Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements" -- was indeed the first time EU law laid out an exit plan. But now it is at the centre of an acrimonious row between London and its soon-to-be former partners about how and when Britain will leave after Thursday's vote to quit. "It provides few concrete details about how the withdrawal must be organised," Robert Chaouad, a research Fellow at the Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS), told AFP. - Pulling the trigger - Article 50 says this: "A Member State which decides to withdraw shall notify the European Council (the 28 leaders of the EU member states, led by EU President Donald Tusk) of its intention." But it does not say when this must happen, and that has become the first crucial stumbling block. Prime Minister David Cameron said on Friday he would resign by October, leaving his successor to begin the talks. But his EU peers believe notification should be "as soon as possible" to minimise the chaos of a "Brexit", and preferably by Cameron himself at an EU summit on Tuesday. What is clear from Article 50 is, however, that it is only the member state concerned which can make the notification. It cannot be forced on Britain by Brussels. "The notification ("triggering") of Article 50 is a formal act and has to be done by the British government to the European Council," an EU Council spokesman told AFP. "It has to be done in an unequivocal manner with the explicit intent to trigger Article 50. It could either be a letter to the President of the European Council or an official statement at a meeting of the European Council duly noted in the official records of the meeting." Story continues Jean-Claude Piris of the Delors Institute in Brussels said it was "normal and understandable" Cameron wanted to wait until a successor was in place, and that the rest of the EU "will not put a knife to Britain's throat". "However if it drags on another six months or a year then it will become objectionable and I would understand if the EU became impatient," he told AFP. - Two-year timeframe - Under Article 50, Britain's notification will set the clock ticking on a two-year period of negotiations within which a basic withdrawal agreement should be made. After that "the treaties shall cease to apply to the state in question" -- or in layman's terms, Brexit is a reality. The talks can in theory be extended if need be -- but only by the unanimous consent of Britain and the other 27 member states. The alternative is a chaotic British exit on the stroke of two years, with lots of loose ends. - Future relationship - Britain and the EU will separately need to negotiate what Article 50 calls their "future relationship". This is not spelled out but would include issues such as access to the single market, whether Britain will have trade deals with the EU, whether free movement will continue, and so on. Under Article 50, negotiations on these topics will take place in parallel with the talks on the basic withdrawal agreement. But again it is vague, mentioning only the talks "taking account of the framework for its future relationship with the union". - Second thoughts - Article 50 does say that a former EU nation can seek to rejoin after leaving -- under Article 49 of the Lisbon Treaty. This however begins the membership process from zero, in the same way as current candidate states like Turkey, Serbia and Albania. The remaining 27 EU states must approve Britain's withdrawal agreement by a "qualified majority". The European Parliament will also vote by a simple majority Photo: Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP Images. An attack on a hotel in Somalia killed at least 14 people and wounded nine more, the Associated Press reported. Gunmen stormed the Naso Hablod Hotel in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Saturday, taking an unknown number of hotel guests hostage in a hours-long siege. Police said that at least four gunmen were involved in the attack, which began with a suicide bomber blowing up a truck at the hotel's gate. The attack ended at about 6:30 p.m. GMT, after security forces were able to corner the gunmen on the top floor of the hotel. Authorities were not able to report whether or not any of the hostages had been killed. CNN reports that the hotel is frequented by government officials, as well as lawmakers and security officers, but that most of those killed were civilians and passers-by. Ambulance driver Yusuf Ali told the AP that most of the victims he had seen were wounded in crossfire. Another witness told the news agency that the attackers were shooting randomly. Al-Shabab, an extremist group affiliated with al-Qaida, claimed responsibility for the attack on social media. The group had previously claimed responsibility for a 1st of June attack on the Ambassador Hotel, also in Mogadishu, which killed 13 people, including two members of the Somali government. Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here? What I Learned At My First Gay Pride The Sex Education Problem In Myanmar The List Of Zika Birth Defects Just Got Longer In a powerful, poignant and angry opinion column for The New York Times, Aziz Ansari is speaking out against the anti-Muslim hate speech of Donald Trump and others following last weeks Orlando mass shooting, the deadliest in U.S. history. Today, with the presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and others like him spewing hate speech, writes Ansari in an op-ed headlined Why Trump Makes Me Scared for My Family, prejudice is reaching new levels. Its visceral, and scary, and it affects how people live, work and pray. It makes me afraid for my family. It also makes no sense. Ansari, star of Master of None, the original Netflix comedy series he created with Alan Yang, begins the column posted on The Times website yesterday to be published in tomorrows Sunday print edition by recounting an exchange he had with his mother following the June 12 shooting, in which 49 patrons of the gay club Pulse were killed by a Muslim-American man who swore allegiance to ISIS. Dont go anywhere near a mosque, I told my mother. Do all your prayer at home. O.K.? I am the son of Muslim immigrants. As I sent that text, in the aftermath of the horrible attack in Orlando, Fla., I realized how awful it was to tell an American citizen to be careful about how she worshiped. Ansari, who grew up in South Carolina in a Tamil Muslim family, writes that being Muslim American already carries a decent amount of baggage, and that Americans too often associate his familys faith with violence. In our culture, when people think Muslim, the picture in their heads is not usually of the Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or the kid who left the boy band One Direction. Its of a scary terrorist character from Homeland or some monster from the news. Ansari concludes his column by calling for keeping military-grade weaponry out of the hands of mentally unstable people, those with a history of violence, and those on F.B.I. watch lists. Story continues The former Parks and Recreation actor specifically calls out Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, for vitriolic and hate-filled rhetoric. He has said that people in the American Muslim community know who the bad ones are, implying that millions of innocent people are somehow complicit in awful attacks. Not only is this wrongheaded; but it also does nothing to address the real problems posed by terrorist attacks. By Mr. Trumps logic, after the huge financial crisis of 2007-08, the best way to protect the American economy would have been to ban white males. With more than half of post 9/11 mass shootings perpetrated by white males (Ansari sources a Mother Jones report), I doubt well hear Mr. Trump make a speech asking his fellow white males to tell authorities who the bad ones are, or call for restricting white males freedoms. Ansari, who describes himself in the column as not a religious person, recalls an incident following the 9/11 attacks, when as a New York University student he lived near enough to Ground Zero that his apartment shook upon impact. His family was unable to reach me on my cellphone, was terrified about my safety as they watched the towers collapse. There was absolutely no cheering. Only sadness, horror and fear, he writes, a reference to Donald Trumps claims that American Muslims cheered in the streets when the Twin Towers fell. Mr. Trump, in response to the attack in Orlando, began a tweet with these words: Appreciate the congrats, writes Ansari. It appears that day he was the one who was celebrating after an attack. Related stories Politicon: Larry Wilmore-Led Panel Talks Voter Discontent & Zings Trump Kanye West 'Famous: Rapper Unveils Shocking Video Featuring Naked Donald Trump, Taylor Swift, Bill Cosby & More Brexit Reactions: Late-Night Comics And Pals Race To Keep Pace With Donald Trump Something tells us Aziz Ansari is not a Donald Trump supporter. In a New York Times opinion piece called "Why Trump Makes Me Scared for My Family," the Master of None star and creator explains how the Orlando massacre has led to increased levels of prejudice and admits that he's genuinely concerned for the safety of his loved ones. "Today, with the presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and others like him spewing hate speech, prejudice is reaching new levels," he wrote for the paper. "It's visceral, and scary, and it affects how people live, work and pray. It makes me afraid for my family. It also makes no sense." READ: Why Aziz Ansari Made It His Mission to Do the Unconventional on 'Master of None' "I am the son of Muslim immigrants," Ansari continued. "In our culture, when people think 'Muslim,' the picture in their heads is not usually of the Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or the kid who left the boy band One Direction. It's of a scary terrorist character from Homeland or some monster from the news." The comedian goes on describe Trump's rhetoric as vitriolic and hate-filled. "Xenophobic rhetoric was central to Mr. Trump's campaign," he noted. "This is a guy who kicked off his presidential run by calling Mexicans 'rapists' who were 'bringing drugs' to this country. Numerous times, he has said that Muslims in New Jersey were cheering in the streets on Sept. 11, 2001. This has been continually disproved, but he stands by it." READ: Aziz Ansari Pens Heartfelt Letter About His Parents On Friday, the former Parks and Recreation star promoted the essay on Twitter with the following caption, "Trump wants to ban Muslim immigrants like my parents. I wrote a piece for @NYTimes telling him to go f**k himself." Trump wants to ban Muslim immigrants like my parents. I wrote a piece for @NYTimes telling him to go fuck himself: https://t.co/MCDsQyz2jy Aziz Ansari (@azizansari) June 24, 2016 Ansari, who's currently working on the second season of Master of None with his parents, concluded with a call for gun control legislation. Story continues "One way to decrease the risk of terrorism is clear: Keep military-grade weaponry out of the hands of mentally unstable people, those with a history of violence, and those on F.B.I. watch lists," he noted. "But, despite sit-ins and filibusters, our lawmakers are failing us on this front and choose instead to side with the National Rifle Association." Related Articles Brussels (AFP) - Belgian authorities have charged two men with terrorist offences after raids overnight, the federal prosecutor's office said Saturday amid reports of a planned attack on a Euro 2016 fanzone. "Two persons... were taken for questioning and arrested by the investigating judge," a statement said. "They are charged, as perpetrator or co-perpetrator, for participation (in) the activities of a terrorist group." It said several houses were raided overnight in Verviers, in eastern Belgium, and in Tournai, close to the border with France. No weapons or explosives were found, it said, adding that no further information would be given as the investigation continued. A spokesman said earlier one man was detained in each town. Belgium remains on high alert after attacks in March claimed by the Islamic State group on Brussels airport and on the city's busy metro system left 32 people dead. Several of those involved were directly linked to the Paris November attacks, planned in Brussels and also claimed by IS, which killed 130 people. RTL news service, citing unnamed sources, said on its website the man detained in Verviers was planning an attack on fans watching Belgium's next Euro 2016 game against Hungary on Sunday. Last Saturday, Belgium charged three men with "attempted terrorist murder" after massive anti-terror raids linked to a reported threat to fans during a Euro 2016 game. At the time, prosecutors said they were responding to the need for "an immediate intervention". Belgium police killed two IS jihadis in a raid in Verviers in January 2015 who were later found to be linked to the cells involved in both the Brussels and Paris attacks. Euro 2016 host France meanwhile is on maximum alert. A 73-year-old woman who accused Bill Cosby of attempted rape dropped her defamation lawsuit against the comedian Friday (June 24). Kristina Ruehli of New Hampshire, says she walked away from the legal battle because she achieved her goal of illuminating Cosbys numerous sexual assault accusations. According to the Associated Press, Ruehli withdrew the suit a day after a U.S. District Judge Mark G. Mastroianni ruled that it could continue. Ruehli is the oldest known accuser among dozens of women who say Cosby either tired or succeeded at sexually assaulting them at some point over the last four decades. She claims Cosby drugged and attempted to rape her in 1965, when she was a 22-year-old secretary at a Los Angeles talent agency. Speaking to the Washington Post, Ruehli maintained that her suit wasnt motivated by money or publicity. But after spending $80,000 of her own money. she chose to walk away. I do not want Cosbys money, as I have wealth of my own. And, at age 73, its a little too late for celebrity, she told the Post. In her defamation suit, filed last year in Massachusetts federal court, Ruehli alleged that Cosby brought her public scorn and ridicule by saying she lied about the rape attempt. Ruehlis voluntary withdrawal, comes six months after another accusers defamation suit against Cosby was dismissed by a judge. For those in the media who accepted every allegation raised without question or evaluation, they need to answer the well-known question with respect to Mr. Cosby, Which office do I go to get my reputation back?, Cosbys rep, Andrew Wyatt said in a statement to AP. While the defamation suit may be over, Cosby still faces lawsuits from other accusers. In January, the 78-year-old comic legend was formally charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault stemming from a 2004 case involving former Temple University employee Andrea Constand. Cosby settled a civil suit with Constand for an undisclosed amount of money in 2005. A trial date for his assault case has not been set. Bill Cunningham, a New York Times fashion photographer who documented street style through several decades, died Saturday in New York, the newspaper announced. He was 87. Cunningham had been hospitalized after a stroke earlier this week. From bell bottoms to fanny packs and beyond, Cunningham immortalized not only the fashions of the moment, but the cultural shifts as they changed. As the Times puts it, the photographer became an unlikely anthropologist in his 40 years at the paper, as his street photos reflected a change from formality into more self-expressive trends. Though he preferred not to photograph celebrities, but rather passing residents on the streets of Manhattan, Cunningham became something of a star himself in the fashion world. The French government honored him with the Legion dHonneur in Paris in 2008, and he was congratulated at Bergdorf Goodman in New York, where a life-size mannequin of him was installed. He was also the subject of the critically acclaimed 2010 documentary Bill Cunningham New York, which premiered at the Museum of Modern Art. Cunningham was born in Boston in 1929, the second of four children. His gravitation to fashion was apparent early on he made hats as a child, and worked part-time as a teenager at department star Bonwit Teller. He received a scholarship to Harvard, but dropped out after two months. They thought I was an illiterate, Cunningham said of the experience. I was hopeless but I was a visual person. He then moved in with an uncle, Tom Harringston, in New York, who was in the advertising industry. Cunningham said his family hoped his uncle would rub off on him and that he would also enter the business, but his fascination with fashion held firm, and he later moved out after his uncle forced him to choose between their living situation and his hat-making. He freelanced a column for Womens Wear Daily for extra money, but quit in the early 60s after a feud with publisher John Fairchild over who was the better designer: Andre Courreges or Yves Saint Laurent. In 1967, he turned to photography, taking assignments for the Daily News and Chicago Tribune that summer. Story continues He became a regular contributer to the Times in the late 70s, but refused to take a staff position until 1994, when he was hit by a truck while riding his bike. He later explained he took the staff position for health insurance, and stayed at the publication for years after. His company was sought after by the fashion worlds rich and powerful, yet he remained one of the kindest, most gentle and humble people I have ever met, said Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr., the Times publisher and chairman, in a statement. We have lost a legend, and I am personally heartbroken to have lost a friend. He was a hugely ethical journalist, said Dean Baquet, the Times executive editor. And he was incredibly open-minded about fashion. To see a Bill Cunningham street spread was to see all of New York. Young people. Brown people. People who spent fortunes on fashion and people who just had a strut and knew how to put an outfit together out of what they had and what they found. Bill was an extraordinary man, his commitment and passion unparalleled, his gentleness and humility inspirational, added Michele McNally, The Times director of photography. Even though his talents were very well known, he preferred to be anonymous, something unachievable for such a superstar. I will miss him everyday. Related stories New York Times Is Sending Another 300,000 Cardboard Viewers to Subscribers Tribeca: Documentary Goes Inside the Secret World of N.Y. Times Obit Writers New York Times Hands David Carr's Media Column to Jim Rutenberg Activist group Black Lives Matter, set to be an organizational grand marshal at San Francisco's LGBTQ Pride Parade, pulled out of the festivities amid reports of an increased police presence at this year's celebration. Citing the SFPD's recent string of scandals and killings of people of color, Black Lives Matter activists said that, while first responders can be a great resource during a crisis, "they are too often the cause of harm in queer communities of color." "For us, celebrating Pride this year meant choosing between the threat of homophobic and transphobic vigilante violence and the threat of police violence," said Malkia Cyril, a member of Black Lives Matter, in a statement. "We had a tough decision to make, and ultimately we chose to keep our people safe by not participating in any event that would leave our communities vulnerable to either." Source: Max Whittaker/Getty Images The statement acknowledged that, in the wake of the tragic shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, several LGBTQ pride events have seen increased police presence. "In the Bay Area, and the rest of the country, Black communities experience real fear and terror at the hands of homophobic and racist vigilantes and law enforcement," Shanelle Matthews, director of communications for the BLM Network, said in the statement. "We are working every day to find solutions and we know the militarization of large-scale events only gives an illusion of safety. We are choosing to do the real work of building safe communities." Source: Noah Berger/AP New Orleans organizing group BreakOUT! also pulled participation from the New Orleans Pride parade because of increased police presence. Michelle Meow, the SF Pride board president, endorsed the withdrawal as well. "Increasing police presence in our community is not the solution," she told The Guardian. "We have to get through this year so we can think about what safety means outside of police protection, because that is not the answer." LONDON (Reuters) - Boris Johnson, one of the leaders of the successful "Leave" campaign in Britain's European Union membership referendum, has won the backing of a key colleague to replace David Cameron as prime minister, a newspaper reported. Justice minister Michael Gove called Johnson by telephone on Saturday to say he would back him for the leadership of the ruling Conservative Party, the Sunday Times said. Cameron announced on Friday that he would step down as prime minister by October after voters in the referendum took the historic decision to back the "Leave" campaign which was led by Johnson and Gove. Cameron had urged voters to stay in the bloc. The Sunday Times said the home secretary Theresa May was expected to enter the leadership contest in the coming days and was likely to get support from allies of Cameron who see her as the best candidate to take on Johnson, a former London mayor. May supported the "Remain" campaign but took a lower profile than Cameron and Chancellor of Exchequer George Osborne, whose hopes of becoming the party's next leader took a big blow with the outcome of the referendum. (Writing by William Schomberg) Sao Paulo (AFP) - Celebrated Brazilian musician Gilberto Gil was released from a Sao Paulo hospital where he was treated over the past week for kidney problems. Gil, 73, on his Instagram account posted a photo showing the rear of a car with the words "homeward bound" superimposed on the image, as he ended his stay at the Syrian Lebanese Hospital, where he was admitted last Thursday. "Thanks to everyone who sent their warm wishes," the musician wrote. Gil is undergoing monthly treatment for kidney ailments for an undetermined period, according to the G1 news website. He was hospitalized for nine days of treatment in May. Gil was previously admitted to the same hospital in February and March for high blood pressure and kidney issues. The musician, who served as Brazil's culture minister from 2003 to 2008, is one of the seminal figures of popular Brazilian music, fusing traditional samba with jazz and rock to create the unique tropicalia sound during the 1960s. SAO PAULO, June 25 (Reuters) - Brazil's interim President Michel Temer told local newspapers women should retire earlier than men, explaining why he did not support making a potential minimum retirement age equal for both sexes as his government tackles pension reform. "A little difference is reasonable," Temer said according to an interview published in O Globo newspaper on Saturday. "The woman, in addition to outside work, does the inner work in the home, she is a mother, etc., sometimes cares for siblings." Former Vice President Temer took over from President Dilma Rousseff, Brazil's first female leader, after she was placed on trial in the Senate for breaking budget rules last month. Impeachment proceedings are due to conclude in August. Temer is backed by the powerful "bible, beef and bullets" caucus in Congress, which groups evangelical Christians, the farm lobby and lawmakers determined to ease strict firearms controls. The interim government is expected to propose a minimum retirement age as part of a broader pension reform in coming weeks, as it focuses on curbing spending in Latin America's largest economy. While other countries have divergent retirement ages for men and women, many, like the United Kingdom, are phasing them out. Temer, 75, was criticized for appointing an all-white, all-male cabinet upon taking office in one of the world's largest and most diverse democracies. He spoke to journalists from five different local papers on Friday. (Reporting by Caroline Stauffer) SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil's interim President Michel Temer told local newspapers women should retire earlier than men, explaining why he did not support making a potential minimum retirement age equal for both sexes as his government tackles pension reform. "A little difference is reasonable," Temer said according to an interview published in O Globo newspaper on Saturday. "The woman, in addition to outside work, does the inner work in the home, she is a mother, etc., sometimes cares for siblings." Former Vice President Temer took over from President Dilma Rousseff, Brazil's first female leader, after she was placed on trial in the Senate for breaking budget rules last month. Impeachment proceedings are due to conclude in August. Temer is backed by the powerful "bible, beef and bullets" caucus in Congress, which groups evangelical Christians, the farm lobby and lawmakers determined to ease strict firearms controls. The interim government is expected to propose a minimum retirement age as part of a broader pension reform in coming weeks, as it focuses on curbing spending in Latin America's largest economy. While other countries have divergent retirement ages for men and women, many, like the United Kingdom, are phasing them out. Temer, 75, was criticized for appointing an all-white, all-male cabinet upon taking office in one of the world's largest and most diverse democracies. He spoke to journalists from five different local papers on Friday. (Reporting by Caroline Stauffer) By Roberta Rampton SEATTLE (Reuters) - The financial and political fallout from Britain's vote to leave the European Union has added to a string of setbacks for President Barack Obama as he works to burnish his legacy before his presidency ends in January 2017. The Brexit decision came after a deadlock in the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday effectively ended Obama's push to overhaul immigration rules, and the week after the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. For Obama, the reversals heighten pressure on him and fellow Democrats to work harder for the Nov. 8 elections - particularly for the party's presumptive presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, who represents his best shot at making sure more of his policies are not rolled back. Speaking at two fundraising events in Seattle on Friday night, at the end of an arduous day that saw global markets plunge after the Brexit vote, Obama acknowledged the shifting political winds four months from the vote. "If you didn't think the stakes were high before, you should think the stakes are pretty high right now," Obama said at an intimate fundraising dinner at the home of tech executive Steve Singh. Guests, arranged in two long tables, paid $10,000 to $66,800 per couple. Obama has argued technology and globalization can increase opportunities for all, but conceded that recent events show many people are frightened by global competition and feel left behind. Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and political novice, has tapped into those concerns about the economy, trade and immigration - fears that also figured into the UK campaign to leave the EU. "Unfortunately, when people are anxious and scared, there are going to be politicians out there who try to prey on that frustration to get themselves headlines and to get themselves votes," Obama told about 3,000 people who paid $250 and up to attend a campaign-style event on Friday for Washington State's Democratic Governor Jay Inslee. Clinton regained a double-digit lead over Trump this week, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday that showed 46.6 percent of likely American voters supported Clinton while 33.3 percent backed Trump. 'THE NINTH INNING' In April, Obama had taken the unusual step of traveling to London to help the "Remain" camp of the referendum for his friend and ally, Prime Minister David Cameron, who will now leave office before Obama does. The financial uncertainty from Brexit threatens to weigh on the strong U.S. economy and undo some of the recovery seen since Obama took office in early 2009 at the height of the financial crisis. Earlier this week, Obama's plan to remove the specter of deportation for millions of undocumented immigrants was quashed when the Supreme Court deadlocked over lifting a hold on the action. And two weeks ago, the nation's worst mass shooting in modern history, at a gay nightclub in Orlando, raised questions about how Obama is dealing with home-grown extremism - and served as a reminder of his failure to convince the U.S. Congress to tighten gun laws. The setbacks show the limits of action that any president can take unilaterally, said Justin Vaughn, a political scientist at Boise State University. "I don't think Obama's legacy has taken a hit so much as it came back to earth," Vaughn said. Still, the impression that his administration is unable to control its own political destiny could weigh on how history views Obama's time at the White House, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political scientist at University of Houston. "Presidents are often judged by what happens in the ninth inning, so President Obama's last few months in office are important to cementing and enhancing his legacy," Rottinghaus said. (Additional reporting by Ayesha Rascoe in Washington; Editing by Mary Milliken) Paris (AFP) - Europe's press was awash with gloom and doom over Brexit on Saturday, warning that it was a boon for nationalists while urging EU leaders to meet the challenge of their "rendezvous with history". A cartoon in the Dutch paper AD Haagsche Courant styled after Edvard Munch's "The Scream" showed the German, Dutch and British leaders howling in horror, holding their hands to their faces. "It's not an exaggeration to call it a disaster," Spain's El Pais daily said in an editorial about Britons voting to leave the European Union in Thursday's referendum. It urged EU nations to offer their citizens "ideas, plans, real leadership," adding only then could the EU "be saved from the dangerous abyss it has reached". "A black day for Europe - OUTch!" was the banner headline of the German daily Bild, while Spain's El Mundo ran a cartoon showing the Beatles crossing Abbey Road towards an abyss. "The Brexit shock will have profound geopolitical implications," said an editorial in Italy's leading Corriere della Sera. "The European project will not be the same and the role of Europe in the world will inevitably be reshaped." Calling the UK referendum result a "blow to Europe", Corriere said it marked the end of a period of optimism and cooperation in European history that began with the fall of the Berlin Wall. "Europe is a common home that is on fire," said Laurent Joffrin of France's left-leaning daily Liberation. "Its leaders have a rendezvous with history." He said Britons had voted with their pocketbooks and their disaffection was shared across the EU. "The demographics of the vote leaves no doubt: the poorer and older you are in Great Britain, the more you reject the European project," he said. "Workers across the continent don't believe in it anymore. They are turning towards their national identities as the only credible rampart against the excesses of globalisation." Story continues Die Welt chastised German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her role in fanning anti-immigration sentiment, saying she "contributed to it significantly with the times she went it alone with her refugee policy." - 'Chain reaction' - Populism could doom several EU leaders facing elections, said Italy's Il Fatto Quotidiano under the headline "Now everyone is scared". "The anti-establishment wave risks sweeping away" Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in Spain's elections on Sunday, it said. A "chain reaction" could follow that would doom Italy's Matteo Renzi in an October referendum as well as the French and German leaders, who face elections next year, the paper said. But Austrian daily Die Presse warned against lambasting political elites in the aftermath of Brexit, which journalist Rainer Nowak said was seen as a "new victory of the underdogs over the decadent establishment". "Things cannot work without elites at a decision-making level," he said. "(Rejecting) experts, universities, high culture, thinkers and debate... would be bad for everyonea not just Europe." Many editorialists saw the break with Britain as a watershed, with Jerome Fonglio of France's leading daily Le Monde saying it should prompt "deep thought about what (the EU) should be and the direction it should take". Italy's left-leaning La Repubblicca called on the youth of Europe to revitalise the European project. "Europe belongs to you," said a front-page headline. "Don't let the peddlers of fear win." Philippe Gelie of France's right-leaning daily Le Figaro slammed EU leaders for failing to plan for a possible Brexit. "The crisis sparked by the British divorce requires sang-froid and intelligence," he said, while warning that the bloc has become too unwieldy with 28 -- and soon 27 -- members. In the end, wrote Herve Favre of France's La Voix du Nord: "Maybe one day we will thank our English friends for delivering the shock treatment that resuscitated the European patient." PARIS (AP) The British vote to leave the European Union and not the clothes were the talk of the front row crowd at menswear shows in Paris on Friday. It started at Maison Margiela, a house for whom Briton John Galliano is at the creative helm, one of many examples of cross-pollination in European fashion. Galliano was not present at the somber show, with some fashion insiders commenting that the slow-beat Leonard Cohen soundtrack aptly defined the mood of many British attendees, all of whom The Associated Press spoke to were opposed to a British exit, or Brexit. Its terrible, repeated several top British fashion editors at the show in the storied Latin Quarter in Paris. Fashion is one of the global industries where Britons are at the forefront of power and influence and so the Brexit vote was of particular interest. The most French of industries haute couture was even invented by an Englishman, Charles Frederick Worth, in the 19th century. Arguably the most powerful person in the industry is London-born U.S. Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, sister of the Guardians diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour. The Guardian, which has a big online presence, urged people to vote against Brexit. Vogues number two, Grace Coddington is also British and part of a fashion galaxy that include myriad designers. In addition to Galliano, Alexander McQueens Sarah Burton, Celines Phoebe Philo and Chloes Clare Waight Keller are among high-profile British artistic directors of Paris-based houses. At Givenchys show the chatter continued. Flaunt Magazine editor Long Nguyen compared those who voted for Brexit to supporters of U.S. presumptive Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump. Its a look inward instead of outward like those in the U.S. thinking he (Trump) will make America great again, said Nguyen, borrowing from Trumps campaign slogan. Many British fashion insiders who work in Milan and Paris rely on the European Unions tenet of free movement for their jobs. Story continues One fashion industry professional arriving on the Eurostar at Paris Gare du Nord, Simon See, expressed concern that his job freedoms would suffer. It affects my trade already. Im here for Paris Fashion Week and to sell and I came out here nervous now instead of optimistic which I usually am, he said. Every one of my friends who is here doing a show here with their brands from small to medium size businesses are extremely worried. were nervous now about the future. ___ Thomas Adamson can be followed at Twitter.com/ThomasAdamsonAP ___ Nicolas Garriga in Paris contributed to this report * UK and China have agreed a raft of financial services projects * Brexit threatens London's status as leading offshore yuan hub * Chinese banks likely to rethink London operations * Civil servants "scrambling" to assess impact on projects- source By Michelle Price HONG KONG, June 25 (Reuters) - Britain's shock vote to leave the European Union could derail a raft of financial services projects agreed between China and the United Kingdom, which for years has marketed itself to Beijing as its best economic and financial friend in Europe. The "Leave" camp clinched 52 percent of the vote at this week's referendum on whether the UK should remain a member of the EU, confounding traders and bookmakers who had expected Britons would opt to stay and sparking turmoil in global markets. Britain now faces a long period of uncertainty, as the government begins an two-year process to renegotiate its relationship with the EU, which allows goods and services to be freely traded within the bloc. Friday's result also threatens to redefine Britain's growing financial services relationship with China, which has agreed to a number of joint projects as part of the China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) programme to deepen economic ties between the two counties, based largely on the UK's membership of the EU. Last year, the British government and China's Vice Premier Ma Kai announced plans to launch a London-Shanghai equity trading link, a mutual recognition scheme for distributing funds products, cooperation on cross-listing exchange products, measures to "cement" London as a yuan clearing hub, and a commitment on the part of several Chinese financial firms to set up bases in London - in addition to strategic Chinese infrastructure investments. The UK Treasury said last year's agreement ushered in a "golden era" for relations between the two countries. But these projects are now in doubt amid uncertainty over the UK's future access to the EU single financial market, said sources and consultants. Story continues "Inward investment by China into the UK under the dialogue has been focused on infrastructure projects and I wouldn't expect that should change with Brexit, but on financial services projects with China, that's at significant risk now," said Andrew Naylor, a Singapore-based executive director at Cicero Group, a consultancy that has been helping Asian financial firms weigh the Brexit risks. Asked about the impact of the "Brexit" vote on the EFD during a news briefing in Beijing on Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said: "I think the relevant countries and their departments need time to have a conscientious study of this new situation. "We are willing to continue cooperating with Britain to promote progress in cooperation in all areas. At the same time, we will of course keep proactively developing relations with EU countries as is our consistent policy." China's State Council Information Office, the Chinese Ministry of Finance and the UK Treasury did not immediately respond to requests for comment. BEST FRIEND IN EUROPE Britain has sold itself to China as its "best friend in Europe", marketing the country's premier financial services industry and its function as a gateway to the EU single market. But Brexit now risks unravelling EU financial services agreements that have helped turn Britain into Europe's financial powerhouse, accounting for a quarter of all EU financial services income, according to the Bank of England. For now, a financial services company with a licence or 'passport' to operate in Britain can automatically offer its products and services throughout the EU, reducing compliance and operational costs. Britain could now lose that critical access, making the country less attractive to China as a partner to help promote its financial clout abroad. "Where Brexit could really have an adverse impact, is with respect to Chinese banks that have led the way in setting up operations in London for renminbi finance, and that is more contingent upon the UK being a member of the EU," said Naylor. "These banks have set up in London to have access to the EU, and you could well imagine them saying now 'why did we bother?'" On Friday, China's official news agency Xinhua noted that Brexit could affect the internationalisation of the yuan, considering the role London has played in the process to date. "Brexit will challenge London's position as a premier global financial centre, which may encumber the pace of the renminbi's internationalisation," Xinhua said. Asia-Pacific companies spent more than $1.7 billion on greenfield UK wholesale financial services investments in 2011-15, with China the largest average investor, according to FT data source fDi Markets, excluding M&A activity. WHY BE IN LONDON? One Beijing-based European official said Chinese financial services providers would now inevitably rethink their London plans. "What's the point of being in London if you don't have access to the single market?" the official said. For its part, however, Britain is likely to be more eager than ever to make a success of these projects and further deepen its ties with Beijing, having alienated its EU trading partners. "Much will depend on the nature of the revised relationship between the UK and the remaining EU Member States," said Martin Lane, managing partner, Europe, at law firm K&L Gates. "Having said that, from the British side, we can perhaps expect an even greater commitment to doing business with China given the now unsettled nature of the UK's relationship with the EU." (Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan) By Michelle Price HONG KONG (Reuters) - Britain's shock vote to leave the European Union could derail a raft of financial services projects agreed between China and the United Kingdom, which for years has marketed itself to Beijing as its best economic and financial friend in Europe. The "Leave" camp clinched 52 percent of the vote at this week's referendum on whether the UK should remain a member of the EU, confounding traders and bookmakers who had expected Britons would opt to stay and sparking turmoil in global markets. Britain now faces a long period of uncertainty, as the government begins an two-year process to renegotiate its relationship with the EU, which allows goods and services to be freely traded within the bloc. Friday's result also threatens to redefine Britain's growing financial services relationship with China, which has agreed to a number of joint projects as part of the China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) programme to deepen economic ties between the two counties, based largely on the UK's membership of the EU. Last year, the British government and China's Vice Premier Ma Kai announced plans to launch a London-Shanghai equity trading link, a mutual recognition scheme for distributing funds products, cooperation on cross-listing exchange products, measures to "cement" London as a yuan clearing hub, and a commitment on the part of several Chinese financial firms to set up bases in London - in addition to strategic Chinese infrastructure investments. The UK Treasury said last year's agreement ushered in a "golden era" for relations between the two countries. But these projects are now in doubt amid uncertainty over the UK's future access to the EU single financial market, said sources and consultants. "Inward investment by China into the UK under the dialogue has been focused on infrastructure projects and I wouldn't expect that should change with Brexit, but on financial services projects with China, that's at significant risk now," said Andrew Naylor, a Singapore-based executive director at Cicero Group, a consultancy that has been helping Asian financial firms weigh the Brexit risks. Story continues Asked about the impact of the "Brexit" vote on the EFD during a news briefing in Beijing on Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said: "I think the relevant countries and their departments need time to have a conscientious study of this new situation. "We are willing to continue cooperating with Britain to promote progress in cooperation in all areas. At the same time, we will of course keep proactively developing relations with EU countries as is our consistent policy." China's State Council Information Office, the Chinese Ministry of Finance and the UK Treasury did not immediately respond to requests for comment. BEST FRIEND IN EUROPE Britain has sold itself to China as its "best friend in Europe", marketing the country's premier financial services industry and its function as a gateway to the EU single market. But Brexit now risks unravelling EU financial services agreements that have helped turn Britain into Europe's financial powerhouse, accounting for a quarter of all EU financial services income, according to the Bank of England. For now, a financial services company with a licence or 'passport' to operate in Britain can automatically offer its products and services throughout the EU, reducing compliance and operational costs. Britain could now lose that critical access, making the country less attractive to China as a partner to help promote its financial clout abroad. "Where Brexit could really have an adverse impact, is with respect to Chinese banks that have led the way in setting up operations in London for renminbi finance, and that is more contingent upon the UK being a member of the EU," said Naylor. "These banks have set up in London to have access to the EU, and you could well imagine them saying now 'why did we bother?'" On Friday, China's official news agency Xinhua noted that Brexit could affect the internationalisation of the yuan, considering the role London has played in the process to date. "Brexit will challenge London's position as a premier global financial centre, which may encumber the pace of the renminbi's internationalisation," Xinhua said. Asia-Pacific companies spent more than $1.7 billion (1.24 billion pounds) on greenfield UK wholesale financial services investments in 2011-15, with China the largest average investor, according to FT data source fDi Markets, excluding M&A activity. WHY BE IN LONDON? One Beijing-based European official said Chinese financial services providers would now inevitably rethink their London plans. "What's the point of being in London if you don't have access to the single market?" the official said. For its part, however, Britain is likely to be more eager than ever to make a success of these projects and further deepen its ties with Beijing, having alienated its EU trading partners. "Much will depend on the nature of the revised relationship between the UK and the remaining EU Member States," said Martin Lane, managing partner, Europe, at law firm K&L Gates. "Having said that, from the British side, we can perhaps expect an even greater commitment to doing business with China given the now unsettled nature of the UK's relationship with the EU." (Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan) NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 24: A portrait of Queen Elizabeth hangs on a wall at the popular British restaurant and grocery Tea & Sympathy in Manhattan on June 24, 2016 in New York City. The world was shocked on Friday morning to learn the Britain had vote to leave the European Union. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) The UK voted to leave the European Union, but that doesnt mean it will leave right away. To start the official exit process, the UK must first activate whats known as Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty (an agreement governing EU membership). It will take the UK roughly two years to exit the EU and lose its benefits and laws associated with its membership. This means the UK will no longer be part of the European market and must negotiate a new EU trade deal. The details of this trade deal could influence the long-term effects of the Brexit. The EUs sheer size gives it the upper hand in shaping the trade agreement, as does the fact that nearly half of British exports go to the EU (according to a British fact-checking nonprofit, Full Fact). The UKs actual trade agreement with the EU could also take far longer than two years to implement, according to a number of recent analyst notes. Thats because of the massive number of details involved with trade in a post-Brexit world: tariffs, regulations and immigration are just the big three. Whats more, the Brexit campaigners may not have had an adequate plan for post-Brexit trade. In our view, the Leave Campaign did not offer a detailed version for the UK outside the EU in the campaign period before the vote, commented HSBC analysts in a note Friday. The EU may also not be incentivized to give the UK a good deal, given the rise of euroscepticism in other EU countries. After all, people all across Europe will be looking to this trade agreement as a model for what they could get if they leave the EU. The UKs current trade details with the EU may gives us a better idea of what to expect in the final trade agreement. Open Europe, a think tank that did not take an official position on the Brexit issue, published a report examining the potential effects of Brexit a year ago. In that report, the think tank included a sector by sector breakdown of where British trade with the EU had the greatest risk of disruption, which can be seen below: Story continues From the Open Europe Think Tank. Pay close attention to the sectors the UK has a trade surplus with versus the sectors where the UK has a trade deficit. The EU is likely to make life more difficult for the former sectors, given the UK benefits more from that type of trade. Its clear that financial services are likely to be have harsher trade conditions attached to it in the future. Other analyst reports back up the likelihood of this prospect. The EU would be unlikely to offer the UK migration restrictions without some quid pro quo, the previous HSBC analysts commented in their note Friday. Most likely it would seek to limit the freedom of movement of capital and services, since these are areas where it potentially would have most to gain and the UK a lot to lose. This is problematic, given that the UK's "external trade in financial services is a signifcant contributor to the economy," according to a 2015 report from a group called Economists of Britain. That suggests whatever trade deal comes out of the Brexit could have a negative long-term effect on Britains economy. Two other countries also offer a glimpse into what an eventual trade agreement might look like; Norway and Switzerland. Both are outside the EU, but have worked out trade deals with it. However, British economist Andrew Sentance pointed out in The Telegraph recently that a post-Brexit England may not be able to have trade deals that look like Norway or Switzerland. Moreover, Norway may not have a model the the UK wants to follow anyway. Norway has no say in the EU political process but still has to pay into the EU budget and follow some of Europes regulations and directives to trade. A 2013 UK report found that Norway pays 106 pounds per person to the EU, while the UK pays 128 pounds per person not too significant a difference. Switzerland on the other hand has managed to work out a fairly advantageous deal. It does not have to pay into the EU budget. But, as Sentance pointed out in The Telegraph, Switzerlands deal took nine years of negotiation. The UK might not want to wait that long. The markets hate uncertainty, and a mediocre deal negotiated quickly may do less damage than a superior deal negotiated over a decade. SEE ALSO: A single word explains why financial markets everywhere are nosediving Currency expert warns the British pound faces a 'grave danger' in the weeks ahead The UK may have commited 'an act of economic self-harm with global ramifications' One chart captures the night of insanity as the Brexit vote counts trickled in Credit Suisse: The US stock market won't be safe from a 'full Brexit' Two days after the U.K. voted by a four-point margin to leave the European Union, Prime Minister David Cameron has resigned, stock markets fell sharply, economists are predicting the vote will hurt the U.K.'s economic prospects and the power of Europe's far-right appears to have grown. Meanwhile, some of the promises offered by the campaigners to leave the campaign have been revealed as hollow including by Nigel Farage, leader of the far-right UKIP party and campaigner for the referendum, who seemingly reneged on Vote Leave's promises to spend "350 million a week" in cash supposedly bound for the EU on health care Friday. "Brexit is probably just the beginning, as populist/separatist/xenophobic movements gain influence across the continent," wrote the New York Times' Paul Krugman "... Brexit just brings to a head an abscess that would have burst fairly soon in any case." One word - #regrexit It's enough to make 1.5 million people #regrexit, signing a petition with over 2.3 million signatures as of Saturday afternoon on the U.K. Parliament's official website. Some regret their decision, while others lament not voting. "I didn't think my vote was going to matter too much because I thought we were just going to remain," one British man told the BBC. "This morning the reality is actually hitting in and the regret is hitting in," student Mandy Suthi told the Evening Standard. "I wish I had the opportunity to vote again, simply because I would do things differently." Just spoken to the first #Brexit voter who now, in the cold light of day, #REGREXIT He shall be nameless, and he won't be alone I'm now hearing non-voters say they wanted to Remain but didnt bother voting as they were so sure we'd vote that way #regrexit This will also be taken into account by the markets on Monday. Brace yourselves. #Brexit #Regrexithttps://twitter.com/andersostlund/status/746642326634766336 ... Regrexit. Ah, linguistic innovation. When the dark clouds gather, you bring the grimly amusing silver linings. As Brexiters realise full implications of voting out commences, I hereby declare today the 25th June as Regrexit Day... #REGREXIT Brexiteers don't seem to realise there is a difference between living in the past and learning from it. #REGREXIT Lesson from #Regrexit Never use your vote as a protest vote, only ever vote for what you actually want. "We the undersigned call upon HM Government to implement a rule that if the remain or leave vote is less than 60% based a turnout less than 75% there should be another referendum," reads the petition. Story continues Are you kidding me?! As a Remainer, these #regrexit stories are chilling. Many people voted without knowing what forpic.twitter.com/5dtGb94Y9k https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cl0LmKeWYAA3pxv.jpg:large According to CNN, the petition has passed the 100,000 signatures mark necessary to force a debate on the topic in Parliament. Since the Brexit vote was a non-binding referendum, the legislative body could technically refuse to follow through on it. As CNN noted, the thresholds demanded by the petition would conveniently undo the results of Thursday's referendum, as only 51.9 percent voted to leave based on a turnout of 72 percent. Some have mocked the campaign and the hashtag, suggesting British voters should have turned out in greater numbers to defeat the referendum if they cared about the future of the U.K.: London (AFP) - Europe angrily demanded a quick divorce as sparks flew Saturday over Britain's seismic vote to abandon the EU, toppling Prime Minister David Cameron, pounding world markets and dividing the island nation. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker called for rushing Britain out of the door as the bloc grappled with the impending loss of one of the world's top economies, the first defection in its 60-year history. Cameron announced Friday he would resign by October and let his successor lead the exit negotiations under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which sets out a two-year time-frame to leave. "I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination," the outgoing prime minister said as sterling, global stocks and oil prices plummeted. Britons, many worried about immigration and financial insecurity, cast aside the prime minister's warnings of isolation and an economic disaster, voting 52 percent-48 percent in favour of "Brexit" in Thursday's referendum. Moody's cut Britain's credit rating outlook to "negative", warning of the economic threat to the country. "I do not understand why the British government needs until October to decide whether to send the divorce letter to Brussels," Juncker told German broadcaster ARD on Friday evening. "I'd like it immediately," he added. "It is not an amicable divorce but it was also not an intimate love affair," he said. - Emergency meeting - Foreign ministers of the six original EU members -- Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg -- gathered in Berlin for the first in a series of emergency meetings over the next week triggered by Britain's decision. "We can't allow ourselves to slip into depression and inaction after this referendum," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said as he entered the meeting at a lakeside villa. Story continues The Franco-German axis at the heart of the bloc, which was born out of a determination to forge lasting peace after two world wars, will propose "concrete solutions" to make the EU more effective, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told AFP. EU leaders will open a two-day Brussels summit on the crisis on Tuesday. Britain faced a historic break-up threat, too, as Scotland refused to be willingly dragged out of the 28-nation European Union when more than 60 percent of its people voted to stay in. Scotland's parliament held an emergency meeting Saturday. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon declared ahead of the gathering that a second Scottish independence vote was now "highly likely" after a 2014 referendum backed staying in the UK. - Surprise, regret - The vote, the culmination of an often poisonous campaign, exposed deep divides across British society, including between what The Independent newspaper called "those doing well from globalisation and those 'left behind' and not seeing the benefits in jobs or wages". Young people, graduates, and big cities tended to favour "Remain". Elder, less educated people and rural populations were more likely to back "Brexit". "I am worried, really sick for my children's prospects," said Lindsey Brett, a 57-year-old secretarial worker in central London. "I am worried about all aspects: what it is going to do with our relations with the rest of Europe, with the rest of the world," she added. "I was expecting a Remain vote. I did not think we would come out." Many others struggled to accept the outcome, too. More than 800,000 people have signed a parliamentary petition calling for a second referendum. The referendum result caused the pound to fall to a 31-year low of $1.3229 at one point but it recovered some ground after the Bank of England said it stood ready to pump 250 billion ($370 billion, 326 billion euros) into the financial system to avert a crisis. - 'Take a bow' - European stock markets dropped around eight percent at opening before recovering later, while British bank shares lost a quarter of their value in morning trade. London's FTSE 100 index recovered to close down 3.2 percent. US stocks dived, with both the Dow and S&P 500 closing down more than three percent. Britain's rejection of the EU is being seen as a victory for the anti-establishment rhetoric of the Brexit campaign, a feature of growing populism across Europe. "Take a bow, Britain!", eurosceptic newspaper the Daily Mail wrote across its front page on Saturday. "It was the day the quiet people of Britain rose up against an arrogant, out-of-touch political class and a contemptuous Brussels elite," it added. The British vote will stoke fears of a domino-effect of exit votes in eurosceptic member states that could imperil the integrity of the bloc. Dutch far-right MP Geert Wilders and French National Front leader Marine Le Pen immediately called for referendums on EU membership in their own countries. In the end, the vote that decided Britains exit from the European Union revealed a sharply divided electorate. But for many researchers in the United Kingdom, there was never a question of what ought to happen. In a March poll by Nature, 83 percent of researchers working in the United Kingdom said they wanted Britain to stay in the European Union12 percent said they favored leaving, while 5 percent were unsure. On Thursday, the voters who wanted Britain to leave the European Union edged out the ones who wanted to remain, 52 percent to 48 percent. About half of the scientists said in the Nature poll that leaving the European Union is likely to be very harmful for scientific pursuits in the United Kingdom. And given Britains status as a global scientific superpower, many of them say, whats bad for Britain is also bad for the rest of the world. I think theres this almost philosophical component to it, which is that people who work in the science community grow up with the concept that through collaboration great scientific insights happen, Paul Drayson, Britains former minister of science, told Scientific American. And so the very idea that a country would voluntarily withdraw from Europe seems anathema to scientists. Recommended: Is Middle America Due For a Huge Earthquake? More than that, though, there are practical considerations. A sizable portion of funding for scientific research in the United Kingdom comes from EU grants, and the United Kingdom is one of the largest recipients of research funding in the union. Between 2007 and 2013, the U.K. received 8.8 billionthe equivalent of nearly $10 billionfor scientific research, according to a 2015 report published by the Royal Society, an independent scientific academy based in London. Drayson and others say its unlikely the United Kingdom will be able to negotiate a deal for such funding to continue. Story continues There are researchers who have spoken out in favor of Britains exit. The bottom line is that we put far more into Europe than we get out, Angus Dalgleish, an immunologist and advocate for Brexit told the BBC in February. Any difference we can more than easily make up with the money we would save. Yet theres more to the debate than money. More broadly, many scientists fear that international collaboration among researchers from across the EU will become difficult, if not impossible, once Britain leaves the union. Being in the EU gives us access to ideas, people and to investment in science, Paul Nurse, the director of The Francis Crick Institute, told the BBC. That, combined with mobility [of EU scientists], gives us increased collaboration, increased transfer of people, ideas and scienceall of which history has shown us drives science. Recommended: Why Britain Left The European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, is a key example of the kind of collaboration that EU membership has enabled. CERN is now a global lab, with a European core, Charlotte Lindberg Warakaulle, CERNs director for international relations, wrote in a blog post on Tuesday. CERNand indeed all large labs and research infrastructuresneeds to react to and act within this evolving context. The challenge for all of us is to advance in a globally co-ordinated manner, so as to be able to carry out as many exciting and complementary projects as possible, while ensuring long-term support for fundamental science as the competition for resources becomes ever fiercer on all levels. In the past three decades, Britain has cemented its status as a scientific leadera position that many fear it stands to lose. With just under 1 percent of the worlds population, the U.K. is home to 3.3 percent of the worlds scientific researchers and produces almost 7 percent of the worlds scientific output and 15 percent of the most highly cited papers, Victoria Bateman, an economist at Cambridge University, wrote in an op-ed for Bloomberg. However, this does not mean that Britain can afford to go it alone. As she and others have pointed out, for instance, internationally co-authored papers have substantially higher impact than those authored by researchers who are all in one country. Indeed, the consensus on Brexit among those in the scientific community is grim. In March, about 150 scientists, engineers, and economists signed an open letter warning that leaving the EU would be a disaster for science and universities. Now, those researchers are waiting to see just how bad it will be. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. By Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The British member of the EU executive, Financial Services Commissioner Jonathan Hill, resigned on Saturday after having campaigned against Britain leaving the European Union. Following the referendum vote for Brexit on Thursday, few expected a Briton to retain oversight of the EU banking and finance market that will be a key battleground in negotiations between London and Brussels on dissolving British membership. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he was handing the portfolio to Valdis Dombrovskis, who will take it into his brief as vice president for the euro from July 16. An EU official said the move made it clear that plans for an EU capital markets union would now focus on the euro zone after Hill had worked to ensure new EU rules would not disadvantage London's huge finance industry based outside the currency area. "It's clear there will be a less clear division between the capital markets union and the euro zone," the official said. London-based banks and other financial firms are concerned about access to the EU once Britain leaves the single market. Hill said in a statement a day after British voters backed Brexit in a referendum called by Prime Minister David Cameron: "I don't believe it is right that I should carry on as the British commissioner as though nothing had happened." Dombrovskis, who as prime minister took Latvia into the euro, and whose current role already oversees Hill's portfolio, said his priority was to maintain financial stability in markets. Cameron, who will be replaced once his Conservative party elects a new leader, will leave it to his successor to discuss what to do with Britain's seat on the Commission, a British spokesperson said. It retains the right to a seat, along with the 27 other EU states, until it finally leaves the Union. BRITISH COMMISSIONER Hill, 54, a lobbyist and former Conservative leader in the upper house of parliament who has become a popular figure among EU colleagues in 18 months in Brussels, was described by Juncker as a "true European" whom he had tried to persuade to stay on. Story continues Hill, a close ally and friend of Cameron, said: "I came to Brussels as someone who had campaigned against Britain joining the euro and who was skeptical about Europe. I will leave it certain that, despite its frustrations, our membership was good for our place in the world and good for our economy." The distribution of portfolios in the Commission is the job of its president, former Luxembourg premier Juncker, in negotiation with the leader of the member state nominating their commissioner. Other member states also have a say, and new commissioners must face hearings in the European Parliament. It is unclear what a new British commissioner can do in the final years of Britain's membership. EU officials say it is inconceivable they will have a major policy-making role. Brussels wits talk of them being made "Commissioner for Ballet". Cameron's spokesperson said: "It will be for the next prime minister to decide, following discussions with European partners, what role the UK plays in the European Commission." Hill's appointment to the finance job in 2014 was a peace offering from Juncker to Cameron, who had tried to block the Commission president's own appointment that year. It was viewed with suspicion by euro zone bankers keen to challenge London's dominance as Europe's financial capital. Juncker said on Saturday: "I wanted the British commissioner to be in charge of financial services, as a sign of my confidence in the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union. To my great regret, this situation is now changing." (Editing by Hugh Lawson and Jane Merriman) Brussels (AFP) - Britain's European Commissioner Jonathan Hill announced Saturday that he will stand down following his country's decision to leave the EU, saying he was "very disappointed" but "what is done cannot be undone." EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said Hill's position as financial services chief would be taken by Valdis Dombrovskis, the commission vice president for the euro, but that he was open to taking a new British commissioner. "As we move to a new phase, I don't believe it is right that I should carry on as the British Commissioner as though nothing had happened," said a statement by Hill, a former member of Britain's House of Lords. "In line with what I discussed with the President of the Commission some weeks ago, I have therefore told him that I shall stand down," he said. Hill's appointment in 2014 to the important financial services job was seen as an olive branch to a eurosceptic British government, due to the importance of the City of London financial centre to the British and European economy. "Like many people here and in the UK, I am obviously very disappointed about the result of the referendum," he said. Hill said he had come to Brussels despite being "sceptical about Europe" but had become convinced that "despite its frustrations" membership benefitted Britain. "But what is done cannot be undone and now we have to get on with making our new relationship with Europe work as well as possible," he added. - 'Great regret' - Juncker said he had tried to persuade Hill to stay on. "I wanted the British Commissioner to be in charge of financial services, as a sign of my confidence in the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union. To my great regret, this situation is now changing," Juncker said. "I have tried to convince Lord Hill to stay on as commissioner. I consider him to be a true European and not just the British Commissioner. However, I understand his decision and I respect it." Story continues The question now is whether London will appoint a new commissioner in order to have an official in the tent during Britain's divorce negotiations from the EU, which are likely to take at least two years. A European Commission statement said Juncker "stands ready to discuss swiftly with the British prime minister potential names for a commissioner of UK nationality as well as the allocation of a possible portfolio." But an EU source said that Britain would inevitably get a lower-profile job this time. "With the vote of no confidence yesterday (Brexit) you cannot expect now that we place the same level of confidence to give him a really important portfolio like last time," the source told AFP on condition of anonymity. The EU's treaties say each member state should have a commissioner -- Britain remains a member until the divorce is finalised -- "but the ball is really in the UK's court" as to whether it nominates someone else. Brussels (AFP) - Britain's European Commissioner Jonathan Hill, a eurosceptic convert to the EU who announced his resignation Saturday, is a pragmatic dealmaker given a plum job as an olive branch to London by his boss Jean-Claude Juncker. A member of Britain's House of Lords, officially styled The Lord Hill of Oareford, the 55-year-old was sent to Brussels by David Cameron in 2014 where was given the financial services portfolio. The velvet-voiced Hill stepped down Saturday, the latest high-level casualty of Britain's vote Thursday to leave the EU, saying he now believed membership benefitted the country. "I came to Brussels as someone who had campaigned against Britain joining the euro and who was sceptical about Europe," Hill said in a statement. "I will leave it certain that, despite its frustrations, our membership was good for our place in the world and good for our economy." Juncker said he had tried to persuade Hill to stay -- even taking him to lunch to plead his case, a source told AFP -- as the EU and Britain squabbled over how and when to begin what promises to be torturous exit negotiations. "I consider him to be a true European and not just the British Commissioner," Juncker said. Hill, a close ally of Cameron, was bloodied by Britain's disastrous exit from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, the forerunner of the single euro currency that he famously mistrusts. - 'Really important' - In the following years Hill consistently opposed any increase in the powers handed over to Brussels but on his appointment two years ago went along with Cameron's position that Britain's interests were "best served by playing a leading role in the EU". Before joining the Commission Hill was leader of the Lords, the upper chamber of Britain's parliament. He was little known outside Westminster and in Brussels he kept a low profile even though he was in charge of portfolio crucial to the health of the City of London, one of the world's most important financial centres. Story continues European sources said Juncker gave him the "really important" job as a way of reaching out to Britain ahead of its membership negotiations and the subsequent referendum. Hill's first political job was as a junior Conservative party researcher in 1985. The Cambridge University graduate was soon promoted as special adviser to veteran pro-European Conservative MP Kenneth Clarke before taking a break from politics and spending two years in public relations. Impressed by John Major's rise to power from humble roots, Hill sought to re-enter politics and eventually became the Conservative prime minister's political secretary in 1992. After another spell in PR, Cameron appointed him to the House of Lords in 2010 as a junior minister in the education ministry. Hill rose to be Leader of the House of Lords in 2012, becoming a member of the cabinet. PARIS (Reuters) - France's border with Britain for migration will remain on French soil, Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Friday, dismissing calls for it to be moved to the English coast following the Brexit vote. Under a bilateral treaty signed in 2003 known as the Touquet accord, British officials can check passports in France and vice versa. This led to migrants trying to reach British shores congregating in camps at Calais. Dramatic images last year from the camps, showing large groups trying to force their way through the Channel tunnel and onto trucks heading for ferries to Dover in England spurred Eurosceptics to amplify calls for Britons to vote to quit the EU. The mayor of Calais and other French politicians on Friday called for a renegotiation of the accord following Brexit. Dismissing that option, Ayrault said: "Would that also mean putting in place boats for people who otherwise risk drowning? I think we should be serious." He said other bilateral immigration treaties would also remain in place. Other important agreements between France and Britain such as the 2010 Lancaster House defence and security treaties would also be maintained. (Reporting by Andrew Callus and Bate Felix; editing by John Stonestreet) Bucharest (AFP) - Around 1,000 people took to the streets of Bucharest on Saturday for a gay pride march as participants demanded equal rights in a country where same sex marriage remains illegal. Supporters of Bucharest Pride, an event celebrating diversity and the LGBT community, want to overturn a constitutional ban on same sex unions. But they face opposition after several NGOs linked to the Orthodox Church and united under the umbrella Coalition for Family last month brought a three million-strong petition to block same-sex unions in the EU member state which defines marriage as the "union between a man and a woman". Accept, a group that promotes the rights of the LGBT community, is outraged that "for the time being the law does not recognise all kinds of family," Accept member Florin Buhuceanu told AFP. Buhuceanu, adding that the Romanian state should extend constitutional rights to gay couples, said attempts to block change were "non-democratic" and he expected the Constitutional court would ultimately find to that effect. Parliament will have to verify that the petition Coalition for Family accords with the law and if no irregularities are found Romania will then organise a referendum on the issue. A minute's silence in memory of the Orlando shootings preceded Saturday's march. The Romanian government for the first time sent a minister to the march, minister for social dialogue, Violeta Alexandru. Participants brandished rainbow banners and slogans reading "diversity = normality". Earlier, several dozen people attended a rival event, "march for normality", by far Right party Noua Dreapta in support of "families based on marriage between a man and a woman". Homosexuality in Romania was illegal until 2000, when the country decriminalised it after harsh criticism from the European Union and the Council of Europe. Tripoli (AFP) - A car bomb killed four civilians and wounded 14 others in the war-torn Libyan city of Benghazi Friday night, a hospital official said. The car was parked in front of the entrance of the Al-Jalaa hospital, one of the two biggest in the city and where troops battling armed groups, including Islamic State jihadists, get treatment for injuries. Fadia Berghathi, head of the hospital's media department, told AFP "a car bomb exploded in front of the entrance of the hospital, killing four civilians and wounding 14 others". A military source in Benghazi told AFP the explosion "was caused by a sticky bomb planted under a car parked in front of the hospital". There was no immediate claim of responsibility. For two years the eastern city has seen bloody battles between loyalist forces led by General Khalifa Haftar and armed groups including jihadists from IS and Ansar al-Sharia, which is close to Al-Qaeda. The hospital treats Haftar's fighters and is frequently visited by his commanders. Pro-government forces Friday repelled a counterattack by IS as they pressed their offensive to retake the jihadist coastal bastion of Sirte, 450 kilometres (300 miles) east of the capital Tripoli. The Western-backed overthrow of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011 plunged Libya into chaos, with rival rebel forces seizing as much territory as they could. IS jihadist groups have taken advantage of the upheaval to establish a presence. ZURICH (Reuters) - Central banks are ready to cooperate to support financial stability in the wake of Britain's vote to leave the European Union, the Bank for International Settlements said on Saturday. Central bankers gathered at the organization's global economy meeting in Switzerland discussed the implications of the referendum. "Governors endorsed the contingency measures put in place by the Bank of England and emphasized the preparedness of central banks to support the proper functioning of financial markets," said Agustin Carstens, chairman of the global economy meeting. "Central banks will carefully monitor market functioning and stability, and cooperate closely. (Reporting by John Revill; Editing by Kevin Liffey) Channing Tatum has added his voice to those critical of former Stanford swimmer and sexual assault convict Brock Turner's controversial six-month prison sentence. In a conversation with Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief Joanna Coles on Wednesday in France, the Magic Mike star discussed the "very real" concept of rape culture and, specifically, the Turner case. "I really think it's a horrible, horrible idea to let someone off because of possibly what they're gonna be capable of doing," he said. "Because if you start doing that, where do you end? Where does that stop? Where is that line? Where does that line actually quit?" Tatum, 36, added: "I don't think it's right. I think he should've been punished, personally, but I also don't know what the answer is to protect women, to keep you out of those situations." The actor also described his disbelief upon learning of Turner's sentence. "I just couldn't believe it," Tatum said. "This is like if you killed someone, if you got caught red-handed murdering someone, and then just because you went to a nice school and you were a good swimmer, you somehow get a lesser sentence that what you would've for cold-blooded murder. I mean, that doesn't make any sense." What You Need to Know: Ex-Stanford Swimmer Found Guilty of Sexually Assaulting Unconscious Woman Turner was convicted of three sexual assault felonies in March, for which Judge Aaron Persky sentenced the 20-year-old to six months in prison and three years probation. Although prosecutors asked for a sentence of six years in prison, Persky claimed a longer sentence would have a "severe impact" on Turner. Additionally, authorities told PEOPLE there is a good chance Turner will be released from jail in September, after just three months, for good behavior. Although Turner's father has publicly defended his son's actions, Vice President Joe Biden, Lena Dunham and Turner's victim herself, among many others, have criticized the judge and the handling of his case. These new Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks are inspired by 12 of our favorite celebs These new Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks are inspired by 12 of our favorite celebs Charlotte Tilburys latest lipstick release is one made just for the stars. The 12-piece Hot Lips collection is inspired by a different celeb, with each boasting a namesake shade. On the list are Salmas Secret, a natural deep-rose plum made for Salma Hayek; Hot Emily, a 70s inspired coral created with Emily Ratajkowski in mind; Hels Bells, a rich, wine-hued shade created for Helena Bonham-Carters goth stylings; and a nude shade called Kim K.W. made for who else Kim Kardashian West. Just off stage with my mesmerising, brilliant friend @kimkardashian. Thank you @fgolfar for chairing our fabulous conversation for #voguefestival #Vogue100 #Vogue #kimkardashian A photo posted by Charlotte Tilbury (@ctilburymakeup) on May 21, 2016 at 6:51am PDT The nine other stars blessed with the custom Tilbury treatment include Nicole Kidman (Kidmans Kiss), Poppy Delevingne (Electric Poppy), Miranda Kerr (Miranda May), Cindy Crawford (Super Cindy), Kate Bosworth (Bosworths Beauty), Liv Tyler (Liv It Up), Carina Lau (Carinas Love), and Laura Bailey (Tell Laura.) These celebs join Kate Moss, Penelope Cruz, Sienna Miller, and Victoria Beckham, who were the first stars to get lipsticks named after them. Tilbury described the inspiration for Kims lipstick at a recent launch event for the line. I always look at [Kim] and I think, you are a beauty icon, Tilbury said, according to PeopleStyle. [Kims] favorite color before this one was Nude Kate, [which is] Kates lip color. [So] I was like, I want to something that goes back to all her beauty icons [and] that has that vintage feel. Tilbury also called Kardashian West the queen of the nude lip. Darlings, I am offering 2 lucky winners the chance to WIN all 12 NEW! Hot Lips shades. Follow the link in my bio to sign up NOW, competition ends TONIGHT at 11:59pm! #CharlotteTilbury #LipstickConfidence #WIN #Competition A photo posted by Charlotte Tilbury (@ctilburymakeup) on Jun 23, 2016 at 1:39am PDT While these incredibly gorgeous shades are at a higher price level ($38 each or $420 for the entire set), they were also created for a good cause. In the first two months of being sold, $2 from each lipstick will be donated to the Women for Women International, a charity organization that helps to provide support, education, and tools, for women in countries like Afghanistan, Sudan, Irag, and Nigeria. The post These new Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks are inspired by 12 of our favorite celebs appeared first on HelloGiggles. By Elias Glenn BEIJING (Reuters) - The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) stressed its independence from China at its first annual meeting on Saturday, saying it plans to cooperate with other development banks and add new members, including Hong Kong. Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the bank two years ago and it began operations in January, with 57 founding member countries and $100 billion in committed capital, which it plans to invest in projects across the region. The AIIB, which intends to invest $1.2 billion this year, said it is aiming to meet international standards of governance, although some members say there is still work to be done. And in response to concern that China, its biggest backer, will dominate, the AIIB said it answers to all its shareholders. "China as much as other shareholders has been very supportive of the governance standards that we're setting and of the transparency around the bank's operations," AIIB vice president Danny Alexander said. AIIB's board approved its first four deals worth $509 million on Friday, with three projects co-financed with the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the United Kingdom Department for International Development and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The co-financed projects are a slum renovation in Indonesia and highway construction in Pakistan and Tajikistan. A power grid upgrade project in Bangladesh will be solely AIIB financed. "We are working on a number of additional projects and look forward to bringing them to our Board for its approval later this year," said AIIB President Jin Liqun. It is crucial for the AIIB to comply with multilateral agency procedures and rules, Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli, said at the opening ceremony for AIIB's annual meeting. "AIIB should learn from the successful experience of other multilateral agencies and forge close partnership with the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and other institutions," he said, a commitment which was echoed by the AIIB's Jin. Story continues The bank, with only 38 full-time staff, needs organization and procedures to be fleshed out, say members. "The roles of the management and the Board should be more clearly defined. Over the past six months, the basic framework for operation took shape, but there is still much to be done," Korean finance minister and AIIB governor Ilho Yoo said, adding that it needs to develop its environmental and social framework. The bank's lean operation and flexibility as a new organization was a positive for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which is partnering on one of AIIB's first deals. "What impresses me is the efficiency they go about things. AIIB is a natural partner because they are willing and able to take risk, such as going into private public partnership structures," said Thomas Maier, the EBRD's managing director for infrastructure. Zhang also said that China will contribute $50 million to a new fund set up by the AIIB to support member countries with project preparations. The AIIB is looking to expand its numbers this year and will take applications for new members through the end of September. Hong Kong, despite being a special administrative region of China, has applied for membership, and Jin said he is confident Hong Kong will soon be a full member of the bank. Beijing has been looking for ways to support Hong Kong, which has been convulsed by political turmoil. (Writing by Kevin Yao; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Alexander Smith) By Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese state media on Saturday offered snide criticism of the negative consequences of democracy after Britain voted to leave the European Union, but vowed to stand by the "golden age" of Sino-British ties. Though China and Britain have a history of disputes over human rights and the future of the former British colony of Hong Kong, export-reliant China had valued Britain as a strong advocate for free trade within the EU. Relations between Britain and China have been warming over the past few years and economic links have multiplied, in what both countries refer to as a "golden age" in ties, a concept promoted by President Xi Jinping and British Prime Minister David Cameron, who resigned followed the referendum. China on Friday called for Britain and the EU to reach agreement as soon as possible after Britain's vote to leave the bloc, adding that China respected the choice of the British people. But on Saturday, influential Chinese tabloid the Global Times, published by the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily, wondered at the wisdom of such a momentous decision being decided by such relatively narrow margin. "Is it really fair to decide Britain's future this way?" it said in an editorial. "For the Chinese people, who are at a critical time to learn about globalization and democracy, they will continue to watch the consequence of Britain's embracing of a 'democratic' referendum," added the paper. The stability-obsessed Communist Party brooks little dissent to its rule, and such a public vote would be unthinkable in China. Britain's vote to leave dealt the biggest blow to the European project of greater unity since World War Two and global financial markets plunged as results from Thursday's referendum emerged. The leave camp won by a 52-48 percent split. Xi and Cameron had set great store on the bilateral relationship, and when Xi visited Britain last October the two sealed almost 40 billion pounds ($54.78 billion) in business deals, including the financing of nuclear power stations. In a front page commentary, the People's Daily overseas edition dismissed people wanting to "stir up trouble and badmouth Sino-British ties". "In the face of much complicated information, people need to see the positive aspects in relations," it said. "Cooperation won't change because of Brexit." Both are important players on the world stage, including permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, the paper added. "Going forward, China and Britain will keep pushing for the early realization of the 'golden age'." (Editing by Michael Perry) BEIJING (Reuters) - China's internet regulator said on Saturday that search engines should tighten management of paid-for ads in search results, making clear which results are paid-for and limiting their numbers. The Chinese government already exercises widespread controls over the internet and has sought to codify that policy in law. Chinese regulators last month imposed limits on the number of lucrative healthcare adverts carried by Baidu Inc (BIDU.O) following the death of a student who underwent an experimental cancer treatment which he found using China's biggest internet search engine. Wei Zexi, 21, died in April of a rare form of cancer, and the case sparked widespread public anger. The Cyberspace Administration of China said search engines should investigate the "aptitude" of clients offering paid-for ads, set a clear upper limit on such ads and clearly distinguish which are paid-for ads and which come from "natural searches". "Internet search providers should earnestly accept corporate responsibility toward society, and strengthen their own management in accordance with the law and rules, to provide objective, fair and authoritative search results to users," it said. Users have been particularly concerned with medical ads, which are a threat to people's health, the regulator added. Baidu said in a statement that it was committed to providing the best search experience and will fully comply with the law. "Baidu will work closely with government agencies, internet users and the community to uphold a healthy internet environment, and strive to provide objective, impartial, and authoritative search results to our users," it said. Search engines also have other problems, the regulator said. "Some search results contain rumors, obscenities, pornography, violence, murder, terrorism and other illegal information," it said. "Some search results lack objectivity and fairness, go against corporate morals and standards, misleading and influencing people's judgment." Story continues Officials say internet restrictions, including the blocking of popular foreign sites like Google and Facebook, are needed to ensure security in the face of rising threats, such as terrorism. Foreign governments and business groups have pointed to restrictions on the internet as a broader trade issue. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Michael Perry) June 24 (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc said on Friday it was working to fix a technical issue, after customers took to social media to complain that they could not access their accounts remotely. "We are working to resolve a technical issue and appreciate your patience," Citigroup's customer service Twitter account said in replies to multiple complaints. Bloomberg reported the news first. A Bloomberg reporter spoke with four people at a bank branch on Manhattan's Upper East Side who said debit cards did not work at the ATM there. (http://bloom.bg/296tSVr) Citigroup was not immediately available for further comment. (Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler) (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc said on Friday it resolved a technical issue that had left customers unable to access their accounts remotely. Customers had taken to social media to complain about the outage, which affected several U.S. states, including New York, Pennsylvania and California, according to Bloomberg. "We experienced a brief technical issue that is now resolved," Citigroup's customer service Twitter account said in response. Bloomberg reported the news of the outage first. A Bloomberg reporter spoke with four people at a bank branch on Manhattan's Upper East Side who said debit cards did not work at the ATM there. (http://bloom.bg/296tSVr) Citigroup was not immediately available for further comment. The bank's shares had closed down 9.4 percent at $40.30 on Friday, as Britain's vote to exit the European Union sparked the biggest global financial shock since the 2008 crisis. (Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler) (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc (C.N) said on Friday it resolved a technical issue that had left customers unable to access their accounts remotely. Customers had taken to social media to complain about the outage, which affected several U.S. states, including New York, Pennsylvania and California, according to Bloomberg. "We experienced a brief technical issue that is now resolved," Citigroup's customer service Twitter account said in response. Bloomberg reported the news of the outage first. A Bloomberg reporter spoke with four people at a bank branch on Manhattan's Upper East Side who said debit cards did not work at the ATM there. Citigroup was not immediately available for further comment. The bank's shares had closed down 9.4 percent at $40.30 on Friday, as Britain's vote to exit the European Union sparked the biggest global financial shock since the 2008 crisis. (Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler) Paris (AFP) - Hopes that Brexit could provide a ticket to Britain for thousands of migrants languishing in squalid conditions in northern France are illusory, the French government says. The president of France's North region, Xavier Bertrand, was among several politicians who challenged a bilateral accord that is at the root of the migrants' plight within hours of Britain's vote to leave the EU. The so-called Le Touquet accord, reached in 2003, effectively moved Britain's border with France to the French side of the Channel, where migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia are massed. Looking ahead to a possible Brexit back in March, outspoken Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron said a Brexit would mean "the migrants will no longer be in Calais". But Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve quickly reprimanded Macron for the comment, saying: "We don't need statements that create buzz on this topic, we need long-term action." British Prime Minister David Cameron, campaigning against the Brexit, was accused of scaremongering when he warned in February that it could mean British border checks being removed from Calais. "There would be nothing to stop thousands of people crossing the Channel overnight," he said then. But for now, at least, the French government has no plans to renegotiate the treaty, which has a two-year delay written into it. Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault warned against hasty pronouncements. "If the border is moved to the other side of the Channel, as some suggest, we'll have to put out boats to rescue people who will be in the water," Ayrault told AFP. "They should think before talking rubbish. People should be responsible, not engage in demagoguery." Many migrants are already turning to flimsy dinghies in efforts to reach Britain, frustrated by tighter security around the Channel tunnel. After authorities began dismantling Calais's infamous "Jungle" camp in March -- though up to 5,000 remain -- many others have begun trying their luck from ports along the Normandy coast. Story continues Political scientist Francois Gemenne said London was using the Le Touquet accord to "shirk its responsibilities". "Now that Britain is no longer in the EU, there's no reason for the border to still be in Calais," he told AFP. The accord is "unfair for France as well as for the migrants," he said. Gemenne, a professor at the Science Po institute in Paris, mused over "the paradox... that while the vote for Brexit was mainly an anti-immigration vote, Britain may find itself having to take in more migrants." Notably, he said, London would no longer be allowed to return asylum seekers to their first EU port of call under a different accord, the EU's Dublin agreement. Migration expert Henri Labayle noted: "Up until now the British could claim a certain European solidarity, but that will no longer be possible." The bilateral accord "is very costly in political terms (because) populist parties feed off of this situation," said Labayle, a professor at Pau University in southwestern France. - 'Signal to traffickers' - Cazeneuve has pressed for a greater financial contribution from Britain to help secure the border at Calais, notably at the city's cross-Channel ferry port. He also warned in March that talk of scrapping the Le Touquet treaty would "send a signal to human traffickers that they can legitimately bring all the migrants to the border". In that case, soon "it will no longer be 6,000 but 20,000" migrants massed in northern France, he warned. Calais Mayor Natacha Bouchart is pressing for a "renegotiation" of the Le Touquet accord that would call for a migrant camp to be built in Britain. "The history of this border is not as simple as people like to think," she said. "People shouldn't be led to believe that our problems will be solved by moving the border." Daniel Radcliffe is pointing out the parallels between the United Kingdoms recent vote to leave the European Union and the rise of Donald Trump as the presumptive GOP candidate in the United States and has strong opinions about both. Its the worst kind of nationalism, the worst kind of patriotism, and its scary as s, Radcliffe said about both situations in a recent interview with Vulture. The Harry Potter actor currently stars in Swiss Army Man, a.k.a. the farting corpse movie, and has previously been an open supporter of the Remain camp in the controversial Brexit issue. He also is in rehearsals for play Privacy, inspired by Edward Snowden and focused on the protection of personal information in the digital age. Radcliffe said the play does not mention Trump currently, but commented on what a presidency with the former reality TV star might look like. I think its interesting to view it all through the lens of youre potentially going to get Donald Trump as your president, he said. Can you trust him to not use that stuff in a way that is not petty and belligerent? The actor also talked about Swiss Army Man, which prompted walk-outs when it debuted at Sundance in January. He revealed that his co-star, Paul Dano, even recorded his own farts for the sound mix of the movie. I remember reading the log line and being like, This is either going to be the stupidest movie ever or its going to be amazing,' he said of the divisive film. Swiss Army Man is currently in theaters. Related stories Politicon: Almost All Roads Lead to Donald Trump Donald Trump to Meet With Rupert Murdoch for Post-Brexit Dinner Kanye's 'Famous' Video Features Nude Donald Trump, Taylor Swift and Caitlyn Jenner KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 (Reuters) - A new piece of debris found in Tanzania will be examined for a possible link to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, Malaysian state news agency Bernama cited the country's transport minister as saying on Saturday. "This debris is quite large... only if it is confirmed to be that of Boeing 777 will we send an investigation team there to study whether it really belonged to MH370 or not," Malaysian transport minister Liow Tiong Lai was quoted as saying. Liow said recent discoveries of bags and other personal items found in Madagascar were not connected to MH370. Flight MH370 disappeared in March 2014 with 239 passengers and crew on board shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing. Investigators believe someone may have deliberately switched off the plane's transponder before diverting it thousands of miles off course over the Indian Ocean. A piece of the plane washed up on the French island of Reunion in July 2015. (Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Ed Davies) KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A new piece of debris found in Tanzania will be examined for a possible link to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, Malaysian state news agency Bernama cited the country's transport minister as saying on Saturday. "This debris is quite large... only if it is confirmed to be that of Boeing 777 will we send an investigation team there to study whether it really belonged to MH370 or not," Malaysian transport minister Liow Tiong Lai was quoted as saying. Liow said recent discoveries of bags and other personal items found in Madagascar were not connected to MH370. Flight MH370 disappeared in March 2014 with 239 passengers and crew on board shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing. Investigators believe someone may have deliberately switched off the plane's transponder before diverting it thousands of miles off course over the Indian Ocean. A piece of the plane washed up on the French island of Reunion in July 2015. (Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Ed Davies) Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra stunned all with their camaraderie and performances in Bajirao Mastani that released last year in December. After that, both the actresses have been busy with their Hollywood projects Baywatch and XXX: The Return of Xander Cage respectively. Recommended Read: Deepika and Priyankas Hug at IIFA 2016 is the Highlight of the Day! There were speculations that the two actresses have been sharing cold vibes since then. However, they recently met at an award show in Spain and were warm and cordial to each other, rubbishing the reports of the same. While we would love to believe all is well between the two, the news of Deepika refusing to share the stage with Priyanka has surprised us a little. The organizers wanted Deepika and Priyanka to groove together on their song Pinga. PeeCee was game for it, but Dippy seems to have issues with the same. She refused to share the stage and backed out of it, for reasons best known to her. However, a source, who attended the awards show informed us, Though the two actresses hugged each other, they have been maintaining distance from each other, and the issue seems to be rising out of insecurity. Priyanka is a known name in Spain, courtesy, her second season of Quantico released there, whereas Deepika is still making her mark in Hollywood. So she was a little concerned that Priyanka might hog the limelight and hence refused to dance with her." "There have also been whispers of the pay disparity between both the actresses and one hears, Priyanka is raking in more moolah than Deepika, which is also one of the reasons for the latters denial, adds our source. Well, we wonder whats the truth! Deepika-Priyanka care to clarify? Tehran (AFP) - An Iranian-British woman detained in Iran on charges of seeking to overthrow the government was implicated in anti-regime protests in 2009, a judicial official said. There had previously been scant information about the grounds for the arrest in April of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a 37-year-old employee of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. But a report from Iran's Mizan news agency late Friday said she was implicated in mass protests against the re-election of hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009, a movement dubbed "the sedition" by the authorities. "In 2014-2015, the intelligence service of the Revolutionary Guards in Kerman province identified and arrested members of one of the groups that during the sedition conducted activities against the security of the country by designing websites and carrying out campaigns in the media," Yadollah Movahed, head of Kerman's justice department, told Mizan. "Some of the group were outside Iran, including the suspect Nazanin Zaghari," he added. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, was arrested at Tehran airport on April 3 as she prepared to return to Britain with her two-year-old daughter after visiting family in Iran. In June, Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards had said Zaghari-Ratcliffe was accused of being "involved in the soft overthrow of the Islamic republic through... her membership in foreign companies and institutions." Iran does not recognise dual citizenship, and if put on trial she will be considered an Iranian. According to a Guards statement, Zaghari-Ratcliffe was "identified and arrested after massive intelligence operations" as one of "the heads of foreign-linked hostile networks". Britain has said it has raised the case "repeatedly and at the highest levels" and will continue to do so at "every available opportunity". The report follows news last week that another dual-national woman arrested in June was suspected of "feminism and security" offences. Iranian media said Canadian-Iranian Homa Hoodfar, a 65-year-old Montreal professor, was among the founders of the Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) group, headquartered in London. She was "arrested for anti-security activities," state broadcaster IRIB said. Belfast (AFP) - The Brexit vote has sown uncertainty in the still divided communities of Belfast, where memories of the conflict that tore the province apart for three decades are all too raw. Many nationalists, who support a united Ireland and do not regard themselves as British, are concerned about a return to Westminster rule minus the counterbalancing influence of Brussels. "I would definitely now vote for a united Ireland because then wead be part of the European Union a- nobody trusts an English government," said Marion Connolly, 25. While Britain overall voted by 52 percent to 48 percent to leave the European Union, Northern Ireland voted by 56 to 44 to remain, putting it in the same situation as mostly pro-EU Scotland. Within hours of the vote, the Sinn Fein party said the result justified its long-standing demand for a vote on uniting British-ruled Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland. The party is part of Northern Ireland's power-sharing local government, which was formed as part of the 1998 Good Friday agreement to heal a conflict in which 3,500 people were killed. Ahead of the vote, there were warnings from the "Remain" camp that leaving the European Union could create instability in the province and therefore undermine the hard-fought peace. Gerard McKenna, 26, said it was "a little bit of a turbulent time to do it"."There is a possibility that theyall end up stoking up violence here again," he said. - Visa for the zoo? - Sean McIlreavy, 60, a nationalist who works with victims of the conflict known as The Troubles said he was more concerned about the future of many of the projects he deals with. Sitting in a cafe soaking up the relatively rare sunshine, he said: "Community groups rely totally on EU funding and there is no prospect of a right-wing Tory government hell-bent on austerity continuing to give us money." "These are worrying times," he said. Story continues Gabriel Fields, 42, who works in the financial services industry, said he was particularly concerned about the economic impact of the vote. "We have always been at the periphery of Europe but now we are at the periphery of a country that is on the periphery of Europe," he said. Charlie Thompson, a 19-year-old tour guide, worried that the travel restrictions mooted to curb immigration would also have a negative effect on people living in Northern Ireland. "What happens if I want to go to Dublin Zoo for the day, will I need a visa?" he asked. "The answer is that nobody knows or can say right now." - 'Controlled by Germany' - Pro-British Chloe Reeves, 17, is too young to vote but said she would have chosen to "Leave". She said Northern Ireland's economy would suffer initially but this should be secondary to considerations over sovereignty. She also dismissed suggestions that the vote will bring a united Ireland any closer. "A united Ireland simply won't happen a- we are part of the UK and thatas how it will stay. At the moment we're controlled by Germany. "We won World War II so the present situation doesnat make any sense," she said. That view was echoed by Robert Hynds, 49, who was taking part in a long-standing protest against a decision by Belfast City Council not to fly the British flag every day above City Hall. Standing against the backdrop of union flags draped over the gates of City Hall, where the council sits, he cited worries about an EU army as one of the reasons he had voted against. "It will be rough at first but we are a resilient people," he said. "As for a border poll, bring it on because I think the establishment would get a shock at the size of the majority both here and in the Republic who would vote to keep things as they are". Donald Trump A group committed to thwarting Donald Trump from winning the Republican presidential nomination revealed an ad aimed at GOP delegates ahead of the party's convention. The group, Delegates Unbound, posted the ad, "Follow Your Conscience," on YouTube. It compares less than flattering clips of Trump next to decidedly more statesmanlike snippets of former President Ronald Reagan. At one point, Reagan is seen commenting on matters of war, saying, "Use of force is always and only a last resort." A clip of Trump plays immediately after, in which he says, "I would bomb the s--- out of 'em," referring to ISIS during an Iowa campaign rally in November. The ad will be geared toward Fox and Fox News, The New York Times reported. Delegates Unbound founder Eric O'Keefe told The Times, "Our goal is simple, to ensure the delegates are not misled to believe they must follow orders or rules set by others." At least one Republican operative has called for an "insurrection" at the party's national convention, which kicks off in Cleveland on July 18. "I don't care what the rules are," a Ted Cruz ally, Steve Lonegan, said on CNN earlier this month. "Break the rules, unbind yourself." Trump has called efforts to push him aside "totally illegal." Watch the 'Follow Your Conscience' ad here: More From Business Insider The African documentary space has been energized in recent years, thanks to a fresh batch of young talent and growing investment from foreign partners. Encounters, the continents oldest and biggest doc film festival, wrapped its 18th edition in early June. Variety sat down with fest director Darryl Els in Durban to talk about the importance of bringing new voices and visions to the documentary landscape. Variety: Do you think its fair to say that theres been a real growth and maturation in the documentary space across Africa in recent years? How has Encounters evolved, in terms of both the size and scope of its programming? Els: I think theres certainly more interest in African documentary filmmaking, and more opportunities that exist for filmmakers. Its really important that Encounters as the longest-running and largest doc fest on the continent continues to be seen as the festival platform where African doc filmmakers want to premiere their films something I really want to foster. In this regard were always looking to create more opportunities. For example, this year we had a new pitching forum for short online docs with the Guardian and Bertha Foundation. Variety: You can go back to Jean Rouch or Alain Resnais to see the ways that the foreign gaze or lens has been trained on Africa as a subject. With more home-grown documentaries emerging from around the continent, do you see a pronounced difference in the way stories are being told, and in the kinds of stories being told? Els: In some cases you can see how familiarity with context, or a personal approach to filmmaking, can bring much more nuanced and deeper perspectives to African stories. Two excellent and recent examples of this are Rama Thiaws The Revolution Wont Be Televised and Nadine Cloetes film Action Kommandante, which was a huge hit at Encounters this year. I think we need to encourage this type of filmmaking and ensure that these films meet audiences. Story continues Variety: Capacity is a huge problem for filmmakers across Africa. Al Jazeera, The Guardian, and The New York Times OpDocs are among the foreign media brands who have begun investing in local documentaries. Do you think these types of initiatives can be transformative, or in a perfect world would they serve as more of a catalyst for home-grown investment and capacity-building? Els: These initiatives, especially the Guardian Documentaries and NYT OpDocs, are important in that they can create international visibility for filmmakers that produce work for those platformsthis has an undoubtedly positive effect. They also help to change the perception of short documentary-filmmaking, which is too often dismissed as inferior to features, and is an area where I think there should really be more local investment. Variety: Public broadcasters are a vital source of funding for documentaries, but in South Africa, the SABC has been reeling for close to a decade. Do you think the South African doc space can continue to grow without a healthy SABC? Are private broadcasters doing enough to support the industry? Els: We all know that a public broadcasters role is fundamental to a healthy industry, both in terms of supporting filmmakers and festivals alike. I think the local doc industry has still grown despite the SABCs absence, but of course we do need them back in the frame. Hopefully their presence at DIFF this year is a good sign that this might be happening. Variety: Youve recently taken over Encounters. For the festival, and for the documentary space, what would you like to see more of in the next few yearsboth in terms of whats on the screen, and whats being done at a structural level to support it? Els: I would like to see a bit more risk-taking and experimentation in doc filmmaking, both in terms of narrative and form. With the growth in VR and short online docs, there are so many ways of getting stories out there. We recently launched Virtual Encounters, a dedicated new media festival platform, and Im very keen to grow this aspect of the festival to eventually include a lab or residency of some kind. Related stories 'Violin Player,' 'Tess' Take Top Awards at Durban Film Festival Durban: Rama Thiaw Jump Starts 'Revolution' Creative Space Media Offers Military Grade Locations in South Africa QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said on Saturday that Britain's vote to leave the European Union has "spoiled" a bond issue that had been planned for next week to help shore up the cash-strapped oil-exporter's finances. Thursday's "Brexit" vote spooked global markets and spurred a plunge in stock and commodities prices as investors flocked toward safer investments and steered away from riskier securities such as emerging market bonds. "We were going to launch an issue next week, an issue which was meant to finance the budget," Correa said during his weekly talkshow. "All this was spoiled by the Eurosceptics' victory in the referendum in Britain, but we will move forward," he said, without specifying the amount in question or whether the issue would be rescheduled. The finance ministry declined to comment. Authorities have said they planned to issue some $1 billion in bonds this year. Ecuador, OPEC's smallest member, is suffering from the effects of low oil prices and a devastating earthquake in April, causing delays in the payment of debts to suppliers and forcing it to slash state spending and investment. This year, Ecuador expects to sign a trade agreement with the European Union to expand its traditional non-oil products such as bananas, cocoa and flowers into European markets. (Reporting by Alexandra Valencia, writing by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Tom Brown) By Fayaz Bukhari SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - Militants killed eight Indian police officials and injured 20 when they attacked a security convoy in northern Jammu & Kashmir state on Saturday, a police spokesman said, in an attack claimed by Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Two men attacked a convoy of India's Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on a highway near the Pampore town, 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the state capital Srinagar. The militants were killed by CRPF officials who were guarding the highway, police spokesman Bhavesh Kumar Choudhary said. Dr. Abdullah Gaznavi, a spokesman for LeT, told Reuters by phone that the attack was carried out by members of the group's suicide squad. Gaznavi claimed 13 CRPF police officials were killed in the fighting that lasted for an hour. Violence in Kashmir has spiked against a backdrop of rising social tension and separatist sentiment in the Muslim-majority region, which for decades has been at the center of a strategic tussle between India and Pakistan. In May, militants shot dead three Indian policemen at point-blank range. In February, militants attacked a bus carrying police reservists near Srinagar, before breaking into a training institute. India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part. India accuses Pakistan of training and arming the rebels in the portion it controls and sending them to the Indian side, a claim its neighbor denies. Mehbooba Mufti, state chief minister, condemned Saturday's attack. "The only purpose of such blood-spattered acts of violence is to add to the tragedies and miseries of the people," she said in a statement. (Writing by Aditya Kalra, Editing by Rafael Nam and Digby Lidstone) At least eight Indian paramilitary soldiers and two suspected rebels were killed Saturday near Srinagar in India-administered Kashmir when a group of armed militants ambushed the soldiers' convoy, police said. Four militants sprayed bullets on the convoy carrying members of India's Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) near Pampore town, killing five soldiers instantly and wounding 20, inspector general of police for the region, Javaid Gillani, told AFP. A top regional police official said three others succumbed to their injuries later. "The toll of CRPF personnel killed in the attack is now eight, after three more died of their injuries," Rajendra Kumar, director general of police in the region said. Another officer identified the attackers as Pakistani nationals, adding that the injured soldiers were taken to a nearby military hospital. "We have killed two Pakistani (militants), that is what we are happy about at this time. Two others escaped the spot," said Nalin Prabhat, the inspector general for CRPF in the region. Kashmir has been divided between rivals India and Pakistan since Partition in 1947. Both claim the Muslim-majority region in its entirety. Overall violence in Indian Kashmir has sharply declined during the last decade, but in recent months the region has witnessed a spurt in armed encounters between government forces and rebels who have been fighting for decades for independence or a merger of the disputed territory with Pakistan. The fighting has left tens of thousands, mostly civilians, dead over the past three decades. Saturday's attack came after seven suspected rebels were killed in three separate gunbattles with government forces earlier this week in the north of the territory, according to the Indian army. Hours before the violence, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti was elected Saturday to the state parliament. She was appointed as chief minister earlier this year after her father died in office but was required to win a local poll within six months to continue in the role. India regularly blames Pakistan for sending armed militants to launch attacks in the territory. Islamabad denies the allegation, saying it only provides diplomatic support to the Kashmiri struggle for right of self-determination. In 2005, Mark Leonard published a book called Why Europe Will Run the 21st Century. The moment was ripe for such an argument. The European Union had just embarked on the greatest expansion in its history, welcoming 10 new members, and headlines heralded the sprouting of a European identity and the emergence of a United States of Europe. Heck, Greece even admitted that it had fudged economic data in its zeal to join the European currency union. In the book, Leonard took issue with the notion that China or India could soon eclipse America as a world power. Those countries suffer from the same problems as the United States: they are large, nationalistic nation states in an era of globalisation, he wrote. The European Union is leading a revolutionary transformation of the nature of power that in just 50 years has transformed a continent from total war to perpetual peace. By building a network of powerthat binds states together with a market, common institutions, and international lawrather than a hierarchical nation-state, it is increasingly writing the rules for the 21st Century. On Friday morning, shortly after Britains shock vote to leave the European Union, Leonard struck a starkly different tone. For the EU, Britains exit, or Brexit, risks reinforcing a cycle of disintegration, he wrote. Member states like Poland and Hungary, as well as opposition parties like Marine Le Pens Front National [in France], could launch copy-cat moves. If other crisesa euro [currency] crisis, a Schengen [passport-free movement] crisis, a Trump presidencyget layered on top of Brexit, there is a real danger of collapse. How, in just 10 years, did we go from the European Century to European Collapse? Leonard, the London-based director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, is one of the closest and most thoughtful observers of Britains complex relationship with Europe. On Friday, after a sleepless night of tracking the knife-edge vote, he spoke with me about what went wrong with the European project, whats behind Britains exit, and what comes next. Recommended: Why Britain Left An edited and condensed transcript of our conversation follows. Uri Friedman: In 2005, you wrote a book called Why Europe Will Run the 21st Century in which you argued that the continents collective soft power could prove the model of the future. What went wrong? Mark Leonard: After 1989, [with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War], an incredible period of history was launched with Europeans bang in the center of it. It gave rise to a sense that the euro was reshaping the world. If you compare the map of Europe in 1989 to the map of Europe when I wrote my book in 2005, its unrecognizable. Lots of new states were created, countries that were in the Soviet bloc had become liberal democracies and joined the European Union. Around all of these different waves of countries that join the European Union, you have another wave of countries that seemed to be inspired by ityou have the Orange Revolution in Ukraine and the Rose Revolution in Georgia. There were people taking to the streets, banging at the door of the EU and asking to be let in. And then you also have, at a global level, a new set of institutions being shaped that embodied the kind of post-sovereigntist European way of working, like the World Trade Organization and the Kyoto Protocol and the International Criminal Court. The fourth way that I saw Europe changing the world was by setting off a regional domino effect. You had other regions coming together and modeling themselves off the European Union: the African Union, ASEAN, MERCOSUR. On every continent, there seemed to be an attempt to create a regional support club that was not identical to the EU, but was at least inspired by it. Recommended: America's 'Brexit' Is Coming Those things collectively led to a sense that Europe was remaking the world in its image and exporting its values. One of the troubling things about the world of 2016 is that most Europeans feel that the world around them is in a state of chaos and that its the world that is transforming them[for example], through the Arab uprisings going wrong, which means that Europes neighbors are not importing democracy and European values, but exporting refugees and chaos. One of the central parts of my story was about how the EU seemed to be remaking Turkeynow its Turkey that dictates the terms of trade by threatening to send refugees into the EU. At a global level, a lot of the institutions that seemed to be becoming increasingly important have been gridlocked by geopolitical competition. What I didnt predict in 2005 was the collapse of representative democracy, which is happening everywhere. Therefore, the basic mindset of Europeans has changed. Instead of thinking about the EU as a universal project, which would change everyone else, theyre starting to think about the EU as a fragile, exceptional project that needs to be defended from others. These changes to the external environment have come at a time when, domestically, a lot of countries have been under a lot of economic pressure with the [European economic] crisis, even in countries like Britain that were very affected by the [2008] global financial crisis and introduced [government budget] austerity as a result. One of the other consequences of 1989, of [EU] enlargement, was that you get these large flows of people. That is another way that people think that they are being shapedthat theyre becoming minorities in their own countries and there are people coming in and changing the nature of the country. Thats one of the slogans here: I want my country back. Recommended: Why Brexit Is So Bad for the Global Economy Some of these [trends] are just cyclical, but when you make a decision like the decision that the British public took yesterday, its quite difficult to overturn. Your cycle can become a structural change quite easily, if it becomes enshrined by a referendum. The other element I didnt predict [in 2005] was the collapse of representative democracy, which is happening everywhere. Were seeing all elites in all developed countries going through this crisis. In a lot of countries like the U.S., with [Donald] Trump, its kind of contained, whereas in the U.K., in the EU, because countries are interdependent, it can actually start to undermine the EU. And thats one of the dangers nowthat after a cycle of integration and of optimism, were in the midst of a cycle of disintegration and pessimism. These things can become self-reinforcing. Friedman: What does the Brexit vote means for the future of the European Union? How much should we think of this as, Britain was never integrated into the European currency union, it was always a bit standoffish with the EU, this was inevitable, versus how much should we think that the European project itself is existentially threatened? Leonard: The EUs not going to disappear. But there are two dangers. One is of contagionthat this [vote] could set off a spiral of disintegration with other countries [taking] copycat [actions]. And because it comes on the back of big things that Europeans are dealing withthe rest of the euro crisis and the refugee crisisyou have a structure thats already under some pressure. People are saying, Stop the world, I want to get off it. I want to return to previous certainties. The other [danger] is about the death of a certain idea of Europe, and thats what my book was about. It was the idea that Europe could actually hope to have an effect on how the world was ordered. Youd have a European voice alongside other great powers. Thats more difficult to do if you dont have a British component to the European project, because Britain is one of the countries that takes foreign policy seriously, that had a more global outlook, that had some sort of ambition to shape things. A Europe without Britain is poorer and smaller and maybe a bit less able to play that sort of role. Friedman: How would you characterize this moment in the modern history of Europe? Leonard: Its a counterrevolutionary moment. My book essentially was a description of a revolution in how power and politics was organized. It was an expression of that revolutionary ambitionwhere the laws of international relations were being rewritten. Whats happening now is a powerful countervailing force where people are saying, Stop the world, I want to get off it. I want to return to previous certainties. And their language is of independence rather than of interdependence. Its about trying to row back these profound changes that have been unleashed by the European project since the end of the Cold War. Friedman: You supported Britain remaining in the EU, right? Leonard: Yeah. Friedman: Are you British or European? How do you think of your own identity within the U.K. and Europe? Leonard: Im very European. My mom comes from a German Jewish family. She was born in hiding in France in 1944 and then moved back to Germany in 1950 with her sister and her mother, and her father stayed in France. My dads British, but his life was very marked by the European experience as well. He was evacuated as an 8-year-oldseparated from his parents during the Blitz. His father fought in the First World War and was gassed in the trenches. His outlook is very shaped by European mores. I lived in Brussels for 12 years as a kid as well. I have a very strong European heritage, which was shaped by the big historical events of the 20th century. But I also do feel incredibly comfortable in Britain. Ive spent a lot of time thinking about the meaning of Britain and Britishness, and trying to understand this strange mix of being an island, but having a global worldviewlinks to the rest of the world and the silently revolutionary qualities of Britishness: the creativity, the hybridity, the mongrel nation that Britain has become. Thats one of the other things that was being contested in this referendum, I think. Friedman: Given your family background, your past work, what does this vote mean to you personally? How did you feel when you woke up this morning? Leonard: Well, I didnt. I stayed up all night. Its a real shock because the referendum showed how fundamentally Britain is divided. It was a very close referendum: 52 percent voted [to leave the EU], 48 percent voted [to remain]. People have talked about how it showed that there isnt one country anymore: Youve got Remainia and Leavia, the country of [slain Remain lawmaker] Jo Cox and [Leave leader] Nigel Farage. If you look at where I live in London, 80 percent of people voted to stay in. If you go to other neighborhoods on the south coast or in post-industrial towns in the north of England, you have the opposite result. Its a clear generational division as well. Three-quarters of young people under the age of 25 voted to stay in; it was almost a mirror image for [those older than] 75. Youve got a profound division between two different ways of thinking about the national story. There isnt one country anymore. Youve got Remainia and Leavia. Friedman: What does this mean for the future of the United Kingdom? Northern Ireland will now share a border with an EU country, Ireland; Scotland, whose citizens largely wanted to remain in the EU, will likely stage a new independence referendum; Spain now wants to seize control of Gibraltar. Was this, in a way, a vote to dissolve Great Britain? Leonard: I hope that wasnt what was behind the Leave campaign, but there is a very real danger [of that occurring]. Friedman: What do you think tilted the balance in favor of Brexit? Some people say it was all about the economy. Some people say it was all about immigration. What do you think proved decisive? Leonard: The issue that proved to be decisive was immigration, and the fact that sovereignty was given a form that was much less abstractwith this idea that when youre in the European Union with freedom of movement, you cant decide who gets to live in your country anymore. One of the problems with immigration is though theres an aggregate benefit [from immigration] to the economy and a huge amount of evidence of thatpeople who come pay much more in taxes than they receive in benefits[the benefit is] not shared equally. There are losers as well as winners. If you have very large numbers of people coming into neighborhoods without tracking whos going where, and without moving resources to local authorities to make sure they have enough money to create schools and hospitals, that does put pressure on public services. It puts pressure on house prices, and it can put pressure on wages in certain sectors. Thats whats happened. Its the left-behind voters who have risen up against the elites. They dont trust anyone who they blame for having created these circumstances. In a way, there are very strong parallels with the rise of Trump in the U.S. Friedman: If you had to identify the key proximate cause of the votes outcome, was it the 2008 financial crisis? Was it the current wave of migration to Europe? Was it the European debt crisis? Leonard: I think it was a combination of different things. But I think, first of all, it was the enlargement of the European Union and the fact that other countries had not opened their borders up, which meant that there were very large numbers of people who came into the U.K. The U.K. was not prepared for it. Secondly, that was made worse with the [2008] financial crisis. You had austerity [policies] being brought in, public services being cut, and people were blaming immigration rather than the austerity measures taken by the government. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Saturday Scotland was part of the United Kingdom and declined to "speculate further" after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called for talks with the European Union to keep Scotland in the bloc. "Scotland is part of the UK," a Commission spokeswoman told Reuters. "Constitutional arrangements apply. We will not speculate further." Sturgeon said Scotland would prepare for a possible fresh independence vote after Britain voted to leave the 28-nation EU on Friday. Scots voted heavily in favour of staying in. (Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Janet Lawrence) Berlin (AFP) - Founding EU members held a crisis meeting Saturday on the future of the bloc after Britain's seismic vote to leave the union and the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the EU would weather the shock of the British vote. "I am confident that these countries can also send a message that we won't let anyone take Europe from us," he said heading into a meeting in Berlin with his counterparts from the EU's six founding members; France's Jean-Marc Ayrault, the Netherlands' Bert Koenders, Italy's Paolo Gentiloni, Belgium's Didier Reynders and Luxemburg's Jean Asselborn. Paris and Berlin will present their partners with "concrete solutions" to make the EU "more effective", Ayrault told AFP. As the "Brexit" vote sent global financial markets into freefall, Moody's cut Britain's credit rating outlook to "negative", saying the vote to pull out of the European Union could hurt its economic prospects. After the shock result German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande led calls for the EU to reform in order to survive a traumatic divorce with Britain. European leaders are anxious to ensure the transition is as painless as possible, with the foreign ministers of the six EU founding members gathering in Berlin Saturday in the first of a series of crisis meetings over the coming week. - 'Blow to Europe' - Merkel, who called the result a "blow" to Europe, said she would would host the leaders of France and Italy along with EU President Donald Tusk in Berlin on Monday to try to chart a reform plan. "We take note of the British people's decision with regret. There is no doubt that this is a blow to Europe and to the European unification process," Merkel told reporters in Berlin. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said Britain's planned departure from the European Union was "not an amicable divorce" but called for it to be quick. Story continues "I do not understand why the British government needs until October to decide whether to send the divorce letter to Brussels," he told German public broadcaster ARD late Friday. "I'd like it immediately." He admitted that the EU had hoped Britain would stay but that now it was key to make the separation process as speedy and painless as possible. "It is not an amicable divorce but it was also not an intimate love affair," he said. "It is not a good day for Britain and the European Union but we must go on." European Parliament President Martin Schulz, also speaking to ARD, called Cameron's decision to possibly wait until October to leave "scandalous", saying that he was "taking the whole (European) continent hostage". Leaders of the EU, born out of a determination to forge lasting peace after two world wars, will open a two-day summit on Tuesday to grapple with Britain's decision. The shock outcome of Thursday's historic referendum could have a knock-on effect on other EU members battling hostility to Brussels and possibly lead to the break-up of the United Kingdom after Scotland raised the prospect of another independence vote. Britons, many worried by immigration and what they saw as interference in the running of their country by bureaucrats in Brussels, voted by 52 to 48 percent to abandon the bloc after 43 years of often troubled membership. In an emotional statement outside Downing Street, Cameron said he would resign to make way for a new leader by early October after the failure of his "Remain" campaign. "I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination," he said as sterling, global stocks and oil prices plummeted. - 'Take a bow' - The result caused the pound to fall to a 31-year low of $1.3229 at one point but it recovered some ground after the Bank of England said it stood ready to pump 250 billion ($370 billion, 326 billion euros) into the financial system to avert a crisis. European stock markets dropped around eight percent at opening before recovering later, while British bank shares lost a quarter of their value in morning trade. London's FTSE 100 index recovered to close down 3.2 percent. US stocks dived, with both the Dow and S&P 500 closing down more than three percent. Britain will be the first country to leave the EU, in a move seen a victory for the anti-establishment rhetoric of the Brexit campaign that highlights growing populism across Europe. "Take a bow, Britain!", eurosceptic newspaper the Daily Mail wrote across its front page on Saturday. "It was the day the quiet people of Britain rose up against an arrogant, out-of-touch political class and a contemptuous Brussels elite," it added. The vote, the culmination of an often poisonous campaign, exposed deep divides across British society, including between what The Independent newspaper called "those doing well from globalisation and those 'left behind' and not seeing the benefits in jobs or wages". It may be some time before Britain takes the concrete steps needed to extricate itself from what will become a 27-member alliance. Cameron said it should be his successor who leads the complex negotiations under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which sets out a two-year time-frame to leave. - Domino effect - The "Leave" victory threatens to shatter the unity of the United Kingdom, with Scotland and Northern Ireland voting to remain in while England -- barring big cities like London -- and Wales supported out. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said a second independence vote was now "highly likely" after a 2014 referendum backed staying in the UK, and the Scottish parliament was due to meet for an emergency session early Saturday. In Northern Ireland, the nationalist Sinn Fein party seized on the result to call for a vote on reunification with the Irish Republic. The British vote will stoke fears of a domino-effect of exit votes in eurosceptic member states that could imperil the integrity of the bloc. Dutch far-right MP Geert Wilders and French National Front leader Marine Le Pen immediately called for referendums on EU membership in their own countries. Germany took a more measured approach, its foreign office tweeting that "we are off now to an Irish pub to get decently drunk. And from tomorrow on we will again work for a better Europe!" Brussels (AFP) - EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker is ready to consider appointing a new British commissioner after financial services chief Jonathan Hill resigned over Britain's decision to leave the bloc, a statement said Saturday. Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU commissioner for the euro currency, will take over Hill's portfolio, Juncker said in a statement after Hill announced that he would step down from his post. "President Juncker stands ready to discuss swiftly with the British Prime Minister potential names for a Commissioner of UK nationality as well as the allocation of a possible portfolio," a Commission statement said Credit: Courtesy Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake became good friends after working together on the new Trolls movie and enjoying a whirlwind press tour in Cannes, but even the Pitch Perfect star herself can't believe the level of fame that Timberlake has achieved. "I was doing press with Justin Timberlake and I was like, oh I'm not famous. Like he is so famous," Kendrick said on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Tuesday in a cutout Cinq ? Sept dress. "We did this press tour in Cannes and I could tell that every interviewer was like, 'Okay we've got to throw one question at her,' and then they're like, 'Justin, what about your baby? What about the music? What about *NSYNC? What about ramen noodles and your hair and have you seen that meme?'" she joked. "And I was like oh, I'm like not, I'm not a celebrity. I get it. I get that." But despite her self-deprecating humor, the funny lady has achieved a massive following after getting her start on the Twilight series. In her new book, Scrappy Little Nobody, Kendrick reveals that she just tries to be funny. "That's the idea. My editor was like, 'You should add some depth,' and I was like, 'Nah.' If I had any, I would!" she joked. The actress also revealed that she devoted an entire chapter of the book to hilarious stories from the Twilight set. "I spent very little time in my career on those movies, but they are just rife with stories. It's just the weirdest set I've ever been on," she said. Kendrick dove into a story about the time when she was flown into Louisiana for a day just to play a dead body in a dream sequence. "All these characters were like in white, and we got in this line and there's this guy who is like the fake blood guy, like that's his job for the day. So he's got this hose," she said. "There's like this line of characters like we're at the DMV. So casual. So normal and casual, each one of us getting lined up and then getting sprayed down with fake blood by this mister, and then like climbing on top of a pile and then like laying there with our eyes open." RELATED: Watch Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick Perform an Amazing Rendition of "True Colors" Watch her hilarious interview above to learn more about her new book, and her hilarious Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates co-star Aubrey Plaza. Elle Fanning opened up to ET about her glamorous prom night while promoting her new thriller, The Neon Demon. "It was the best prom night ever!" Fanning told ET's Deidre Behar. PICS: Elle Fanning Recreates Prom at Cannes After Missing Her Own -- See the Gorgeous Gown! The 18-year-old actress, who graduated from Campbell Hall High School earlier this month, revealed that while her prom experience was spent thousands of miles away from the official school event, it was still the best night she could have hoped for. With her film, The Neon Demon, in theaters now, Fanning opted to attend the Cannes Film Festival over the ballroom where her peers would be partying. She and her best friend, Cass, rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. "Cass is my best friend in the entire world," Fanning explained. "We always planned to go our senior year to prom together, but then I had to call him and I was like, 'I'm going to Cannes' and then we were like, 'Wait, do you want to come out to Cannes?!' He was like, 'Yes!'" Classmate Ariel Winter did make the prom, and since they graduated in the same class, Fanning entertained the idea of collaborating with the Modern Family star someday. "That would be fun!" she said. "We're very good friends." PHOTOS: Ariel Winter Attends Her Senior Prom in a Curve-Hugging Strapless Gown With high school being a thing of the past, Fanning is looking at what's next in her future. "For now I think I'm just going to wait a year and just figure things out," she said. "It's a very exciting time this whole year. Lots of things have happened with The Neon Demon coming out and turning 18." In The Neon Demon, Fanning plays aspiring model Jesse, who moves to Los Angeles and falls into a group of beauty-obsessed women who will do anything to get what she has. The Neon Demon is in theaters now. Story continues Related Articles By Joseph Menn and Dustin Volz SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some of the webs biggest destinations for watching videos have quietly started using automation to remove extremist content from their sites, according to two people familiar with the process. The move is a major step forward for internet companies that are eager to eradicate violent propaganda from their sites and are under pressure to do so from governments around the world as attacks by extremists proliferate, from Syria to Belgium and the United States. YouTube and Facebook are among the sites deploying systems to block or rapidly take down Islamic State videos and other similar material, the sources said. The technology was originally developed to identify and remove copyright-protected content on video sites. It looks for "hashes," a type of unique digital fingerprint that internet companies automatically assign to specific videos, allowing all content with matching fingerprints to be removed rapidly. Such a system would catch attempts to repost content already identified as unacceptable, but would not automatically block videos that have not been seen before. The companies would not confirm that they are using the method or talk about how it might be employed, but numerous people familiar with the technology said that posted videos could be checked against a database of banned content to identify new postings of, say, a beheading or a lecture inciting violence. The two sources would not discuss how much human work goes into reviewing videos identified as matches or near-matches by the technology. They also would not say how videos in the databases were initially identified as extremist. Use of the new technology is likely to be refined over time as internet companies continue to discuss the issue internally and with competitors and other interested parties. In late April, amid pressure from U.S. President Barack Obama and other U.S. and European leaders concerned about online radicalisation, internet companies including Alphabet Inc's YouTube, Twitter Inc, Facebook Inc and CloudFlare held a call to discuss options, including a content-blocking system put forward by the private Counter Extremism Project, according to one person on the call and three who were briefed on what was discussed. Story continues The discussions underscored the central but difficult role some of the world's most influential companies now play in addressing issues such as terrorism, free speech and the lines between government and corporate authority. None of the companies at this point has embraced the anti-extremist group's system, and they have typically been wary of outside intervention in how their sites should be policed. Its a little bit different than copyright or child pornography, where things are very clearly illegal, said Seamus Hughes, deputy director of George Washington Universitys Program on Extremism. Extremist content exists on a spectrum, Hughes said, and different web companies draw the line in different places. Most have relied until now mainly on users to flag content that violates their terms of service, and many still do. Flagged material is then individually reviewed by human editors who delete postings found to be in violation. The companies now using automation are not publicly discussing it, two sources said, in part out of concern that terrorists might learn how to manipulate their systems or that repressive regimes might insist the technology be used to censor opponents. There's no upside in these companies talking about it, said Matthew Prince, chief executive of content distribution company CloudFlare. Why would they brag about censorship? The two people familiar with the still-evolving industry practise confirmed it to Reuters after the Counter Extremism Project publicly described its content-blocking system for the first time last week and urged the big internet companies to adopt it. WARY OF OUTSIDE SOLUTION The April call was led by Facebook's head of global policy management, Monika Bickert, sources with knowledge of the call said. On it, Facebook presented options for discussion, according to one participant, including the one proposed by the non-profit Counter Extremism Project. The anti-extremism group was founded by, among others, Frances Townsend, who advised former president George W. Bush on homeland security, and Mark Wallace, who was deputy campaign manager for the Bush 2004 re-election campaign. Three sources with knowledge of the April call said that companies expressed wariness of letting an outside group decide what defined unacceptable content. Other alternatives raised on the call included establishing a new industry-controlled nonprofit or expanding an existing industry-controlled nonprofit. All the options discussed involved hashing technology. The model for an industry-funded organisation might be the nonprofit National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which identifies known child pornography images using a system known as PhotoDNA. The system is licensed for free by Microsoft Corp. Microsoft announced in May it was providing funding and technical support to Dartmouth College computer scientist Hany Farid, who works with the Counter Extremism Project and helped develop PhotoDNA, "to develop a technology to help stakeholders identify copies of patently terrorist content." Facebooks Bickert agreed with some of the concerns voiced during the call about the Counter Extremism Project's proposal, two people familiar with the events said. She declined to comment publicly on the call or on Facebook's efforts, except to note in a statement that Facebook is exploring with others in industry ways we can collaboratively work to remove content that violates our policies against terrorism. In recent weeks, one source said, Facebook has sent out a survey to other companies soliciting their opinions on different options for industry collaboration on the issue. William Fitzgerald, a spokesman for Alphabet's Google unit, which owns YouTube, also declined to comment on the call or about the company's automated efforts to police content. A Twitter spokesman said the company was still evaluating the Counter Extremism Project's proposal and had "not yet taken a position." A former Google employee said people there had long debated what else besides thwarting copyright violations or sharing revenue with creators the company should do with its Content ID system. Google's system for content-matching is older and far more sophisticated than Facebook's, according to people familiar with both. Lisa Monaco, senior adviser to the U.S. president on counterterrorism, said in a statement that the White House welcomed initiatives that seek to help companies better respond to the threat posed by terrorists activities online. (Reporting by Joseph Menn in San Francisco and Dustin Volz in Washington; Additional reporting by Yasmeen Abutaleb and Jim Finkle; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Bill Rigby) By Joseph Menn and Dustin Volz SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some of the webs biggest destinations for watching videos have quietly started using automation to remove extremist content from their sites, according to two people familiar with the process. The move is a major step forward for internet companies that are eager to eradicate violent propaganda from their sites and are under pressure to do so from governments around the world as attacks by extremists proliferate, from Syria to Belgium and the United States. YouTube and Facebook are among the sites deploying systems to block or rapidly take down Islamic State videos and other similar material, the sources said. The technology was originally developed to identify and remove copyright-protected content on video sites. It looks for "hashes," a type of unique digital fingerprint that internet companies automatically assign to specific videos, allowing all content with matching fingerprints to be removed rapidly. Such a system would catch attempts to repost content already identified as unacceptable, but would not automatically block videos that have not been seen before. The companies would not confirm that they are using the method or talk about how it might be employed, but numerous people familiar with the technology said that posted videos could be checked against a database of banned content to identify new postings of, say, a beheading or a lecture inciting violence. The two sources would not discuss how much human work goes into reviewing videos identified as matches or near-matches by the technology. They also would not say how videos in the databases were initially identified as extremist. Use of the new technology is likely to be refined over time as internet companies continue to discuss the issue internally and with competitors and other interested parties. In late April, amid pressure from U.S. President Barack Obama and other U.S. and European leaders concerned about online radicalization, internet companies including Alphabet Inc's YouTube, Twitter Inc, Facebook Inc and CloudFlare held a call to discuss options, including a content-blocking system put forward by the private Counter Extremism Project, according to one person on the call and three who were briefed on what was discussed. The discussions underscored the central but difficult role some of the world's most influential companies now play in addressing issues such as terrorism, free speech and the lines between government and corporate authority. None of the companies at this point has embraced the anti-extremist group's system, and they have typically been wary of outside intervention in how their sites should be policed. Its a little bit different than copyright or child pornography, where things are very clearly illegal, said Seamus Hughes, deputy director of George Washington Universitys Program on Extremism. Extremist content exists on a spectrum, Hughes said, and different web companies draw the line in different places. Most have relied until now mainly on users to flag content that violates their terms of service, and many still do. Flagged material is then individually reviewed by human editors who delete postings found to be in violation. The companies now using automation are not publicly discussing it, two sources said, in part out of concern that terrorists might learn how to manipulate their systems or that repressive regimes might insist the technology be used to censor opponents. There's no upside in these companies talking about it, said Matthew Prince, chief executive of content distribution company CloudFlare. Why would they brag about censorship? The two people familiar with the still-evolving industry practice confirmed it to Reuters after the Counter Extremism Project publicly described its content-blocking system for the first time last week and urged the big internet companies to adopt it. WARY OF OUTSIDE SOLUTION The April call was led by Facebook's head of global policy management, Monika Bickert, sources with knowledge of the call said. On it, Facebook presented options for discussion, according to one participant, including the one proposed by the non-profit Counter Extremism Project. The anti-extremism group was founded by, among others, Frances Townsend, who advised former president George W. Bush on homeland security, and Mark Wallace, who was deputy campaign manager for the Bush 2004 re-election campaign. Three sources with knowledge of the April call said that companies expressed wariness of letting an outside group decide what defined unacceptable content. Other alternatives raised on the call included establishing a new industry-controlled nonprofit or expanding an existing industry-controlled nonprofit. All the options discussed involved hashing technology. The model for an industry-funded organization might be the nonprofit National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which identifies known child pornography images using a system known as PhotoDNA. The system is licensed for free by Microsoft Corp. Microsoft announced in May it was providing funding and technical support to Dartmouth College computer scientist Hany Farid, who works with the Counter Extremism Project and helped develop PhotoDNA, "to develop a technology to help stakeholders identify copies of patently terrorist content." Facebooks Bickert agreed with some of the concerns voiced during the call about the Counter Extremism Project's proposal, two people familiar with the events said. She declined to comment publicly on the call or on Facebook's efforts, except to note in a statement that Facebook is exploring with others in industry ways we can collaboratively work to remove content that violates our policies against terrorism. In recent weeks, one source said, Facebook has sent out a survey to other companies soliciting their opinions on different options for industry collaboration on the issue. William Fitzgerald, a spokesman for Alphabet's Google unit, which owns YouTube, also declined to comment on the call or about the company's automated efforts to police content. A Twitter spokesman said the company was still evaluating the Counter Extremism Project's proposal and had "not yet taken a position." A former Google employee said people there had long debated what else besides thwarting copyright violations or sharing revenue with creators the company should do with its Content ID system. Google's system for content-matching is older and far more sophisticated than Facebook's, according to people familiar with both. Lisa Monaco, senior adviser to the U.S. president on counterterrorism, said in a statement that the White House welcomed initiatives that seek to help companies better respond to the threat posed by terrorists activities online. (Reporting by Joseph Menn in San Francisco and Dustin Volz in Washington; Additional reporting by Yasmeen Abutaleb and Jim Finkle; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Bill Rigby) From Esquire Update (6:08 PM): Liberal politics is occasionally exhausting. There now are some folks on the port side of things who are down on the congressional sit-in because the bill in question isn't exactly their cup of chai. Alex Pareene at Gawker makes the best stab at presenting a bad case. Can we all please keep in mind the fact that both the Senate filibuster and the current sit-in are tactics aimed at getting a vote on a bill? In other words, they are tactics aimed at getting the national legislature to actually, you know, legislate. At that point, we can argue over the merits of the various bills. But at the heart of these actions is more than a protest against inaction on the issue of guns. It's a protest against inaction, period, against the repulsive and cowardly vandalism-by-inaction that has been the hallmark of the Congress almost from the second the president's hand came off the Bible in 2009. Politicians should vote and then explain their reasons why to the people that elect them. The government should function. Period. That's an issue worth fighting over. Oh, and most of the people who are in any way qualified to leftsplain the politics of public protest to John Lewis are dead. Pass it on. The other day, prior to the Senate taking a cowardly dive on the issue of guns, Senator Chris Murphy expressed his frustration to some Washington Post reporters: "We've got to make this clear, constant case that Republicans have decided to sell weapons to ISIS," Murphy said, using an alternative term for the Islamic State militant group. "That's what they've decided to do. ISIS has decided that the assault weapon is the new airplane, and Republicans, in refusing to close the terror gap, refusing to pass bans on assault weapons, are allowing these weapons to get in the hands of potential lone-wolf attackers. We've got to make this connection and make it in very stark terms." Story continues Senator Professor Warren then tweeted out the first, and most incendiary line, and, dear lord, was there an immediate wounding of the fee-fees all over American conservatism. On the electric Twitter machine, Amanda Carpenter, who once was the communications director for that noted paragon of conciliation, Tailgunner Ted Cruz, informed the world that the Democrats had "jumped the shark." Of course, I found myself strangely unmoved by the reaction because I am not 5 years old, and because I have lived through enough several eras of conservative slander and Republican ratfcking to find their sudden desire for rhetorical delicacy to be unconvincing. I suspect former President John Kerry feels much the same way. Anyway, what was clear from Murphy's remark was that, for the first time in a while, the Democratic members of Congress are willing to go to the mattresses without apology, at least on this particular issue. We saw more evidence of this today when Congressman John Lewis, god bless his mighty soul, led an actual sit-in in the well of the House of Representatives to protest the fact that the Republican majority in that chamber will not even allow a vote on gun-restriction bills. This was some serious stuff; Steny Hoyer, the Democratic whip and no progressive firebrand, was completely on board and even showed up in the well to speak. It was Hoyer's office that tweeted out originally that Lewis and the others were on their way to the chamber. "No bill, no break," seems to be the slogan du jour. And Bill Clinton tweeted out his support as well. (Because the House was not formally in session, there was no live television, but Congressman Scott Peters, Democrat of California, sporadically sent out video on Periscope from the well, which is very contrary to the rules.) In truth, this has been stewing for some time. While most of the attention was focused on the action in the Senate, House Democrats were seething at the enforced inaction on the issue on their side of the Capitol. It began on June 14, when Democratic members of the House walked out during a moment of silence for the victims of the Orlando shooting that was called by Speaker Paul Ryan, the zombie-eyed granny-starver from the state of Wisconsin. The moment that the tribute ended, the floor erupted with demands that the bills in question be moved to a vote, and Ryan refused to recognize Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina, the assistant minority leader. What happened on Wednesday morning was a long time coming, but it accelerated over the past three or four days. And, of course, the choice of Lewis to lead the largely unprecedented job action was inspired. There are several retired members of the Alabama state patrol that can tell you that, when John Lewis sets his mind to something, he doesn't much care what happens to him along the way. "What is the tipping point?" Lewis asked. "Are we blind? Can we see? How many more mothers and fathers must shed tears of grief before we do something?" Because there is no filibuster in the House, and the majority holds virtually unfettered power over the debate, Lewis' stratagem, while an extraordinary news event, really was the only thing left for the Democratic minority to do. And, again, I am discovering that I am curiously deaf to the bleatings of Republicans about legislative etiquette. Joe Wilson shouted too loudly in 2009. My hearing hasn't quite recovered yet. Click here to respond to this post on the official Esquire Politics Facebook page. Mogadishu (AFP) - At least 11 people were killed Saturday in an attack on a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu that was swiftly claimed by Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shabaab militants. The assault, the latest in a series by the Islamist group targeting hotels and restaurants, began when a suicide bomber detonated a car laden with explosives outside the building. Gunmen then stormed the Naasa Hablood hotel and gunfire rang out for several hours, witnesses said, before the authorities declared the attack over. "The special security forces have ended the siege after killing three attackers inside the hotel. Eleven civilians, two of them doctors, were killed in the attack," Abdi Kamil Shukri, a security ministry spokesman, told reporters. Medical sources said some 20 civilians were wounded. The attack was launched at 4:30 pm (1330 GMT) with a powerful blast followed by two other explosions and then heavy gunfire, AFP journalists and a witness said. The Naasa Hablood hotel in southern Mogadishu is often used by politicians and members of the Somali diaspora visiting the city. Somali security forces moved quickly to cordon off access to the neighbourhood as they raced to retake the hotel, an AFP photographer said. A witness, Adan Ibrahim, said an unknown number of people were able to flee the hotel using a back door. Pictures from the scene showed people in blood-covered clothes running down the street. The Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack through a statement on the Telegram smartphone app, saying that their fighters had forced their way into the hotel. "The attack started with a heavy blast carried out by a brother who drove a car loaded with explosives. Gunmen fought their way into the hotel, and we believe that casualties were inflicted in the enemy's ranks," the Shabaab said. - Spike in violence - Saturday's assault came just three weeks after another attack quickly claimed the Shabaab group on the city's Ambassador hotel left 10 dead including two lawmakers when a huge car bomb ripped the front off the six-storey building. Story continues The Shabaab lost their foothold in the capital in 2011 but continue their battle to overthrow the Somali government and launch regular attacks on military, government and civilian targets like hotels and restaurants in Mogadishu and elsewhere. In November last year, the Islamists carried out a similar attack on the Sahafi hotel in central Mogadishu, leaving at least 12 dead. Shabaab insurgents have also staged repeated attacks in neighbouring Kenya, including the killing of at least 67 people at Nairobi's Westgate Mall in 2013 and the massacre of 148 people at a university in Garissa in April 2015. The Shabaab earlier this month confirmed the death in a special forces raid of a commander named Mohamed Mohamud aka Dulyadin, who was suspected of organising the Garissa University attack. In recent months they have also claimed attacks on bases of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM). BERLIN (Reuters) - The six founding members of the European Union want Britain to get on quickly with triggering the process for it to exit the bloc, Germany's Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after hosting a meeting of foreign ministers from the six. "We say here together, this process should get underway as soon as possible so that we are not left in limbo but rather can concentrate on the future of Europe," Steinmeier, Germany's foreign minister, said after the meeting in Berlin on Saturday. Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg's foreign minister, added: "I hope that we don't get into a cat and mouse game here." (Writing by Paul Carrel, editing by Emma Thomasson) Paul Rudd, Craig Roberts and Selena Gomez star in the new Netflix film The Fundamentals of Caring, written and directed by Rob Burnett. Adapted from the Jonathan Evison novel The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, the film tells the story about a young boy with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, played by Roberts, and his caregiver, Paul Rudd, who are both equally wounded and have low prospects of getting any better. Variety spoke with director, producer and writer Burnett about why Netflix was the best venue for the project and why Rudd was the perfect fit. What attracted you to the project? When I read this book by Jonathan Evison, I thought he did such a nice job telling a very tragic story in a funny way. That bittersweet quality of these characters is something that always attracts me to the material. Was it difficult to adapt the novel? Its difficult because the book is so good so you dont want to muck it up. Ultimately, you want to get to a place where you realize that a movie and a book are two different things. I mostly took the plot and the relationship between Ben and Trevor and tried to capture the spirit of it and make it my own. To his credit, Jonathan loved the screenplay and the movie, which is a real testament to his generosity as an artist. What is the one thing that you would have wanted to include in the movie but couldnt? I think the biggest difference between the two is that the book is told from Bens first-person perspective and I decided the movie to be a true two-hander with Ben and Trevor. What was interesting what that here the caregiver was just as injured as the person hes caring for. Neither will get over their circumstances, so how do you make something heroic when they dont really want to help each other? The growth is microscopic, but I love the little celebration in life. They go from not living to living just a little, and that will resonate with a lot of people. At the end of the day, is there anything more than kissing a girl? Story continues How did Netflix come into the mix? It was sort of a two-step process for us. We had a research screening for the movie in Los Angeles and the movie, quite frankly, tested off the charts. We finished the movie and then had another similar screening but invited buyers to come and see it because it played so well the first time. Again, the movie played incredibly well and Netflix Acquisitions made us a big offer for the streaming rights for the movie right before Sundance. After Sundance and our success there, we were about to map a theatrical release when Netflix came back with the other part of the company and said we want to make this a Netflix original and we were thrilled. From that moment on its been wholly a Netflix project. Why was Netflix the best option instead of going through the theatrical route? I think right now, to be a Netflix original I think carries great prestige. They dont give that to just anyone so Im proud of that association and the quality that that suggests. From a practical standpoint, the idea that this little movie will open Friday in 190 countries in 12 languages to 81 million subscribers, its kind of mind-blowing. I dont think theres any way a movie of this size could reach that kind of audience in any other way. Because we sold the streaming rights to Netflix first, which was unusual at the time and it was a big story at Sundance because it normally goes in a different order, once the streaming rights are gone it mutes the theatrical possibilities because youre really pushing into theaters in order to raise the value for the streaming rights later. Since we already sold those, I never imagined that the movie would be able to get into thousands of screens, if that makes sense. How did Paul Rudd get attached to the film? As I was writing the script I couldnt help but think of Paul. I reached out to him directly. We had maybe met a couple of times, but didnt really know each other well. We know a lot of the same people just as New York comedy fellas. He agreed to meet me for a cup of coffee and we chatted about the script. He responded to it and amazingly agreed to be in the movie. Once Paul Rudd says hes going to be in your movie then everything happens. Pretty much everyone with a pulse then wants to be in your movie because everyone want to act next to Paul Rudd and I dont blame them. The nuances that he rides through with Ben being vulnerable and strong at the same time in incredible. What about Craig Roberts? How did you know he was Trevor? We honestly considered 250 kids with this role. I was a huge fan of Submarine and Paul did a chemistry read with three of four of the kids, but when we saw Paul and Craig together, thats when we knew we had something special. This movie rises or falls based on that chemistry, so if we didnt have what they have, theres no movie here. You used to be a producer on Late Show With David Letterman, how did you transition into a director? I credit that show to a lot of my creative formation over the years. I think as head writer of that show is a pretty nice boot camp that helps you in the directing world. Youre dealing with a lot of departments and its very pressured and you have to collaborate to create a vision so there are a lot of similarity there. From the Late Show I worked on a show called Ed on NBC that I created with Jon Beckerman. There I really cut my directing chops. These were one-hour scripted television, we shot of film. It really was like making a small movie each week. It was just a natural extension for me to going from writing to then heading into a full-length feature film, it felt like a natural progression for me. Related stories Miranda Sings Announces 'Haters Back Off' Netflix Premiere Date Paul Rudd Didn't Understand Selena Gomez's Fame Until Shooting 'The Fundamentals of Caring' TV Review: 'Hibana' COLOGNE, Germany (Reuters) - A German court on Friday handed publisher Axel Springer a partial victory on Friday in its fight against so-called ad-blockers, which users can install on computers or mobile devices to prevent advertising from being shown. The court said ad-blocking provider Eyeo should not charge Axel Springer for putting it on its "white list" of publishers and advertisers it exempts from blanket blocking by consumers. Springer, which depends on advertising to pay for its publications, is one of the most vocal opponents of ad-blocking software. Last year, the German publisher started banning readers who use ad-blockers from its Bild tabloid website. Eyeo provides software to block all ads but then offers publishers the chance to join a "white list" to enable ads to be shown on their sites. In most cases, being added to the white list is free subject to a check that the advertising is acceptable, but Eyeo takes a share of the extra revenues the biggest advertisers make. The regional court in Cologne on Friday found Springer not to be one of those larger companies who must pay. But said it did not have objections to ad-blockers as such, confirming earlier rulings. Eyeo said it would appeal against the ruling, which it said depended on "an obscure, newly passed statute in German unfair competition law". Springer hailed the ruling as a victory over what it called an "unacceptably aggressive business practice". It had appealed against an earlier ruling in favour of Eyeo. Cologne-based Eyeo's Adblock Plus serves the fast-growing market for software to block Internet advertising that many users find intrusive or interferes with their experience of websites. As of March, 419 million people, or 22 percent of the world's 1.9 billion smartphone users, were blocking ads on the mobile web, according to Dublin-based analytics and advisory firm PageFair, which develops "ad blocker-friendly" advertising. ($1 = 0.9048 euros) (Reporting by Nikola Rotscheroth and Harro ten Wolde; Editing by Georgina Prodhan) Categories Fashion Trends Next Sunday, cult-adored label Vetements will take yet another step towards proving its singlehandedly pushing the fashion industry forward. The design houses spring show, which will take place on July 2, is going to feature a mind-blowing 18 different designer collaborations. Designer Demna Gvasalia told New York Magazine that the idea came to him after the label produced jeans he felt werent as authentic as Levis. At that point, he realized it made a lot of sense to partner with labels which specialize in certain categories. We really thought about each garment, Gvasalia told writer Cathy Horyn. What is the first brand that comes to mind when we think about, for example, workwear pants? So we went to Carhartt. The resultant collection will feature collaborations between Gvasalias team and those of Juicy Couture, Levis, Hanes, Manolo Blahnik, Eastpak, Canada Goose, Lucchese, Mackintosh, Dr. Martens, Reebok, Churchs, Alpha Industries, Champion, Kawasaki, Schott, Comme des Garcons, Brioni and more. Despite having a very specific design aesthetic and point of view, the Vetements ethos is one of wearability, so its a totally genius move on their part to partner with pros whove already perfected the manufacturing of their particular specialty. This move is also further proof that the brand, which experienced what amounts to overnight success after debuting in 2014, is breaking new ground in a rigid, old-fashioned business, as more established design houses would never dream of jeopardizing their aesthetic vision by working with a range of other brands. Next Sunday, look for familiar Vetements silhouettes as reimagined by its collaborators and unexpected takes on signature designs (think a velour evening dress made in collaboration with Juicy). We, for one, cant wait. Gunmen take guests hostage at Somalia hotel Gunmen who stormed a hotel in Somalias capital have taken an unknown number of hotel guests hostage, police said Saturday, as the attackers set up snipers on the rooftop and were throwing grenades. Islamic extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the latest in a series of hotel assaults in Mogadishu. Capt. Mohamed Hussein said some attackers had moved to the second floor and were using machine guns to resist security forces. Police said the attack on the Nasa-Hablod hotel began when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at its gate. Gunmen fought their way inside, and a witness said they began shooting randomly at hotel guests. (AP) See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Tumblr. Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Haiti's Ministry of Health and the United Nations launched a new anti-HIV/AIDS campaign, providing information and rapid testing to help thwart the spread of the epidemic. "If a person does not protect him or herself, it's because of a lack of information," Valerie Toureau, a doctor with the UNAIDS organization, said on Friday. More than 100 people got tested at a center installed in downtown Port-au-Prince, and condoms were also distributed. "As for testing and treatment, support for this is free, something that people need to know," Toureau said. The initiative coincides with an annual day of HIV testing across the Caribbean. Some 150,000 Haitians are HIV-positive, a number that represents 55 percent of all HIV cases across the Caribbean. "In the most remote, rural areas of the country, we see that the population is not sufficiently informed about the disease and there are also a lot of myths surrounding HIV in Haiti," Toureau said. Some prostitutes, for example, refuse to use protection if having sex in the ocean, under the false belief that salt water kills germs and disease. HIV has a 2.2 percent prevalence across Haiti, a figure that increases to 8.4 percent among sex workers and 18.5 percent among gay men. Homosexuality, while not considered a criminal act in Haiti, remains taboo, presenting a major barrier to screening. "Stigma and discrimination exists and there is a lot of work to do," Toureau said. Despite recent advances, 7,500 HIV-positive people die each year in Haiti. Hamilton is giving Hillary Clinton supporters an additional opportunity to see the hit Broadway musical while also fundraising for the Democratic nominee. 'Hamilton' Cast Album Races to No. 3 on Billboard 200 Chart After Tony Awards On July 12, the cast will put on a matinee showing (11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.) in honor of Clinton - "Hamilton: An American Musical with special guest Hillary Rodham Clinton" - with tickets starting at $2,700 for a general seat and reaching as high as $100,000 for an "event chair" entry, which includes "two Premium Seats and Wrap Party with Hillary and other special guests, and Invitation to the Democratic National Convention," according to Hillary Clinton's official website. For $10,000, buyers will score a premium seat that includes a photo reception with Clinton; and for the $33,400 host ticket, ticketholders will sit in a premium seat as well as enjoy a "wrap party with Hillary and other special guests" after the show. Hillary Clinton Claims Victory as Democratic Nominee: Musicians, Celebs React The Tuesday matinee will add an additional performance to the week's original slate of eight shows. Despite the fundraiser being held in Clinton's honor, Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda and co-stars Leslie Odom, Jr. and Phillipa Soo are not expected to perform as they will be leaving the show following their final performance on July 9. Ticket prices for the musical have soared as the Broadway hit has gained massive popularity, with premium seats at a current high of $849. Hamilton's matinee showing is presented by the Hillary Victory Fund, whose efforts are to raise money for the Democratic nominee's Hillary for America campaign. This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter. Abigail Fisher, the plaintiff in Fisher v. Texas, speaks outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington December 9, 2015. The US Supreme Court ruled in favor of affirmative action at the University of Texas Austin (UT) on Thursday, further validating the use of race in admissions policies around the country. That decision "makes it less likely that [other] affirmative action policies will be struck down by the courts," including Harvard University's policy, UCLA law professor Adam Winkler told Business Insider on Friday. "The fact of how Fisher came out really does impact the [Harvard] case significantly," Winkler said. At Harvard, an anti-affirmative action group called Students for Fair Admissions filed a complaint against the Ivy League school in 2014 for alleged discrimination against Asian-American students. The suit claims Asian-American applicants are held to a higher standard than others and must achieve, for example, higher test scores to be accepted. In February, Harvard had stalled the case, noting that the court should wait for the Fisher verdict before continuing. Harvard was surely aware of the stakes at hand, should the Supreme Court rule in favor of Texas. In fact, the ruling crystallized and strengthened the court's past ruling on the legality of affirmative action. "The court has reaffirmed the Grutter decision that said diversity is a compelling governmental interest, and seemingly lowered the bar for universities seeking to justify race-based affirmative action," Winkler explained. With Grutter v. Bollinger in 2003, the Supreme Court previously affirmed use of race in admissions, as long as it was used to achieve diversity and was only a partial determinant in the admissions process. That practice has become known as "holistic" review. In addition to Grutter, the court's recent ruling in regard to Texas has made it easier for schools to argue their admission's policies are constitutional, according to Winkler. Story continues The Fisher case considered if UT effectively demonstrated that it needed to use its "holistic" review process to achieve acceptable levels of diversity, as required under a legal standard known as "strict scrutiny." The ruling by the majority, that it had in fact shown enough evidence, lowers the bar for colleges in the future arguing the same. Abigail Fisher Abigail Fisher, a white woman denied admission to Texas' flagship public university in 2008, claimed her race played a factor in her rejection. She argued that the university denied her admission in favor of less-qualified black and Hispanic students, and that her constitutional right to equal protection was violated. The court ruled 4-3 in the university's favor. While both the majority opinion and dissent in the Fisher case go to great lengths to specify the ruling pertains to just UT's admission's policy, Winkler said the ruling provides cover to lower courts to come to similar rulings. "Although the court in this case we are only talking about this one policy, it still sends a huge signal to other courts and other judges that these plans are not problematic from the Supreme Court's point of view; that they can withstand scrutiny," he explained. More From Business Insider By Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hawaii's governor signed a bill making it the first state to place its residents who own firearms in a federal criminal record database and monitor them for possible wrongdoing anywhere in the country, his office said. The move by gun control proponents in the liberal state represents an effort to institute some limits on firearms in the face of a bitter national debate over guns that this week saw Democratic lawmakers stage a sit-in at the U.S. House of Representatives. Hawaii Governor David Ige, a Democrat, on Thursday signed into law a bill to have police in the state enroll people into an FBI criminal monitoring service after they register their firearms as already required, his office said in a statement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation database called "Rap Back" will allow Hawaii police to be notified when a firearm owner from the state is arrested anywhere in the United States. Hawaii has become the first U.S. state to place firearm owners on the FBI's Rap Back, which until now was used to monitor criminal activities by individuals under investigation or people in positions of trust such as school teachers and daycare workers "As you can imagine, the NRA finds this one of the most extreme bills we've ever seen," said Amy Hunter, a spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association's institute for legislative action. The law could affect gun owners outside Hawaii, because the state requires visitors carrying guns to register, Hunter said. As a result, they could be added to "Rap Back" because they arrived in the state with a gun, she said. The Hawaii attorney general's office said a weapon-carrying visitor should be able to petition for removal from the national database after leaving the state. Hawaii state Senator Will Espero, a Democrat who co-authored the law and owns a gun, called it "common sense legislation that does not hurt anyone." Story continues The law, which takes effect immediately, allows police in Hawaii to evaluate whether a firearm owner should continue to possess a gun after being arrested. "It just means local police will be notified," Espero said in a phone interview. Ige's office said he also signed into law two other firearms bills. One makes convictions for stalking and sexual assault among the criminal offenses disqualifying a person from gun ownership. The other requires firearm owners to surrender their weapons if diagnosed with a mental, behavioral or emotional disorder. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by David Gregorio and Ed Davies) NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's defence procurement agency has cleared a proposal to buy 145 M777 Ultra Lightweight Howitzer artillery guns from BAE Systems in a deal worth an estimated $750 million, a defence ministry source said on Saturday. Under the deal, 120 of the 145 guns will be assembled in India, said the source, who asked not to be identified in line with defence ministry rules. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to upgrade the country's military hardware by replenishing its range of artillery weapons after years of delays in ordering new equipment. But Modi wants deals with foreign companies to include the setting up of factories and plants in India to boost the local industry. BAE said in February it had chosen Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group to build a plant for the assembly of Howitzer artillery guns it hopes to sell to India. The source said the proposal would soon be communicated to the United States, where BAE manufactures the weapons. (Reporting by Nigam Prusty; Writing by Aditya Kalra; Editing by Mark Potter) The first trailer for Awkward Black Girl star Issa Rae's new HBO show, Insecure, dropped this week, finally revealing what viewers can expect from a show which took years to make it to television. In Insecure, Rae plays an outreach worker forced to navigate a world of mostly white coworkers and the mostly black schoolchildren who she helps. The eight-episode first season also focuses on "the friendship of two black women and their uncomfortable experiences and racy tribulations," according to Deadline. In the trailer, Rae's students inquire why she "talks like a white woman," a coworker asks her what "on fleek" means and the outreach worker tries to explain to her students "Black women aren't bitter. We're just tired of being expected to settle for less." Rae's new show emerges after a years-long period of development hell since HBO approved her first screenplay in December 2014, the New York Times reported, and in which HBO was reluctant to hire the "primarily young women of color" who she had on her wishlist for the show due to their relative inexperience. Rae had trouble selling the show due to network negotiations, she told Vulture in 2011. "After meeting with a couple different executives in television, and seeing our visions don't really align, I don't want to sell my life to it now," she told the site. "In one meeting, during the first ten seconds, this guy said, 'The show is pretty funny. This is about a typical black woman with her black women problems.' And then said big names were necessary to make it to television. Everything we were against, he was for." Fortunately, Insecure is coming to audiences this fall. By Heather Somerville SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - As valuations flounder for Silicon Valley startups once worth billions of dollars, investor interest is on the rise in startups with both financial and social benefits, such as healthcare software for poor communities or low cost solar panels for homes. So-called "impact investing" rose to $15.2 billion globally last year from $10.6 billion in 2014, according to a recent report by the Global Impact Investing Network. The figure includes several types of investment, from funds to foundations, which intend to generate social and financial returns. The group expects a 16 percent rise in 2016. The change reflects investor concern with current valuations of more mainstream technology startups, a desire to help by some investors and a broadening definition of social-good startups. There is also growing sentiment that the rise of mobile technology will allow for profitable upstarts in parts of the world relatively untouched by Silicon Valley. Earlier this year Union Square Ventures Partner Fred Wilson called the developing world "the next whitespace" for venture capital, pointing to 2.5 billion people poised to adopt smartphones. Big financial institutions such as Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase are investing, seeing rural communities and emerging markets as potential customers for financial services. The drop in valuations for tech industry darlings that do "things my mom used to do for me" was a "pivotal wake up" for investors, said Doug Galen, chief executive of RippleWorks, which provides advisers for entrepreneurs in the developing world. Speaking on the sidelines of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, put on by the U.S. State Department this week at Stanford University for entrepreneurs from around the world, he and others poked fun at businesses made by and for well-off Americans. "Uber for pets or overnight underwear delivery - those things definitely aren't getting the same traction they were six months ago," Andrew Beebe, managing director at Obvious Ventures, a venture firm for 'world-positive' investing, said in an interview with Reuters. "But take water (shortages) - on the other side of that solution is a massive pot of gold," he said. Story continues The case for investing in social impact startups is the sheer size of the market; millions of people lack access to clean water, for instance. But, with companies serving customers living on $2 a day, profits can at times be slim. "Maybe 2 percent is a fabulous return in some cases," said Matthew Bannick, managing partner at Omidyar Network. By comparison, traditional venture capitalists might seek a return 10 times their investment. Some impact investors such as DBL Partners have had strong returns by using a broader definition of 'social impact.' DBL considers its investments in electric car company Tesla Motors and Juicero, a juice company that raised $70 million in March, as having both financial gain and social impact. "You can walk and chew gum at the same time," said Nancy Pfund, founder of DBL, which raised a $400 million fund last year. Still, many of the high-profile Silicon Valley venture firms have steered clear of investing outside their comfort zone. "Your impact could be bigger. Stop looking at the 60 mile (area)" of Silicon Valley, Youssef Chaqor, founder and general manager of Kilimanjaro Environment, which recycles used cooking oil into biodiesel, told an audience of investors and entrepreneurs. Some venture capitalists are worried about emerging market risks, such as fluctuating currencies, military coups, disease and corruption. Others don't see enough profit. Andrea Carafa, founder and CEO of art and music event coordinator ArtsUp, says he does not bother to tell Silicon Valley venture capitalists about the societal benefits of his startup. "They don't care if you're a social impact company," he said. "They care about your profitability." (Reporting by Heather Somerville. Additional reporting by Yasmeen Abutaleb in San Francisco. Editing by Peter Henderson and Andrew Hay) (Adds Soros comments, background on financial reaction to Thursday's vote) June 25 (Reuters) - Billionaire investor George Soros on Saturday called for thorough reconstruction of the European Union in order to save it, even though he warned that Britain's vote to leave the bloc makes "disintegration of the EU practically irreversible." Soros, who warned of financial meltdown if Britain voted to leave the EU before Thursday's referendum, also said the effects of the decision will likely damage Britain. "Britain eventually may or may not be relatively better off than other countries by leaving the EU, but its economy and people stand to suffer significantly in the short to medium term," he wrote in a commentary on the website Project Syndicate. Soros made huge profits in 1992 by betting against the British pound as it crashed below the preset level and had to be withdrawn from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. He warned of a similar meltdown earlier this week, before the vote, predicting a Brexit victory would send the pound down by at least 15 percent, and perhaps more than 20 percent, to go below $1.15, in an article in British newspaper The Guardian. In the event, sterling fell around 10 percent on Friday, hitting a 31-year low, but never went below $1.32. It is not known if Soros bet against the pound. A Soros spokesman declined to comment on whether the investor made money on bets placed on Brexit. "Now the catastrophic scenario that many feared has materialized, making the disintegration of the EU practically irreversible," wrote Soros. "The financial markets worldwide are likely to remain in turmoil as the long, complicated process of political and economic divorce from the EU is negotiated." He said the consequences for the real economy would be comparable to the financial crisis of 2007-2008. Soros said the EU had broken down and ceased to satisfy its citizens' needs and aspirations. Nevertheless, he called for support to reconstruct it. "After Brexit, all of us who believe in the values and principles that the EU was designed to uphold must band together to save it by thoroughly reconstructing it," he wrote. "I am convinced that as the consequences of Brexit unfold in the weeks and months ahead, more and more people will join us." (Reporting by Bill Rigby; Editing by Tom Brown and Franklin Paul) DUBLIN (Reuters) - The future unification of Ireland would be in the best interests of its citizens, but holding a referendum while the British government is negotiating its exit from the EU would only cause division, Irish Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan said on Saturday. Northern Ireland's deputy leader Martin McGuinness called on Friday for a vote to unite Ireland with the British-run province to the north. But his demands were rebuffed by pro-British First Minister Arlene Foster as well as by Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny. Under a 1998 peace deal that ended 30 years of sectarian violence, Britain's Secretary of State for Northern Ireland can call a referendum if it appears likely a majority of those voting would seek to form part of a united Ireland. "I share the view that at some stage in the future that the unification would be in the best interests of the people but only when there is a majority consent of the people in Northern Ireland," Charlie Flanagan told national broadcaster RTE. "We now have a situation following the referendum, where the UK is leaving the European Union. Any further referendums in Northern Ireland would cause a greater level of division than we have now and is therefore in my view particularly unhelpful." Britain's Northern Ireland minister Theresa Villiers, who campaigned for Britain to leave the European Union in Thursday's referendum, said the conditions for a vote had not been met. But McGuinness said the British government had no democratic mandate to represent the views of the North after 56 percent of Northern Irish voters sought to remain in the EU compared to the 52 percent of the United Kingdom as a whole who voted to leave. Sinn Fein, predominantly supported by Catholic Nationalists who remained part of the UK in a province dominated by Protestants after the Irish state secured independence from Britain in 1921, campaigned for a vote to leave. Opinion polls have consistently shown little appetite from voters on either side of the border for unification. A BBC/RTE survey in November found that 30 percent of voters in Northern Ireland would like to see a united Ireland in their lifetime. Kenny said there were much more serious issues to deal with after the vote, including the fate of the border, the only land frontier between the UK and the rest of the EU that was marked by military checkpoints until the 1998 peace deal. (Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Hugh Lawson) Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli and Turkish negotiators will meet on Sunday in Rome aiming to reach an agreement on normalising relations after the two countries fell out six years ago, sources said. Previously, the discussions had been expected to take place in Turkey. If an agreement is reached, it would go before Israel's security cabinet for approval on Wednesday, according to media reports and an Israeli official who requested anonymity. Analysts say it is very likely that an agreement will be concluded on Sunday. Once tight relations between Israel and key NATO member Turkey were significantly downgraded after Israeli commandos staged a deadly pre-dawn raid on a six-ship flotilla in May 2010 as it tried to run the blockade on Gaza. Two of Turkey's key conditions for normalisation -- an apology and compensation -- have largely been met, leaving its third demand, that Israel lift its blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, as the main obstacle. According to the Turkish daily Hurriyet, the two sides have reached a compromise whereby Turkey would send aid for Palestinians via the Israeli port of Ashdod rather than directly to Gaza. A meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State John Kerry is also expected on Sunday in the Italian capital to discuss the state of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. MILAN (Reuters) - Italy's Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan said on Saturday that Britain's vote to leave the European Union could lead to the Italian economy growing less than initially forecast, with a negative impact on public finances. Italy, the euro zone's third largest economy, has posted weak growth since it emerged from a three-year recession at the start of 2015 and continues to lag the rest of the currency bloc. "We have to be very clear: it can't be ruled out that, following Brexit, for reasons outside our control, the economic picture worsens and we will have less growth," Padoan told the Corriere della Sera daily in an interview. "This will hit public finances. I hope it doesn't happen but it is probable." The government's present forecast is for growth of 1.2 percent this year. Italy's public debt, at around 133 percent of gross domestic product, is the highest in the euro zone after Greece's. Unicredit, the country's largest bank, said that following the British referendum it was slashing its 2017 growth forecast for Italy to between 0.2 and 0.7 percent, down from a previous 1.2 percent. On Friday, the Italian economy ministry said Britain's decision could have a "limited" impact on growth. Padoan told Corriere della Sera that to avoid the previously "unthinkable" risk that the British vote leads to other countries also leaving, the EU must now review its priorities. "Europe can no longer only worry about banks," he said, calling for "common policies that don't only regard banking union but also immigration, security and the fight against inequality." Ministers are making clear that they see the outcome of the British referendum offering opportunities for Italy as well as risks. Industry Minister Carlo Calenda said Italy, which was granted what the European Commission called "unprecedented" budget flexibility for this year, would now call for the EU to make fiscal rules even more flexible as it prepares its 2017 budget. He told financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore there was a need for "much more freedom of action" to allow countries to invest more in "culture, innovation and education," without falling foul of deficit limits. Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni told Il Messaggero daily that Italy's role in Europe would increase because "before there were four principle players, now there are three." Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said on Friday he believed Milan would become a more important financial hub as business moves away from London. (reporting by Giulia Segreti and Gavin Jones; Editing by Toby Chopra) Feminists, look away! Fashion police in Japan want to 'empower' women by persuading them to wear high heels, insisting the country's historic 'kimono culture' has led to many women having poor posture. The Japan High Heel Association (JHA) is calling on women across the country to trade sensible shoes for a pair of stilettos, insisting that standing tall will give them 'confidence' -- and improve their gait. "Japanese women walk like ducks," JHA managing director 'Madame' Yumiko told AFP in an interview at her plush Tokyo salon. "They waddle along, pigeon-toed, with their bottoms sticking out as if they're bursting to use the toilet. It looks ghastly," she added. In an apparent bid to improve this situation, the all-female organisation charges thousands of dollars for etiquette lessons, including special classes where women are taught to walk correctly, and particularly in high heels. Critics have branded the idea sexist and laughable, particularly as women are still battling against a deeply ingrained patriarchal culture that once expected them to pace three steps behind men. Yet the "walking etiquette classes" are proving hugely popular: At JHA students pay 400,000 yen ($3,700) for a six-month course -- and so far 4,000 have taken part, while similar lessons and schools are popping up nationwide. The 48-year-old former ballerina blames the countries sartorial heritage for the posture problem. "Chinese or Korean ladies don't have these problems," she said. "It's a result of Japan's kimono culture and shuffling about in straw sandals. It's ingrained in the way Japanese walk." "But very few Japanese wear a kimono all day anymore. We should know about Western culture and how to wear heels correctly," Yumiko added. - Barefoot protest - The shift away from traditional Japanese clothes happened gradually from around the late 19th century but it is only been since the 1980s that stilettos have become a fashion staple. Story continues This 'call to heels' comes at a time when the West is experiencing a feminist fightback against diktats on how women should dress. Hollywood star Julia Roberts went barefoot on the red carpet during the Cannes Film Festival in May -- an act of rebellion after organisers caused uproar by ejecting women for wearing flat shoes at the previous year's event. Last month more than 100,000 British people petitioned parliament in the UK, calling for a change to an outdated dress code law that allowed employers to require women to wear high heels in the work place. The campaign, now backed by several politicians, was launched by a receptionist who was sent home by a firm for wearing flat shoes. But Yumiko argues wearing heels will help "Japanese women become more confident". She explains: "Many women are too shy to express themselves. In Japanese culture, women are not expected to stand out or put themselves first." Her solution is for women suffocated by such strict protocols to simply "throw on a pair of heels," arguing the freedom it brings can unlock the mind. Prominent Japanese social commentator Mitsuko Shimomura dismissed the idea as "nonsense" that most would laugh at. She said: "There's no relationship between wearing high heels and women's power. It sounds crazy." - 'Men need heels too' - Heels have been in and out of vogue -- for men and women -- for centuries, with murals on ancient Egyptian tombs dating them back to around 4,000 BC. But they still have a key role to play in modern courtship, according to JHA director Tomoko Kubota. "If women look sexier, it will help Japanese men buck up their ideas," the 45-year-old said. A 2014 study by scientists from France's Universite de Bretagne-Sud supports this view. The group conducted social experiments that showed men behave more positively toward high-heeled women. In one test, they found if a woman dropped her glove on the street, men were 50 percent more likely to stop and return it to her if she was wearing heels rather than flats, while female behaviour remained unchanged regardless of shoe worn, according to results published in the journal, Archives of Sexual Behaviour. Students from across Japan sitting JHA exams for a certificate that allows them to become high heel instructors sing from the same hymn sheet. "We learn how to move in a kimono and how to bow correctly, but not how to walk (in heels)," said hypnotherapist Takako Watanabe, 46 after a walking lesson. "It might help us catch a hunky guy," she adds. Fellow JHA alumni Ayako Miyata agrees it is an important skill that few Japanese women have mastered. "It makes you look more lady-like," said the 44-year-old, who has spent thousands amassing a stilleto collection. "They're an essential item for a modern woman to feel pride and confidence in herself." Yumiko, whose parlour is a veritable shrine to France's King Louis XIV, lined with frilly curtains embroidered with the image of the dandy, heel-wearing monarch, gives short shrift to accusations of sexism -- she wants men to change their footwear too. She explains: "As in the Renaissance period, men want to look taller and more stylish. Men should wear heels, so they can preen majestically like Louis XIV. I'm sure it will happen." By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday dismissed lawsuits filed against the owners of a Colorado theater where 12 people were killed and 70 wounded during a screening of a Batman film in 2012, court records showed. Relatives of some of the dead victims and wounded survivors claimed in the lawsuit that theater chain Cinemark USA was negligent by not providing adequate security for its patrons. U.S. District Court Judge R. Brooke Jackson granted a motion filed by Cinemark to dismiss the case, who claimed in court that its employees could never have foreseen the actions of a "madman." A state jury convicted gunman James Holmes, 27, of multiple counts of murder and attempted murder last year, and a judge sentenced him to consecutive life terms in prison after jurors spared him from the death penalty prosecutors sought. Jackson said in Friday's ruling the victims could not prove the theater was the "proximate cause" of what he deemed a horrible tragedy. The suit alleged Cinemark's lax security allowed Holmes to leave the theater during the movie, prop open an exit door, arm himself and re-enter the auditorium to carry out the mass shooting. "Even if such omissions contributed in some way to the injuries and deaths, the Court finds that Holmes' premeditated and intentional actions were the predominant cause of plaintiffs' losses," Jackson wrote. The decision comes a month after a jury in state court ruled in a similar lawsuit that Cinemark was not liable for the massacre. Friday's ruling effectively ends litigation against the chain over the shooting rampage. Holmes is serving his life sentences at an undisclosed prison, after state corrections officials moved him for safety reasons when he was assaulted by another inmate last year. (Reporting by Keith Coffman; Editing by Curtis Skinner and Jacqueline Wong) BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis will take over the EU's financial services portfolio, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in a statement on Saturday following the resignation of Britain's Jonathan Hill. Dombrovskis, a former prime minister of euro zone member Latvia, currently has responsibility for the single currency in the 28-member college of commissioners, one from each EU member state. Hill resigned after Britain's referendum decision to leave the EU -- a decision he had campaigned against. Britain will be entitled to nominate a new commissioner as long as it remains in the Union. That person's portfolio will be determined by Juncker in consultation with the British government, possibly the successor of Prime Minister David Cameron, who announced his own resignation on Friday. (Reporting by Alastair Macdonald, Editing by Gabriela Baczynska) (Reuters) - The Kansas Legislature approved a plan on Friday to pour more money into public schools to address funding inequities between districts and keep the state Supreme Court from closing schools. Lawmakers were working under a June 30 deadline set by the high court to enact a constitutional school funding formula that addresses disparities between rich and poor districts. Without it, the public school system statewide will be shut down. After the legislature ended its 2016 session this month without addressing the matter, Governor Sam Brownback ordered legislators back for a special session that began on Thursday to cobble together another $38 million to satisfy the court. The Republican-controlled House and Senate overwhelmingly passed the bill. It would increase aid to poor school districts for 2016-17 by diverting money from other parts of state government, mostly using proceeds from the sale of the Kansas Bioscience Authority. Brownback, a Republican, has said he would sign the measure. A legal battle over school funding has been raging for years in Kansas. The Supreme Court in February rejected a new funding formula enacted by the state in 2015, saying it was inequitable and came up millions of dollars short for schools in poor districts. The legislature passed a bill in April to fix the problem. But the court agreed with four school districts that filed the lawsuit, ruling in late May that the fix was inadequate. The legislative fire drill over school funding comes as Kansas struggles with sinking revenue. The state budget is feeling the effects from action taken by Brownback and the legislature in recent years to cut corporate and other income taxes with the hopes of helping the state compete with bordering Missouri and other states for business development and jobs. On Wednesday, the nine-member state finance council, which is composed of the governor and legislators, voted 8-1 to borrow a record $900 million from other state funds to support the budget in the cash-poor first quarter of fiscal 2017. Kansas last year tapped the other funds for $840 million, which will be repaid next week, according to the governor's office. The state's reliance on one-time revenue measures to plug budget holes led Moody's Investors Service to place a negative outlook on Kansas' Aa2 credit rating and Standard & Poor's to warn it could downgrade its AA rating. (Reporting By Karen Pierog; Editing by Jacqueline Wong) Mammootty's Rorschach hits all the right notes, except in the end | Movie Review That's one hell of a pixie cut! The Givenchy runway turned out to be the ultimate supermodel soiree, as Kendall Jenner walked the catwalk with Bella Hadid and Irina Shayk on Friday during Paris Fashion Week. The supermodels stomped it out in several stunning looks, paired with some very interesting hairstyles. WATCH: Bella Hadid Goes Blonde and Looks Even More Like Sister Gigi Jenner put on her best model pout first, walking the catwalk in a black-and-white one shouldered gown, with feathered detailing. Getty Images Hadid then walked the runway in a chic strapless black gown with beaded detailing, paired with edgy studded sandals. Getty Images Shayk then followed suit -- literally -- in a black blazer and matching pants. Bradley Cooper's girlfriend paired the embellished look with cool checkered pumps. Getty Images While all the models appeared to be in and out of Paris for the show, it's been a busy few days for Jenner especially, as the 21-year-old model was just in New York on Tuesday, palling around with Bella's big sis, Gigi Hadid, and Hailey Baldwin. The girls made their way around the city in matching outfits, but it was Jenner who made headlines for her racier variation on their attire, wearing a sheer off-the-shoulder black top that exposed her nipple ring. WATCH: Kendall Jenner Freaks Out When She Thinks She May Have a Gray Hair On Instagram one day and the Givenchy runway the next, Jenner definitely knows when to work and when to play, shutting down the haters who claimed she wasn't a real supermodel. Tyra Banks recently weighed in on the great supermodel debate. Check out the video below. Related Articles At least 23 people are dead in West Virginia following "fast-moving floodwaters" that rolled through much of the state, destroying trees and utility lines and flooding homes, reported CNN. As the stormwaters began to recede on Saturday, more than 32,000 homes and businesses throughout the state lacked electricity, according to the West Virginia Division of the Department of Homeland Security: As of 0900 am there are still 32,170 homes and businesses without power in WV. According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski, "The amount of rain that recently fell on parts of West Virginia and southern Virginia exceeded a once-in-a-century event for the specific area and resulted in catastrophic flooding in some communities. Radar estimates indicated 6 to 10 inches of rain fell on some locations in 24 hours." Greenbrier County Sheriff Jan Cahill told the Associated Press there was "complete chaos" in her county. "Roads destroyed, bridges out, homes burned down, washed off foundations," Cahill told the Weather Channel. "Multiple sections of highway just missing. Pavement just peeled off like a banana. I've never seen anything like that." In a now-infamous video posted to Twitter on Friday, onlookers gasped as a flaming house coasted down a creek. Flood water pushes a burning #home down a creek in #WestVirginia. #wvwx Amanda Carperpic.twitter.com/zJSMe95nLk Other views of the destruction showed extensive storm damage in affected areas. The Greenbrier Classic has been cancelled due to severe flooding. http://pgat.us/Cbbr9ld pic.twitter.com/KN4pFw2yxg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cl0guuRWIAEVlh-.jpg:large I'm in Elkview viewing the flood damage. If you are in need of assistance call 304-342-5855.pic.twitter.com/7E2bsHNgIG https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CluoT7qWQAEHhBT.jpg:large Severe flooding in West Virginia has left at least 23 dead; others still missing.pic.twitter.com/niqJD5OYyC https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cl0SxfyUoAAzIkG.jpg:large Source: Steve Helber/AP Source: Steve Helber/AP Source: Steve Helber/AP Source: Steve Helber/AP Source: Steve Helber/AP Source: Steve Helber/AP Source: Steve Helber/AP Source: Steve Helber/AP Source: Steve Helber/AP Source: Steve Helber/AP Historic #flooding in #WestVirginia: 2 confirmed dead, a toddler still missing. @TODAYshowpic.twitter.com/6RmnEOZVk2 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CltV7XAWEAAGcZd.jpg:large In addition to mobilizing state emergency resources, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin "announced the state has been approved for a Federal Disaster Declaration by the Federal Emergency Management Agency," reported West Virginia Public Broadcasting. According to the broadcaster, agencies have begun the switch from search and rescue operations to aiding recovery. Story continues Read more: New Study Says Extreme NYC Summer Heat Could Kill Thousands Annually by 2080' The World's Oceans Are Almost Totally Screwed Carbon Emissions Are Choking Our Atmosphere And We Just Hit a Terrifying Milestone A police officer abandoned his post at the London Pride Parade on Saturday in order to drop a knee and propose to his partner right in the middle of all of the action. The entire romantic display was caught on tape, and was shared to Facebook by ITV News. The Metropolitan Police LGBT Network also fired out a tweet on Saturday to let everyone know that, "He said yes." Be honest: didn't you kind of need some good news this week? He said yes @LondonLGBTPride @MetLGBTNetwork @LGBTpoliceuk #policewithpride #ByYourSide #AB #DI #CA #AC #LHpic.twitter.com/9jOmlY33PH https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ClzK9M9XEAAnPRZ.jpg:large For onlookers, the symbol was a welcome symbol of happiness and love in the midst the day's festivities. A gay police officer proposed to his bf right in the middle of the parade and I'm actually crying A police officer proposed in front of everyone to his police officer partner. I love this day so much. #PrideinLondon And the two men weren't alone: another happy couple had an engagement to celebrate after a another officer proposed to his partner in a completely separate incident. The whole parade just stopped for a policeman to propose his boyfriend at #Pride2016!pic.twitter.com/G8XeECCz2N https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ClzKfJ7WMAA4LsF.jpg:large London's Metropolitan Police Service launched its LGBT support network last week, ahead of the city's Pride celebrations. Police Chief Anton Brown, the network's chair, said that its inception was the result of 2 years of hard work. Story continues "The Met had been lacking in a LGBT staff association for a number of years and after a lot of hard work the Network was finally launched," Brown said. "The new staff association will represent LGBT matters in the Met, promoting recruitment and delivering training to LGBT liaison officers," Brown said. "It will also provide access to local and national events, promote reporting and provide support to members who have suffered LGBT crimes or bullying." American luxury real estate brokers are hoping Brexit will lead to money flowing to high-end properties on this side of the Atlantic. The post-Brexit vote selloff in equities took a particularly heavy toll on British homebuilder shares. For example, Persimmon (PSMMY) lost a third of its value in Fridays trading. Central London, after all, had for many years been the safe haven real estate market for many moneyed purchasers. In 2013, roughly three-quarters of all newly built central London residences were bought by non-Brits, according to research by brokers Knight Frank. About 44% were from Singapore, Hong Kong, and China, with Russia and the Middle East also represented. But last year, the super-prime market in the city (homes above 10 million) saw a decline by a third, in part because of higher property transaction taxes. With Britain now seeking to end its membership in the European Union, US luxury real estate brokers are anticipating that overseas investors in the London market will unload their properties and take their money stateside. Get the Latest Market Data and News with the Yahoo Finance App Leonard Steinberg, president of New York-based brokerage Compass, anticipates a 5% annual decline in UK real estate over the next two years, with London seeing heavier losses. London has, for the longest time now, been the global center of the economy, and I do believe that this is a stumbling block for them, said Steinberg, whose agencys $672 million in residential transactions in the past year were the most for any team in the US, according to data firm Real Trends. Anything in the United States will fare very well with the European-centric audience, he added. New York, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Los AngelesI think major centers will always do very well with a foreign buyer. Jonathan Miller, president of appraisal firm Miller Samuel, doesn't see London real estate money flooding into America just yet. The British pound received a significant drubbing on Friday, making American property even more expensive to U.K. buyers. Besides, about 44% of Britain's exports go to the European Union and unwinding the relationship could lead to a drag on the U.K.'s economy over the next couple of years. Story continues Nonetheless, he expects some upside in the highest reaches of the luxury market, especially in New York City. London as a competitor is probably off the table for many global investors, he wrote in his latest note. New York super luxury remains challenged by oversupplywith more supply comingbut it's still a better outlook for the NYC market, if only a nominal amount. Yet the benefits maybe short-lived. Prolonged uncertainty in Europe might work its ways to these shores, and uncertainties about the US presidential elections are also a worry, warns Steinberg. There is so much uncertainty that the only certainty that is out there is uncertainty, he said. More from Yahoo Finance 'Dividend Aristocrats' may get messy and overvalued, warns portfolio manager The market is getting more defensive, and the reasons why could be very worrisome Ex-FBI hostage negotiator gives advice for getting a higher salaryand for Donald Trump TOKYO (Reuters) - Embattled Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin retained control of the conglomerate's Japan-based holding company on Saturday after shareholders rejected a bid by his older brother to oust him following government raids at its South Korean offices. Shareholders in Lotte Holdings, which controls a sprawling corporate empire, voted down a motion proposed by Shin Dong-joo to remove his younger brother from the board at the annual shareholder gathering in Tokyo. "His actions are not of someone who is taking responsibility," said the older Shin, who remains a shareholder in several companies. "This is inexcusable for a company that offers products and services to consumers," he added outside the meeting in Tokyo. He vowed to continue his effort to remove his brother and said he would seek support at an extraordinary shareholder meeting to end his reign. The younger Shin cemented control of the group last year after winning the support of a majority of shareholders amid a feud that has split the conglomerate's controlling family. The South Korean government's investigation of the group is one the largest ever of a family-run "chaebol" in the country. The probe has already derailed a planned initial public offering (IPO) for Lotte's hotel and duty free unit worth up $4.5 billion. Hotel Lotte's planned flotation of around 35 percent of its stock was meant to bolster corporate governance at a group whose ownership structure is convoluted even by the opaque standards of South Korea's conglomerates. South Korean prosecutors are looking into a possible slush fund as well as breach of trust involving transactions among the group's companies, people familiar with the matter have said. A Lotte Group spokesman has previously said the conglomerate would cooperate fully with the investigation but declined to comment further. Named after the heroine of an 18th century Goethe novel, Lotte has grown from its founding in Japan 68 years ago as a maker of chewing gum to a corporate giant with interests ranging from hotels and retail to food and chemicals. (Reporting by Ritsuko Shimizu; Writing by Tim Kelly; Editing by Ed Davies) Legendary journalist Lyle Denniston is joining the National Constitution Centers Constitution Daily blog as its full-time Supreme Court correspondent, the Center announced today. Denniston has written for Constitution Daily as a contributor and its constitutional literacy adviser since June 2011. In his new role, Denniston will report at the Court on the constitutional aspects of cases and broader trends involving the Court. He also will participate in other activities related to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Lyle Denniston is the Dean of Supreme Court reporters and Im thrilled and honored that he will be writing full time for the National Constitution Center, said Jeffrey Rosen, President & CEO of the National Constitution Center. Lyle has been a model of fair-minded, balanced writing about the justices for nearly six decades and its impossible to imagine a better Supreme Court correspondent for Constitution Daily. Prior to his new role at the Center, which starts this summer, Denniston has been an independent reporter and contractor at the Supreme Court website SCOTUSblog.com for more than 12 years. During that time, SCOTUSblog earned numerous accolades, including the 2013 Peabody Award for excellence in electronic media. Denniston has covered the Supreme Court since 1958, when Earl Warren, Hugo Black and Felix Frankfurter sat on the high court. When I came on board to write for Constitution Daily, I was intrigued by the idea of taking part in smart conversations on the Constitution. I hope that I have helped maintain that standard. Now, it will be my challenge and my pleasure to do more to make sense of the Supreme Court in and outside the constitutional realm for our readers. As I finish my tour at SCOTUSblog.com, I am delighted to now enter a new and closer relationship with the superb team already at the Center and at the Daily. In the past, Denniston has written for The Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, the Baltimore Sun, the American Lawyer, the Washington Star, the Nebraska City News-Press, and the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal. His commentary has also been featured on National Public Radio. Story continues Denniston is a member of the Hall of Fame of the Society of Professional Journalists and Nebraska Press Association Hall of Fame. A native of Nebraska, Denniston is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Georgetown University. He is also the author of the definitive book on Supreme Court journalism, The Reporter and the Law: Techniques for Covering the Courts. In addition to his work for the Center, Denniston will be giving a series of public lectures at the University of Baltimore School of Law during the upcoming year. Constitution Daily (blog.constitutioncenter.org), the official blog of the National Constitution Center, reaches about 500,000 readers monthly, with content about the Constitution and related topics. For more information about the Center, visit our website at constitutioncenter.org. For the past several weeks, massive teachers' union protests have rocked the province of Oaxaca in southern Mexico, with members of the radical National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE) labor group erecting barricades and shutting down roadways across the region in protest of major planned federal education reforms. Following a week of province-wide street blockades and protests, CNN reported, riots broke out on June 19 resulting in eight deaths, 53 wounded protesters, 55 injured police officers and numerous arrests. One of the dead was journalist Elpidio Ramos Zarate, who worked for El Sur del Istmo newspaper in Oaxaca. According to Vice News, the protests had intensified after authorities arrested two local union leaders for money laundering. Both police and demonstrators insist the other side attacked first, although it is now no longer contested law enforcement agencies used live ammo on protesters. El Pais correspondent Jan Martinez Ahrens compared the situation to a scene from insurgence-ridden Iraq: No es Irak, es Mexico. Esta fotografia del desalojo de maestros en Oaxaca ya es un icono http://verne.elpais.com/verne/2016/06/21/mexico/1466546287_596477.html ...pic.twitter.com/aHtxoVKaFw https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Clj4f9qUkAQdcz5.jpg:large This week, the State Department issued a warning to all U.S. citizens planning to travel to Oaxaca following the deaths. According to Jacobin, the current protests stem from a prior movement in 2006 which was met with heavy federal repression. Supporters of President Enrique Pena Nieto's proposed reforms "invoke notions of 'accountability' and 'quality' instruction," the magazine wrote, "But the reform itself contains numerous measures aimed at undermining the power of teachers' unions including measures that weaken the union's control of the hiring process at normal schools (which they historically controlled), eliminate teachers' ability to pass down a position to their children, make it easier to fire teachers who miss work, and limit the number of union positions paid by the state." Story continues The reforms would also implement state-administered centralized tests including for teachers, who could be fired if they fail to perform, the Nation wrote. On Wednesday, representatives from the union and the government met, but succeeded only in negotiating another meeting for Monday, the Yucatan Times reported. Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong released a statement saying the reforms would continue but he was open to negotiating on other issues. Source: Eduardo Verdugo/AP Source: Luis Alberto Hernandez/AP Source: Luis Alberto Hernandez/AP Source: Eduardo Verdugo/AP Source: Nick Wagner/AP Source: PEDRO PARDO/Getty Images Mexico News Daily reported protesters have continued to block roadways in Oaxaca and have expanded to Chiapas, with some blockades only letting privately-owned vehicles through or charging 50-100 pesos for entry. According to Vice, as of Friday, the standoff continues with small odds of an immediate resolution, with the teachers maintaining about 30 roadblocks throughout Oaxaca. CNTE spokesperson David Estrada Banos told the site the movement was growing. "There's much injustice in this country, and there are many people who join up with us because of it, people who don't agree with the government and join the struggle of the teachers," he said. "... I don't think, at this stage, anyone within the union is willing to give up the struggle, on the contrary. If anything, we'll march and block the highways with more resolve." (Adds Le Pen comments, appointment of EU negotiator, new petition total) * EU seeks immediate British divorce negotiations * But Merkel won't fight for a short time frame * Hesitation will let populism take root - France * Slovak party demands copy-cat exit referendum * ECB says UK banks risk losing right to serve EU clients * Almost 1.9 mln sign petition for second referendum By Michael Holden and Paul Carrel LONDON/BERLIN, June 25 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel sought on Saturday to temper pressure from Paris, Brussels and her own government to force Britain into negotiating a quick divorce from the EU, despite warnings that hesitation will let populism take hold. Eurosceptics in other member states applauded Britons' decision to leave the European Union in a referendum that sent shockwaves around the world, with far-right demands for a similar vote in Slovakia underlining the risk of a domino effect. With the referendum decision finally made on Thursday and Prime Minister David Cameron having announced his resignation, European politicians and institutions felt free to shower demands on Britain over its future outside the world's largest trading bloc. The European Central Bank said Britain's financial industry, which employs 2.2 million people, would lose the right to serve clients in the EU unless the country signed up to its single market - anathema to "Leave" campaigners, who are set to lead the next government in London. Almost alone in continental Europe, Merkel tried to slow the rush to get Britain out of the EU door. Europe's most powerful leader made clear she would not press Cameron after he indicated Britain would not seek formal exit negotiations until October at least. "Quite honestly, it should not take ages, that is true, but I would not fight now for a short time frame," Merkel told a news conference. "The negotiations must take place in a businesslike, good climate," she said. "Britain will remain a close partner, with which we are linked economically." Story continues OTHERS DEMAND URGENCY Britain's decision to leave the EU is the biggest blow since World War Two to the European project of forging greater unity. But Merkel appeared more conciliatory than others within her coalition government and elsewhere in Europe. The chief executive of Britain's "Vote Leave" campaign called for informal talks before London notifies the EU it wants to leave under the Lisbon Treaty, which provides for two years of divorce proceedings. But German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a member of Merkel's Social Democrat coalition partners, showed a greater sense of urgency. "This process should get under way as soon as possible so that we are not left in limbo but rather can concentrate on the future of Europe," he said after hosting a meeting with his colleagues from the other five founding members of the EU - France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault warned of the dangers of delay. "We have to give a new sense to Europe, otherwise populism will fill the gap," he said. They followed European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who said on Friday it made no sense to wait until October to negotiate the terms of a "Brexit". European Council President Donald Tusk made a start by appointing Belgian diplomat Didier Seeuws to coordinate negotiations with Britain. Britain's representative on the EU executive, Financial Services Commissioner Jonathan Hill, resigned on Saturday after campaigning against a British exit. EUROPEAN 'TITANIC' In Britain itself, divisions widened after the relatively close 52-48 percent vote. More than 2.4 million Britons signed a petition on parliament's website, posted before the vote, calling for a second EU referendum if the outcome was close on a turnout of less than 75 percent - three points above Thursday's figure. The petition will have to be considered for debate by lawmakers, but it has no legal force and its backers compare with the 17.4 million who voted "leave". Tens of thousands are also set to pack into Trafalgar Square in the British capital on Tuesday to show "London stands with Europe", the Evening Standard newspaper reported. Scotland's pro-EU first minister said she wanted to open negotiations directly with Brussels. The option of a second referendum on independence from the United Kingdom - after Scots rejected the idea two years ago - was "on the table", she said. South of the border in England, eurosceptic newspapers rejoiced but others pondered an uncertain future. "So what the hell happens now?" asked the Daily Mirror. Cameron announced on Friday he would resign as the outcome of the vote sent global stock markets plunging, and inflicted the biggest one-day drop on sterling in history. He promised to stay on as a caretaker until October while the Conservative Party chooses a new leader. Even before the British vote, anti-establishment parties were on the rise across the EU, not least in France, where far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen is expected to perform strongly in a presidential election next year. After talks with French President Francois Hollande, she said it was "clear that there are some who want the divorce to be as painful as possible to discourage other peoples from taking the same path as the British". As if to reinforce those fears Slovakia's far-right People's Party launched a petition for a referendum on the country's future in the EU. "Citizens of Great Britain have decided to refuse the diktat from Brussels. It is high time for Slovakia to leave the sinking European 'Titanic' as well," the party said. NO PASSPORT? The British pound fell as much as 10 percent against the dollar on Friday to levels last seen in 1985, on fears that the decision could hit investment, threaten London's role as a global financial capital, and cause months of political uncertainty. The ratings agency Moody's downgraded its outlook for Britain, saying its creditworthiness was now at greater risk. The uncertainty risks damaging economies far beyond Britain's shores, and European Central Bank policymaker Francois Villeroy de Galhau joined the clamour for haste. Villeroy delivered a warning over the City of London financial centre, which handles trillions of euros of business even though it lies outside the ECB's jurisdiction. That status was at risk, he said, including the "passporting" arrangement under Europe's single market rules that allows London banks to do business with clients in the euro zone, even though Britain never joined the common currency. "If, tomorrow, Britain is not part of the single market, the City cannot keep this European passport, and clearing houses cannot be located in London either," he told France Inter radio. The only way around this was for Britain to follow Norway, which lies outside the EU but has joined the single market. This means signing up to the rules, including the free movement of workers - likely to be opposed in Britain, where the "Leave" camp promised to control immigration from the EU. "BIRTH OF NEW BRITAIN" Cameron's replacement could be his Conservative rival Boris Johnson, the former London mayor who became the most recognisable face of the Leave camp. There was euphoria over the vote in much of the British press. "Birth of a new Britain," the Daily Telegraph said, while the Daily Star tabloid borrowed from Donald Trump's campaigning message with its headline "Now Let's Make Britain Great Again". But those among the more than 16 million who voted to stay in the EU also raised their voices. The United Kingdom itself could also now break apart. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said her devolved government was preparing to present legislation allowing a second independence referendum while continuing discussions on its place within the EU. Scots rejected independence in 2014. But they voted to stay in the EU on Thursday, raising the possibility that they would be forced out against their will. However, questions about the economic viability of an independent Scotland have grown as the oil price has collapsed, slashing the revenues it could expect to get from North Sea oil. (Additional reporting by Alastair Macdonald, Andreas Rinke, John Irish, Tatiana Jancarikova, Ingrid Melander, Elisabeth O'Leary, Guy Faulconbridge, Ana Nicolaci da Costa, Kate Holton, Kylie MacLellan, Sarah Young, Alistair Smout, Costas Pitas, Andy Bruce, David Milliken, Steve Holland; Writing by David Stamp; Editing by Giles Elgood) By Isma'il Kushkush WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. first lady Michelle Obama will travel to Africa on Sunday with daughters Sasha and Malia and her mother as part of an effort to promote girls' education, her office said. The upcoming, six-day trip will include visits to Morocco and Liberia. She will also visit Spain. The trip will highlight the work of Let Girls Learn, a U.S. government initiative launched by U.S. President Barack Obama and the first lady in 2015. That project is part of "a U.S. government effort to address the barriers that keep over 62 million girls around the world out of school, particularly adolescent girls, the first lady's chief of staff, Tina Tchen, told reporters on a conference call. Michelle Obama will be joined by actresses Meryl Streep and Freida Pinto in Morocco, where they will talk to adolescent girls on the challenges they face in getting an education, her office said. In Liberia, she will visit a U.S. Peace Corps training facility and a school along with Liberian President Ellen Johansson Sirleaf, Africas first female elected head of state and a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Michelle Obama's interest in education for young girls was heightened after militant Islamist group Boko Haram seized 276 girls from their school in Chibok, northeast Nigeria, in April 2014. She highlighted their plight through a Twitter hashtag, #BringBackOurGirls. "This is a unique trip in the sense that the first lady is going to three different regions that are important to the United States: Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and Europe, Ben Rhodes, assistant to the President, told reporters on the same call. (Editing by Matthew Lewis) LONDON (Reuters) - Just days after voting to leave the European Union, more than 2.5 million Britons and UK residents had signed a petition calling for a second vote, forcing lawmakers to at least consider a debate on the issue. Parliament has to consider a debate on any petition posted on its website that attracts more than 100,000 signatures. The proposal, posted before the June 23 referendum, said the government should hold another plebiscite on EU membership if the support for Leave or Remain in a referendum was less than 60 percent in a turnout of under 75 percent of eligible voters. The result on Thursday saw 52 percent of voters, 17,410,742 people, back a British exit, on a turnout of 72 percent. According to an opinion poll conducted on Friday, half of voters said the result should stand, even if the EU offered more reforms to Britain's EU membership, while 39 percent said a second referendum should be held under the new terms offered. Some 48 percent of British adults said they were happy with the result against 43 percent who were unhappy, according to the poll by ComRes for the Sunday Mirror. The online petition -- which only British citizens or UK residents have the right to sign -- was proving so popular that by 2136 GMT on Saturday, 2,503,065 people had signed it. Most of those who signed were based in areas where support for staying in the EU was strongest, most especially London, the website indicated. Prime Minister David Cameron, who said on Friday he would resign after leading the failed campaign to keep Britain in the EU, had said there would be no second referendum. The ComRes poll also asked a representative sample of 1,069 adults when the next general election should be. One third said there should be a vote as soon as the next prime minister was in place in the autumn, while 23 percent said an election should be held early next year. Some 27 percent said the next election should be in 2020 as currently planned, according to the online poll. (Reporting by Michael Holden and Paul Sandle; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa/Jeremy Gaunt and Franklin Paul) Philippine presidential candidate and Davao city mayor Rodrigo 'Digong' Duterte gestures during a Next week, Rodrigo Duterte will be sworn is as the 16th president of the Philippines, and the whole world will get a lot more dangerous. That's because he will now have a hand in what is arguably the most dangerous dispute in the world the fight for who controls the waters in the South China Sea. The Chinese claim the lion's share of the region. Duterte disagrees. And generally, when he disagrees with something, there is violence. That said, Duterte's rhetoric on this matter has been as erratic as it has been bombastic you can apply that to much of his policy dicta. At one point on the campaign trail, he said that he would ride a jet ski to the disputed Spratly Islands and plant the Philippine flag there. At other times, though, he has said that if the Chinese leave his waters alone, then he can work with that. "He could start a war with China. He's very inconsistent in what he says," one Manila resident, Joyce Asilo, told The New York Times last month. So this is going to be a wild one, people. A little bit about this guy duterte Duterte was the mayor of the Philippine city of Davao for six terms. In that time, he came to be known for his bombastic, off-the-cuff, and sometimes violent rhetoric. As a candidate, he often used that rhetoric to frame how he would rid the Philippines of violence, drugs, gangs, and corruption that's what won him the presidency. That has led a lot of Western media to compare him to US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Trump, for example, has an obvious distaste for the media. Duterte shares that, and happens to be in a country with one of the highest murder rates for journalists in the world. Story continues "Just because you're a journalist you are not exempted from assassination, if you're a son of a b----," he said at a press conference earlier this month. When it comes to the South China Sea lately, Duterte has exhibited another Trump-like quality. He says that he's ready to talk to China if the US the main ally to smaller countries countering China's dominance in the region, including Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Taiwan does not support his country the way he thinks it should. From now on, all negotiations will consider the Philippines first. "We have this pact with the West, but I want everybody to know that we will be charting a course of our own," he said, according to a Reuters report. "It will not be dependent on America. And it will be a line that is not intended to please anybody but the Filipino interest." He later point-blank asked the US ambassador to the Philippines, Philip Goldberg, "Are you with us?" south china seas Goldberg said that the US would back the Philippines only in the event of a Chinese attack. That didn't seem to be the response Duterte was looking for, as he later said that he would send a representative to China to talk. "Can you [the US] match the offer? Because if you cannot match the offer, I will accept the goodwill of China," he said, according to Reuters. That said, China isn't in the mood for "offers" right now. Duterte's ascension to power is happening at a delicate time in the relationship between the two countries. The outgoing president of the Philippines filed an arbitration under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) over China's actions in the waters. Duterte said that he would wait to see what the UN says before he decides what to do, but either way China is upset about that, to say the least. From Chinese state-media outlet Xinhua: "The three 'NOs' are: the Philippine action has no basis on international law, the international arbitration tribunal has no jurisdiction over the case, and the tribunal has no legitimacy, explained Zhou Jian, a representative for boundary and ocean affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. "China's stance on the South China Sea issue has won many countries' support. However, some nations for their own interests called China 'despising international law' or 'fearing to lose.' "In response to such slander, Zhou said it is the Philippines that initiated the arbitration against international law." Yes, people. Slander. Again, this should indicate that China is not in a negotiating mood. A little about this water (and why everyone wants it) navy ships The South China Sea will undoubtedly be the battleground of the future. The aforementioned territorial claims from Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Taiwan, and China make the South China Sea one of the most disputed places on the planet. What's more, this contested region is home to $5 trillion in annual global trade, so the tit for tat over crumbs of land in these waters isn't for nothing. These waters have proven oil reserves of 7 billion barrels, and an estimated 900 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, according to Robert D. Kaplan, an author and the chief geopolitical analyst for Stratfor. 9 Dash Line South China Sea Skitched And if Chinese calculations are correct, then the South China Sea will ultimately yield 130 billion barrels of oil, which is second only to Saudi Arabia, making the South China Sea "the second Persian Gulf." China, by far, has helped itself to the largest slice of cake in the South China Sea, staking out it's claim with its Nine Dash Line. All the while, Chinese President Xi Jinping has steadily consolidated the world's largest military coupled with roughly $356 billion in military spending power. In short, China is dominating the maritime heart of Southeast Asia. Enter the Philippines, stage left. The Philippines is formally arguing China's Nine Dash Line, and an international-court ruling is expected in the coming weeks. And while the consensus among experts is that The Hague's ruling will go largely against Beijing, the South China Sea remains in a dangerous limbo. NOW WATCH: The US Navy just flexed its muscles in the world's most contested region More From Business Insider Following her transfer to a Wisconsin mental health facility, 14-year-old Morgan Geyser, who was accused of stabbing her schoolmate at a friend's sleepover in 2014, has seen progress in her mental state. However, speaking to the Journal Sentinel, Morgan's mother, Angie Geyser discussed the new difficulties the family faces since her daughter has been treated for early onset schizophrenia, which she was diagnosed with following the alleged stabbing. "When the medication finally worked, it was like a switch went on, like 'There you are! Where have you been?'" Geyser told the outlet. "[But] with lucidity comes awareness of the gravity of the situation." Despite the situation, Geyser added that she tries to be optimistic, speaking to her daughter in terms of "when," but Morgan only responds in "ifs." The next big step in Morgan's case, is the pending decision of whether or not Morgan's case will be transferred from adult court to juvenile court, where any sentence she receives if convicted, would be far less harsh than the sentencing in adult court. According to the Journal Sentinel, if Morgan is found guilty in juvenile court she would face a maximum of three years in a juvenile facility before being released and put on community supervision until her 18th birthday. The adult court alternative reportedly carries up to 45 years in prison and supervision after release. In either case, Morgan's attorneys may present an insanity defense, which if she's found guilty and the defense is successful would land the teenager in the mental facility she's currently in, Winnebago Mental Health Institute, for an undetermined amount of time, the newspaper reports. Geyser, however, told the Sentinel that she's focusing on the appellate court process, hoping that Morgan is tried as a minor; and she believes that there's a silent community supporting that decision, along with the more than 70 others who have sent written letters, encouraging the court to make the transfer. "There's some feeling that if you show compassion for the girls, you're somehow lessening what happen to Bella," she added, referring to the victim Payton Leutner by her nickname. Leutner was stabbed approximately 19 times by Morgan, and friend Anissa Weier. At the time of their arrest in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Morgan told authorities that she was going to see Slenderman, who according to Internet lore, lives in a mansion in a national park. As the family awaits a decision, Geyser still batters herself with one question: 'How did she not know?" "A big part of parenting in general is second-guessing. 'How didn't I know she was sick?'" Geyser told the newspaper. "There were no glaring, obvious signs she was ill." - Ducati continued their dominance in practice for the Dutch Grand Prix with Andrea Dovizioso posting the fastest time in the third session. The Italian headed the time sheets ahead of qualifying for Sunday's race at Assen in 1min 33.308 with just a tenth of a second splitting the top four. Former world champion Marc Marquez on a Honda was .028s back in second with Suzuki's Maverick Vinales in third at 0.062. Yamaha star Valentino Rossi, fresh from his second win of the MotoGP season in Barcelona and winner of this race last year, came in fourth. AFP By Jemima Kelly GLASTONBURY, England (Reuters) - Mud-covered revelers at Britain's Glastonbury festival were in high spirits as the second day of music got under way on Saturday, with British star Adele's performance keenly awaited though many were still mourning Britain's vote to leave the European Union. The music and performing arts festival, held at the Worthy dairy farm in Somerset, southwestern England, is known for its wet weather and "wellie"-wearing fans, who trudge through the farm's muddy fields in rubber boots and hope desperately to return to find tents still dry, and where they left them. This year's event has proved to be no exception. Though sunshine did sometimes pierce the clouds, rain poured down for long periods on Friday and Saturday, and more showers were expected on Sunday. International superstar Adele, 28, known for her chart-topping hits on heartbreak such as "Someone like you" and "Rolling in the Deep", forms part of an all-British line-up of headliners at this year's festival. Rock band Muse took the final slot on the main Pyramid stage on Friday night, putting on a visual spectacle for a crowd of almost 75,000. Fellow British rockers Coldplay top the bill on Sunday. Adele, who collected four Brit awards earlier this year, and last month was named songwriter of the year at Britain's Ivor Novello awards, last performed at Glastonbury in 2007, but not on the main stage. "I am so excited. I think there's set to be some teary moments because she's just special, isn't she?" said 24-year-old fan Helena. "I feel like it's going to be a powerful performance." BREXIT SADNESS Many of the young revelers said they were still upset over Britain's referendum decision to leave the EU, revealed in the early hours of Friday morning when most at the festival were still asleep. Surveys indicated that the vast majority of young voters had been in favor of staying in the EU. Some performers, including Damon Albarn and Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis, shared their sadness from the stage. "My heart is broken," Albarn told the crowd gathered at the Pyramid Stage to watch him play alongside the Orchestra of Syrian Musicians, a group of musicians who fled the Syrian civil war whom he has brought together from around the world. "Democracy has failed us." There had been worries that not enough of the more than 150,000 festival-goers would vote, and that this would affect the outcome; no polling stations were allowed on site, so those arriving before Thursday had to either submit postal votes or appoint proxies. But a survey of more than 1,000 Glastonbury attendees, commissioned by the Times newspaper, found that 78 percent had cast a ballot - higher than the 72 percent nationwide turnout. It found 83 percent had voted "Remain". "I think we're just going to move abroad and never come back to England," said 23-year-old Ed. Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour party who had campaigned for Britain to stay in the EU, had been scheduled to talk at the festival on Sunday, but pulled out. This year's Glastonbury saw various tributes to the late British rock star David Bowie. U.S. composer Philip Glass's "Heroes" symphony, based on Bowie's album of the same name and written 20 years ago, was to be performed just before midnight on Saturday, accompanied by a laser show. Glastonbury runs until June 26, with James Blake, Tame Impala and Earth, Wind and Fire all due to perform. (Reporting by Jemima Kelly,; Francis MacGuire and Sarah Mills; Editing by Kevin Liffey) (photo: Bang Showbiz) You can say what you like about Muse a band that is breaking records this June, opening Glastonbury weekends first of three Pyramid stage headline slots for the third time in their lifespan. Say what you like about their pomposity, their conspiracy theories, their Queen-meets-progrock-meets-Schostakovich schtick: Muse are the first act to headline all three nights of Glastonbury over their career. Homegrown British pride and joy. More important than that, Muse, from Teignmouth in Devon (which is not that far from Glastonbury, respectively speaking) is the only band really that had the guile and audacity to soundtrack the apocalypse that was Friday, June 24, 2016. On Friday morning, Glastonburys campers woke up to disaster and shame and heartache. Britain voted in their Referendum for Brexit, i.e. they declared a national desire to leave the EU. If that werent bad enough, Prime Minister David Cameron then resigned, and subsequently the British pound fell to a 30-year all-time low. The youth and the elderly were divided in the most alien manner in eons. Muse, a band now 20 years in, touring the 2015 album Drones their seventh about the notion of Artificial Intelligent machines coming to destroy our planet (think of them more as I Am Legend evil bots than friendly C-3POs) and turn us all into the subservient beings of corrupt powers, have come to Pilton, Somerset, to soundtrack this living nightmare. Muse isnt just appropriate, of course, because they imagined this very day in their acid-assisted psychosis since their youth growing up in this English countryside; theyre apt because theyre European to the core. Forget the fact that frontman Matt Bellamy lived in the palatial Lake Como, Italy, for years with now-ex-wife Kate Hudson the band has a fanbase that is European to the hilt. They are genuinely massive throughout the continent, maybe more so than pizza itself. And as a result, playing throughout venues all over Europe and then the world theyre one of the best live bands on the planet. Arguably their only rivals are previous Friday night headliners U2 and hey Coldplay who play on Sunday. Story continues Opening with that latest albums lead single Psycho, Matt Bellamy took to the Pyramid, which was appropriately adorned by a David Bowie lightning bolt this year in honor of a visionary whose sense of glamour and extravagant performance definitely influenced Bellamy and bandmates Chris Wolstenholme (bassist) and Dom Howard (drummer). After only two songs, Bellamy had already smashed one of his guitars to smithereens into an amplifier, an act of communal frustration. By third song and bona fide classic Muse favorite Plug in Baby (from Origins of Symmetry) the entire crowd was pogo-ing, today necessarily to the sound of electro-clash guitar revolt. My plug in baby, crucifies my enemies/ When Im tired of living! Bellamy screeched in his signature falsetto as the audience savored their last breaths of exhausted apathy. The Muse fans were camped out at the front of the stage since pre-afternoon. They delighted in ZZ Top and Foals, but they were here to watch a band that has generated religious-level followings over their two decades, since the hope of Tony Blairs false New Labour in the mid-90s. From the technical dexterity of Map of the Problematique (from Black Holes and Revelations) to Supermassive Black Hole (basically a Kylie hit on mushrooms) the waiting patience of fans was rewarded with a career-spanning set list that tied together their origins (Of Symmetry, ahem) and modern hits. The ability for the Muse catalog to be so seamless speaks to perhaps Bellamys grand master plan since day dot to expose the self-motivated greed of the powers-that-be. You guys look amazing over there, Bellamy a man of few words but copious tunes shouted before the bleating chords of Starlight, a rare track about hope and love for a trio who distract themselves with death, distraction and The End. Lets conspire to ignite all the souls that would die just to be alive! go the lyrics of their biggest sing-along, and it was a welcome message. The crowd went bananas. Someone let off an orange flare, a sign of warm emergency. Everyone pointed fingers at the triangle atop the Pyramid, seeking answers as old as Egypt itself to the events of this dark day. For Madness a song thats half Queens Somebody to Love, half The Darknesss I Believe in a Thing Called Love the audience was lit up in fuchsia strobes, pregnant white balloons flying over them, some portion of 150,000 attendees swaying their arms in unison. Because Friday was madness, and its thick choruses, helium air and Bellamys oriental jacket (which makes him look like a waiter in a Chinese restaurant) make sense. Nothing else. Naturally, festival sets dont allow for the full production of the Drones tour, but the power of the trios history ignited soaring call-and-response regardless. Their fans here can mold their own lives around Muse era"s. "Hysteria, for instance, from their breakthrough mainstream record Absolution had the punters singing Bellamys complex riffs. It reminded me of the time I wrote my own mothers car off, aged 17, when I crashed into a bus due to my distraction listening to this very song too loud (I never drove again). It was a heady mix of nostalgia, reaction to the present and the future, with Bellamy playing his guitar with the Armageddon-like urgency of John Connor in The Terminator, Arnies automaton coming any minute to obliterate him. By the momentous occasion of Time Is Running Out, the crowd hollered the lyrics: Murder it, I wont let you murder it/ Smother it, I wont let you smother it 'Cause our time is running out, you cant push it underground, you cant stop it screaming out. To be honest, it was probably the most sensible thing anyone in Britain said all day. Ohmygod you forget how many hits they have, said a punter behind me as Muse pummeled full-throttle into Knights of Cydonia, a song born to soundtrack a Quentin Tarantino bloodbath, or why ever not? a Bond flick. Muse brought the first of three epic headliners to a close. Fireworks are set off in a boastful display of pyromania that feels more Guy Fawkes among the atmosphere here than Beyonce, who will play Wembley Stadium in London 24 hours from now. A couple embrace next to me, sucking face to its hysterical climax. As Muses glam ancestors T Rex once sang, Bang a gong, get it on. Well If the world is ending, then tonight we may as well go out with that mighty bang. NAIROBI (Reuters) - Nine people drowned on Saturday when a boat they were traveling in capsized in the Kenyan waters of Lake Victoria, an official said. The boat was carrying 17 people, mostly members of a local musical band, who were heading to an evening performance when it capsized, regional deputy commissioner Angeline Were said. "The boast was overloaded because it was also carrying heavy music equipment," she said. "We rescued eight people and shall start a search for the nine." Lake Victoria, Africa's biggest lake, is shared by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Thirteen people drowned in December in Uganda's portion of the lake as they were traveling for Christmas celebrations. (Reporting by Joseph Akwiri; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Digby Lidstone) jack daniels The world's best-selling American whiskey has had few masters in its 150-year history, and even they don't know all its secrets. Jeff Arnett, the current Master Distiller for Jack Daniel's, admitted he didn't know why the brand was called Old No. 7. "There's a lot of I guess mystery and myth that has formed around it whether it was a lucky number or whether it was a recipe number," Arnett told Business Insider. Arnett worked at the Lynchburg, Tennessee, distillery for seven years before being appointed the seventh Master Distiller for Old No. 7 a number that binds him to the brand. "I always tell people it's gotta be the luckiest number in the world, so maybe that's something that Jack and I have in common that it's my lucky number and it was his as well." "At the end of the day, the truth is we don't know. Jack named the brand and it was a secret that he took to his grave," Arnett said. Founded in 1866 by Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel, America's oldest registered distillery produces every drop of Old No. 7 along with Gentleman Jack, Single Barrel, Tennessee Honey, and Tennessee Fire. The Jack Daniel's family is sold in more than 165 countries and remains one of the most valuable brands in the world. NOW WATCH: JACK DANIELS MASTER DISTILLER: This is the real difference between scotch, whiskey, and bourbon More From Business Insider The U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, has stopped all whitewater activities after an Ohio teen died after allegedly contracted a brain-eating amoeba during a visit to the park. "The USNWC, after discussion with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and local health officials, has decided to temporarily suspend all whitewater activities effective immediately," according to a statement from the facility obtained by PEOPLE. "This decision was made after initial test results found Naegleria Fowleri DNA was present in the whitewater system," the statement said. "The USNWC is working with the CDC and local health officials to develop next steps." Eighteen-year-old Lauren Seitz of Westerville, Ohio, died June 19th after health department officials say the raft she was in overturned and the amoeba went up her nose, causing the deadly infection. Seitz was with a group of teens from her church youth group in Ohio travelling to churches and nursing homes performing music and they went rafting for fun. Workers from the Centers for Disease Control have been taking water samples since Wednesday at the center and late Friday Dr. Marcus Plescia, the head of the Mecklenburg County Health department, tells PEOPLE. Recent tests by the CDC and local health officials show the presence of the amoeba that caused Seitzas death. Eleven samples were taken and it was found in almost every one of the samples, he says. aItas not a great surprise we found that there,a Plescia says. aThis is a microorganism thatas very common. If we sampled lakes and rivers, wead probably find thisaand you need to realize because of where the water center is right on the Catawba river, thereas run off, thereas all kinds of ways this organism could get in.a Plescia also pointed out just how rare this type of infection is. There have only been 35 cases in the last 10 years nationwide. "It can be a very difficult organism to get rid of but weare going to make sure that the concentrations are low," Plescia says. "They [the USNWC] have a very sophisticated disinfection system..but in this case thatas proven to be ineffective at keeping the organism out of the water.a Back in Ohio, friends and family will spend Saturday celebrating her life and love of music. Her parents, James and Heidi Seitz, established The Lauren Elisabeth Seitz Memorial Music Fund in their daughteras honor. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon plans to announce the repeal of its ban on openly serving transgender service members next month, U.S. defense officials said. The repeal would come five years after a 2011 decision to end the U.S. military's ban on gays and lesbians serving openly, despite fears - which proved unfounded - that such a move would be too great a burden in wartime and would undermine readiness. The disclosure came the same week that the U.S. Army formally welcomed its new secretary, Eric Fanning, who is the first openly gay leader of a military service branch in U.S. history. One of the U.S. officials said parts of the repeal would come into effect immediately. But the plan would also direct each branch of the armed services to implement new policies affecting everything from recruiting to housing for transgender troops, the official said. Republican Representative Mac Thornberry, chairman of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, said Defense Secretary Ash Carter had not answered questions the panel had asked, including about "readiness challenges" for transgender service members. "If reports are correct, I believe Secretary Carter has put the political agenda of a departing administration ahead of the militarys readiness crisis," Thornberry said in a statement. Supporters of transgender rights cheered the news. Ashley Broadway-Mack, president of the American Military Partner Association, said in a statement: "Our transgender service members and their families are breathing a huge sigh of relief." The National Center for Transgender Equality estimated last year that 15,000 trans people served in the U.S. military. (Reporting by Eric Beech, Mohammad Zargham, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali; Editing by Leslie Adler) THE PERFORMER | Michael Emerson THE SHOW | Person of Interest THE EPISODE | return 0 (June 21) THE PERFORMANCE | A pair of selflesss, emotional moments coupled with an episode-long heart-to-CPU with The Machine set the stage for Michael Emerson to end his POI run on the highest of notes. Throughout the series final, eventful hour, the always engaging actor showed us Harry hanging on The Machines every word, as the two longtime cohorts reflected on their noble, forever dangerous journey and prepared to say goodbye. Emerson also got to share a couple of sweet scenes with real-life wife Carrie Preston, as Harold opened up to Grace about his addled father and, in one of the closing moments, when the star-crossed duo reunited in Italy. But it was Mr. Finch and Mr. Reeses at-odds end games that got POIs typically steely heart beating, first when Harold locked his partner in crimestopping inside the Federal Reserve vault, intent on sacrificing his own life in the name of taking down Samaritan once and for all. When I hired you, I suspected you were going to be a great employee, Harold shared through the steel bars that separated them. What I couldnt have anticipated is that you would become such a great friend. Im afraid this is where our partnership ends. Reese and The Machine, however, had a preexisting arrangement to save Her creator which Harold eventually realized, when he spied John atop the roof that would soon be a target for a guided missile. It was supposed to be me. Alone, Harold argued, Emersons eyes a mix of fear, for Johns life, and sorrow, at what was now to be. This wasnt supposed to be the way. (Jim Caviezel shined in this sequence as well. How long has it been since John demonstrated love, as he did upon assuring Harold that his was the right life to save?) POI may be over, but The Machine just delivered to us a final number 100, as in how Emerson kept it to the very end. Story continues RELATEDPerson of Interest Bosses Spill Series Finale Secrets, Including Cut Reunion Scene and Spinoff (?) Seeds HONORABLE MENTION | You didnt hate Game of Thrones Ramsay Bolton because he was a murderer. You didnt hate him because he was a rapist. You didnt even hate him because he was a sadistic, manipulative psychopath with delusions of grandeur and a kennel full of vicious dogs. You hated him because Iwan Rheon was so damn good at playing the reprehensible bastard. Think about it: Rheons turn as the ultimate antagonist was a thoughtful, terrifying, at times comedic display of how simultaneously charming and chilling Rooses son could be. Had the actor not been so skilled right up to his final, smirking scene in Sundays episode Ramsay might merely have been another Thrones baddie in need of karmic comeuppance. In Rheons hands, the character was an intriguing, vile monster whose fall (much like the fall of his familys banners at Winterfell) was cause for fans to cheer. RELATEDUnpopular Game of Thrones Opinion: [Spoiler] Shouldve Lived Grace HONORABLE MENTION |Grace Zabriskie is one scary lady and we mean that in the best possible way. We knew when she popped up as Mildred on Outcast that Cinemaxs possession drama couldnt possibly have hired Laura Palmers mother just to waste her as Romes resident Church Lady. And in Fridays A Wrath Unseen, the Twin Peaks vet gave us a spine-tingling taste of what her arc held in store. When Reverend Anderson wasnt flashing back to Mildreds possession genuinely terrifying, thanks to the rabidity with which Zabriskie threw herself into the scene the snippy senior was playfully daring him to doubt that the demon inside of her had really been cast out. To her credit and our astonishment the actress made Mildred just as creepy when she was smirking at the preacher as when she was foaming at the mouth. RELATEDOutcast Recap: Pleased to Beat You Which performances knocked your socks off this week? Hit the comments! Related stories Game of Thrones Season 6 Finale Draws Series-High Ratings Game of Thrones EPs Talk 'Cohesive' 13-Ep End Game 'Without Padding' Game of Thrones Season 7: EPs Say Beware of Cersei Without Her Children LIMA (Reuters) - An oil spill in the Amazon region of Peru was detected on Friday night, state energy company Petroperu said in a statement on Saturday, adding that measures were being taken to fix the ruptured pipeline and to protect the environment. The company said it was investigating the cause of the spill, which took place in the Barranca district of Maranon province. Cleanup efforts were focused on preventing spilled oil from being absorbed into the ground, it said. The statement did not give an estimate of how much oil had escaped from the Nor Peruano pipeline in the accident. Previous spills had raised tensions between local residents and Petroperu. In March, an indigenous village in the Amazon area briefly held several public officials hostage to press for help after a ruptured pipeline leaked 1,000 barrels of crude. That spill followed a similar leak that released 2,000 barrels near other indigenous communities. (Reporting by Ursula Scollo; Editing by Bill Rigby) Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f127089%2f09dfa8bf10974ae7a1331b57cbefe684 There's no better place to get engaged than a Pride parade the festivities are already built in. Such were the philosophies of two Metropolitan police officers, who each proposed to their partners (one of whom is a fellow police officer) during this week's London Pride celebration. One of them even halted a parade to pop the question. Talk about a grand gesture. SEE ALSO: 6 ways to be a better straight ally at Pride events Since the Metropolitan LGBT Network (a staff association for LGBT police officers) posted the photos on Saturday, congratulatory tweets have been plentiful. Some people even thanked the officers for providing a slice of positive news as the UK reels from its controversial 'Brexit' vote. As usual, we're not crying. You're crying. By Philip Pullella and Margarita Antidze YEREVAN (Reuters) - Pope Francis urged Armenia and Turkey on Saturday to seek reconciliation and to shun "the illusory power of vengeance" a century after 1.5 million Armenians were massacred in the dying days of the Ottoman Empire. Francis made the appeal in an evening prayer service with leaders of the Armenian Apostolic Church on the second day of a trip in which he has risked Turkey's anger by labeling the events of 1915 a genocide, a term Ankara rejects. That underlying dispute, as well as differences over Yerevan's support of the ethnic Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan, have led to fraught relations that include closed borders and a lack of diplomatic ties. "May God bless your future and grant that the people of Armenia and Turkey take up again the path of reconciliation, and may peace also spring forth in Nagorno-Karabakh," he said at the outdoor prayer service in a Yerevan square. He called on nations to "resist being caught up in the illusory power of vengeance". A nation's collective memory has been a key theme of the trip. At the prayer service on Saturday night, he said "memory, infused with love" could make "designs of hatred become projects of reconciliation". On Saturday morning, a somber Francis paid tribute to massacred Armenians during a visit to Tzitzernakaberd, the official genocide memorial and museum, whose centerpiece is a towering granite needle on a hillside overlooking the Armenian capital. "Here I pray, with pain in my heart, so that never again will there be tragedies like this, so that humanity does not forget and knows how to overcome evil with good," he wrote in the guest book in Italian. On Friday night in a speech to the president, the government and diplomats, Francis departed from his prepared text to use the word "genocide", a description that infuriated Turkey when he first used it a year ago. Turkey waited more than 24 hours to react, indicating it did not want the incident to blow up into a new diplomatic dispute. Last year Ankara recalled its ambassador to the Vatican and kept him away for 10 months. "Of course the pope's statement is very unfortunate," deputy prime minister Nurettin Canikli told reporters. "It is unfortunately possible to see all the reflections and traces of Crusader mentality in the actions of papacy and the pope." Turkey accepts that many Christian Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces during World War One, but contests the figures and denies that the killings were systematically orchestrated and constitute a genocide. It also says many Muslim Turks perished at that time. The pope returns to Rome on Sunday night. (Writing by Philip Pullella; additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Istanbul; Editing by Mark Potter and Hugh Lawson) Yerevan (Armenia) (AFP) - Pope Francis on Saturday issued a rallying cry to remember the past after visiting the Armenian genocide memorial in Yerevan, on day two of a trip likely to stir tensions with Turkey. "A century has just passed from the 'Great Evil' unleashed upon you. This immense and senseless slaughter this tragic mystery of iniquity that your people experienced in the flesh, remains impressed in our memory and burns in our hearts," he said during evening prayers in the Armenian capital. "Not to forget them is not only right, it is a duty. May they be a perennial warning lest the world fall back into the maelstrom of similar horrors!" He earlier laid a wreath alongside President Serzh Sarkisian at the Tsitsernakaberd memorial site where 12 giant stars represent the regions where Armenians say Ottoman forces killed some 1.5 million of their people between 1915 to 1917. "I pray here, with pain in my heart, that such tragedies will not happen again, that humanity does not forget and knows how to overcome evil with good," Francis wrote in large golden book of commemoration. "May God protect the memory of the Armenian people! Memory cannot be stifled or forgotten! Memory is a source of peace and future!" Beginning his three-day visit on Friday, the pope had denounced the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman forces as "genocide", risking Turkey's ire. - 'The memory of a people' - "Sadly this tragedy, this genocide, was the first of the deplorable series of catastrophes of the past century," he said earlier at the presidential palace in Yerevan. When Francis last used the term in the Vatican in 2015, on the centenary of the killings, Ankara angrily recalled its envoy from the Holy See for nearly a year. But during evening prayers, Francis sought to strike a conciliatory tone, calling for peace in the region. "Cherish the great wisdom of your elders and strive to be peacemakers: not content with the status quo, but actively engaged in building the culture of encounter and reconciliation," he said, addressing his remarks to young people. Story continues "May God bless your future and grant that the people of Armenia and Turkey take up again the path of reconciliation, and may peace also spring forth in Nagorny Karabakh." Armenians have long sought international recognition for the World War I killings as genocide. Turkey -- the Ottoman Empire's successor state -- argues that it was a collective tragedy in which both Turks and Armenians died. Speaking earlier in the day to some 20,000 people in the main square of Armenia's second-largest city of Gyumri -- the spiritual centre of the country's Roman Catholic community -- Francis reiterated the need to maintain the collective memory of the Armenian people. "Peoples, like individuals, have a memory. Your own people's memory is ancient and precious," the pontiff said. Armenia is considered the first nation in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion in the early 4th century. According to the 2011 census, some 96 percent of the ex-Soviet country's population of some three million belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. The country's Christian minorities include 14,000 Roman Catholics and some 8,000 Orthodox Christians, mainly Russians, Greeks, Georgians, and Ukrainians. Europeans often grumble that American presidential elections are unrepresentative: despite being so much affected by U.S. policies, they have no vote in our elections. Yesterday, that argument was reversed. Americans will be greatly affected by a decision they were not party to making. That is actually a rarity for the only country powerful enough to generally shield itself from the consequences of other states actions. Britain was the major force preventing the EU from being a protectionist bloc that (further) diminished economic growth. While other EU countries (notably Sweden, Finland, and Denmark) share Britains economic sensibilities, they are not weighty enough even in concert to sustain that line in a post-Britain EU. Not only is the transatlantic trade treaty probably dead, but prepare for much greater friction over American tech companies, imposition of costly labor standards, and tax rules. But it may be in defense and foreign policy that Britains departure from the European Union has the greatest effect. The drop in the value of the British pound has created turmoil in markets; if it is sustained, it will send (as so many economists forecast) Britain into a recession that could be of long duration. That will certainly affect funds available for defense. The Strategic Defense and Security Review took near-term cuts on the expectation of greater spending in 2017. That is surely improbable now. The Cameron government had protected foreign assistance from any cuts, and that, too, is probably over. So less money available across the board for defense, foreign aid, and intelligence. Britain also prevented the EU from undertaking policies detrimental to transatlantic cooperation on intelligence; as the only European country in the Five Eyes collective, Britain knew what the United States knew about threats and capabilities and could veto EU policies. Anglosphere cooperation will look more foreign to Europeans now. That may result in France being formally invited in, but it could just as easily result in EU policies hostile to data collection, means of analysis, and actions taken by Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Later this year, the British government will need to determine whether to proceed with manufacture of a replacement for the submarines that carry its nuclear weapons. Britains submarine bases are in Scotland. In the aftermath of Britain leaving the EU, Scotland is sure to hold another referendum, and it will likely pass: faced with leaving the EU or leaving the United Kingdom, Scots will likely leave the UK. An independent Scotland may choose a long-term lease of bases on its territory; whether that is an adequate commitment for stationing the ultimate guarantee of Britains defense will be a hard call. Cost has also been a major issue in the debate over whether to maintain a sea-based deterrent (a land-based nuclear force, in addition to being more vulnerable to attack, is not under consideration). The 31-billion pound sterling cost estimate in the governments 2015 Strategic Defense and Security Review is predicated on use of current bases. At a minimum, Scotlands independence will increase the cost associated with the British nuclear deterrent, and may call the decision into question. It could be the case that Britain, feeling isolated outside the EU, embraces its nuclear deterrent as part of an independent posture toward the world. Based on the tenor of discussion in and over the BBC docudrama about whether to use its nuclear force, the trend in Britain is away from the logic of nuclear deterrence. International institutions, long an effective means for Britain to punch above its weight, are likely to get a heavy dose of British activism, which may be good for NATO, the IMF, and U.N. But Britain will probably be less able to deliver European support for its initiatives from outside the EU caucus. Not only will Britain likely be a weaker ally in the aftermath of Brexit, but Europe will also be feebler. Britain kept a strategic outlook and operational reflexes in the EU. France, Denmark, the Netherlands, and several other EU countries are likewise serious about the use of force to protect and advance western interests. But for all the furor during the British campaign about the specter of a European army, that is more likely with Britain out of the EU. Americans could be blase about the notion when Britain had a veto; now those who aspire to EU greatness might well create operational headquarters and exclude NATO participation in a demonstration that the EU can act militarily without Britain. Our European allies including Britain are about to be much less willing and much less able to help us shape and police the international order. Photo Credit: GLYN KIRK / Stringer Nearly one year after the historic Supreme Court decision allowed same-sex couples to legally get married in the United States, President Barack Obama is honoring a landmark in LGBT history. The Stonewall Inn in New York City's West Village neighborhood is now a national monument, the White House announced. "Today, President Obama will designate a new national monument at the historic site of the Stonewall Uprising in New York City to honor the broad movement for LGBT equality," the White House said in a statement on Friday. "The new Stonewall National Monument will protect the area where, on June 28, 1969, a communityas uprising in response to a police raid sparked the modern LGBT civil rights movement in the United States." The White House also cited POTUS's 2013 Inaugural Address, in which he mentioned the "pioneers" of Stonewall. "It is now our generation's task to carry on what those pioneers began," he said. The Stonewall Inn is known as the venue of the "spark" of the modern LGBT movement in the late 1960s. Police would often raid the bar and other LGBT establishments to enforce a law prohibiting homosexuals from purchasing alcohol. On June 28, a group of LGBT patrons fought back against a police raid, leading to riots and protests that sparked the modern gay rights movement. According to the White House's press release, the Stonewall National Monument will include nearby Christopher Park, which includes a monument by George Segal that was designed to commemorate the Stonewall Riots. Related Video: Wounded Survivors of Orlando Nightclub Shooting Speak Out This new monument announcement comes just two weeks after a gunman opened fire at Orlando's Pulse Nightclub, killing 49 people and injuring more than 50 in the deadliest mass shooting in American history. The White House mentioned the tragedy at the LGBT nightclub in reference to the importance of establishing Stonewall as a national monument. When news of the shooting spread, many New Yorkers sought comfort and unity in the historic bar. The statement concluded: "The Administration is committed to continuing the fight for dignity, acceptance and equal rights for all Americans no matter who they are or who they love." Protests have been taking place in London, Edinburgh and Glasgow following the UK's incredibly polarising vote for Brexit. Though the UK voted to part ways with the EU by a majority of 52% to 48%, these figures do not reflect the mood in Scotland or the capital. Some 62% of Scottish voters and 60% of London-based voters placed their cross in the Remain box on Thursday. STV reports that hundreds of people gathered outside the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh and at Glasgow's George Square on Friday. Organisers of the Glasgow protest said in a Facebook post before the event that "the EU referendum has unleashed a torrent of racism." Meanwhile, protesters gathered outside Downing Street in London, where Prime Minister David Cameron had announced earlier in the day that he is stepping down following the vote for Brexit. The Independent reports that many of these protesters were teenagers under the age of 18, who had not been permitted to vote in Thursday's historic referendum. They held up placards saying, "Where was my vote?" and,"Our future, our choice." Another protest took place outside the London Bridge headquarters of News UK, the publishers of The Sun and The Sunday Times, both of which had backed Brexit, as well as The Times, which was pro-Remain. Sunday Times journalist Josh Boswell tweeted that a crowd of around 650 people had gathered outside the News UK building to express their disappointment with the way the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspapers had covered the build-up to the referendum. Meanwhile, a group called London Stays is organising a much larger protest at Trafalgar Square this Tuesday, the 28th of June. At the time of writing, 26,000 people have said on Facebook that they will be attending. Trafalgar Square will also host a mass gathering today, the 25th of June, as the capital's LGBT community celebrates Pride in London. Story continues Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here? Baroness Warsi Warns Of Post-Brexit Racism London Gay Pride, As Told By Your Fabulous Instagram Posts Celebrities And Politicians React To Decision Over Brexit Social media posts, news stories and op-eds are important but "not enough" in helping vulnerable refugee women and children around the world, Queen Rania writes in a new piece for TIME. "We need more reliable data, especially on girls and women affected by displacement" and who are especially vulnerable to sexual abuse, forced marriage and life-threatening complications from pregnancy, the Jordanian queen, 45, said. "That in 2016, with the surfeit of technology with which we're surrounded and the knowledge of past humanitarian crises, we cannot better support some of the most vulnerable people on the planet is, simply, unconscionable," Rania said. "By counting them, we send them a message that they matter," she said. To help in practical ways, U.N. agencies and aid organizations should make better use of technology to identify individual females within populations on the move, Rania said, citing Data2X as a constructive initiative, as well as other recent U.N. efforts to make data available to front-line humanitarian workers. "Social media petitions, news reports and op-eds protesting their treatment are important. But they're not enough," Rania said. Related Video: Prince William Joins Up with Charity Set Up in Princess Diana's Honor to Combat Bullying Want to keep up with the latest royals coverage? Click here to subscribe to the Royals Newsletter. "To provide appropriate support and health services, we need to know how many women of childbearing age are living in a given location. And we need to know how many children are living there, and of what age, to provide them with the best learning opportunities," she said. "Without the data, it is hard to tailor the response." "Because data is more than numbers," Rania said. "At its heart, data is people some of the most vulnerable women and girls in our world today. Mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, grandmothers who have, already, suffered too much and who must suffer no more." The queen has been a leading global advocate for assisting displaced people: Jordan is home to around 630,000 refugees from Syria alone, a figure equivalent to around 20 per cent of the nation's population. Earlier this week she took her 19-year-old daughter Princess Iman Bint Al Abdullah to share the daily Ramadan sundown meal with ype=1" target="_blank" >refugee children housed at a camp in Amman, the nation's capital. Jerez de la Frontera (Spain) (AFP) - In Spain's southern tourist hotspot Jerez de la Frontera, Cristian Garcia whiles away the day sitting on a bench with his mates. Unemployed, he will vote for a far-left coalition led by Podemos in Sunday's elections. It's a different story more than 600 kilometres (370 miles) north in the affluent town of Paracuellos de Jarama, where many are veering to the right in fear of the arrival of what some dub the "communists", referring to the Unidos Podemos coalition. Across the nation, the second general election in six months is pitting voters hungry for change in a country with sky-high unemployment against those who fear this change would worsen the situation for Spain, which was on the brink of collapse just a few years ago. They have the choice between four major political groupings after the emergence of upstarts Podemos and centre-right Ciudadanos last year uprooted the country's two-party dominance. This upheaval meant that the last elections in December resulted in a hung parliament, after which parties failed to agree on a coalition, prompting Sunday's repeat vote. And while opinion polls suggest the acting conservative Popular Party (PP) will come first without an absolute majority like it did in December, Unidos Podemos may now come second with its appealing promise of change and hope. - Hunger for change - Hoping for change is exactly what Cristian Garcia is doing, sitting in Andalusia's Jerez de la Frontera. The city known for its sherry, dancing horses and flamenco also had the third worst jobless rate in the country in 2015, at 39.4 percent. "There's no work. And if there is, it's precarious and badly-paid," says Garcia. Matias Yunes, from Jerez too, will also vote Unidos Podemos, a coalition that includes green-communist grouping Izquierda Unida. He graduated as an architect three years ago, and hasn't found anything other than temporary work. Story continues Unemployment is one of the hot-button issues of the elections, with Spain the second worst off in the European Union after Greece. In the first quarter of the year, the jobless rate stood at 21 percent. For the under-25s, it shot up to 46.5 percent. Acting prime minister Mariano Rajoy vaunts that he has got unemployment down from a peak of 26.9 percent in early 2013, but his critics retort that the jobs created are mainly unstable and temporary. Like other parties, Unidos Podemos has promised to address this issue if it comes to power, for instance, by implementing a guaranteed minimum monthly income for all households, or ditching a controversial 2012 labour law reform. The Socialists have also pledged to ditch the reform, which makes it easier to fire workers, and also raise the minimum wage. But goodwill for the Socialists has died down even in their southern stronghold of Andalusia, which they have ruled for decades but where many have yet to see their lives improve. There, the party was hit by two corruption scandals, including one involving the alleged embezzlement of European funds destined for training the unemployed. But Rafael Rivera, who sells goodies from a cart on a beach not far from Jerez, says he will stick with the Socialists like he has always done. "You can see that Podemos are enthusiastic, but I don't trust them," he says, metres away from a tranquil sea under a cloudless sky. - Fear of change - Both the PP and Socialists -- fearful of being replaced as the main left-wing force -- have campaigned hard against Unidos Podemos, with Rajoy bluntly warning of "radicalism." And that resonates with Felipe Abalos, up north in Paracuellos de Jarama. "It's dangerous, we don't know what they will do," says this 73-year-old former financial director, sitting under the cool water vapour sprays of a restaurant terrace. Another customer, Julio Sampedro, concurs. "Podemos seems what is closest to communism. If the Unidos Podemos coalition comes to power, I would panic," he says. In the December elections, many in this affluent 24,000-strong town voted for centre-right upstart Ciudadanos, tired of the PP and its repeated corruption scandals. But the rise of Podemos is making some wonder whether they shouldn't opt for the safe option of the PP, like Myriam Garcia, a 19-year-old student. "I don't like Podemos at all", she says, pointing to its minimum income pledge. "But who is going to pay?" she asks. Antonio Romero, an 82-year-old sitting on the main square with a walking stick in hand, sums up the general feeling. "At least with the one we have now (Rajoy), we know what he will do." Plenty of fresh faces could take the field for Real Salt Lake in its latest Texas road trip. Only a few days after a 2-1 home win over the New York Red Bulls, RSL (8-4-3) will face FC Dallas in the humid Texas heat on Saturday in Frisco, Texas. Most of Salt Lake's first-choice lineup put in 90 minutes against the Red Bulls on Wednesday. With a key U.S. Open Cup match looming against Seattle on Tuesday, RSL might dip into its bench and rest key starters this weekend. Whoever takes the field will face a stiff challenge in stealing away any points from Dallas. RSL is 1-11-2 all time at FC Dallas. The team's only win came in June 2013. Dallas (8-5-4) is as tough as ever at home. It enters the match on a 13-game home unbeaten streak -- the second longest such streak in club history dating to the 2015 season. Offense has driven the team's success so far. FC Dallas has 24 goals and 223 shots in 17 matches and is averaging a goal per 9.3 shots. Tesho Akindele and Michael Barrios each have five goals apiece to lead Dallas. Mauro Diaz has five assists as the main orchestrator of the team's attack. Fabian Castillo, with three goals and three assists, could also give RSL some trouble. FC Dallas will be missing only one major contributor against Real. Zach Loyd is out after suffering a broken nose and concussion in U.S. Open Cup play. There is no timetable for his return. RSL will be without team captain Kyle Beckerman again as he finishes his stint with the U.S. National Team in the Copa America Centenario this weekend. Salt Lake might need another big game from Yura Movsisyan to get a favorable result. He has scored four goals in the last five games and has six this season. (Changes dateline from previous MOSCOW, releads, adds other deals) By Denis Dyomkin BEIJING, June 25 (Reuters) - Russia and China sealed a raft of energy deals during President Vladimir Putin's visit to Beijing on Saturday, strengthening economic ties while pledging to preserve the strategic balance of power among nations. The deals involve the sale of stakes in a number of Russian projects to Chinese firms, an oil supply contract and joint investments in petrochemical projects in Russia. Rosneft, Russia's top oil producer, agreed with China National Chemical Corporation (ChemChina) that ChemChina would take a 40 percent stake in Rosneft's planned petrochemical complex VNHK in Russia's Far East. The deal will help Rosneft finance the project and get access to the markets of the Asia-Pacific region, the Russian firm said in a statement. They also signed a new one-year contract under which Rosneft could supply up to 2.4 million tonnes of crude oil to ChemChina between Aug. 1, 2016, and July 31, 2017. Rosneft and Beijing Enterprises Group Company Limited agreed the key terms of a potential sale of a 20 percent stake in Rosneft's oil producing subsidiary Verkhnechonskneftegaz to a unit of Beijing Gas Group. The Russian firm also signed a framework agreement with Sinopec regarding the construction of a gas processing and petrochemical plant in East Siberia, aiming to set up a joint venture in 2017 focused on the Russian and Chinese markets. Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin said his company did not plan to reduce its crude supplies to China and would defend its market position amid competition with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, and Iran. "We will stick to the volumes we have agreed on. It's around 40 million tonnes (per year)," TASS news agency quoted Sechin as saying. Russia was China's largest crude oil supplier in May for a third month in a row, having surpassed imports from Saudi Arabia. GLOBAL BALANCE Although economic cooperation was the focus at Putin's talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the leaders also agreed to strengthen global strategic stability. Story continues A statement on the Kremlin website from the two governments called on nations to strictly abide by the norms of international law, keep military capabilities at the minimum level required for national security and refrain from steps aimed at expanding existing military-political alliances. The statement criticised the deployment of anti-missile systems in Europe and Asia, saying those who deploy them often acted under false pretences. Although it did not mention specific countries, it comes at a time that Russia and NATO are at loggerheads over the western alliance's build up of capabilities in eastern Europe, including missile defence. NATO says its actions are a necessary response to Russia's intervention in Ukraine. The countries' central banks also signed a memorandum of understanding on setting up a yuan clearing mechanism in Russia that they said would be beneficial to cross-border trade and investment. (Additional reporting by Kevin Yao and Jason Subler; Writing by Maria Kiselyova; Editing by Toby Chopra) MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian court ordered on Saturday that Nikita Belykh, the governor of the Kirov region, should be taken into custody for two months, after investigators said they had caught him accepting a bribe in a restaurant. Belykh has been critical of the Kremlin and was formerly leader of the Union of Rightist Forces party. Investigators denied there was any political reason for his detention. The court denied the defense's appeal for house arrest or bail and ordered that Belykh be held until Aug. 24, a Reuters correspondent reported from the court. It was not clear when the court would next meet to look at the case. "We consider this decision absolutely unlawful. We will appeal against this measure to the Moscow city court," Belykh's lawyer Sergei Teterin said. "As to his innocence, I am confident that this will be the question at the future hearing, and he has every chance to prove it," Teterin said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday President Vladimir Putin had been informed about Belykh's detention but could not say whether he would be dismissed. (Reporting by Nikolai Isaev and Maria Kiselyova; Editing by Hugh Lawson) Dubai (AFP) - Financial authorities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Saturday downplayed the impact of Britain's vote to leave the European Union on their banks. Authorities in both countries, whose currencies are pegged to the US dollar, said they were keeping an eye on the impact of the Brexit vote, but that their banks' exposure is limited. "Due to the limited connection between the UAE financial system and that of the UK, the channels through which financial institutions in the UAE could be affected by the state of uncertainty over relations between the UK and the EU are limited," said the UAE's central bank. In a statement carried by the UAE's official WAM news agency, the central bank said it will "continue to watch developments... mainly those that could affect the UAE economy." The governor of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, Ahmed al-Kholifey, said the OPEC kingpin had already "revised its investment policy regarding assets denominated in euro and sterling pounds" ahead of Thursday's historic vote. "It is early to assess the impact of the UK exit from the EU... but we expect the impact on the banking sector to be minimal due to its limited exposure to those two currencies," he said, quoted by the official Saudi Press Agency (Adds Greens, Lib Dems comments) By Elisabeth O'Leary EDINBURGH, June 25 (Reuters) - Scotland's devolved government will start a drive to protect its European Union membership and will prepare for a possible fresh independence vote after Britain voted to exit the bloc, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Saturday. "We are determined to act decisively in a way that builds unity across Scotland," Sturgeon told reporters, adding that might include a vote on Scottish secession from the United Kingdom. Scots rejected independence in a 2014 referendum by 55-45 percent and at the time the vote was considered a decisive verdict for a generation. Since then support for independence has not shifted significantly, according to polls. On Thursday Britain as a whole voted to leave the EU, but Scotland voted by 62 to 38 percent to remain. The SNP argues that many Scots opted to remain part of the United Kingdom in 2014 because they believed that was the only way to guarantee EU membership. The SNP argues Thursday's outcome changes the case for independence, and many Scots may reassess their 2014 vote. Sturgeon on Friday said a new referendum was "highly likely". After meeting ministers in her devolved government on Saturday, Sturgeon said Scotland would not allow its EU membership to be taken away without exploring all the possibilities and would seek to build broad-based support at home and abroad to maintain it. "We will seek to enter into immediate discussions with the EU institutions and with other EU member states to explore all possible options to protect Scotland's place in the EU," said Sturgeon, speaking outside her official residence. She reiterated that an independence vote could be offered. "A second (Scottish) independence referendum is clearly an option that requires to be on the table, and it is very much on the table," she said. She would also establish a panel of experts to advise the Scottish government on legal, financial and diplomatic matters concerning EU membership. Story continues Any new vote should be decided by "clear public appetite", but the independence option should be there, said a spokesman for the Scottish Greens, the kingmaker for Sturgeon's SNP. Her party is two seats shy of a majority in the devolved parliament. "It is too soon to say whether and when a further referendum on Scottish independence will take place, but in the wake of the EU referendum result few people will doubt that it must be on the table," a spokesman for the party told Reuters. Wille Rennie, leader of Scotland's pro-EU Liberal Democrats said in a statement he had committed his party to backing Sturgeon's EU negotiation process, but had received a guarantee this was not a ruse for a new independence drive. Splitting Scotland from the UK would end three centuries of shared history, upending another successful economic relationship shortly after the now-impending divorce between Britain and the EU. (Reporting By Elisabeth O'Leary; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa and Michael Holden) George Soros The UK has voted to leave the European Union, a shock decision that sent markets crashing on Friday. For a small band of hedge funds, the decision, and its impact on the market, led to outsize returns. The gains are especially noteworthy, as many funds went in to the vote having reduced risk. "An unusually low number of client incoming calls and modest trading volumes away from the Russell rebalancing may speak to the already light positioning ahead of the UK referendum," Credit Suisse said in a note Friday. In addition, betting on a binary outcome such as Leave-Remain is a brave bet. Four out of five European hedge funds polled expected Britain to stay in the EU, according to a Preqin poll earlier this month, and most polling immediately before the vote suggested Remain would carry the day. Still, several funds posted impressive returns. The NuWave Matrix Fund was up 12% on Friday, putting it up around 10% for the year, according to chief operating officer Craig Weynand. The fund, which manages about $60 million, runs a CTA/systematic macro strategy, meaning it makes trading decisions based on historical patterns rather than gut decisions. "It's true that Brexit was a binary outcome, but by the same token, history has a number examples of binary outcomes," Weynand said, citing the Federal Reserve decisions and shock events like tsunamis. "History doesn't repeat itself, but it usually rhymes." Nancy Davis, founder of Quadratic Capital Management. Another macro manager, Quadratic Capital Management, posted its best ever returns since it launched in May 2015, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. Quadratic didn't make money betting on a Leave vote, but rather by deploying options strategies that make money during risk-off events like the one Friday, the person said. Quadratic manages about $428 million and is run by one of the industry's few female hedge fund managers, Nancy Davis. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors, which manages two funds alongside billionaire Steve Schonfeld's money, also did well. The firm is performing in the low double digits this year and was in positive territory early Friday, according to CIO Ryan Tolkin. Story continues He declined to share exact performance figures or assets under management, but said Schonfeld manages about $12.5 billion, including leverage. Schonfeld, like many hedge funds, didn't take a concentrated bet on the outcome of the Brexit vote. "We try not to take binary views on things like this," Tolkin told Business Insider. Rather, the firm, which uses market-neutral equity and quant strategies, reduced its overall market exposure in hopes of capitalizing on post-vote volatility, Tolkin said. crispin odey "Now we're in a good position to try to take advantage of some price points that we've now got," he added. Other managers seem to have taken advantage, too. Winton Capital's systematic trading strategy gained 3.1% Friday, according to Reuters. And ISAM Systematic Master fund, launched by ex-Man Group manager Stanley Fink, gained 4% early Friday, according to a person who had seen the figures. ISAM didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Crispin Odey, who manages about $10.2 billion at his macro-focused firm, told Reuters Friday that his fund would gain 15% from the Brexit outcome, regaining some of its losses this year. George Soros and Stanley Druckenmiller, both legendary investors, also profited from the market drop, according to CNBC. Spokespeople for Soros and Druckenmiller declined to comment. NOW WATCH: Boris Johnson was swarmed by dozens of Brexit protesters shouting 'shame on you' More From Business Insider Heng being discharged from TTSH. (Photo: Facebook page of Heng Swee Keat) Singapores Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, who suffered a stroke during a Cabinet meeting on 12 May, was discharged from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) on Saturday (25 June). A statement from the Prime Ministers Office said that Heng had made an excellent recovery and has expressed his deepest appreciation to the doctors, nurses and staff of TTSH and the National Neuroscience Institute for their excellent care as well as to his many well-wishers. In Facebook post, Heng said, The last few weeks were the toughest of my life. I could get through this time because of the strong support from my family, great medical care, and the kindness from all of you. I am so thankful too to the SCDF (Singapore Civil Defence Force) crew who saved me. Anyone who is helped by our hospitals and the SCDF is in good hands, he added. A video on Hengs Facebook page showed the minister on his feet thanking TTSH medical staff during the discharge process. Rest and recovery Hengs stroke was caused by an aneurysm, which is a localised weakening of a blood vessel. He underwent a successful endovascular coil embolisation on the day of the stroke and was also treated for a lung infection. According to the PMO statement, he will be on medical leave during his rehabilitation process and has been advised against receiving visitors, so as to minimise the chance of infection. In a Facebook post, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said, I know from personal experience that recovering from serious illnesses takes time. I have advised Swee Keat to take things step by step. No constant checking of his email or his phone! For now, doctors say no visitors, no work, focus on rehab so I can recover fully. I may not be able to reply to your messages. But be assured that Im reading them all, and your good wishes give me strength, said Heng in his post. Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam will continue to cover Hengs duties, said the PMO. By Padraic Halpin DUBLIN (Reuters) - Northern Ireland's deputy leader Martin McGuinness called on Friday for a vote to unite the two sides of the Irish border as stocks tumbled in the economic and political fallout from Britain's decision to quit the EU. Ireland has the EU's fastest-growing economy but also more to lose from Brexit than any other member state, with far-reaching implications for its trade, economy, security of energy supplies and peace in British-ruled Northern Ireland. After 56 percent of Northern Irish voters sought to remain in the EU compared to the 52 percent of the United Kingdom as a whole who voted to leave, Sinn Fein's McGuinness demanded that London call a referendum on a united Ireland. "The British government now has no democratic mandate to represent the views of the North in any future negotiations with the European Union and I do believe that there is a democratic imperative for a 'border poll' to be held," McGuinness told national Irish broadcaster RTE. "The implications for all of us on the island of Ireland are absolutely massive. This could have very profound implications for our economy (in Northern Ireland)." The call from Sinn Fein, Northern Ireland's largest Irish nationalist party, was rebuffed by pro-British First Minister Arlene Foster and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, who said there were much more serious issues to deal with. Kenny called an emergency cabinet meeting shortly after the result and afterwards published a plan his government had prepared in advance, listing actions it would take over trade, investment, British-Irish relations and Northern Ireland. "UNAMBIGUOUSLY NEGATIVE" Ireland's central bank had warned that a withdrawal would hurt economic growth and jobs and significantly impact the financial sector, while a government-commissioned report found it could cut trade with Britain by at least 20 percent. Irish banks, whose exposure to the UK accounts for around 21 percent of total assets, led the Irish stock market <.ISEQ> eight percent lower, with shares in Bank of Ireland and permanent tsb down 25 percent and 21 percent down at 1345 GMT. Europe's largest airline by passenger numbers Ryanair , building materials group Kingspan and packaging producer Smurfit Kappa also fell sharply. The local bourse was down by as much as 16 percent earlier on Friday. The yield on Ireland's benchmark 10-year bonds [IE10YT=TWEB] was marginally higher at a near record low 0.84 percent. The country's debt agency said its funding position was strong with limited financing needs for the rest of the year and through the first half of 2017. The cost of insuring exposure to Irish government debt nearly doubled on Friday, surging to the highest level in nearly 2-1/2 years. Finance Minister Michael Noonan, who earlier this week said an estimated cumulative Brexit-related hit on the Irish economy of as much as 1.6 percent of GDP would be "containable", said the outcome would not derail his immediate budget plans. "There is nothing catastrophic for Irish fiscal policy on the horizon," Noonan told national broadcaster RTE with the caveat that the hit to economic growth could limit his budget plans beyond 2018. Investec Ireland said it will likely cut its GDP forecasts for 2016 and 2017 that are currently in line with government predictions of 5 and 4 percent, calling the referendum result "unambiguously negative" for the Irish economy. Davy Stockbrokers said that while it did not think a Brexit will be sufficient to push Ireland into recession, it could lower growth by 1 to 2 percent in both years. Ratings agency S&P said Brexit had no immediate impact on Ireland's sovereign ratings and it expected the Irish economy to stay resilient enough to withstand the negative impacts. Brexit may not be all bad for Ireland, and Noonan said there may be some upside if companies keen to stay in the EU moved to Dublin from London. The contingency plan calls for marketing efforts to be intensified in sectors like financial services for firms wanting to be based in the EU. BORDER CONTROLS But of most concern to Dublin is the impact on Northern Ireland, which has the only land frontier between the UK and the rest of the EU. It was marked by military checkpoints until a 1998 peace deal ended three decades of sectarian violence. Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan told Reuters this week that the reintroduction of a hard border would have to be considered in any negotiation and that the return of controls, for customs or security, could pose a difficult challenge for the peace process. The dismantling of military border posts was a key aspect of the peace deal between Catholic nationalists seeking a united Ireland and Protestant unionists who wanted to keep Northern Ireland British. Over 3,600 died in the conflict. Kenny said Ireland would do its utmost to keep the country's decades-old common travel area with Britain. His plan says that options for possible customs and excise controls, including the role of modern technology, would be analyzed with a view to minimizing trade restrictions. (Additional reporting by Amanda Ferguson in Belfast; Editing by Stephen Addison) BANGUI (Reuters) - Six police officers in the Central African Republic were freed on Friday after they were taken hostage in the capital by members of the former Seleka rebel group, a mediator and a senior presidential aide said. The officers were handed over to U.N. peacekeepers upon their release, parliamentary deputy Amadou Aboubakar Kabirou, who was part of the mediation team, said. He gave no further details. Kabirou said he was himself kidnapped on Tuesday while negotiating with the hostage takers but was freed on Friday. The kidnap took place in the mainly-Muslim PK-5 suburb of Bangui in retaliation for the arrest of 26 residents suspected of illegally bringing in arms. It underscores the scale of the task President Faustin-Archange Touadera faces in restoring the state's authority after years of violence and lawlessness. Insecurity has persisted since Touadera took office in March, after winning an election intended to draw a line under inter-communal and inter-religious violence pitting the mainly Muslim Seleka against the mainly Christian anti-balaka militias since 2013. (Reporting by Crispin Dembassa-Kette; Writing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg; Editing by Tim Cocks) BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Slovakia's far right People's Party launched a petition for a referendum on the country's EU membership on Saturday, the latest state to see a challenge following Britain's vote to leave the bloc. Right-wing and anti-immigrant parties in the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and France have demanded referendums on membership of the union, while Italy's 5-Star movement said it would pursue its own proposal for a vote on the euro. In Slovakia, which takes over the European Union's rotating six-month presidency in July, the anti-immigration, anti-euro People's Party-Our Slovakia shocked many in a March election when it won 8 percent of the vote, or almost 210,000 votes, to enter parliament for the first time. "Citizens of Great Britain have decided to refuse the diktat from Brussels. It is high time for Slovakia to leave the sinking European 'Titanic' as well," the party said on its website. Slovak law requires a petition to receive 350,000 signatures from the country of 5.4 million for a referendum to be held. The results of a referendum are legally binding if the turnout exceeds 50 percent of all eligible voters. The only referendum that has been successful in Slovakia was the 2003 vote on its EU membership with a 52 percent turnout and 92.5 percent in favor of joining the bloc. According to a Focus opinion poll released last week, 62.1 percent of voters would choose in a referendum to remain in the EU while 22.6 percent would vote leave in Slovakia. Following the British vote to leave, Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch anti-immigrant PVV party, said he would make a Dutch referendum on EU membership a central theme of his campaign to become prime minister in next year's parliamentary election. France's far right National Front party also called for a referendum, cheering a Brexit vote it hopes can boost its eurosceptic agenda, as did the anti-immigration Danish People's Party (DF), an ally of Denmark's right-leaning government. On Thursday, Britons voted to leave the 28-nation EU, forcing the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron and dealing the biggest blow to the European project of greater unity since World War Two. (Reporting By Tatiana Jancarikova; Editing by Toby Chopra) Beyonce-Style Dress Reveal Gone are the days when your prom date awkwardly handed over a corsage under Dad's watchful eye, now it's all about the epic dress reveal. One Beyhive member got her friends and family in formation for her big dress reveal on prom night. It's impossible to read if her date was bored or embarrassed, but after keeping him waiting three-plus minutes, it's safe to say all she did was delay versus slay. Love You Like a Love Song, Audrey! Selena Gomez and Audrey Nethery, a 7-year-old girl with a rare bone marrow disease, danced together, winning over the hearts of 8.3 million Instagram users (and counting). In what is arguably a frontrunner for cutest Instagram video of 2016, Selena slithered down to Audrey's level in a Guns N' Roses tee and leggings, whipping her bangs to enviable perfection. All the feels. A video posted by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on Jun 22, 2016 at 7:57pm PDT Saint West Saint West, son of Kanye and Kim, was unofficially canonized as one of the cutest celebrity babies after Kim posted this Snap. The new photo of the 6-month-old West child nearly broke the Internet, just like his momma. A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Jun 23, 2016 at 10:06pm PDT Kylie and Tyga Instagram Madness It's impossible to keep up with Kylie and Tyga's relationship, especially when the exes post and delete so often. Tyga, ex of Kylie's half-brother Rob's fiancee Blac Chyna, instagrammed Kylie in tears with a massive diamond ring, captioning the photo: "They always come back." The photo has since been deleted, and Kylie hasn't graced the Internet with a relationship status update. The world is waiting with breath that is bated @KylieJenner ... https://t.co/Gz7AFoKuvG - RAVA.KY (@IRNCFC) June 24, 2016 Calvin Harris and Tay Tay's Bad Blood This is what you came for After Taylor Swift was spotted getting cozy with Tom Hiddleston, Calvin Harris broke the cardinal rule of social media: "Thou Shalt Not Overshare Post-Breakup." Fans of Harris poured into his Instagram, expressing sympathy over the breakup, but his (many) bitter responses have since been deleted. Shake it off, Calvin. Story continues I'm gonna sleep - #calvinharris #taylorswift #instagram A photo posted by if i die i'm a meme (@calvinnoticed) on Jun 23, 2016 at 6:10pm PDT The Bigger the Hoops the Cooler the Girl. It's no secret that designer Jennifer Fisher is THE go-to jeweler for the coolest girls in the world - her enviable lifestyle is a favorite follow in the Instagram fashion community. Looking at Fisher's feed, the hoop game is coming back, with Selena Gomez, Alessandra Ambrosio and Rihanna rocking the JF 3" Gold Square Wire Hoops, undoubtedly a hot item upon their mid-July release. Michael Jordan still has his hoop earring in, after all. Preorder here. A video posted by JENNIFER FISHER JEWELRY (@jenniferfisherjewelry) on Jun 21, 2016 at 9:25am PDT #DisarmHate This week's issue of Billboard magazine presents an open letter to Congress to stop gun violence. Signed by 150-plus artists, including Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Lady Gaga, and hand-delivered to the chiefs of staff for every U.S. Senator and Congressperson, the letter demands safer gun measures. Read the letter here. 150+ artists and music executives united with us to pen an open letter to Congress to stop gun violence. We invite you to join the chorus of Americans demanding change. Get involved. Share this post. #DisarmHate. Billboard.com/Letter A photo posted by Billboard (@billboard) on Jun 23, 2016 at 4:03am PDT Signed, Sealed, Delivered Thanks to the flat-lay photo boom on Instagram, stationery and cute stuff to worship is back. If you've been out of the letter-writing game, love a good pun and need a cool place to order totally original stationery, look no further than Greenwich Letterpress, based in NYC and beloved by the coolest girls in town. The on-trend shop sells everything from patches to cards and pins. The brand updates its Instagram daily, with memes and enough varied, fun posts to keep you following for more. It's time to drop a card in the mail to your parents, friends or that new love interest - who wouldn't want to be told you're driving them "Swayze"?? The perfect Dirty Dancing merchandizing coincidence. "You're wild!" "What?" You're wiiiilllllllllddddddd hu hu!" -Baby Houseman #greetingcards #DirtyDancing #crazyforswayze A photo posted by Greenwich Letterpress (@greenwichletterpress) on Mar 21, 2016 at 3:36pm PDT Gigi to the Max Gigi Hadid posted her latest ad for Max Mara on Instagram this week, introducing a younger set to the Italian brand previously reserved for women looking for an elegant cashmere coat. Styled by Carine Roitfeld, with makeup by Pat McGrath and photographed by Steven Meisel, a power trio who bring the chic. @maxmara #fw16 accessories by Steven Meisel with @carineroitfeld @patmcgrathreal @guidopalau #ad A photo posted by Gigi Hadid (@gigihadid) on Jun 21, 2016 at 10:39am PDT Drake's Dad Dennis Graham, the proud father of Champagne Papi, is a must-follow. You may remember Dennis from Drake's video "Worse Behavior." His simple, to-the-point captions are so hilarious that his own son will screenshot and regram, often. A fan of Tatum O'Neal, travel and Drake memes - what's not to like? Love this picture A photo posted by Dennis Graham (@therealdennisg) on May 8, 2016 at 1:15am PDT By Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somalia's al Shabaab Islamist group launched a suicide bomb attack on a hotel in the centre of Mogadishu on Saturday before fighters stormed inside, police and the militant group said. Police said at least 15 people had died, including guards at the site, civilians and militants. Others were wounded. Gunfire had echoed round the seaside capital after the blast and ambulances raced to the scene. Police later said fighting had ended but they were searching the site for militants. "We attacked the hotel which was frequented by the apostate government members," al Shabaab military operations spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab told Reuters. He said at least 20 guards and civilians were killed. Al Shabaab, which frequently carries out attacks in the capital in its bid to topple the Western-backed government, often gives casualty numbers that are higher than figures announced by officials. Police said the initial blast was caused by a suicide bomber before fighters stormed into the Nasahablood hotel, leading to a heavy exchange of gunfire. Officers said some people had managed to escape through the rear of the building. "The operation has now ended but we are still combing the building for any possible militants who are hiding," Major Ali Mohamed, a police officer, told Reuters. The United States and other Western countries have been among the biggest donors to the government in Mogadishu as it slowly rebuilds after years of conflict and prepares for parliamentary and presidential elections later this year. "We strongly condemn this attack," a U.S. State Department official said in a statement. "We remain committed to Somalia's security and stability, and are proud to stand side-by-side with Somalia in the fight against terrorism." The vote planned for August will be by limited franchise rather than one-person-one-vote, which officials and diplomats say would be too difficult while still fighting an insurgency. Muslims in Somalia and around the world are observing Ramadan. In previous years, al Shabaab has often intensified attacks during the fasting month, frequently picking targets where people gather just before or after breaking the fast. (Additional reporting by David Lawder in Washington; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Jane Merriman) South Africa and Namibia signed a Memorandum of Understanding during the Durban Intl. Film Festival, paving the way for stronger ties between the neighboring countries. The MoU, which was signed by members of South Africas National Film & Video Foundation (NFVF) and the Namibia Film Commission (NFC) June 21, provides a framework that will support and strengthen existing film bodies in both countries. The MoU is a gateway to firmer and solid collaborations between our two industries, said NFC chairperson Obed Emvula. The agreement will also offer a platform to promote co-productions between South African and Namibian producers, as well as facilitate foreign shoots, boost skills exchange, and promote the distribution and exhibition of local films between the two territories. Our mandate as the NFVF is to form solid partnerships, said CEO Zama Mkosi. Not just in South Africa, but across the African continent. In Durban last week, the NFVFs Terrence Khumalo said that South African delegations have also been working toward strengthening ties with Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Burkina Faso, and are eyeing a co-production treaty with Kenya, three years after the countries signed an MoU. For Namibia, the agreement will help shore up a young, emerging industry that stands to gain from its larger neighbors more developed biz. Noting that nearly half the foreign productions coming to Namibia are from South Africa, Emvula said the growth and the need to form firmer ties was clear. The production service business is already an enabling pool to market great crew from South Africa and Namibia, as was evident with Mad Max: Fury Road, a great beyond-border collaboration that resulted in six Academy Awards in 2016, says Emvula. We hope this brings about increased opportunities [for] funding and human resource skills, he says. Related stories Durban: Netherlands and South Africa Strengthen Pic Production Bonds South African pubcaster SABC is moving forward with plans to implement a local content quota of 90%, according to COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Motsoeneng announced a host of measures meant to shore up the floundering pubcaster, including a new programming schedule and a logo redesign for its struggling SABC3 web. Most controversial was the decision to drop a number of foreign hits, including Days of Our Lives, Survivor, and The Office, which prompted a social-media backlash. Motsoeneng, whos been a polarizing figure during his tenure at the SABC, defended the decision to axe most of the pubcasters foreign slate. The reality is international content isnt doing well for the SABC, he said. Speaking alongside SABC execs, Motsoeneng reiterated his commitment to drive growth in South Africas TV sector, noting that the pubcaster had already set aside a budget of R600 million (around $40 million) to fund local content. Earlier this year, the SABC introduced a similar 90% quota for local content across its 18 radio stations. While that decision was widely praised by South African musicians, TV industry insiders say its unlikely that the country has the capacity to create enough high-quality content to meet the quotas target, especially given the cheaper cost of licensing foreign programs. The SABCs ramped-up budget, writes TV critic Thinus Ferreira, will not be enough to fill and sustain a 90% local content programming strategy for the three channels without compromising quality and a much higher that usual repeat and rebroadcast frequency. Related stories Discop Discusses 'Cross-Fertilization' of Content in Africa New Docs on South Africa Abound, But Local Network Can't Air Them South Africa Pubcaster Suspends Popular Serial JUBA (Reuters) - Fighting between government forces and armed groups around a town in the northwest of South Sudan has forced thousands to flee, the United Nations and an aid agency said on Saturday. The clashes around Wau, northwest of the capital, are the latest flare-up in a nation which was mired in conflict for more than two years until a peace deal was reached between President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar, now vice president. The peace deal was signed last year but took many months to implement. Machar returned to Juba in April. The latest fighting was between forces of the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Army and armed groups, according to a statement by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon which was issued to condemn the clashes and to call for talks. It was not clear who the armed groups were. There was no immediate comment from the government. The secretary-general "urges all parties to agree to dialogue to resolve their political disputes," the statement said. "He regrets the reported loss of lives." He also praised the U.N. mission in South Sudan, UNMISS, for "taking pro-active steps to protect fleeing civilians outside their base in Wau". UNMISS was deploying more resources to the area, the statement added. The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement that thousands of civilians had been forced to flee and said it was "seriously concerned by the immediate humanitarian consequences". (Reporting by Denis Dumo in Juba, George Obulutsa in Nairobi and Stephanie Ulmer-Nebehay in Geneva; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Digby Lidstone) By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked President Barack Obama's plan to spare millions of immigrants in the country illegally from deportation in a split ruling that heartened political foes who had accused him of overstepping his powers. The 4-4 ruling, coming seven months before Obama's term in office ends, marked the latest success that his Republican adversaries have had in thwarting a major policy initiative of the Democratic president. Obama had hoped that overhauling the U.S. immigration system and resolving the fate of the estimated 11 million people in the country illegally would be part of his presidential legacy. The ruling is likely to further amplify the role that the immigration issue will play in the run-up to the Nov. 8 presidential election in which voters will pick Obama's successor. It also leaves in legal limbo the roughly 4 million people Obama's action was meant to help. Obama unveiled his plan in November 2014. It was quickly challenged in court by Republican-governed Texas and 25 other states that argued that Obama overstepped the powers granted to him by the U.S. Constitution by infringing upon the authority of Congress. His unilateral executive action bypassed the Republican-led Congress. Because the court was split, a 2015 lower-court ruling invalidating Obama's plan was left in place. The plan never was implemented because the lower courts had blocked it. The plan was tailored to let roughly 4 million people - those who have lived illegally in the United States at least since 2010, have no criminal record and have children who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents - get into a program that shields them from deportation and supplies work permits. A split ruling was possible because the court was down to eight justices, four liberals and four conservatives, after conservative justice Antonin Scalia died in February. The Republican-led Senate has refused to act on Obama's nomination of appeals court judge Merrick Garland to replace Scalia. Story continues In an appearance at the White House after the ruling, Obama expressed frustration at the court's inability to issue a decisive ruling on the merits of the case and at Senate Republicans for "willfully" keeping the court shorthanded. "I think it is heartbreaking for the millions of immigrants who made their lives here, who've raised families here, who hope for the opportunity to work, pay taxes, serve in our military, and fully contribute to this country we all love in an open way," Obama said. Obama said the U.S. immigration system has been broken for two decades and that this ruling set it back even further. The issue of illegal immigration has featured prominently in the presidential campaign. Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has called for deportation of all illegal immigrants - most of them from Mexico and other Latin American countries - and building a wall along the Mexican border. The court did not reveal how each justice voted in the ruling, but it was possible the four liberals backed Obama and the four conservatives backed the states. The court appeared divided along ideological lines during oral arguments on April 18, with liberals indicating support for the administration and conservative opposed. 'MAJOR SETBACK' The nation's top elected Republican, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, and others in his party welcomed the ruling. "This is a major setback to President Obamas attempts to expand executive power, and a victory for those who believe in the separation of powers and the rule of law," said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican. The Constitution assigns certain powers to the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the federal government. The split decision set no nationwide legal precedent on presidential power or immigration law. The ruling indicates that any major immigration policy change that would address the long-term situation of illegal immigrants would have to be enacted by Congress. "We feel that justice has turned its back on millions of immigrants who, much like our founding fathers and mothers, sought a better future for themselves and their children and yet continue to live in the shadows without the respect and dignity that they deserve," said Jorge-Mario Cabrera, a spokesman for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. The Obama administration could ask the high court to rehear the case, as losing parties in two other cases in which the court has split 4-4 have done. The court has not yet acted on those other petitions. The Supreme Court decision does not affect a separate 2012 program aimed at protecting people brought to the United States as children from deportation, which Texas and the other states did not challenge. Obama took the action after House Republicans killed bipartisan immigration legislation, billed as the biggest overhaul of U.S. laws on the matter in decades and providing a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, that was passed by the Senate in 2013. Maya Ledezma, an immigrant from Mexico who lives in Maryland, said would have been eligible for Obama's program because she has lived in the United States for more than a decade and has an 8-year-old daughter who is a U.S. citizen. My life would have changed if the vote had been favorable, she said through a translator during a rally outside the Supreme Court. Republicans have been critical of Obama's use of executive action to get around Congress on immigration policy and other issues such as gun control and healthcare. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton criticized the ruling for "throwing millions of families across our country into a state of uncertainty." Trump said the ruling "blocked one of the most unconstitutional actions ever undertaken by a president." (Additional reporting by Ayesha Rascoe and Emily Stephenson in Washington and Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles) President Obama announced Friday that he had dedicated the area around New York Citys Stonewall Inn, perhaps the place most closely aligned with the modern LGBT rights movement, as a national monument. Stonewall will be our first national monument to tell the story of the struggle for LGBT rights, he said. But Stonewall while Stonewall is the first, it almost certainly will not be the last national monument dedicated to historic tales of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. In the next few months, the National Park Service plans to publish what is known as a theme study, with a focus on LGBT issues. Theme studies are essentially research projects in which experts explore and explain physical places in the United States that have historical significance, with the aim of helping those places earn designations as official landmarks recognition on historic registers. This one has been underway since the project was announced in 2014at none other than the Stonewall Inn. There have been theme studies on the civil rights movement and the Civil War. There are others currently underway on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, as well as one related to Reconstruction. This one, set to clock in at 1,200 pages, will acknowledge about 500 locations that have historical significance for the estimated 5% of the population that identifies as LGBT. The administration values telling the stories of all Americans, said Jeremy Barnum, a National Park Service spokesman. As we enter our second century of stewardship, we really are making sure national parks are relevant to everyone. Being listed in a theme study is no guarantee of designation. Rather, the document that emerges is meant to provide material for communities that might want to nominate a spot as historicand to shine a spotlight on what historians, geographers, journalists, activists and other experts think could make good candidates for telling stories that are currently underrepresented. Story continues It was not that long ago that the federal government was sort of the enemy of gay peopleyou cant get married, you cant serve, said Megan Springate, a graduate student at the University of Maryland who organized and wrotepart of the new theme studys 32 chapters. It was also not too long ago, she said, that dedicating ones academic career to LGBT study came with a warning of not being that employable, but the narrative has changed. The Obama Administration is making an effort to recognize and embrace people who have long existed on the margins and in the shadows of society with its officialdom, and anointing locations meaningful to that populations scholars is a part of that effort. Though the report is not yet public, Springate said the types of places mentioned, in chapters on topics like art and health and community, range from hospitals to personal homes to churches, bars and clubs, which have been especially safe spaces for LGBT organizers. Springate said organizations like the National Register of Historic Places are the nations story-keepers, and beyond their seal conveying that something is important, those designations also help preserve such places by encouraging grants, tax credits or other means of spurring protection and upkeep. The large number of places that get mention in the study are a reflection of the fact that LGBT people have lived everywhere, Springate said, as a part of every race and countless communitiescompared to, say, Civil War sites, which are typically contained to a certain geography. Though Obamas announcement about the Stonewall Inn isnt directly tied to the study, its not unrelated, the Park Services Barnum said. And its likely a harbinger of more announcements to come. We really want to focus, he said, on telling a more diverse story of American history. By Yesmin Dikmen LONDON, June 25 (Reuters) - - Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of London on Saturday for an annual parade celebrating gay and transgender rights, with many expressing concerns as Britain gears up to part ways with the European Union after Thursday's referendum. One of the attendees, Andrew Bailey, said that even though the EU's human rights charter is incorporated into British laws he was worried that a great deal could now change. "We are really worried about the future here. We have rights, we have a great celebration here and we have the apparent solidarity of this government. We need to have the EU support as well," he said. Another attendee, Sue Underwood, was more optimistic. "I think I am looking at a positive outcome ... It is just going to be a hard few years I think but I am hoping it will be good at the end of it," she said. Britain is under pressure to set out a quick timetable for a divorce from the European Union, with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker saying he wanted to begin negotiating immediately. London's 43rd Pride Festival also saw some attending to show solidarity with the LGBT community in Orlando, Florida, where a gunman killed 49 in a gay nightclub on June 12, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. (editing by Digby Lidstone) By Yesim Dikmen LONDON (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of London on Saturday for an annual parade celebrating gay and transgender rights, with many expressing concerns as Britain gears up to part ways with the European Union after Thursday's referendum. One of the attendees, Andrew Bailey, said that even though the EU's human rights charter is incorporated into British laws he was worried that a great deal could now change. "We are really worried about the future here. We have rights, we have a great celebration here and we have the apparent solidarity of this government. We need to have the EU support as well," he said. Another attendee, Sue Underwood, was more optimistic. "I think I am looking at a positive outcome ... It is just going to be a hard few years I think but I am hoping it will be good at the end of it," she said. Britain is under pressure to set out a quick timetable for a divorce from the European Union, with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker saying he wanted to begin negotiating immediately. London's 43rd Pride Festival also saw some attending to show solidarity with the LGBT community in Orlando, Florida, where a gunman killed 49 in a gay nightclub on June 12, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. (editing by Digby Lidstone) Texas police shot and killed a woman Friday after they said she shot and killed her daughters and then refused to drop her weapon. Authorities say Christy Sheats, 42, was found armed in the street outside a Fort Bend County home Friday afternoon, near the bodies of her daughters Madison, 17, and Taylor Sheats, 22. One of Sheats' daughters was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff's office said; the other was hospitalized but later died from her injuries. It was not immediately clear which daughter died at the scene. Authorities first responded to the scene about 5 p.m. local time, following calls of shots fired in the area. "After refusing to drop her weapon," Sheats was shot and killed by a Fulshear city police officer who was assisting, the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office said. Sheats' husband, the girls' father, was at the home at the time of the shooting and ran for help, police told KHOU. A handgun was recovered from the scene, police told the station. 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. "It would be too premature to give you a motive as to why something like this took place," Sheriff Troy Nehls told KTRK. "The best we can to pray for the father and husband so he can work through this." Nehls said deputies had been to the home before, but was unable to say why, according to KTRK. Fulshear police confirmed their officer's involvement in a statement on Facebook: "Our officer was forced to take action. He was not injured and no deputies were injured. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved." The department later wrote, "This was a tragic and unfortunate occurrence and we are deeply saddened by the results." A Fulshear police representative told PEOPLE he did not have information on how the department will handle the officer involved in the shooting, and he said no such information would be released going forward. Fort Bend County Sheriff's representatives did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. The neighborhood is reportedly still reeling from the shooting and what it means about the Sheats family. "Those parents are good. They are hard-working," one neighbor told KTRK. "Very good family. I do not know how this happened. So I cannot believe that." Neighbor Austin Enke, who said he had attended school with one of the daughters, told KHOU: "It's crazy. The neighborhood has never seen this kind of thing before. It's always quiet. This is surprising. They never showed any kind of thing that was wrong with them whatsoever." Texas police shot and killed a woman Friday after they said she shot and killed her daughters and then refused to drop her weapon. Authorities say Christy Sheats, 42, was found armed in the street outside a Fort Bend County home Friday afternoon, near the bodies of her daughters Madison, 17, and Taylor Sheats, 22. One of Sheats' daughters was pronounced dead at the scene, the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office said; the other was hospitalized but later died from her injuries. It was not immediately clear which daughter died at the scene. Authorities first responded to the scene about 5 p.m. local time, following calls of shots fired in the area. "After refusing to drop her weapon," Sheats was shot and killed by a Fulshear city police officer who was assisting, the sheriff's office said. Sheats' husband, the girls' father, was at the home at the time of the shooting and ran for help, police told KHOU. A handgun was recovered from the scene, police told the station. 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. "It would be too premature to give you a motive as to why something like this took place," Sheriff Troy Nehls told KTRK. "The best we can to pray for the father and husband so he can work through this." Nehls said deputies had been to the home before, but was unable to say why, according to KTRK. Fulshear police confirmed their officer's involvement in a statement on Facebook: "Our officer was forced to take action. He was not injured and no deputies were injured. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved." The department later wrote, "This was a tragic and unfortunate occurrence and we are deeply saddened by the results." A Fulshear police representative told PEOPLE he did not have information on how the department will handle the officer involved in the shooting, and he said no such information would be released going forward. Fort Bend County Sheriff's representatives did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. The neighborhood is reportedly still reeling from the shooting and what it means about the Sheats family. "Those parents are good. They are hard-working," one neighbor told KTRK. "Very good family. I do not know how this happened. So I cannot believe that." Neighbor Austin Enke, who said he had attended school with one of the daughters, told KHOU: "It's crazy. The neighborhood has never seen this kind of thing before. It's always quiet. This is surprising. They never showed any kind of thing that was wrong with them whatsoever." (Reuters) - Three people were killed and two others were injured in a shooting at a Maryland home on Friday night, police said. The Prince George's County Police Department said officers responded to calls of the shooting in District Heights, some 10 miles outside of Washington D.C., around 9:35 p.m. local time and found three adults dead at the scene. The two other victims, who were also both adults, were taken to area hospitals, according to Prince George's County Police spokeswoman Christina Cotterman. One of the victims was in critical condition and the other was in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries, she said. Cotterman said the shooting did not appear random and a search and investigation were under way. Further details were not immediately available. (Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Jacqueline Wong) TLC has really done it all. The network broadcasted a live birth on Facebook Live on Friday, June 24. PHOTOS: Celebrity Pregnancy Confessions According to Variety, the stream reprises TLCs A Baby Story, a docuseries following expecting mothers through their final weeks of pregnancy that aired in the late 90s. The video stream, which began around 4:20 am ET on TLCs Facebook page, lasted about 11 hours and featured a mother named Rosario giving birth in her home. Welcome back to A Baby Story LIVE Part 2. You're watching Rosario, 39 weeks pregnant, give birth to her baby boy at home in Virginia LIVE right now! Warning: This live broadcast may contain graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised, a description on Facebook read. PHOTOS: Famous Celebrity Pregnancies: Baby Bump Hall of Fame Both videos can be seen by clicking here. The final video of Rosario giving birth was watched by more than 50,000 viewers. After welcoming her little boy, Rosarios older son adorably asks if his new baby brother needs milk. You got this! So close mama!, one viewer commented on the video, while another added: Superwoman right there. Some, however, had to mute the volume. Good lord the yelling, one person commented. Variety reports that TLC will air another live stream birth with expectant mother Angela on June 27. TLC and Discovery Life are set to then air short-form versions of both live births on TV as well. PHOTOS: Celebrity Sex Confessions Sign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter to get breaking celebrity news, hot pics, and more delivered straight to your inbox! She starred in some of Hollywood's most acclaimed blockbusters, but offscreen, Kelly McGillis faced almost unimaginable struggles. The actress, best known for starring in Top Gun, Witness and The Accused, has revealed she is a survivor of two brutal rapes, as well as several assaults all horrific incidents she detailed on social media after her home was broken into and she was attacked last week. McGillis, now 58 and living in North Carolina, was viciously raped by two men 34 years ago a life-changing attack she detailed to PEOPLE in 1988. Before Fame, Horror In 1979, McGillis relocated to New York City from Newport Beach, California, to study acting at the Juilliard School. At the time, she previously told PEOPLE, she "was so terribly naive about the ways of the world." Three years later and a year after being mugged at gunpoint McGillis was getting out of the shower when two men broke down her apartment door, she said. Despite her screams, McGillis was forced into the bedroom with a knife held to her face. The men took turns sexually assaulting the actress, all while spitting on, hitting and stabbing at her with the knife. "They kept switching and telling me they were going to beat me until I was dead," she told PEOPLE. "At that point I thought I would die, and I had resigned myself." Eventually, police arrived, chasing the men off and taking McGillis to the hospital. Both men were arrested within a month of the incident. One, a 15-year-old, served more than three years in prison. Charges against the second alleged attacker, 20, were dismissed, however, after fingerprints and evidence left at the scene failed to incriminate him. How Top Gun Star Kelly McGillis Survived Sexual Assaults and Emotional Struggles to Live a 'Quiet, Normal Life'| Crime & Courts, Sexual Assault/Rape, Substance Abuse, Top Gun, Movie News, Kelly McGillis A Downward Spiral "The first few weeks after the incident I couldn't eat or sleep. I twitched incessantly," McGillis detailed to PEOPLE in 1988. "I would gasp suddenly without being able to control it." Scared and depressed, McGillis said she gained 30 pounds and began to rely on alcohol an addiction that would eventually lead to rehab. She struggled to trust men and ruined relationships. "Finally in 1984 I went into therapy for a year because I was tired of beating myself up for something I didn't do, and I realized I would have no future if I didn't stop," McGillis said. Later, her abuse struggle expanded to drugs, eventually landing her in a Pennsylvania halfway house, she told The New York Times in 2010. A New Lease on Life It seemed as if McGillis had found peace by 2009. She was eight years sober, her relationship with her children she has two grown daughters with her second husband, Fred Tillman, whom she divorced in 2002 was long repaired and she was ready to come out as a lesbian, a surprise to many after two marriages to men. A year later, McGillis entered into a civil union with partner Melanie Leis after 10 years together, telling PEOPLE, "I have a very quiet, little normal life, and I love it." But the romance wouldn't last by 2013, she and Leis had parted ways. McGillis channeled her past problems into helping others working with women at a New Jersey drug and rehab facility, she told The Oklahoman newspaper in 2013. How Top Gun Star Kelly McGillis Survived Sexual Assaults and Emotional Struggles to Live a 'Quiet, Normal Life'| Crime & Courts, Sexual Assault/Rape, Substance Abuse, Top Gun, Movie News, Kelly McGillis "I find it's just an amazing gift to see people come in hopeless and to be given some hope and some desire to live, and some tools for hopefully changing their lives, their children's lives, their families' lives," McGillis said. She also re-entered Hollywood an industry she'd long left behind to focus on her children. In 2013, she appeared in the cannibal horror film We Are What we Are. "I think I kind of look at things now with like, 'Have I done it before? Would it be fun? How long away from home is it?' " she told Yahoo of joining the cast. Trauma Revisited The June 17 break-in at her home has left McGillis rattled and reopened old wounds, despite the arrest of the alleged intruder. In a Facebook post from two days after the incident, the actress further alleged that someone from her past had stalked her and once attempted to poison her pets and destroy her personal property. She also revealed that she was gang-raped by three men when she was 12. "After each one of these attacks I moved thinking I could find a safe place. Not," she wrote, adding, "I am now left with all the terrifying feelings of PTSD and trying to pull myself out of the very depth of the all consuming depression and despair. All that background pain has pushed itself to the fore of my psyche." McGillis has since obtained a concealed carry permit for North Carolina, writing on Facebook, "All I have ever wanted is to feel safe. Safe in my own home." Ottawa (AFP) - TransCanada has formally filed a $15 billion suit against the US government for blocking its controversial project for an oil pipeline linking Canada with the Gulf of Mexico, legal documents show. The company first announced its intention to sue in January, but then sought negotiations toward "an amicable settlement of the dispute" surrounding the Keystone XL pipeline, according to legal documents posted on its website. Unable to settle, the company formally filed suit late Friday, asserting that denial of a permit to complete the pipeline was "unjustified" under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and that the decision also exceeded US President Barack Obama's constitutional powers. The suit is based on Chapter 11 of NAFTA -- the 1994 trade pact between the United States, Canada and Mexico -- which aims to protect foreign investors from potential losses. The Calgary-based company is seeking $15 billion for losses it says it suffered because of the pipeline's rejection. The decision to block the pipeline, which came seven years after the company first submitted the project, marred US-Canada relations and angered many in the oil industry in both countries. The pipeline would have carried crude oil from the Alberta tar sands deposits all the way to the US Gulf Coast. The US government's blocking of the 1,179-mile (1,900 kilometer) Alberta-Nebraska section effectively undermined the entire project. Environmentalists have assailed the project -- and the move to sue -- arguing that the Alberta deposits produce some of the "dirtiest" crude in the world. In its latest filings, TransCanada argued that the US government's decision was not based on technical analysis, but "was symbolic, and based merely on the desire to make the US appear strong on climate change." A summit that brings together the leaders of NAFTA's three countries will be held next week in Ottawa. TORONTO (Reuters) - TransCanada Corp is formally requesting arbitration over U.S. President Barack Obama's rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline, seeking $15 billion in damages, the company said in legal papers dated Friday. TransCanada submitted a notice for an arbitration claim in January and had then tried to negotiate with the U.S. government to "reach an amicable settlement," the company said in files posted on the pipeline's website. "Unfortunately, the parties were unable to settle the dispute." TransCanada said it then filed its formal arbitration request under North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) provisions, seeking to recover what it says are costs and damages. The Keystone XL was designed to link existing pipeline networks in Canada and the United States to bring crude from Alberta and North Dakota to refineries in Illinois and, eventually, the Gulf of Mexico coast. Obama rejected the cross-border crude oil pipeline last November, seven years after it was first proposed, saying it would not make a meaningful long-term contribution to the U.S. economy. TransCanada is suing the United States in federal court in a separate legal action, seeking to reverse the pipeline's rejection. NAFTA, whose arbitration provisions allow companies to challenge governments before international panels, has been a target of recent anti-free-trade sentiments in the United States. The heads of NAFTA members, Canada, the United States and Mexico, are expected to meet in Ottawa for a North American leaders' Summit on June 29. Canada was supposed to host the meeting early last year but canceled it amid tension between then Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Obama over the Keystone XL pipeline. TransCanada and the U.S. Department of Energy did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Reporting by Ethan Lou in Toronto, Editing by Franklin Paul) Donald Trump Donald Trump is still standing behind his proposal to bar Muslims from entering the US, but he clarified on Saturday that he would only seek to ban those from "terror states." The clarification is in line with other statements the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has made in recent weeks, but is a significant departure from the blanket ban he proposed in December. CNN reporter Jeremy Diamond, who is reporting on Trump's trip to Scotland, tweeted Saturday that Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks clarified that he does not support banning all foreign Muslims just those from "terror states." It's unclear which countries would be considered "terror states," but Trump has said previously that the descriptor refers to places "where you have tremendous terrorism in the world you know what those places are." Diamond noted that Trump told reporters that it "wouldn't bother" him to have a Muslim from Scotland enter the US. Trump told Diamond that his administration would focus on "people coming from the terror states" and said "we are going to be so vigilant" with them. Trump's finance chairman, Steven Mnuchin, told reporters that the ban is "not about religion," but "about Muslims from countries that support terrorism," according to Diamond. In the wake of the terror attack at an Orlando nightclub earlier this month, Trump has renewed his talk of a Muslim ban. The proposed ban has been controversial during Trump's run for the Republican nomination, with some experts blasting it as unconstitutional. Although Trump initially called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States," he softened his rhetoric in recent months, saying the ban was "just a suggestion." His campaign's chief strategist, Paul Manafort, said last month that Trump would "moderate" his stance on the proposed ban. NOW WATCH: Donald Trump's 'strange' morning habit tells you everything you need to know about him More From Business Insider ATHENS, June 25 (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, whose own rebellion against European Union policy brought the bloc to a crisis last year, said on Saturday he did not blame the British people for voting to leave but rather EU leaders. Speaking to his leftist Syriza party's central committee, Tsipras blamed the Brexit outcome on the "chronic deficiencies" of European leaders and their insistence on austerity policies that fed populism and nationalism. "As much as the decision of the British people saddens us, it is a decision to be respected. We must not put the blame on the British people ... when the borders remain open on austerity policies but stay closed for people," Tsipras said. Tsipras led his Syriza party to victory in two elections and a referendum last year in an attempt to end years of austerity imposed on euro zone member Greece because of its untenable debt. However, he was forced by the euro zone to accept more conditions as a quid pro quo for another bailout and continued membership of the euro zone. Tsipras spoke on the phone with French President Francois Hollande on Saturday and the two leaders agreed on the need for solidarity in the multi-nation bloc. "The common assessment was the need to refound the principles of democracy, social protection and solidarity in Europe," Tsipras' office said in a statement on the conversation. (Reporting by George Georgiopoulos Editing by Jeremy Gaunt) Hammamet (Tunisia) (AFP) - Policemen on horseback amble among the sunbathers and new metal detectors dot hotel entrances in Tunisia as the North African country seeks to bring back tourists a year after a seaside massacre. Authorities and hotel managers hope improved security will help to win back the trust of holidaymakers on the first anniversary of the jihadist attack that killed 38 tourists at a beach resort. "We used to sell sunshine and beaches. Today, we sell sunshine, beaches and security," says Anis Souissi, who manages a seaside hotel south of Tunis. Before its 2011 revolution, Tunisia attracted almost seven million visitors a year, with its tourism sector accounting for seven percent of GDP. The beach bloodbath was the second of two deadly jihadist attacks that dealt heavy blows to the key industry last year, following four years of decline due to political instability. Tourists fled in horror on June 26, as a Tunisian gunman pulled a Kalashnikov rifle from inside a furled beach umbrella and went on a shooting spree outside a five-star hotel near the city of Sousse. It came just months after 21 tourists and a policeman were killed in another jihadist attack at the Bardo National Museum in Tunis. A year on, the country's tourism sector is still reeling. Revenues for the first quarter of this year were down by 51.7 percent compared to last year, according to the central bank. European visitors to the country in 2015 had already dropped by 65.8 percent compared to 2010. - Anyone suspicious checked - As high season kicks off in Tunisia, authorities and tourism firms are hoping to boost confidence and encourage bookings with increased security checks. The interior ministry has said that 70 mobile police posts have been set up on beaches, with around 1,500 more policemen deployed to protect tourists this year -- on top of 1,000 additional security personnel deployed last year. In Yasmine-Hammamet, some 70 kilometres (45 miles) southeast of Tunis, policemen roam the beaches on foot, in quad bikes and on horses. Story continues On the sand by the water's edge, two policemen in uniform chat under a red gazebo discreetly marked "police". "If anyone looks suspicious -- even if it's a holidaymaker -- we ask them for their ID," a plainclothes policeman tells AFP. After all, the Sousse attacker had hidden his weapon inside a parasol, he says. Following the seaside killings, Prime Minister Habib Essid admitted that the police had been too slow to respond. Tunisia's tourism minister told AFP in late May that the government was making security a priority "because without security there can be no recovery" in the tourism sector. The authorities had directed airports and hotels "to conform to international security norms and standards", Selma Elloumi Rekik said. But Anis Chemli, who manages a hotel in the island of Djerba in the country's southeast, says adopting new security measures is "an added financial burden". - Quads for the police - After last year's beach attack, the Iberostar hotel in Djerba invested in eight extra security guards, four new sniffer dogs, 48 new surveillance cameras -- each costing 2,000 dinars ($900, more than 800 euros) --- and a metal detector that cost 9,000 dinars, he says. "We're still waiting for a bag scanner to be delivered," he says, adding that the machine was an investment of 26,600 euros. According to Chemli, hotels in the Djerba-Zarzis area have even banded together to buy the security forces eight quad bikes for them to better patrol their beaches. Souissi, who manages Le Royal in Yasmine-Hammamet, says a third of the hotel's new investments last year went towards better security. The head of the Tunisian hotel industry federation, Radhouane Ben Salah, however says improved security should only be "part of the message" to promote Tunisia as a holiday destination abroad. Focusing promotional material on security instead of what landscapes or cultural experiences the country has to offer could be "counter-productive", he says. One year after the Sousse attack in which 30 Britons were killed, the Foreign Office has kept in place an advisory against all but essential travel to Tunisia. But Abdellatif Hamam, the head of Tunisia's National Tourism Office, is optimistic. "Our efforts are starting to pay off," he says. Sixty out of 100 hotels that closed after the Sousse attacks have reopened. "We invite journalists, tour operators and travel agencies to come and see for themselves." ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish deputy prime minister said on Saturday that it was "unfortunate" that Pope Francis had labeled the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces a genocide, and that it reflected the papacy's "Crusader mentality". Departing from his prepared text during a visit to Armenian capital Yerevan on Friday, Pope Francis used the word "genocide" to describe the mass killings, a year after infuriating Turkey with a similar statement. "The Pope's statement is very unfortunate," Nurettin Canikli told reporters in the Black Sea city of Giresun. "It is unfortunately possible to see all the reflections and traces of Crusader mentality in the actions of the papacy and the pope," he said. Turkey accepts that many Christian Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces during World War One, but contests assertions that that up to 1.5 million were killed, and denies the killings were orchestrated and so constitute a genocide. It also says many Muslim Turks perished at the time. "It is not an objective statement, and it does not reflect the truth and ... the whole world knows this and so do the Armenians," Canikli said in comments published by the daily Hurriyet. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Kevin Liffey) Los Angeles (AFP) - At least two people have died in a fire in central California that has destroyed 100 structures and prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency, officials said Friday. The fast-moving blaze that erupted late Thursday afternoon in the Lake Isabella area of Kern County had spread to about 30,000 acres (121 square kilometers) by Friday afternoon and was five percent contained, authorities said. The Kern County Fire Department confirmed the two fatalities in a message on Twitter but provided no further details. It said firefighters were dealing with strong winds that were fanning the so-called Erskine fire -- located three hours north of Los Angeles. Governor Jerry Brown issued a state of emergency for the region, allowing aid to be deployed more quickly. "Anne and I extend our heartfelt sympathies to everyone impacted by this destructive blaze," the governor said in a statement, referring to his wife. "We join all Californians in expressing our gratitude to the courageous firefighters, emergency personnel and volunteers working tirelessly throughout Kern County to help residents and extinguish this fire." Local media said 80 homes had been destroyed by the flames, which quickly went out of control and that number was likely to grow. Thousands of residents have also been evacuated. "This fire ... it exploded. It went from 2 to thousands of acres within hours," county fire captain Tyler Townsend told reporters. Fire officials said some 800 firefighters were battling the blaze and several hundred more were on the way. "The mountainous terrain, five years of drought and wind gusts ...drove a fire over 11 miles in 13 hours," said county fire Chief Brian Marshall, quoted by KTLA. "Our firefighters ... have been engaged in a firefight of epic proportions, trying to save every structure possible." Authorities closed several highways and evacuated two schools and a retirement home in the agricultural and oil region after the blaze started due to unknown causes. Story continues California is experiencing a record five-year drought and trees and brush are at risk of igniting from the smallest spark. Temperatures that climbed to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) earlier this week increased the risk of fire. More than 14 large fires are currently raging in the United States, mostly in the southwest, where a record heat wave left at least five dead last Sunday. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two people were killed on Saturday in a shooting at a dance studio in Fort Worth, Texas, and several others were taken to local hospitals with injuries, police said. One victim was found dead inside Studio 74, and another person died from his injuries at the hospital, according to a statement from a Fort Worth police spokesman. The police did not say what time the shooting had occurred. The studio provides "dance educational programming and outreach" for children through after-school and in-school programs, according to its website. The studio did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Detectives are investigating the incident. (Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Digby Lidstone) (Reuters) - Hundreds of firefighters were struggling on Saturday to contain a massive wildfire that has killed two people and burned at least 100 homes while ravaging lakeside communities in central California. The so-called Erskine Fire, which broke out on Thursday afternoon in the foothills of Kern County about 42 miles (68 km) northeast of Bakersfield, has exploded to char more than 30,000 acres, making it one of the worst in an already intense fire season in drought-stricken California. The National Weather Service issued a "red-flag warning" for the area at least into Saturday morning, forecasting high temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds that could whip up the blaze's intensity as it cuts through the bone-dry brush and grass. Three firefighters have suffered injuries related to smoke inhalation while battling the inferno and hundreds of residents were forced to flee their homes. California Governor Jerry Brown on Friday declared a state of emergency for the county. Officials said the 800 firefighters battling the blaze have been able to draw containment lines around five percent of the flames, and hundreds more personnel were en route to the area. Some 1,500 homes remain threatened, according to fire information website InciWeb. To the south, firefighters were gaining control over a pair of fires dubbed the San Gabriel Complex burning through foothills and canyons in Los Angeles County. InciWeb said 30 percent of the 5,260 acre fire had been contained as of Friday evening. Authorities allowed to return home more of hundreds of residents who were evacuated from the area after the fire sparked on Monday morning. Evacuation orders for other communities threatened by the flames remained in effect. (Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; editing by David Stamp) The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the search for the Florida family missing in the Gulf of Mexico. "It is with a heavy heart and sincere condolences to the family and friends that I do this," said Captain Greg Case of the U.S. Coast Guard in a briefing on Saturday. "This is probably the most difficult decision I ever have to make in this position." The decision comes after 5 days of searching 34,000 nautical sq miles for the Kimberly family and their 29-foot sailboat. Dad Ace, 45, and his three kids Roger, 13, Donny, 15 and Rebecca, 17 were last heard from on Sunday afternoon when Ace called his brother to report that they were caught "in 6-foot seas and he was attempting to survive with his children," the Coast Guard said in a statement. Rescue teams pulled an unidentified body out of the water on Thursday and a mast believed to be from the family's sailboat, according to a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard. The first body, found on Wednesday, was identified as 17-year-old Rebecca Kimberly. The teen had been living with her father and brothers on the boat in Sarasota, Florida for a year. The family was headed to Fort Myers for repairs to the sailboat. Ace's brother alerted the Coast Guard Tuesday after the family failed to reach their destination. By Joseph Ax (Reuters) - The U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday said it had suspended its search for a family whose sailboat disappeared off the Florida coast six days ago. The Coast Guard also confirmed that two bodies recovered on Wednesday and Thursday belonged to Ace Kimberly, 45, and his 17-year-old daughter, Rebecca. Kimberly's two sons, aged 13 and 15, remain missing. Calling it a "very difficult decision," Captain Gregory Case said he had informed friends and relatives of the Kimberly family that the Coast Guard would cease search operations. The family was last seen on Sunday when they set sail for Fort Myers from Sarasota, Florida, in a 29-foot (9-meter) sailboat. The vessel encountered 6-foot (1.8 m) seas on Sunday during a storm near Englewood, about 30 miles (48 km) south of Sarasota, according to authorities. The state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will take possession of the evidence gathered by searchers, including a number of personal effects from the boat, in an effort to determine what happened. "There may be some questions that we will never have the answers to," said Major Roger Young of the commission. "But the point of the investigation is to try to get to the bottom of what happened." The Coast Guard has said the family had lived on the vessel for about a year. They were traveling to Fort Myers for repairs to the boat, which was in poor condition. In addition to the Coast Guard, the search involved several other federal, state and local emergency responders. The effort covered more than 34,000 square nautical miles, Case said. (Editing by Frank McGurty and David Gregorio) UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations is concerned by the Syrian opposition's accusations that incendiary weapons have been used in Syria but said on Friday it is unable to verify the reports. The Syrian opposition High Negotiations Committee called on U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday to launch an investigation into its accusations that Russia has used air-delivered incendiary weapons and cluster bombs in Syria. The Russian mission to the United Nations was not immediately available to comment on the accusations. "We are concerned about the reports of the use of incendiary weapons in Aleppo, Syria," U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said. "We are not in a position to verify these reports." "We expect that all parties and states involved in the conflict will refrain from their use in this way," he said. Russia deployed warplanes to Syria last year to support President Bashar al-Assad against rebels seeking to end his rule. A crackdown by Assad on pro-democracy protesters five years ago sparked a civil war, and Islamic State militants have used the chaos to seize territory in Syria and Iraq. Incendiary weapons use substances that are designed to set fire to objects or burn people, and cluster munitions are containers that explode in the air to distribute smaller bombs over a large area. Use of incendiary weapons in areas where there are concentrations of civilians is banned under the Convention on Conventional Weapons, while cluster bombs are banned under the Convention on Cluster Munitions. (Story corrects final paragraph to show U.N. ban on incendiary weapons applies to areas with concentrations of civilians) (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) pandora's box It's official: Britain has chosen to leave the European Union. Britons voted Thursday on whether the UK should stay in or leave the 28-nation bloc, with the results counted overnight. As of 7 a.m. BST (2 a.m. ET) on Friday, the final results showed that 51.9% voted to leave the EU versus 48.1% that voted for Britain to stay within the EU. Notably, a team of Barclays analysts previously argued that should the Brits choose to leave, the outcome could have serious consequences for the rest of Europe. Here's what they wrote (emphasis ours): "A UK exit would set an unwelcome precedent for countries to leave the EU whenever domestic priorities conflict, and would do so at a time when political risks and potential for sovereign-EU confrontation already high. Simultaneously the UK would present Continental opponents of immigration with a politically potent example (and threat) of how to deal with one of the thorniest and most emotionally charged trans-national issues confronting European voters: immigration. [...] The precedent of a member state leaving the union would open Pandora's box: it could be used as a political argument by populist and extreme parties in several countries, both from the right and the left, to push for an EU exit, including for some euro area countries. [...] Such events would certainly revive the 'redenomination risk' in the euro area." More recently, a Morgan Stanley research team led by Elga Bartsch wrote something similar in a note to clients: "... in our view, the political discontent that is being displayed around the public debate about Brexit is deep-rooted and likely to be echoed elsewhere. The political fragmentation that currently manifests itself in an increasingly populist debate about the UK's EU membership is neither limited to the UK or Europe nor it is likely to dissipate quickly, we think. In our view, the voter backlash against established political parties and international institutions is on the rise." Story continues As an example of the kind of backlash Bartsch describes, Austria nearly elected in May the first far-right European head of state since World War II. Another example, which many people might have missed given the anxiety surrounding the Brexit vote, is that the Eurosceptic, antiestablishment Five Star Movement was the big winner in Italy's recent municipal elections. Most notably, Five Star's candidate for mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi, won 67% of the vote, which is more than twice the vote share that the mainstream center-left Democratic Party (PD) candidate got. hsbc rise of eurosceptic parties in the eu And Europe has a bunch of other elections coming up. The Spanish will head to vote again on June 26 after elections in December failed to produce a government. And over the next year, the Netherlands, France, and Germany three major countries where far-right populist parties are growing in popularity will have elections, too. Plus, almost immediately after news outlets called a Brexit, several European politicians made comments about having their own referendums. As Business Insider's Natasha Bertrand outlined: Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, announced that Scotland "sees its future as part of the EU," suggesting that Scotland may hold another referendum to decide whether to separate from Britain and re-negotiate an entry into the EU as an independent country. The Irish political party Sinn Fein, meanwhile, called for a referendum on uniting Northern Ireland with the rest of Ireland as the Brexit results came in. France's Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front party, called the Brexit "victory" and then changed her Twitter avatar to the Union Jack. Meanwhile, the party's vice president, Florian Philippot, called for a French referendum on leaving the EU. Geert Wilders, the leader of the far-right Dutch Party for Freedom, called on the country to have its own EU referendum in light of Britain's successful Leave campaign. "Overall, Eurosceptic movements could receive a significant boost from a UK decision to leave the EU," argued Deutsche Bank's Jim Reid in his daily morning note to clients. He continued: "This is akin to a cascade of 'prisoner's dilemma' scenarios, with an increasing probability of getting stuck in the non-cooperative solution over multiple games. As such, the risk of disintegration would not materialize as a 'big bang' but rather as a drawn-out process, implying multiple points at which Europe could still put things back on a more positive path. In this scenario, the EU would become increasingly irrelevant for its members, for its neighbourhood and on a global scale." A few days ahead of the Brexit vote, another Deutsche Bank research team wrote in a note to clients, highlighting the upcoming elections as well as the migrant crisis and Greece: "Beyond the immediate risk events of the Brexit referendum and Spain election, geopolitical agenda remains in focus. This backdrop makes policy progress very unlikely as domestic politics drive the agenda [leading to] limited room for country-level structural reform [and] little progress toward EU or eurozone reform or integration." The team added that "policy uncertainty is and will remain high," noting that policy uncertainty in Europe is now around 2011-2012 levels during the height of the eurozone crisis. And, for what it's worth, Yanis Varoufakis, the former Greek finance minister and outspoken political activist, had a few things to say about the Brexit vote, too. "OUT won because the EU establishment have made it impossible, through their anti-democratic reign (not to mention the asphyxiation of weaker countries like Greece), for the people of Britain to imagine a democratic EU," he argued in a post Friday on the blog OpenDemocracy. "The EU's disintegration is now running at full speed," he added. Screen Shot 2016 06 21 at 9.56.37 AM NOW WATCH: Watch David Cameron announce his resignation after the UK voted to leave EU More From Business Insider Aleppo (Syria) (AFP) - US-backed fighters edged further into the Islamic State group stronghold of Manbij on Saturday, threatening a key stop on the jihadists' lifeline from Turkey to their "caliphate" in Syria and neighbouring Iraq. But in the IS-held eastern town of Al-Quriyah, 47 people, most of them civilians, died in Russian and government bombardment, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Thirty-one civilians were killed in three raids alone, but it was not immediately clear whether the 16 others were civilians or IS fighters, said the Observatory's Rami Abdel Rahman. Russian, Syrian, and US-led coalition warplanes are all carrying out raids against IS territory in the battered country. In Manbij, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces overran a key road junction in the city's south after capturing nearby grain silos overnight. "The grain silos overlook more than half of Manbij. SDF fighters can climb to the top and monitor the city," said Abdel Rahman. The Raqa Revolutionaries Brigades -- one of the Arab components of the Kurdish-dominated alliance -- also said the SDF had seized the silos and pushed into the city. The Mills Roundabout lies less than two kilometres (one mile) from the city centre. Captured by IS in 2014, Manbij was a key transit point for foreign fighters and funds, as well as a trafficking hub for oil, antiquities and other plundered goods. If it succeeds, the offensive on Manbij -- backed by intense air strikes by a US-led coalition -- would mark the most significant victory against IS for the SDF. - Aleppo under fire - Across the frontier in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, security forces were poised to assault Jolan, the last neighbourhood still held by IS. Tens of thousands of people fled the fighting, with many camped out in the open in the summer heat. "Dozens of families are still without tents or any form of shelter inside the camps, living in miserable conditions. The majority are elderly people, women and children," said the Norwegian Refugee Council. Story continues The SDF launched its offensive to take Manbij on May 31, driving across the Euphrates River from the east with military advice from some 200 US special forces troops. IS has thrown large numbers of fighters into the battle, losing 463, according to the Observatory. The SDF has lost at least 89. The jihadists have taken as many as 1,000 Kurdish civilians hostage in areas under their control west of Manbij, according to the Observatory. Manbij lies in the eastern plains of Aleppo province, which has become a battleground between an array of competing armed groups, including Al-Qaeda, non-jihadist rebels and government forces, as well as the SDF and IS. Aleppo was once the country's commercial hub but now lies divided between government forces in the west and rebels in the east. A two-day freeze on fighting brokered by Moscow and Washington this month expired without renewal. On Saturday, Russian and Syrian warplanes pounded rebel-held areas in and around the city in support of a regime offensive on the rebels' sole remaining supply route, the Observatory said. The Castello Road has been repeatedly hit by air strikes but residents said the bombing had intensified in recent days. - No sleep - An AFP correspondent in the rebel-held east of the city said the latest strikes lasted throughout the night. "In the past two days, my kids and I haven't been able to sleep all night because of the huge blasts, the likes of which we haven't heard before," said 38-year-old shopkeeper Abu Ahmad. A father of three, Abu Ahmad owns a small convenience store in east Aleppo. "We haven't been able to get any products or produce for the shop over the past two days because no one can use the (Castello) road," he said. The Observatory said government forces were also fighting rebels in northern neighbourhoods of the city in a bid to halt rocket fire on government-held districts. The renewed government offensive around Aleppo comes a day after another key ally, Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, pledged to send more fighters to join the "greatest battle" of the war. More than 280,000 people have been killed since the conflict began with anti-government protests in 2011. A prominent Syrian activist and journalist died in a Turkish hospital overnight after being seriously wounded in a bomb blast in Aleppo last week. Facebook pages managed by fellow activists said Khaled al-Issa, a Syrian photographer in his 20s, died in Antakya. Journalist Hadi al-Abdullah, who was wounded in the same bombing that some activists have blamed on Al-Qaeda, was in stable condition in hospital. The 37th Durban Intl. Film Festival wrapped Saturday night with an awards ceremony that was followed by the closing film, Marco Del Fiols The Space in Between: Marina Abramovic and Brazil, a documentary about the acclaimed performance artists search for spiritual healing in South America. The award for the Best Feature Film went to The Violin Player, by Bauddhayan Mukherji, which the jury described as a seductive and mysterious tale of a violin players mundane life, and an interesting take on how chance encounters are almost predestined. The award for Best South African Feature Film went to Meg Rickards Tess, which the jury heralded as a measured and uncompromising debut feature. Martha and Niki, directed by Tora Mkandawire Martens, won the award for Best Documentary, with the jury calling it a visual feast that skillfully intertwines a profound reflection on (an) art form with the inner journey of two compelling characters. The jury also made a special mention of Action Commandante, by Nadine Cloete, for its exceptional quality and commitment to its subject matter. The Best South African Documentary went to The Journeymen, directed by Sean Meterlekamp, which opened the fest June 16, and was praised as a strong and uncompromising cinema that is simultaneously disturbing and life-affirming. Best Short Film went to Grandmas Day (Dzien Babci), directed by Milosz Sakowski, with a special mention for Ave Maria, by Basil Khalil. The Best African Short Film Award, which is supported by the Gauteng Film Commission, went to New Eyes, directed by Hiwot Admasu. eKhaya (Home), by Shubham Mehta won the Best South African Short Film award, which is also supported by the Gauteng Film Commission. The shorts jury also made special mention of two other films: Amagugu, directed by Ndududo Shandu, and Discovery of Fire, directed by Gerhard Pretorius. The Best Actor Award went to Mohsen Namjoo for his performance in Radio Dream, directed by Babak Jalali. The award for Best Actress went to Christia Visser for her role in Tess. Story continues The award for Best Direction went to Ciro Guerra for Embrace of the Serpent, while Guerra and Thoedor Koch-Grunberg also won Best Screenplay. Best Cinematography went to Chris Lotz, for The Endless River. A new award for Best Editing, sponsored by the South Africa Guild of Editors, went to Linda Man, for Tess. The award for Artistic Bravery was given to Gabriel Mascaros Neon Bull, for its unique portrayal of a little-known community of Brazilian Rodeo workers. The Amnesty International Durban Human Rights Award for the film that best reflects human rights issues, which comes with a cash prize donated by the Artists for the Human Rights Trust, went to Noma, directed by Pablo Pineda. The international jury this year was made up of four jurors: Bianca Balbuena, an award-wining producer from the Philippines; Fibby Kioria, the program director of Maisha Foundation, an initiative founded by Mira Nair to empower filmmakers in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda; Sherif Awad, a film critic who currently works for the Luxor African Film Festival; and Trevor Steele Taylor, a former programmer for the Cape Town International Film Festival, the Weekly Mail & Guardian Film Festival, and the Durban Intl. Film Festival, whos currently the curator for film at the National Arts Festival. The South African feature film jury consisted of filmmakers Jahmil Qubeka and Melissa Parry, while the documentary jurors were filmmakers Rehad Desai, Omelga Mthiyane, and Riaan Hendricks. The short film jurors were filmmakers Neil Coppen and Sumayya Rawat. The Amnesty Jury consisted of Coral Vinsen, Nonhlanha Mkhize, Betty Rawheath, and Mark Povall. Related stories Durban: Encounters Topper Els Talks African Documentaries Durban: Rama Thiaw Jump Starts 'Revolution' Creative Space Media Offers Military Grade Locations in South Africa It was a scary week for a couple of the National League's premier starting pitchers, but luckily, it appears both were able to avoid anything serious. Stephen Strasburg bowed out of his marquee Monday match-up against Clayton Kershaw due to a back strain that he sustained while lifting weights over the weekend. Strasburg played catch on Wednesday and the team was encouraged by how it went. It looks like Washington's co-ace will make his next scheduled start against Milwaukee. The Brewers lead the NL in strikeouts and rank 12th in scoring, so Strasburg could be in for a big game on Sunday. Noah Syndergaard left his outing against the Royals on Sunday after six innings and only 91 pitches when his elbow started barking. However, an MRI found no structural damage and Thor is not expected to miss a start. We're a tad more concerned about this one because it's the second time this season Syndergaard has needed to have his elbow examined, but obviously his owners need to stick with him until something significant comes up. Whew. Follow @Rotoworld_BB and @NickNelsonMN on Twitter! Also be sure to subscribe to the Rotoworld Baseball Podcast on iTunes! * Last week in this space, we recommended selling high on Colby Lewis. Hopefully you acted fast. As it turns out, it was not the righty's contact-heavy ways that foiled him, but rather a Grade 2 lat strain that is expected to keep him out for at least two months. The Rangers are scrambling for rotation reinforcements because they also lost Derek Holland this week to shoulder inflammation. There's presently no timetable for his return, but he had been struggling so it stands to reason he will be out for a while to try and get right. * The Astros drafted A.J. Reed out of the University Kentucky in the second round of the 2014 draft. Last year, in his first full professional season, the numbers he put up were jaw-dropping. In 135 games between Single-A and Double-A, the first baseman hit .340/.432/.612 with 34 home runs and 127 RBI. Story continues His production in Triple-A this year wasn't quite as transcendent, but Reed was still playing well with an .854 OPS and 11 homers in 59 games. Now, he'll get a shot in the majors. Reed is coming up on Saturday and should see fairly consistent playing time with Houston. As power hitters go, he's not all that strikeout prone. Give him a look if you need some pop. * Willson Contreras had a memorable first big-league at-bat on Sunday, entering in the sixth inning as a pinch-hitter and launching the first pitch he saw over the wall for a two-run homer. It was a tantalizing glimpse of what the offense-minded catcher is capable of. Later in the week, Joe Maddon mentioned that Contreras will see time in the outfield, in addition to catcher and first base. It looks like he might have a Kyle Schwarber type usage scheme, and if so the 24-year-old has a chance to be quite valuable. * Julio Teheran dropped a one-hit shutout on the Mets on Sunday, adding to what has been a tremendous season for the 25-year-old. Through 15 starts, he is sitting with a 2.66 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 92-to-24 K/BB ratio over 98 innings. He is shaping up as a quite a trade chip for the last-place Braves, and even though he's still young and relatively cheap, they're going to have to listen of offers as the deadline approaches. Count the Red Sox as one team with interest, according to Jim Bowden. It would certainly be a nice development for fantasy owners if the right-hander were dealt to Boston, or any team with an offense. Despite his fine work on the mound this year, Teheran is just 3-7. * The Red Sox are also said be inquiring on Atlanta's closer, Arodys Vizcaino, who is "drawing intense interest" per Jon Heyman. Like Teheran, Vizcaino's fantasy appeal would greatly benefit from a move. Save chances have been few and far between for the Braves, but the 25-year-old righty is hugely talented and could rack them up with a quality club. * In other Braves news, outfielder Mallex Smith suffered a broken thumb when he was hit by a pitch on Sunday and is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks, putting him out until late August or early September. Smith had been a nice contributor thanks to his speed, producing 14 steals and four triples. His replacement on the roster, veteran Emilio Bonifacio, also brings some wheels and was 23-for-27 on steals in Triple-A, but it's doubtful he'll hit enough to offer any real value. * The Mets are looking at Jose Reyes as a potential solution at third base, where they have a major hole in David Wright's absence. Reports suggest that a reunion could come together as soon as this weekend. Reyes would likely head to the minors to sharpen up at the hot corner, where he has zero major-league experience. The 33-year-old is a shell of his former self but can still swipe enough bases to be relevant. The Mets have attempted the fewest steals in the National League, however. * Chris Young had been playing left field regularly for the Red Sox, but went down with a hamstring strain on Thursday and will miss at least a few weeks. With Brock Holt and Blake Swihart sidelined by injuries, and Rusney Castillo recently removed from the 40-man roster, it's unclear how Boston will move forward in left. * One option would have been trying to acquire Oswaldo Arcia, who was designated for assignment by the Twins last week, but Boston's division rivals jumped on that opportunity. The Rays acquired Arcia from the Twins for cash or a player to be named on Friday. The slugging lefty has been an overly aggressive strikeout machine for some time now, but he had 36 MLB home runs by his 24th birthday, which was just over a year ago. It'll be interesting to see what he can do if Tampa gives him regular at-bats. * The Mariners sent Nori Aoki to Triple-A on Friday. The outfielder has been scuffling against lefties in particular, with a brutal .434 OPS in 87 plate appearances. It's good news for Franklin Gutierrez, who has been hitting well but fighting for playing time. This week, the Supreme Court issued two decisions that will both advance and roll back legal protections for people of color. At the same time the Court upheld the constitutionality of race-conscious admissions policies, it struck down the Obama administration's executive action on immigration and condoned illegal searches and seizures. The rulings bring to mind the influence of late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, whose vacancy on the court has remained unfilled since February 2016. Advocates of affirmative action, for example, might be rallying against the SCOTUS because Scalia would have decided against a race-based admissions policy, Obama's immigration plan, and in favor of a ruling that can increase illegal searches and seizures. Scalia's absence highlights the necessity for an incoming progressive justice who will have the power to transform the nation's highest court. The movement for black lives has thus far focused most of energies on rampant police abuse and prosecutors who have failed to hold accountable law enforcement officers who have killed black people. The movement has also helped to shift the national conversation on electoral politics. In addition, the specific needs and vulnerabilities of black girls and women, as well as LGBT people, have been uplifted. But the recent Supreme Court decisions show the need for a more direct, in-your-face engagement with policy. The vacancy, and the person who will fill it, deserve as much focus as law enforcement and prosecutor's offices. But first, there is good reason to recognize the wins. In a 4-3 vote on Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a race-based admissions program at the University of Texas at Austin. The New York Times characterized the case a "major victory" for advocates of affirmative action. For many, this ruling validates the need for race-conscious admissions policies that seek to address centuries of institutionalized racism. The University of Texas ruling is commendable, but it is equally important to acknowledge the same black or Latinx college graduate who benefits from affirmative action can still be subjected to discriminatory policing practices and prejudiced immigration laws the other rulings uphold. Source: Mark Wilson/Getty Images On Monday, the Justices ruled in favor of law enforcement in Utah v. Strieff. The decision allows law enforcement to circumvent the exclusionary rule a Fourth Amendment legal principle that protects citizens from illegal searches and seizures. Historically, evidence collected from unlawful searches and seizures is inadmissible in court, which acts as a deterrent against police misconduct. The Court walked back this standard Monday, allowing evidence to be admitted in cases where the person who was illegally searched has an outstanding warrant. As Justice Sonia Sotomayor noted in a blistering dissent that cited the works of black thinkers and freedom fighters like W.E.B. Du Bois, James Baldwin, Lani Guinier, Michelle Alexander and Ta-Nehisi Coates, people of color are disproportionately the victims of illegal police searches. Sotomayor's dissent evokes the same issues organizers in the movement for black lives have railed against, which is why these cases should continue to be of interest to the movement. Sotomayor's dissent evokes the same issues organizers in the movement for black lives have railed against, which is why these cases should continue to be of interest to the movement. "This case tells everyone, white and black, guilty and innocent, that an officer can verify your legal status at any time," Sotomayor argued. "It says that your body is subject to invasion while courts excuse the violation of your rights. It implies that you are not a citizen of a democracy but the subject of a carceral state, just waiting to be cataloged. We must not pretend that the countless people who are routinely targeted by police are 'isolated.'" For example, in New York City, lawyers, civil rights groups and activists criticized and fought against the police department's use of stop, question and frisk before a federal court ruled that the practice violated the constitutional rights of people of color. The contested program allowed police officers to stop and question people in specific neighborhoods and if officers suspected they carried some form of contraband, they would search people even if they didn't have probable cause. Police disproportionately stopped and frisked people of color the majority of whom were innocent, according to data from the New York Civil Liberties Union. It took a groundswell of community voices to bring attention to the problem. This week's SCOTUS ruling reverses much of the progress made in places like New York City. Source: Spencer Platt/Getty Images "This ruling breathes new life into racially biased stop-and-frisk practices that have been widely condemned and discredited by civil libertarians, community activists and the courts, too," Keeanga Yamahtta-Taylor, assistant professor of African-American studies at Princeton University and author of From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation, said. But an increase in potential forms of over policing is only one of the possible consequences of the SCOTUS rulings. The Supreme Court's 4-4 split decision in United States v. Texas upheld a lower court ruling to block President Obama's immigration program the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) . The administration has halted its efforts to advance the program. The program would have protected an estimated 5 million of the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the country by presenting some families with exemptions from deportation. A majority of the undocumented are people of color. At least 47% of the 11 million are from Mexico, which is why just immigration policies have also been a concern centered by the movement for black lives. "Black immigrants from Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America experience racial discrimination as they navigate U.S. society and systems," the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), a non-profit directed by Opal Tometti, a co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter, states on its website. "They also face a more difficult immigration process and are racially profiled, leading to disproportionate rates of immigration detention and deportation." If the Supreme Court continues to uphold laws that perpetuate state-sanctioned violence, then the movement demands will not be actualized. Black people will continue to be killed by police with impunity. Stop, question and frisk will still be used as a justifiable means of curbing quality of life crimes in communities of color. Undocumented people will still be at risk of surveillance and maltreatment by law enforcement. And that is why the movement should be concerned about the recent rulings, their impacts and the potential to shape upcoming SCOTUS nomination proceedings, which have been held up by Republicans . By David Nelson, CFA Thursday, June 23 will go down in history as Britains Independence Day. Understandably, fear and confusion over just what a Brexit looks like will weigh on all parties in the weeks and months ahead. I'm sure when the United States declared its independence there were many saying it would be an economic disaster. We went on to become the most powerful economic engine the world has ever known. In the wake of Fridays aftermath, it was hard not to notice that the FTSE was holding up better than most markets on the continent. I suspect that with the British pound down to a 30-year low, investors understand that it should help British exports. It remains to be seen just how much help the weaker currency will be in the long run. For the EU, this is a gut check. In my humble opinion, Britain wont be the last to exit. Without significant changes, other countries will consider an exit as their best option. Already, nationalist parties throughout the continent have petitioned to hold exit referendums similar to the Brexit. In the end, I believe theres life after divorce. Its in everyones best interest for trade to go on. Treaties will be re-negotiated under Article 50, which probably comes into play in October when Prime Minister Cameron steps down. The process could take as long as two years. Youre going to hear a lot of people do an about face in the days and weeks ahead. Weve already seen a reversal from U.S. President Barack Obama. It wasnt that long ago when he was saying Britain would have to go to the back of the line. Today, he says that our special relationship will survive." Political Outlook Theres a strong parallel between whats happening in Europe and our election cycle here. Unchecked immigration and too many regulations has set off a populist wave that has already toppled one major governmentWhos next? The man on the street A couple of weeks ago, one of the international managers at my firm was in London and made the following observation: It's clear politicians and business leaders want to remain, but the man on the street dealing with the day-to-day challenges want out. Story continues Putting it in perspective Over the last week, markets had priced-in a remain victory, so a big part of Fridays 610 point fall in the Dow Industrials (^DJI) was unwinding that trade. The polls and bookies were 180 degrees wrong. What does that say for the polls here? The knee jerk reaction will be to punish Britain, and some heads of state have spoken to that end. I think those voices will soon be drowned out as leaders get down to business. Rejection of the political elite This was not only a rejection of the EU, but also a rejection of the political elite. Theres a huge parallel between what just took place in Europe and our election cycle here. Both here and abroad, there is a large group of citizens who feel government has turned a deaf ear to their causes. Again, the concerns around unchecked immigration resonates across oceans. When Brexit voters were confronted with evidence that it may hurt the economy or markets, their answer was, I dont care. Its already bad, and Im ready to roll the dice." In the long run, I believe this can be good news for all parties. Its a wake-up call for Britain, but it's also a wake-up call for the eurozone. Over the weekend, the six original member countries of the EUBelgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlandsare all meeting Saturday in Berlin to chart a course forward. Its safe to say that traders will be up late Sunday evening preparing for Mondays open. By Ayesha Rascoe WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday designated the site of a watershed event in the history of U.S. gay rights, the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, as a national monument, the first to honor the contributions of gay Americans. The Stonewall Inn gay bar in Manhattan's Greenwich Village was the scene of a police raid that triggered riots and ignited a long struggle to bring lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people into the American mainstream and guarantee their rights. "Welcome to the family," the National Park Service said in a tweet welcoming its 412th site. LGBT rights advocacy groups hailed the national recognition, saying it will help highlight the gay communities' continued struggles, especially in the aftermath of the June 12 mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Florida that killed 49 people. "This new national monument will be a source of inspiration to a new generation of Americans across the country standing up for equality and uniting to show the world that love conquers hate," Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin said. The move was the latest of several steps Obama has take on gay rights during his presidency. In 2010, he signed a law repealing a policy that had banned gays from serving openly in the U.S. military. In 2012, he became the first president to support gay marriage, a stance he has admitted took time to evolve. His administration also supported the legal challenge that led to the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage nationwide. "There is important distance yet to travel, but through political engagement and litigation, as well as individual acts of courage and acceptance, this movement has made tremendous progress toward securing equal rights and equal dignity," Obama said in a proclamation officially designating the historic site. The events of late June and early July 1969 in New York helped start the modern American gay rights movement. A week of violent clashes on Christopher Street between patrons of the Stonewall Inn and police, who had periodically raided the bar, arresting gays under morals laws of the era, became known as the Stonewall riots. The crackdown was also tied up in a dispute between the Mafia, which owned the bar, and corrupt police officers seeking payoffs for protection. But it unleashed a year of protests, culminating with the first gay pride parade in 1970. This year's weekend LGBT pride festivities started in New York on Friday with a street fair and were to culminate with Sunday's parade through Lower Manhattan. Events were scheduled across the country in San Francisco, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City and elsewhere. Obama's designation protects about 7.7 acres (3.1 hectares) of land, including the Stonewall Inn and nearby Christopher Park. U.S. lawmakers representing New York, in a statement, called the site "a beacon for liberation." It drew renewed attention in the wake of this month's massacre in Orlando at another gay venue, a nightclub called Pulse. Mourners in New York flocked to the inn and created a makeshift memorial after the shooting, the worst such attack in modern U.S. history. In honor of the new monument, the White House will release a video that will be played on billboards in New York's Times Square on Saturday. U.S. officials will also hold a designation ceremony at Stonewall on Monday. (Reporting by Ayesha Rascoe and Susan Heavey; Editing by Will Dunham and Dan Grebler) Last year United States President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping entered into a dubious agreement during Xis first state visit: No more hacking one anothers businesses. Military and political espionage? Fair game. Industry? Hands off. Hackers allegedly sponsored by China had been ransacking U.S. companies for economic advantage for years, as any computer forensics pro who has helped clean up one of these data breaches will tell you. The hackers goal: Intellectual property theft. With the recent truce, the heads of state agreed that their countries could break into one anothers computer networks for traditional state on state espionage, but no more hacking for profit. For skeptics, heres the shocker: The parties appear to be keeping their word--for the most part. Cybersecurity firm FireEye released a report earlier this week that found that the number of breaches by China-based groups on U.S. businesses has dropped off a cliff. The number of network compromises has not fallen to zero, but it has plummeted 90% in the past two years. Get Data Sheet, Fortune's technology newsletter. Fortune spoke to Laura Galante, director of the threat intelligence at FireEye , as well as Kevin Mandia, the companys recently appointed CEO, about the reports findings. (Mandia makes his appearance at question 12.) Among the topics discussed: How the threat of economic espionage has changed, what this means for U.S. businesses, and whether everyone may now breathe a sigh of relief. (Spoiler: The answer is no.) Heres what the two said, edited and condensed for clarity. Fortune: This report seems to be a follow-up to Mandiants original report on Chinese economic cyberespionage from a few years ago. [Editors note: FireEye purchased Mandiant, Mandias computer forensics firm, for about $1 billion in 2014.] What does the new report find? Laura Galante: We've tracked all of these groups for years before the APT1 report that you probably remember from back in 2013. Here we found the percentage of incidents and number of incidents we've seen over time from groups that are based in China, and how thats changed. We came up with a pretty deep understanding of how we've seen President Xi undertake reforms in the military and also in the party since he came to power. We have some analysis around how he is probably centralizing and refocusing some of the cyber operations that China sponsored. We also think that widespread exposure from private sector disclosures was another impetus that really changed how Beijing was thinking about cyber operations. Finally the punitive measures--the indictments of several military officers back in 2014, and then the threat of sanctions right on the eve of President Xi coming over to the U.S--these were all factors that, in the aggregate, have really changed the way we've seen intellectual property theft conducted from China based groups. Story continues Fortune: It seemed like the key line in the report was that the attacks are less voluminous, but more focused. Galante: Thats what we're seeing. When we do see compromises--and we have seen compromises since last year--we're seeing the groups conduct a variety of different activity at different targets, not just in the U.S., but also in Japan and abroad in Europe. We're seeing compromises of networks still. What we aren't seeing is data theft at such a volume as before--back in 2013, even 2014. We're seeing that they'll go in and they'll package up data, which is something that we typically see right before they would steal it, but we haven't observed instances of data theft, per se, in 2015 and 2016. Fortune: You're still seeing intrusions and breaches, but not the actual exfiltration of data. Is that accurate? Galante: That's right. What that doesn't necessarily mean is that it's not happening. We're not seeing the actual data theft in the recent examples that we've had here, but we're still seeing the compromise. If you're able to compromise the network, get in, move laterally to different parts of the network, and see the files that you want, that's still a very effective way to get at the information you want without the level of risk and evidence left behind of actually transferring the data out of a network. Fortune: So its a shift from smashing-and-grabbing to quietly and passively surveilling? Galante: That's a way to characterize what we've seen. And I think that fits too with what's definitely a higher cost of doing business that has risen in the last three and a half years. The risk of exposure from security firms, from security researchers, which is happening left and right, and the measures that the U.S. government has taken, paint a very different picture of risk when groups are operating--whether they be sponsored by the government, by a military entity, by an intelligence agency, or simply by opportunistic entrepreneurial groups who are looking for a way into a network to find something valuable to sell. We think that the scene in China really runs the gamut in terms of different types of sponsorship. Fortune: In the report you discuss how it's hard to make out the difference between these groups. Do you have any speculation as to whom--which groups--might be the ones remaining? Is it a mix? Does it weight toward government, or toward the enterprising hacker? What is the breakdown here--is there any way to know? Galante: It's hard to give a percentage. We have examples where we've seen what we call patriotic hackers, people who are aligned with state interests, but not necessarily on the payroll. We've seen everything form the patriotic hacker to the cybercriminal to groups that act in a very regimented 9-to-5 way. We see their tools built on a schedule that parallels Chinese federal holidays. We've seen really disciplined groups that operate in a way that's hard to not see that there has to be a ton of resourcing behind it, and probably a government entity. Another aspect that we've traced for years is how long we've seen groups operate. With some groups out of China, especially the ones that have been conducting the more traditional political espionage, we've seen those groups operate for over a decade with almost the same tools and infrastructure, too. Fortune: Part of this deal between Obama and Xi was that China would stop its attacks on U.S. enterprises. Obviously there are still attacks going on, as your report says, but is there any way to know whether, in fact, the state sponsored attacks are down? Galante: It's hard to say. The network visibility that we have just shows us what's compromised. What we don't know is when data is taken. In our cases, we haven't seen data theft. But when data has been taken in the past--to know that the data has been used and given to an entity, to an industry, or to a company in an industry that can then use it to put a product on the market--that would start to fulfill the definition of what theyre getting at with this economic espionage agreement. From our side were reluctant to say that this equates to economic espionage, because we simply see one part of a much longer chain of what would equate to economic espionage. What we can say is that we're still seeing compromises into corporate networks. Fortune: You mentioned that you're not seeing the same levels of data theft now. Is that because it's not happening, or because they're eluding detection in some way? Or perhaps FireEye doesn't have the visibility to see that? Galante: I think it's a couple factors. To set the premise though, it's very rare that you see data theft happening. When we're called in to do investigations, we're frequently looking into network logs and into network activity that, on average, happened almost 200 days before. [Editors note: the average breach takes 201 days to detect, according to a recent IBM study.] When you're investigating what happened previously, you have to consider, How well does the company keep logs? How do we go back and look at that activity and see what happened outside the network? There are a variety of factors that hamper understanding when the actual data was stolen, or if it was stolen. There are other cases where we've thwarted the detected compromise before the group could go any deeper into the network. So there are a couple of different wonky factors that keep the data theft from eluding our ability to have seen it when it happened. Now one thing were seeing is these groups go in and hack data and look for specific items. With the semiconductor firms, we were seeing attackers get into the files that had the manufacturing data about semiconductors and the chemical components used in the production. They're not just getting into a network, they're able to get in and navigate to data that would be useful. So that says a little bit more about their intent. If you're able to go in and locate a project that you need, that says a little bit more about what you're interested in. Fortune: Are there any cases that seem more grey in terms of what the hackers were going after? Galante: The navigational projects were interesting. This is a grey area. GPS navigation is right in that area of not knowing if it's for military or for civilian use. Traditionally, something for military use would fall into political espionage or military espionage, something that states have done since the beginning of time, versus something like the blueprints of a green energy or a coal cleaning plant, which we've seen before. When those are taken, that's a situation where it's pretty hard to see the military application of it. In the cases that we have here, in the cases that we've seen recently, we see semiconductors, we see high-tech corporations, we've seen an aerospace company, and a logistics company. These are all arguably targets and data that could fit either a military or a civilian use. So, tough to say whether that would trend more toward economic espionage versus political. Fortune: Have you been sending this report around government quarters? Galante: We frequently give a variety of government partners a heads up when we're able to do that before a report goes live. Fortune: What has been their reaction to this? Galante: This tracks fairly well with the visibility that they've had as well. Fortune: Last year a cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike issued a report saying there had been continued intrusions on U.S. companies after the China-U.S. deal. How does the FireEye report differ? Galante: That report came out in early October. It was really a first sense that activity still continued. But there's a ton of ways to look at activity. What we're very careful to parse here is that we wanted to know when a corporate network has been entered remotely, not just when the malware or the commands to the malware in a network has been live, which was one of the main indications used in that report from October to say that activity continued. We wanted to see that a group actively went into a network, and that was the bar that we used when we made the chart that you see, and also the graph. [Editors note: See, for example, page 11 of the report.] Fortune: So whereas CrowdStrike was asking--is there malware active on the network?--your report was asking, is there remote access happening? Galante: Is there an actual compromise of a network, yes. There is always remote access happening--so, is there a remote compromise happening of a corporate network. I think we're being more specific about how we want to define a piece of this, whereas CrowdStrike was looking just generally for any sort of beaconing or indication that infrastructure or malware were still living. We wanted to see something that reasonably made us conclude that an operator is still sitting there with fingers on keyboard, sending a command and entering networks. Kevin Mandia: Robert, this is Kevin Mandia. I've actually been on the line for the past 10 minutes and just staying quiet because Laura is crushing it. I don't know what CrowdStrikes criteria is for saying compromise or not compromise. I do know that we at FireEye have over 350 incident responders, we have nearly 350 iSight intel analysts [Editors note: FireEye acquired the threat intelligence firm iSight Partners for $200 million earlier this year], and we have well over 3,000 customers where we have appliances deployed. Those are the sources for where we find these compromises. We've had our threat database in existence since 2006, so thats the scale and scope at which we operate. When I look at the all the investigations we've done and all the intel we get from iSight, that's the data were reporting on. From the observables we have here at FireEye, the activity and counterespionage intrusions from China have gone down. Fortune: Because the attacks have dropped off precipitously, it seems, does this mean U.S. companies should breathe a sigh of relief? Mandia: Well, you've still got a bunch of other threats to worry about. So the answer is you still have to safeguard yourself from rogue states, which may be less responsible than China. I've always said this: the Chinese were the most polite hackers in cyberspace. They would break in, but I don't think they had exceptionally great counter forensics, they weren't destructive, they didn't go public with the data they stole. In many ways, if you were hacked, and you knew it, and it was the Chinese that did it, you breathed a sigh of relief. If it was some other group, you had to worry about public disclosure, about extortion, about a ton of other things. So the polite hackers have narrowed their targeting. That's how I look into this. I wouldn't breathe a sigh of relief. What I do see is that public exposure of Chinese cyber espionage by the private sector as well as by government officials--potentially the indictments and all the things Laura has put in the report--all of these factors did have an impact on the scale and scope of Chinese cyber espionage against the U.S.A. I see that as a positive thing. The unfortunate reality is that you still have to build your moat of defend against the other threats that are still out there. Fortune: During one recent quarter, Dave DeWalt, who was then FireEyes CEO, said that attacks by China on U.S. companies had been decreasing. A bunch of people took issue with the statement. They said that attacks are still going on. Where does FireEye stand on that? Because it seems the report is saying that, yes, the number of attacks has decreased a lot. Mandia: Yup, we just stand by exactly what were publishing. Based on our observables, that's what we see. This isn't like the TTPs [Editors note: TTPs is cyberspeak for tools, tactics, and procedures--the idiosyncrasies of hacking methods] of Chinese cyber espionage changed over night. When we do see them, the TTPs are largely the same. There are going to be those naysayers out there who say, well, maybe FireEye is just missing it. I've been locked onto these guys virtually my whole career. I'm not convinced anyone has been responding to Chinese cyber espionage breaches longer than I have--and if there is somebody I'd like to find them. We dealt with this back when I was in the military in the '90s, and we're locked on still. The TTPs will change, but they're not surreptitious. We're not missing it. That's my opinion. Fortune: How do you persuade companies to continue to invest in cybersecurity when it seems that maybe the threats are not as drastic or immediately pressing as they might have been? Galante: I would say at this point you're taking a roll of the dice if you're a corporate entity or a government entity with strong intellectual property. Especially something that could be dual-use. Particularly, if you're in one of the many industries that's producing cutting edge R&D, you're now rolling the dice and have been for a long time, on whether you're going to be compromised. Were seeing a maturation of China's military and political means to use cyber operations. To think that the decline in activity that we're seeing now is endemic of the future would be a misread. I think what we're seeing is a period of recalculating how to go with a precision force and a focus to get exactly the access that is needed, whether for political or military gains. Fortune: What prompted this report? Mandia: We went public in 2013 with the APT1 report. The government indicts soldiers in 2014. The president and the heads of state meet and they have discussions, and what does it lead to? What we hoped it would lead to--a reduction in the targeting of the private sector. I think that's a positive result. And that's why we're really doing this--to report on a positive result. Fortune: How have things changed for you since becoming CEO? Congrats on the promotion, by the way. Mandia: Thanks, it doesn't change much at the end of the day. PR person: Lets keep off that for now. Fortune: Okay, what else is interesting--is North Korea behind the SWIFT bank hacks? Mandia: First thing I would say as a general citizen--and I don't have the data to opine one way or another--but boy, wouldn't you want to know who stole $81 million dollars from the bank of Bangladesh? Fortune: Oh yeah. Mandia: I mean if we can't pierce anonymity behind that as an international community, both behind the hack and behind the laundering of the money, don't we have a challenge here? $81 million is gone and we don't know who did it? That's not a good indicator for whether were going to catch who hacks a utility in Mississippi and shuts it down. We've got to get attribution right. If we can't get it right for Ashley Madison, fine, I get that. But if we can't get it right for stealing $81 million--that's not a good indicator. I think that's the interesting story right now. Can the international community can the pierce anonymity behind folks who steal $81 million, and if they can't, what else can they not do? Fortune: Indeed. Thanks for your time. Mandia: Take care, Robert. Fortune: You too. See original article on Fortune.com More from Fortune.com TipRanks Markets are rewriting the same story weve been looking at all summer investors are skittish, and wary of the headwinds. Those headwinds are enough to spook even the most experienced traders. High inflation is making everyone nervous, the Feds turn to higher interest rates to combat inflation brings with it the risk of recession, and macro data on the economy is starting to show declines in the housing markets and consumer confidence and spending. As if all that wasnt enough, now add in Google is getting closer and closer to the moment diehard Android fans are waiting for, the official release of Android N to supported Nexus devices. Google already explained at I/O 2016 the new features of this new Android release, but it didnt reveal everything there is to it. While Android N will still be baked using Googles tried and tested Material Design, a report details a change we didnt see coming: new navigation buttons. Yes, you're probably going to hate it, at least until you get used to it. DONT MISS: Galaxy Note 7 shaping up to be Samsungs most powerful smartphone yet According to Android Police, which often provides accurate details about unreleased Android features and devices, Google is redesigning the home and navigation buttons. For some inexplicable reason, Google seems to think a redesign is in order, even though the current design is only a couple of years old. The site says that it remains unclear whether all Android N devices will get the new navbar buttons (old Nexus hardware included), or whether the design change is restricted to this years Nexus devices. android-n-home-button-navbar-2016-nexus According to our source, the new multi-colored home button does animate in some fashion when long-pressed, with the various colors expanding in their corresponding directions until they all file out horizontally, the site says. I know - it's not exactly easy to visualize, but stuff happens. As you can see, all they keys are also now opaque - an interesting change. Googles Sundar Pichai said recently that Nexus devices will no longer run pure Android versions, and this sort of tiny but immediately noticeable changes might help Google give an identity to the Nexus line. Even so, updating the home and navigation buttons in this manner is probably going to enrage some people, at least until they get used to the new design. Related stories HTC's LG Nexus 5X successor will not kill the headphone jack 'What happens if we leave EU?' search spike shows people have no idea what they voted on Brexit day Story continues How to get paid every week just for using one Google app More from BGR: You wont have to give Apple your data if you dont want to This article was originally published on BGR.com Remember that little Snapchat gem Michelle Obama dropped on Wednesday with Alexis Bledel, giving us hope of a FLOTUS cameo on Gilmore Girls? EXCLUSIVE: 'Gilmore Girls' Revival Scoop: Milo Ventimiglia Spills on Jess' Return to Stars Hollow Snapchat And then remember when Netflix killed our dreams when they said Obama wasn't in Gilmore Girls: A Year In the Life, but they filmed a special Gilmore Girls-themed video? Well, that video is finally here, and it's everything we could have dreamed of. RELATED: 'Gilmore Girls' Star Reveals Big Hint About Rory's Love Life in Revival Series "Sorry I'm late. I got distracted in the China Room again. I could live in there," Rory Gilmore (Bledel) starts, meeting Mrs. Obama at the White House. "But I heard about your great trip coming up for the Let Girls Learn initiative, and I know you're going to need a great book to read on the plane, so I thought I'd bring a few choices." "I didn't know what mood you'd be in, so I brought all of Shakespeare," she states, before going off on a long list of books, including Proust, Sophie's Choice ("It doesn't matter if you've seen the movie"), Jane Austen, Moby Dick, Ana Karenina, and The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire ("classic beach reads"). If that's not a Rory Gilmore reading list, we don't know what is! "And before I forget," Rory says, handing Mrs. Obama an all-too-familiar blue box. "A gift, from my mom." (Pop Tarts!) While Obama looks a tad overwhelmed by Rory, she does manage to tell her a little bit about why she came -- the Let Girls Learn Initiative. The First Lady will be traveling to Liberia, Morocco and Spain as part of the initiative, where she will focus on some of the challenges that girls face in getting an education around the world. And of course, we can follow the whole thing on FLOTUS' new Snapchat account. Story continues With that, Obama walks off, with only one of Rory's books in hand, and zero Pop Tarts. Eat the Pop Tarts, Michelle. Trust us, they taste like freedom. Watch the full video below: Just a couple of girls talking about books... (: michelleobama)https://t.co/CS48LB9fk7 Gilmore Girls (@GilmoreGirls) June 25, 2016 MORE: 'Gilmore Girls' Netflix Reboot Releases First Photos Is it just us, or is Rory Gilmore exactly how we imagined her after all these years? Melissa McCarthy recently opened up to ET about the show's Netflix revival, saying that stepping back into character felt like she hadn't "skipped a beat." See more in the video below. Related Articles The age of criminal responsibility will be lowered by one year from the current 14, the Ministry of Justice said Wednesday, announcing measures to cope with an increasing number of... Police on Wednesday made an emergency apprehension of a man in his 40s on suspicion of killing his wife and their two teenage sons at their home in Gwangmyeong, just south of Seoul... Keeping pace with global shifts Updated: 2016-06-25 11:17 By Zhang Min and Wu Hong(China Daily) A view of Tianjin. [Photo provided to China Daily] Tianjin's leaders say they're ready to host 10th Summer Davos. Under the proposal of Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, the first Annual Meeting of the New Champions, widely known as Summer Davos, was held in Dalian, Liaoning province, in 2007. Fortune 500 companies, rising enterprises and national and regional governments attended the inaugural meeting. Since that time, the meeting's location has alternated between the cities of Dalian and Tianjin. Tianjin hosted the second, fourth, sixth and eighth events. It will host the 10th meeting this year. In describing the event, Tong Jiadong, an official at Tianjin's Summer Davos office and vice-president of Nankai University, summarized the past decade by noting that nine of the topics hinged on economic growth. US decide to levy punitive duties on corrosion-resistant steel products from China Updated: 2016-06-25 15:05 (Xinhua) WASHINGTON - The US trade authority ruled Friday that the domestic industry is "materially injured" by imports of corrosion-resistant steel products from China, India, Italy and the Republic of Korea, which means the US government will impose punitive duties on the products. All six commissioners of the US International Trade Commission (USITC) voted in the affirmative, saying a US industry is materially injured by reason of imports of corrosion-resistant steel products from above countries that are allegedly subsidized and sold in the United States at less than fair value. "The US steel industry has been in a state of overprotection," said an official from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce on Thursday, pointing out the United States has conducted a total of 161 trade remedy rulings on various steel products worldwide by the end of April 2016. As a result of the Commission's affirmative determinations, the US Commerce Department will issue antidumping and countervailing duty orders on imports of these products from China. For products from China the antidumping duty rate is 209.97 percent and the countervailing duty rates are 39.05 percent and 241.07 percent, according to the Commerce Department's final determination in May 2016. This is the second final ruling made by the US trade authority against imports of China's steel products this week. On Wednesday the USITC made a final ruling to allow the Commerce Department to impose antidumping and countervailing duty on imports of cold-rolled steel flat products from China. In 2015, imports of these products from China under investigation were estimated at about $500.3 million, according to US official data. China has repeatedly urged the United States to abide by its commitment against trade protectionism and work together with China and other members of the international community to maintain a free, open and just international trade environment. Perhaps youve noticed the words produced with genetic engineering on food packages in your grocery store. Many large food companies have instituted their own labeling policies for genetically engineered foods ahead of the July 1 deadline for Vermonts mandatory, on-package GMO labeling law. But after months of political wrangling, leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee have reached an agreement in a last-ditch effort to preempt the Vermont law. Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, and ranking Democrat Debbie Stabenow of Michigan have joined together on a bill that would nullify Vermonts law and allows food manufacturers to use a scannable QR code, or in some cases a toll-free number, to inform consumers about a product's GMO content. While the bill would immediately block states from carrying out GMO labeling laws, it would allow the U.S. Department of Agriculture to take two years to set a standard for mandatory disclosure of GMO ingredients through the manufacturers choice of regular text, a symbol, or the use of a QR code or phone number. Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives at Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, says the new bill could make it nearly impossible for consumers to make informed choices about what theyre putting into their shopping cart if it passes the Senate and then the House of Representatives. This bill falls far short, and doesnt meet consumer needs at all, says Halloran. Consumers have stated their preference for on-package mandatory GMO labeling that they can use at a glance, and they deserve to know whats in their food. In addition, according to the bill, not all genetically engineered foods would be considered genetically engineered for labeling purposes, Halloran notes. It excludes, for example, highly refined sugars and oils. The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), which has sued to block Vermonts law, has been pushing Congress to set a national GMO labeling standard that would include voluntary GMO labeling and prevent any state from enacting its own GMO labeling law. Story continues The GMA is backing the legislation, saying that it "enables transparency, clarity and consistency in disclosure and reflects the wide variety of ways that consumers will get this information about the foods they buy. Yet nearly 90 percent of Americans want mandatory labeling on genetically modified foods, according to a recent poll of 800 registered voters commissioned by a coalition of consumer and environmental groups, including Consumers Union. Additionally, fully one-third do not own smartphones capable of scanning digital codes, which would leave large swaths of Americans completely in the dark, Halloran says. Campbell Soup Company, ConAgra, General Mills, Kelloggs, and Mars are among the companies that have said they will implement GMO labeling policies nationwide, rather than labeling their products just for Vermont. But now its unclear if they will follow through with their promised policies if the new law passes. Many of these companies say they are voluntarily labeling GMOs to increase transparency, Halloran says. I hope they really mean it. The bill still needs to be brought to the Senate floor for a vote, which may take longer than its supporters would like, as Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has placed a hold on the bill. The bill will need 60 Senators in support to bring it to the floor. In addition, the House of Representatives would also need to vote, and the House wont meet to vote again until July 5. While that means the federal bill wont be enacted before the Vermont deadline, Congress could still pass the bill in July and nullify the Vermont law after its taken effect. Halloran says that Consumers Union will be watching the bills movement closely and will be urging the Senate not to pass it. If you agree, you can send your senators a message here. More from Consumer Reports: 8 Ways to Boost Your Home Value Why your cable TV bill is going up Get the Best Cell Phone Plan for Your Familyand Save up to $1,000 a Year Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright 2006-2016 Consumers Union of U.S. NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's defence procurement agency has cleared a proposal to buy 145 M777 Ultra Lightweight Howitzer artillery guns from BAE Systems in a deal worth an estimated $750 million, a defence ministry source said on Saturday. Under the deal, 120 of the 145 guns will be assembled in India, said the source, who asked not to be identified in line with defence ministry rules. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to upgrade the country's military hardware by replenishing its range of artillery weapons after years of delays in ordering new equipment. But Modi wants deals with foreign companies to include the setting up of factories and plants in India to boost the local industry. BAE said in February it had chosen Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group to build a plant for the assembly of Howitzer artillery guns it hopes to sell to India. The source said the proposal would soon be communicated to the United States, where BAE manufactures the weapons. (Reporting by Nigam Prusty; Writing by Aditya Kalra; Editing by Mark Potter) Italian Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan adresses journalists during a Eurogroup meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels on May 9, 2016 (AFP Photo/John Thys) (AFP/File) Rome (AFP) - Italian ministers warned Saturday that the European Union must change direction or risk collapse after Britain's vote to leave the bloc. "The unthinkable is happening," Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan said. "A double reaction to Brexit is under way, one financial, one political. The financial one, at least until now, is limited. I am more worried about the political one. "There is a cocktail of factors that can lead to various outcomes, including a further push towards disintegration." Speaking to Corriere della Sera, Padoan also said EU leaders had to understand there could be no more "business as usual" on the key issues of jobs, growth and immigration. Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni meanwhile warned it would be naive to underestimate the significance of Britain leaving or the risk of a surge in anti-EU sentiment across the continent. "The UK was not only one amongst 28 (member states). It had a great weight because of its financial markets and its international influence," Gentiloni said in an interview with daily Il Messaggero. "The risk (of political contagion) is such that we need to send a strong and clear message (that we are) revamping the European project." Padoan said Europe had to face up to citizens' worries over immigration, unemployment and increasing inequality -- which meant changing the 'austerity' budget rules Rome blames for exacerbating the current crises. "Inequality is growing in Europe because growth is weak," the minister said. "Italy respects the (deficit) rules but that does not mean we like them." Padoan added: "In the management of Europe, Ecofin included, the prevailing attitude is almost 'business as usual'. "But the situation we are in now is exceptional. We have to change our major priorities and we will see if (next week's) European Council sends a far-reaching signal in that sense, as it should do. Story continues "We have had proposals on the table for months that say employment, growth, well-being and equality have to be the priorities. "Europe cannot only take care of the banks. We are stabilising them and will continue to do so, but we also have to look after our citizens." Gentiloni was meeting Saturday with his counterparts from Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands -- fellow EU founding members -- for talks on the implications of the Brexit vote. We value your privacy. Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy. To activate the text-to-speech service, please first agree to the privacy policy below. Taipei, June 25 (CNA) The China Airlines Employee Union said Saturday that it will ask the company to extend the same benefits to ground crew as it has agreed to for flight attendants, or it will not rule out the possibility of staging a strike. Rather than play spin the bottle with the incoming and the locals you could just fit two known profiles together. Crime stats for rural and urban places already exist so the profile supplied by the migrant that is accurate puts him in a place where he killed women in the past and his new job is undercover in Winnipeg finding out why certain types of girls go missing more than any other local group. He is technically their pimp but he is protecting them from harm rather than bring harm to them. The family that has lost members gets some pasture land in rural locations and integration is at their own speed. That they are 'summer camps' means the community comes to them as a preview of what waits on the 'outside'. BTW the rioters is the same for North America without pro-sports. Perhaps 'flaming nerfballs' at the out of control riots and not flaming at your average run of the mill riot that comes with it's own permits. 'It's not going to be an amicable divorce - it wasn't exactly a tight love affair anyway:' EU leaders hold emergency talks in a desperate bid to save the European project (over a VERY continental breakfast) POPE FRANCIS: BRITISH DECISION REFLECTS THE WILL OF ITS PEOPLE Pope Francis has said the British decision to leave the European Union reflects the will of its people and that Britain and the rest of the continent must now work to live together. Francis told reporters en route to Armenia on Friday that the decision places 'a great responsibility on all of us to guarantee the well-being of the people of the United Kingdom.' Pope Francis has said the British decision to leave the European Union reflects the will of its people and that Britain and the rest of the continent must now work to live together He said it also will require all to 'take responsibility for the well-being and coexistence of the entire European continent.' The Vatican has supported the European project from its inception, seeing unification as a way to improve social and economic standards and solidarity. While officially taking a neutral position as Britain debated whether to leave, Francis' demands that Europe welcome in more migrants put him squarely at odds with the Brexit camp. Pope Francis has said the British decision to leave the European Union reflects the will of its people and that Britain and the rest of the continent must now work to live together.Francis told reporters en route to Armenia on Friday that the decision places 'a great responsibility on all of us to guarantee the well-being of the people of the United Kingdom.'He said it also will require all to 'take responsibility for the well-being and coexistence of the entire European continent.'The Vatican has supported the European project from its inception, seeing unification as a way to improve social and economic standards and solidarity.While officially taking a neutral position as Britain debated whether to leave, Francis' demands that Europe welcome in more migrants put him squarely at odds with the Brexit camp. Article 50 and a new deal Triggering Article 50, formally notifying the intension to withdraw, starts a two-year clock running. After that, the Treaties that govern membership no longer apply to Britain. The terms of exit will be negotiated between Britains 27 counterparts, and each will have a veto over the conditions. It will also be subject to ratification in national parliaments, meaning, for example, that Belgian MPs could stymie the entire process. Two vast negotiating teams will be created, far larger than those seen in the British renegotiation. The EU side is likely to be headed by one of the current Commissioners. Untying Britain from the old membership is the easy bit. Harder would be agreeing a new trading relationship, establishing what tariffs and other barriers to entry are permitted, and agreeing on obligations such as free movement. Such a process, EU leaders claim, could take another five years. Business leaders want the easiest terms possible, to prevent economic harm. But political leaders say the conditions will be brutal to discourage other states from following suit. By Matt Dathan, Political Correspondent For Mailonline 25 June 2016Furious European leaders scrambled to save the EU project today as Brussels chief Jean Claude Juncker told Britain not to expect an 'amicable divorce'.He and other EU leaders are demanding Britain opens negotiations 'immediately' even though David Cameron appealed for calm and said the Government would not trigger the withdrawal process until October.As panic spreads across the continent, top diplomats from the EU's founding member states are meeting in Berlin today to work out how to respond to Britain's dramatic decision to leave.Newspapers across Europe reacted to the Brexit vote with shock, while others scorned the decision.The front page of French newspaper Liberation simply read: 'Good luck' alongside the famous picture of Boris Johnson stuck on a zip wire waving two union flags.The foreign ministers from the 'founding fathers' - Germany, France, Belgium, Holland, Italy and Luxembourg - are desperate to avoid the contagion of Brexit spreading across Europe and destroying the EU altogether.There are fears the EU will not offer a good deal to the UK in a bid to deter other Eurosceptic countries following Britain out the exit door.In a sign of the hostilities between Brussels and the UK to come, European Commission president Mr Juncker said of the relationship: 'It was not exactly a tight love affair anyway'.The Luxembourger said: 'Britons decided (on Thursday) that they want to leave the European Union, so it doesn't make any sense to wait until October to try to negotiate the terms of their departure,' he said.'I would like to get started immediately.'His comments echoed those from other European leaders who called for a swift separation.The presidents of the EU's main institutions said in a statement yesterday that they expect London to act on the decision to leave 'as soon as possible, however painful that process may be.'As he demanded Britain make a quick exit from the EU, furious European Parliament President Martin Schulz said the U.K.'s relationship with the EU had been ambiguous, but was 'now clear.'He added a prolonged exit was 'the opposite of what we need', adding that it was difficult to accept that 'a whole continent is taken hostage because of an internal fight in the Tory party'.French President Francois Hollande has admitted the EU requires 'profound change' in the wake of the Brexit vote as German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her dismay at the result.Hollande said the UK's vote to leave the EU must act as a 'jolt' to the bloc to implement the change needed to address its troubles - adding he was 'sad' to see Britain sever relations.Merkel described her 'great regret' at the UK's decision to leave and said the EU must never forget that the foundation of European unity was the 'idea of peace'.The four - EU Council President Donald Tusk, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Parliament President Martin Schulz and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte - said that 'any delay would unnecessarily prolong uncertainty.'David Cameron has suggested that formal notification of Britain's departure might not come before October.On Monday, Merkel and Hollande will meet to discuss the vote with Donald Tusk, who earlier insisted: 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger'.Newspapers and politicians across Europe have revealed their shock at Britain's decision - just a day after many pleaded with the UK to stay.The French President warned the remaining 27 member states that action was needed to reconnect with citizens.'The British people have decided to leave. It is a sad decision but one which I respect,' he said.'The vote puts the European Union in difficulties. It must recognise its shortfalls.'A jolt is necessary. Europe must reaffirm it values of freedom, solidarity, peace. The EU must be understood and controlled by its citizens. I will do everything to secure profound change rather than decline.'Merkel later warned EU member states against drawing hasty conclusions about Britain's decision to quit the bloc, as that risked further splitting Europe.'We take note of the British people's decision with regret. There is no doubt that this is a blow to Europe and to the European unification process,' she said.But 'what the consequences of this would be... would depend on whether we - the other 27 member states of the EU - prove to be willing and able to not draw quick and simple conclusions from the referendum in Great Britain, which would only further divide Europe,' said Merkel.Member states should 'calmly and prudently analyse and evaluate the situation, before making the right decisions together,' said Merkel.Tusk had earlier pleaded for the EU 'to keep our unity as 27' adding that Britain's 'historic' vote to leave the European Union should not provoke 'hysterical reactions'.Voters in the UK clearly backed Brexit despite polls previously predicting that the country would remain within the bloc.Speaking in Brussels on Friday, Tusk said he was confident in the EU's future, adding that 'what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.'The European Council leader said: 'I am fully aware of how serious, or even dramatic, this moment is politically.'There's no way of predicting all the political consequences of this event, especially for the UK. But for sure this is not a moment for hysterical reactions. I want to reassure everyone that we are prepared also for this negative scenario. As you know the EU is not only a fair-weather project.'Today, on behalf of the twenty seven leaders I can say that we are determined to keep our unity as 27. For all of us, the union is the framework for our common future. I would also like to reassure you that there will be no legal vacuum.'He said that EU law 'will continue to apply to and within the UK' until Britain has formally left the bloc.'Until the United Kingdom formally leaves the European Union, EU law will continue to apply to and within the UK. By this , I mean rights and obligations.He added: 'Finally, it's true that the past years have been the most difficult ones in the history of our Union. But I always remember what my father used to tell me: What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.'European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker insisted on Friday that Britain's decision to leave the EU was not the beginning of the end for the bloc.European Parliament President Martin Schulz said Britain's exit from the EU must be done quickly.Schulz tweeted on Friday that the 'will of voters must be respected. Now need speedy and clear exit negotiation.'He says the U.K.'s relationship with the EU had been ambiguous but that 'now it's clear.'Britain has up to two years to negotiate an exit, but EU officials have been insisting on quick and potentially tough negotiations to discourage the 27 other countries in the bloc from wanting to leave.The heads of the European Greens party say the European Union needs a reset with the vote to leave in Britain showing that the EU is more divided than ever.Joint chairs Monica Frassoni and Reinhard Buetikofer say Friday that 'Europe is more divided and less colourful' and that 'we cannot go on with business as usual.'They said: 'We need to 'reset' the EU and together make it able to deliver credible solutions, notably to those facing a persistent economic uncertainty and a growing sense of insecurity.'As leaders across Europe woke up to the news, France's far-right leader Marine Le Pen changed her Twitter picture to a Union Jack and told her followers the result was 'victory for freedom'.'As I have been asking for years, we must now have the same referendum in France and EU countries,' she wrote.Italian Premier Matteo Renzi insisted it was time for 'calm and lucidity' so Europe can set to work restructuring.Renzi said 'Europe is our home' and 'that of our children and grandchildren.' He added that, today more than ever, 'the house must be remodeled, maybe freshened up, but it's the house of our tomorrow.'He said Europe's young people are asking for 'more Europe' to realise dreams and expectations.Many Italian college graduates, unable to find jobs at home, head to Britain to pursue research or careers in finance and other fields.Renzi recalled that 'in moments of difficulty, Europe pulls out the best of itself.'Margus Tsahkna, of Estonia's centre-right coalition said Britain had started the break up of Europe and that Russian President Vladimir Putin 'is drinking champagne'.European citizens also vented their anger on Twitter, with digs from the French towards 'Les Anglais'. Many used the hashtag #BonDebarras good riddance and one said: 'The English vote like they cook, it's diabolical.France's far-right leader Marine Le Pen changed her Twitter picture to a Union Jack and told her followers the result was 'victory for freedom'.This morning, Marion Marechal-Le Pen, a member of the Le Pen dynasty and an FN MP, tweeted 'Victory!'The Le Pens, including the convicted racist and anti-Semite MEP and party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, are fiercely anti-Europe.They view an end to the EU as the best way of implementing their anti-immigration and anti-globalisation agenda.French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he was 'sad for the United Kingdom' and that 'Europe will continue but it must react and rediscover the confidence of its peoples. It's urgent.'Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said it was necessary to 'change (the EU) to make it more human and more just, but Europe is our home, it's our future.'Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen said 'Denmark belongs to the European Union' and the Scandinavian country has 'no plans to hold a referendum on this basic matter.'He said being member of the 28-member bloc is 'Denmark's best opportunity to influence the world.'Referendums across the EU 'must be food for thought,' he said, adding it shows a euroskepticism 'that we as decision-makers must take very seriously.'In Norway, which is not an EU member, Prime Minister Erna Solberg told Norwegian broadcaster NRK she was confident that the EU would 'find solutions to this.'Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said the bloc now faces 'great challenges' when it comes to economy, migration, climate and security.And the International Monetary Fund 'stands ready' to deal with the fallout of the UK's decision to leave the European Union, according to its managing director Christine Lagarde.She urged the UK and EU to ensure a 'smooth transition' to a new economic relationship after the Brexit vote.'We urge the authorities in the U.K. and Europe to work collaboratively to ensure a smooth transition to a new economic relationship between the U.K. and the EU, including by clarifying the procedures and broad objectives that will guide the process,' Lagarde said in a statement.She added: 'We strongly support commitments of the Bank of England and the ECB to supply liquidity to the banking system and curtail excess financial volatility. We will continue to monitor developments closely and stand ready to support our members as needed.'Meanwhile Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he 'deeply regretted' the decision but 'European co-operation will have to continue'.He added that Brexit 'appeared irreversible but the process to leave may take a long time' and 'may not start until after the German elections' which are due between August and October 2017.Rutte also dismissed right-wing politician Geert Wilders' call for a Dutch vote on the EU, saying 'I don't think the Dutch are currently interested in having a referendum on that.'The prime minister says the Dutch understand that 'cooperation with other countries in a common market ... is vital for our country.'He was one of a number of European leaders to voice their shock at the result this morning.German vice chancellor Sigmar Gabriel branding the move a 'bad day for Europe'.Gabriel, who is also Germany's economy minister said on his official Twitter account: 'Damn! A bad day for Europe!'Germany's foreign minister said Britain's decision to leave the European Union is 'truly sobering' news.Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that 'it looks like a sad day for Europe and for the United Kingdom.'German officials have repeatedly said that they wanted Britain to remain in the EU.Meanwhile former Finnish prime minister Alexander Stubb predicted the result would mean chaos on the continent.He wrote on Twitter: 'Please tell me I'm still sleeping and this is all just a bad nightmare!'Usually these things advance in three stages 1. Crisis; 2. Chaos; 3. Sub-optimal solution. Don't know where we are at this stage.'Meanwhile the result also triggered Dutch far-right MP Geert Wilders to call for a referendum on EU membership in the Netherlands.Wilders, who is leading opinion polls, said if he is elected prime minister in March he will force a vote.He said in a statement: 'We want to be in charge of our own country, our own money, our own borders and our own immigration policy.'As quickly as possible the Dutch need to get the opportunity to have their say about Dutch membership of the European Union.'If I become prime minister, there will be a referendum in the Netherlands on leaving the European Union as well. Let the Dutch people decide.'German tabloid Bild, who yesterday offered 11 hilarious reasons for Britain to remain, posted on their website a picture of dejected Remain supporters with the headline: 'Britain Out.''The British referendum must lead to a reform of the European Union!'It went on to list eight things it must do to become 'adorable' again, including cutting back on bureaucracy, EU Commission costs and putting an end to the 'circus' of having the EU parliament sit in Strasbourg as well as Brussels.Belgian newspaper Le Soir featured a picture of a married couple on top of a wedding cake holding Union flags, declaring 'Britain opts to leave.'Danish newspaper Politiken also featured a picture of shocked Remain supporters.Meanwhile the website of Italian newspaper Corriere della Serra and Spanish website El Pais featured a jubilant picture of leading Leave campaigner Nigel Farage. For a long time, Hope Frey has been an overcomer. Walking has been difficult for the Fremont resident, who also has limited use of her right hand and arm. Despite such challenges, shes made strides. In 2004, she spoke to senators at the State Capitol and then to congressmen in Washington, D.C., regarding state funding for people with disabilities. She received the Volunteer of the Year award through Gentiva in 2012. Now, Frey has started a People First self-advocacy group for people with disabilities. The group meets from 5-6 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month at Deerfield Apartments Clubhouse, 1021 S. Howard St., in Fremont. Its always been my desire to start one of these groups, but I never had the chance to do it full blown until April, she said. My first meeting was April 5. More than 10 people attended the first meeting. A smaller number attended a second, but she hopes more will attend. Frey said shes always wanted to be an advocate for those with disabilities. I have a disability and I just want to advocate for myself and teach people how to advocate for themselves, she said. The People First of Nebraska, Inc. website said it is the only statewide disability rights organization run by and for people with all types of disabilities. Individuals in local chapters meet to learn from each other and practice advocacy skills. People First believes that people with disabilities should be treated as equals and given the same decisions, rights, choices, responsibilities, and chances to speak up and empower themselves, the website states. Frey said local group meetings could include various topics from fire safety to leadership to self-advocacy. She wants the group to be successful and said the full name of the local group is People First of Platte Valley Who Never Give Up. Frey knows a little bit about that type of determination. When she was 14 months old, the former Hooper resident had a seizure that caused paralysis on one side of her body. Doctors said shed never be able to walk again, but her dad, Jerry, worked with her. And she walked. In 1992, her dad was killed in an accident on her parents 15th wedding anniversary. She and her brother, Thad, were injured. She faced more sadness when her mother, Linda, died in 2002 due to complications from diabetes. Frey has made various accomplishments in her life and has had therapy for her right hand. In 2013, she was able to write her name with her right hand. In April, she attended an event for physical and spiritual healing, not associated with People First. Leaving that event, Frey said she was able to walk without leg braces while her helper, Tammy Ritthaler, held her cane. I never used to be able to move this (her right) arm without help, she said. But since April, Frey said she has been able to do more things with her arm. I feel like I pick my feet up more and I have been walking for two months now with no leg braces and am doing very well at it, she said. Frey has been careful, however. Im doing it the safe way and going back to my occupational therapist and physical therapist to help me in this journey, she said. My main goal is for them to say I dont have to wear my big leg braces anymore and I would like full ability of my right hand. I dont know if that will happen. We just have to wait and see whats in store. One of her goals is to be able to shake her occupational therapists hand with her right hand. Frey noted that the nonprofit People First group isnt necessarily spiritually linked. But Frey believes she has a calling to launch a group to help people with disabilities to learn to speak up for themselves, because at some point they wont have parents to speak up for them. She points out something else. Everybody has a disability in some way or another, she said. At the same time, people can learn to persevere. Anyone can be an overcomer as long as they believe in their faith, she said. With faith, anything is possible. She believes anybody can become an overcomer. Im a true example of it that you can overcome many challenges in life, she said. Frey wants to get the group started on the right track so it will be successful. Im never giving up on it, she said. Ive got the faith inside of me to know its going to grow into an amazing group. Those seeking more information may call 402-719-3968. More information is available at http://www.peoplefirstnebraska.com. From above, far above, the contours of Fremont might leave something to be desired in the way of geography. Nestled in the Platte River Valley, Fremont sits like an oddly shaped pancake In other words, flat. For City Engineer, Justin Zetterman, that featureless topography spreading out from the Platte River means a bit more work and consideration when plodding through the issues and upgrades of storm water management. Following a series of heavy rains in early May that resulted in pooling water in areas of the city where subdivision development lacked an adequately defined storm water management program, city officials called a special meeting. They met on May 12 with contractors and developers to address the problem. The meeting served as the initial step in finding solutions to achieve better storm water management and enforcement. From that very first meeting in May, Zetterman and others dug in and have been drawing up plans, tweaking ordinances and implementing steps to improve the citys Storm Water Master Plan. Zetterman took a moment to outline six minimum control measures contained in the master plan which he continues to update and develop through more specified ordinances and special programs initiated by the city. The six minimum control measures are: public education and outreach; public involvement and participation; illicit discharge and elimination; construction site and storm water runoff control; post construction management; and pollution prevention/good housekeeping. The first two, public education and involvement, include events such as last Mays presentation at the Omaha Childrens Museum. Zetterman exhibited a flood plain model that educates young minds using a table-sized, working flood plain simulation. Water goes in one end and flows through, reproducing the different routes by which the water takes over human developed areas versus natural wetlands. Zetterman and city official will also present the model at a booth during John C. Fremont Days. We want to improve on outreach and public education and look for ways to get them involved, Zetterman said. The third measure, reducing illicit discharge and elimination, involves developing a better system to detect forbidden, unwanted or damaging items that make their way into the storm water system. Illicit discharges can include anything not entirely composed of storm water, such as rinsing paint brushes into the gutters, oil leaks from cars, pesticides and fertilizers, grass clippings and many other items. We want to improve on creating a better mechanism for the public to respond to issues if somebody sees something, Zetterman said, referring to illicit discharges. The special meeting hosted by Zetterman and the city on May 12 for contractors and developers addressed minimum control measures for construction site and post construction management of storm water. Ordinance enhancements that pertain to the degrees to which a contractor needs to manage runoff from construction sites was discussed at that meeting. It includes erosion, sediment and trash control on construction sites. It means having some sort of plan or measure in place to control storm water runoff volume and storm water quality (minimizing amount of pollutants, trash and vehicle leaks), Zetterman explained. Currently the city has storm water ordinances for construction and development but Zetterman confessed that no standard or defined requirements exist which hampers enforcement. Currently, Zetterman said the city continues to work on developing backyard drainage ordinances to assist in minimizing complications of standing water. The next step, Zetterman explained, will involve drawing up storm water retention and detention requirements. Detention means holding back storm water for a time, during heavy rain, in specialized area (pond or specially built detention cell). Then the water is slowly released into the storm drainage system. Retention comprises retaining water in a pond or specified structure allowing the ground to slowly reabsorb it. Zetterman also discussed last weekends unprecedented down pour that sent rivers down streets and turned fields into lakes. It only served to compound the concern and urgency for implementing a better Storm Water Management Master Plan. I would have called (that flooding) a storm water issue, Zetterman said. It wasnt the traditional flood plain areas that the Federal Emergency Management Agency defines and controls it was flash flooding. However, Zetterman and city officials have pointed out, six to eight inches of rainfall in the span of only three or four hours results in a deluge that any city would struggle to contain. Still, Zetterman remains dedicated to focusing internally, on the municipality, ensuring proper operating procedures when it comes to storm water runoff from city-owned buildings and other areas. Our goal is to do our best to be a good example for the community, Zetterman said. Additionally, this fall, the city will receive detailed contour data through a technology known as Light Detection and Ranging. Along with aerial photography and survey work around the city, Zetterman hopes to obtain a more detailed and accurate picture of the storm water system. (The mapping) can help us find locations and ways we can improve on a citywide level, Zetterman said. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality require a city like Fremont to utilize a Storm Water Master Plan. Fremont, as an MS4 (Municipal Separated Storm Sewer System) city operates separate storm water and waste water sewage systems. Under the rules of the Clean Water Act of 1972, the citys storm water management focuses on assuring that rainfall sailing down from the skies to the blacktop, buildings and other concrete structures below is treated and filtered before entering the natural water ways like Rawhide Creek and Elkhorn and Platte Rivers. This is not a simple business what you think it means and what it actually means may not even be in the same universe, John Hansen, Nebraska Farmers Union president cautioned a room of over 40 farmers, entrepreneurs and other interested community members Thursday night at the Arlington Multipurpose Senior Center. Hansen, who moderated the gathering in Arlington, was alluding to the unspecified document that may eventually define the relationship between area farmers and two companies, Costco and Lincoln Premium Poultry. That document is the poultry growers contract, and it seized the topic of discussion at a series of four meetings throughout Dodge and surrounding counties last week. Those two companys endeavor to establish a large poultry processing operation for the Dodge County area, and made up of 70 to 100 farmers in a growers network existing within a 60 mile radius of the large facility that would be built in Fremont. Information released by the companies stated the operation could bring great economic and community benefits to Dodge County and surrounding regions. Mike Weaver and Lynn Hayes, both national experts and speakers on poultry contracts and the industry, offered constructive advice to attendees with interest in becoming growers. Hayes, senior attorney and program director of the Farmers Legal Action Group, Inc., brought over 25 years of experience providing legal education, training and support to poultry growers throughout the Dodge and surrounding counties, especially when dealing with contract issues and disputes. Hayes underscored the idea of solidarity among interested growers, as well as agriculture lenders moving forward on the Costco contract issues. Dont underestimate the leverage that you can have even with Costco if you guys work together, Hayes said. You have the right as farmer to organize and negotiate together on contracts. Hayes shared her past experience working with growers contracts. She pointed out, many of the prior promotional facts and figures released by Costco regarding contracts and other operational aspects will not necessarily be included in the legal document. She stressed that interested farmers must read with diligence, and with the assistance of legal advice, before they sign a contract binding them to Costco and/or Lincoln Premium Poultry for the next 15 years. Only the contract is legally enforceable, Hayes told the crowd. You cant just take for granted that they have accurate numbers in trying to promote these operations. In Hayes experience, a traditional poultry grower contracts is drafted by the company and presented to the farmer as a take it or leave it binding agreement. The company retains significant control in that relationship. It owns the birds and provides all the inputs (feed, medicine and etc.), while the grower finances the housing barns, labor and costs of operation, such as fuel for heating. Typically, poultry contracts also operate under a tournament system that uses a formula (based on production weight, feed used, and other factors). The formula ranks the efficiency of each farmer and then pays each farmer based on their rank in the system. In contrast, information released by Costco and Lincoln Premium Poultry through the Greater Fremont Development Council explains they will offer 15 years contracts. Additionally the contracts will not function under the tournament style. Growers will receive a base pay, guaranteeing a set of amount of income. For growers who perform above average, bonus payouts will be offered. Such a system allows for better projected income for financing repayment on loans received for construction of the housing units. If they do what they say they are going to do, it will be a sea change in the broiler industry, Hayes said reiterating that many broiler contracts are flock to flock. What (Costco and Lincoln Premium Poultry) are suggesting, in principle form, is dramatically different than what the broiler industry has seen. For some audience members present, as well as the speakers, concerns encompassed not whether they approved or disapproved of the Costco operation. Instead, their concerns narrowed on the details, and gaining the knowledge to advocate for themselves should they choose to sign on the dotted line and become a grower. Neither Hayes nor Weaver objected to Costco and they made that fact clear, citing Costcos excellent history with its employees, its customers and as a wholesale operation. I think (Costco) probably does care about their potential growers better than most (poultry operations), Hayes said. But she added, You need independent verification of those numbers. Even Weaver, a long time poultry grower, who in a previous interview, spoke to some of his first-hand experience with unfair contracts. He agreed with Hayes that the purpose for their informative meetings did not represent opposition to Costco. Im not opposed to this facility that Costco is building (in Fremont), Weaver said in an interview, This is a different deal that they are proposing they need to do their best if they want to do things right. Weaver serves as president of the Poultry Growers Association of the Virginias and remains a long-time poultry contract grower for Pilgrims, the worlds second largest poultry producer. He detailed some of the adverse contractual relationships experienced in his years with Pilgrim. He stated that growers have not received a pay-base increase in almost 20 years, even while Pilgrims continues to pay billions of dollars to its stockholders. He pointed out that he receives about $10 per ton for selling his chicken litter as fertilizer; and his annual chicken litter income represents a number falling far of the $40,000 estimated annual value of litter per four-house barn according to documents released through the GFDC. Weaver also stressed the loss of control, pointing to the forced, and very expensive ($40 to $100 thousand), upgrades required every few years for the operation of the housing complexes. Such upgrades can include heating and cooling mechanisms. When asked by one audience member if, knowing what he knows now about the poultry growers contract, would do it all over again? The simple answer is, no. Not because of the money, but because of the way they (poultry companies) treat you, Weaver said. Hansen, who works with many Nebraska farmers, carries much concern for the families he works with and remains focused on educating the public. At the end of the day were talking about food production, Hansen said. Our job is to focus on particular part of this process the contract. He explained that the food production industry needs to be accessible, transparent, competitive and fair. When all those components harmonize a healthy market results and everyone can benefit, he explained. Despite all that has been said (by Costco) we still have not seen the particulars, Hansen pointed out. Those words on a piece of paper is what its all about for the growers.